Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 January 1896 — Cheaper Alcohol. [ARTICLE]

Cheaper Alcohol.

M. Molssan, the noted Freneh oUjoinb. Jan, expects to revolutionize the distillation of alcohol. He has discovered an inexpensive method of ohfainlngj alcohol from acetylene, which is the’ new gas that came to the front so prominently a few months ago as a probable substitute for ordinary illuminatinggas, owing to its chcaimess. M. Moissan pursues the same method of producing the acetylene gas by subjecting a quantity of coke and quicklime to the heat of an electric ’’’••.rnaco In order to effect a dii'ect union of their elements and produce calcium carbide, which decomposes when thrown in water into acetylene. Ammonia-chro-mous sulphate absorbs this gas, and by the aid of.heat transforms it into ethylene. The ethylene Is passed into hot sulphuric acid, and sulphovlnic acid Is obtained, which, by the addition of boiling water, produces the alcohol that thgn only demands reetiflcatlon. The costb{ best quality of alcohol produced by this method is stated to be from 5 to G cents per quart.