Dr. J. Stenhouse on Alpha- and Beia-Orcine. 



2692-327 lOO'OO 100-00 lOO'OO 



It will be observed that this analysis agrees pretty closely 

 with Mr. Schunck's, and that the small amount of colouring 

 matter remaining in orcine prepared by the old method has 

 no perceptible effect upon the result of the analysis. 



Orcine is a body which retains its water of crystallization 

 with great tenacity. It may be rendered anhydrous, however, 

 in several ways, as when it is distilled, when it is heated to 

 212° F., and, as I have recently found, when it has been re- 

 peatedly crystallized out of aether, or even when it has been 

 dried in vacuo over sulphuric acid. 



The last-mentioned mode of rendering orcine anhydrous, 

 though tedious, requiring from three to six weeks, is by far 

 the best and safest, as the orcine remains perfectly colourless, 

 and all risk of decomposition is avoided. The following are 

 the results of several analyses of colourless orcine, prepared 

 from alpha-orsellesic acid at four different times, and dried in 

 vacuo. 



I. 0-264 grm. substance gave 0*6610 CO 2 and 0-1570 water. 



II. 0349 grm. substance gave 08675 CO 2 and 0-205 water. 



III. 0-324 grm. substance gave 08085 CO 2 and 0-1985 

 water. 



IV. 0-2064 old orcine, also dried in vaaio, gave 0-515 CO 2 

 and 0-130 water. 



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I. and II. analyses were made with chromate of lead, and 

 the heat strongly raised towards the close of the combustion. 

 No. III. was burned with pure oxide of copper, assisted with 

 a current of oxygen gas. No. IV. was orcine prepared by the 

 old process, and also dried in vacuo', it too was burned with 

 oxide of copper, assisted by a current of oxygen. It is ob- 

 servable, that the quantity of hydrogen in the two last analyses 

 is too high: the reason of this is, that from fear of decompo- 

 sing the orcine, I did not venture to heat the mixture of the 



