CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 255 



during the ebullition with hydrochloric acid, arsenic is volatilized as chloride ; 

 but Dr. Odling does not consider this fact is of any consequence in practice, as 

 the loss is inappreciably small, and might be provided against by using a 

 small retort for the operation. 



It is generally believed that Reinsch's test is applicable only for the detec- 

 tion of arsenical compounds that are dissolved by dilute hydrochloric acid. 

 In cases of poisoning, it is not unfrequent that the whole of the arsenic is 

 converted, by the decomposition of the tissues, into tersulphide, which is 

 generally represented as being insoluble in dilute hydrochloric acid, and con- 

 sequently the arsenic would not be extracted from the organic substance and 

 tissues by boiling with dilute hydrochloric acid; however, Dr. Odling has 

 found that the precipitated tersulphide of arsenic is readily dissolved by very 

 dilute hydrochloric acid, and even by boiling water, to a much greater extent 

 than was observed by Dr. Christison. 



He finds also that the deposits obtained from arsenic and antimony resem- 

 ble each other very closely; but that this is not of any consequence in prac- 

 tice, owing to the ease with which the arsenical deposit is distinguished from 

 that produced by arsenic. 



With regard to the detection of antimony by means of Reinsch's test, he 

 finds that bismuth, and even tin, will yield metallic deposits which cannot 

 safely be distinguished from that obtained from antimony, by the appearance 

 only. 



The characters of the bismuth deposit are somewhat peculiar; when thin, 

 it approximates closely in appearance to that obtained with antimony. The 

 deposit obtained with tin differs much according to circumstances: when 

 thin, it has a peculiar dotted appearance; sometimes it is almost black ; some- 

 times steel-blue. When heated, it sometimes appears to diminish consider- 

 ably. It would, moreover, be produced only when the amount of metal in 

 solution was so large as not to present any difficulty in detecting it. 



Dr. Odling suggests the following as a delicate method of confirming the 

 indication of antimony: 



The coated copper is covered with a solution of one grain permanganate 

 of potash in fifteen ounces of water, a drop or two of potash solution added, 

 and the whole boiled. In a few minutes the permanganate is decomposed, 

 the antimony passes into solution, and may be precipitated by means of 

 sulphuretted hydrogen JYom, the solution acidulated with hydrochloric acid. 



Excretion of Arsenic and Antimony in the Urine. Dr. Kletzinsky, as the 

 result of his investigations upon the expulsion of metals in the secretions, 

 comes to the following conclusions: 1. The presence of a small quantity 

 of albumen in arsenical urine is indubitable, but it is problematical in anti- 

 monial urine. The excretion of both metals may take place in the form 

 of their alkaline salts. 2. The excretion takes place a short time after 

 poisoning by arsenic, more quickly than in antimony poisoning, and con- 

 tinues uninterruptedly until death or recovery, the excretion of antimony 

 continuing usually longer than that of arsenic. 3. That in its forensic 

 relation, the analysis of the urine in arsenic or antimony poisonings, pro- 

 viding the patient live for from twelve to twenty -four hours, is capable of 

 furnishing a complete negative or positive conclusion. Wien Wochenschrift, 

 No. 8. 



Source of Error in Marsh's Test for Arsenic. The following is a resume of 

 a paper read before the French Academy of Medicine, by M. Blondlot, on 

 a source of error in making use of Marsh's method of detecting arsenic. 



