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Show ACID FOR MAKING SUGAR. A Curious Process Which Has Met With Some Success In France. A very novel method of making sugar sug-ar has been patented in France by M. Pellegrini. Sugar is chemically a com pound of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen In such proportions that if carbonic acid, water and certain kinds of illuminating illumi-nating gas could bo persuaded to tmite In the proper quantities the composition of sugar would be exactly imitated, Hitherto no one has been able to make sugar by mixing water with two kinds of gas, but M. Pellegrini claims to have succeeded. The apparatus he uses consists con-sists of a large block of pumioe stone, cleansed by Boaking first in sulphuric acid and then in water, which is set in an iron box plated with nickel inside. The length of the box is three times that of the pumice stone block, which is tightly fitted in the middle, and pipes are arranged to convey the ingredients to the empty ends of the box, as requir-ed. requir-ed. Two of them enter from the sidea and serve to bring carbonic acid and hydrocarbon gas, while another pipe from above branches so as to reach both empty portions of the box and conveys steam. All the pipes are fitted with valve and pressure gauges. Another pipe at the bottom of the box serves as an outlet. At first this pipe is closed, as is also the steam pipe from above, and carbonic acid is forced into one end of the box, while ethylene gas is forced into the other under equal pressure tnd in equal volumes. A few minutes later the steam valve above is opened and the steam forced in under the same pressure. As the gases unite the pressure falls, so that the supply cl each must be kept constant. At the end of half an hour the supply of gas is shut off, the outlet pipe is opened, and one of the chambers is found to be filled with sirup containing 25 per cent of sugar. The sirup is drawn off for refining, and as soon as the apparatus is cool it is ready for a fresh charge. The. ethylene ethy-lene gas can be obtained by roasting rosin or grease, but M. Pellegrini's patent pat-ent covers other hydrocarbons,, such as petroleum products The explanation is that the three gases are condensed in the pores of the pumice Etone and there nnit -American Architect |