Absolute Alcohol: Spirit Dried over Potash and Quicklime (Drinkwater)

Strong spirit still holds a few per cent of water. Drinkwater dried it first over potassium carbonate, then over fresh-burnt quicklime, distilling it each time from a water bath at about 82°, until its specific gravity fell to 0.794 at 15.6° (Thorpe, 1912). Keep it away from flames and stoppered: it takes water back from the air. The picture: our diagram.