Improvements in Science 449 



much water as it can take up without decomposition ; 

 allow it to stand at rest for some time ; filter ; precipitate 

 the filtered liquor with water ; filter again ; wash and 

 edulcorate the filtered basic chloride of antimony ; press it 

 gently, and dry it at a gentle heat. This basic chloride is, 

 when properly prepared, completely free from arsenic, and 

 it is only necessary to heat 100 parts of it with 80 parts of 

 carbonate of soda and 20 parts of carbon powder for a 

 quarter of an hour, to obtain 61 J parts of antimony com- 

 pletely free from arsenic* 



Separation of Basic Phosphate of Lime from the Ammonia 

 Phosphate of Magnesia by Acetic Acid. — Thismethod has been 

 proposed in consequence of the insolubility of the former, 

 and the solubility of the latter salt in acetic acid. Du Menil 

 found, that acetic acid of the specific gravity 1*04, when 

 digested for foiiV hours with one-sixth of its weight of 

 phosphate of lime acquired no trace of lime, when the salt 

 was heated ; only a very slight trace, when it was dried at 

 212° ; but a great quantity, when precipitated fresh, and 

 acted on when moist. Ammonia phosphate of magnesia, 

 dried at 212°, dissolves rapidly in six times its weight of 

 acetic acid. When the solution was heated, a portion of 

 the salt separated in the form of a crystalline crust. A 

 similar effect was produced by doubling the quantity of 

 acid.f 



Adulteration of Succinic Acid with Succinate of Lime. — 

 Schwenke has procured as much as 15 per cent, of lime 

 from a specimen of succinic acid. J 



Cochineal of Ararat. — In that part of Armenia which is 

 now incorporated with the Russian empire, in the province 

 of Erivan and in the vallies of the Araxes, a species of 

 cochineal insect is found, which, according to M. Hamel, 

 appears to be unknown to naturalists. It is met with 

 principally in the villages of Schorly, Sarwanlar, Nedschely, 

 Hassan Abad, &c. M. Hamel, by giving a view of the 

 different authorities who have mentioned it, shews that it 

 enjoyed an important rank in commerce until the period 

 when the American cochineal shut it out of the market. 

 It is very distinct from the cochineal of Poland. A pound 



* Pharm. Central blatt, Oct. 1836, 638. 

 t Arch, der Pharm. vi. 73. t Pharm. Central blatt, Auj,'ust, 1836, 558. 



