lj-1 Oil produced from the Lcar,:s nf /lie Lraird Cher r if. 



separation of the radical of tlie prussic acid from the before 

 nientioRcd oil, I made choice of lime in order to examine 

 Avhelher earths could be employed for the same purpose, as 

 I believed, and I made the following experiments : 



I. 1 shook for some time half an ounce of fresh prepared 

 lime water, with three drops of the oil of the laurel cherry, 

 by wiiich ineans a complete mixture of both was effected, 

 and no oil floated at the surface. To this mixture I added 

 half a dram of clear liquid muriate of iron, by which a 

 greenish precipitate, inclining to blue, was produced. 

 Wlien mixed with a sufficient quantity of the muriate, the 

 greater part of the precipitate was redissolved, and the 

 liquid assumed a green colour. After a short time a small 

 quantity of a blue precipitate was deposited, which when 

 fiiiered, washed, and dried, amounted to nearly half a grain, 

 and exhibited all the appearances of prussiate of iron. 



II. I repeated the above experiment, oulv with this dif- 

 ference, that I employed six drops of oil. The same phre- 

 nomena.were produced, and the blue precipitate at length 

 obtained corresponded perfectly in weight \\ith that of the 

 first experiment, for it amounted to nearly a grain. 



By this experiment it is also proved that the distilled oil 

 ef the leaves of the laurel cherry forms, by means of lime, 

 prussic acid. I must here remark that, for the greater 

 certainty, I repeated both experiments, as I did in regard 

 to all the rest, without shaking the oil of the laurel cherry, 

 Avith lime water, by which means 1 obtained a clear 

 fluid. This I mixed with a drop of the solution of prussiate 

 of potas!), by v. hich ] produced the same shade of colour 

 in the fluid as in the preceding experiments, and after a 

 little rest a blue precipitate deposited itself at the bottom. 



As M. Bucholz did not sucteed completely in i)roducing 

 prussiate of iron, by treating tiie distilled oil of bitter al- 

 monds with anmionia, I resolved to repeat the same expe- 

 riment with the oil of the leaves of the laurel cherry. 



III. With this view I shook six drops of this oil with a 

 dram of pure fluid ammonia, and mixed with them half a 

 dram of clear deliquescent muriate of iron, which was still 

 diluted with two drams of distilled water. The result was 

 a green precipitate, mixed with a great deal of blue, which, 

 by the addition of pure muriatic acid, left a blue preci- 

 pitate, which when tvashed and dried amounted to a grain, 

 and exhibited all the phaenomcnaof prussiate of iron. 



By this also it is proved that ammonia is in no manner 

 prejudicial to the forniation of the prussiate of iron, as 

 M. Bucholz concludes from his experinicfits. ,Thc reason 



whv 



