256 Dr. Ronalds on Sulphnr and Phosphorus in Urine. 



sulphuric acid, and that these three to five grains amount to 

 about one-fourth of the whole quantity of sulphur excreted by 

 the kidneys. With a view to ascertain what compound con- 

 tained this sulphur in the urine, I have examined the preci- 

 pitates produced in urine by neutral and basic acetate of lead, 

 after the separation of the sulphates by baryta, and find that 

 the}' only contain traces of sulphur. The colouring matter 

 described by Scherer, and obtained by the method he adopts, 

 likewise contains only a trace; whereas the liquid containing 

 the urea, generally considered free from all other organic 

 matter, which remains on the separation of the precipitate by 

 basic acetate of lead, contains nearly the whole of this excess 

 of sulphur, but how combined I have not yet been able to 

 ascertain. The determination of this question, which I pro- 

 pose to examine, may possibly lead to some interesting facts, 

 and perhaps throw some light upon the question respecting 

 the formation of cystic oxide. 



From some preliminary experiments made for the purpose 

 of ascertaining whether phosphorus was contained in urine in 

 any other compound than as phosphate, the following results 

 were obtained. 



To the four ounces of urine employed for the preliminary 

 determination of the sulphuric acid and sulphur in the former 

 experiment, after the precipitation of the sulphuric acid by 

 barytes, some more nitrate of barytes was added and then the 

 whole carefully neutralized with ammonia. The following 

 quantities were obtained: — 



Phosphate of barytes oMaiued from the Thosphate of barytes obtained from 



POj naturallv contained in urine vas urine after deflagration with nitre was 

 BaO PO5 5-775 grains BaO PO5 6-532 grains 



= POs 1-831 ' =P05 2-074 



= P 0-805; =P 0-910; 



showing an excess of phosphorus over that contained as phos- 

 phate in the four ounces of urine to be 0'105 grain. 



In another experiment, in which the same portions of urine 

 were employed as at the fifth column of the foregoing table, 

 the following were the results : — 



Pliospliate of barytes obtained from tlie PO5 Phosphate of barytes obtained from 

 naturally contained in 1016 grs. of urine. 1016 grs. of urine after deflagrating 



with nitre. 



BaO PO5 3-135 grains BaO PO^ 5-313 grains 



= P05 0-993 =P05 1-687 



= P 0-435. =P 0-740 



Therefore 0-305 grain of phosphorus was contained in the 

 1016 grains of urine in an unoxidized state, which, calculated 

 for the whole amount of urine passed in twenty-four hours, 



