fodine in the Mineral Waters of Saratoga. 243 
All the mineral fountains that have yet been examined in 
this valley, and there are more than twenty, are found to pos- 
sess uniformly, the same qualities, differing only in what is 
usually termed their strength, or, in other words, in the quan- 
tities of the articles which the water of each is found to hold 
in-solution. They belong to a class which may with propri- 
ety be styled the acidulous saline chalybeate. Th st 
analyses agree in demonstrating that they contain the follow- 
ing ingredients, viz. 
arbonic aci 
a, and 
Carbonate of iron, together with a very minute quantity of 
Silica and alumina. 
The great efficacy of these waters in a variety of stru- 
mous affections, for which their known properties did not very 
satisfactorily account, gave origin to the conjecture, that they 
might contain Jodine, and the fact of that substance having 
been recently discovered in some of the mineral springs of 
urope, gave confidence to the opinion which led to an in- 
vestigation ; as soon, therefore, as leisure would permit, an 
examination was commenced, with a view to that particular 
point, and the result of the following experiments will, I trust, 
be considered as sufficiently conclusive on the subject. 
Having procured a quantity of the salts of one of th 
fountains, soluble in distilled water, I dissolved thirty grains 
of them in a weak solution of starch in cold water, and then 
let fall into the solution a drop or two of sulphuric acid; 
is produced a slight effervescence and the liquor immedi- 
ately assumed a deep purple tinge,—on suffering this to 
stand at rest a short time, the color was precipitated with the 
starch giving it the well known characteristic blue tinge. 
The clear, liquor was now turned off and the colored starch 
placed upon the surface of a warm stove, when the color 
Was immediately disp e : : 
Having thus caceeciiaa the fact of the existence of Iodine 
in these salts, it became important to acquire a knowledge 
of the manner in which it is combined and retained in the 
Ww . oe 
Saline may exist in a mineral water in the state of todic or 
hydriodic acid combined with either of the alkalies, potassa 
