90 



CHEMISTRY. 



while the solid globule of butter will sink to 

 the bottom. If we use alcohol of 59 per cent, 

 oleomargarine will remain on top, and butter 

 will sink to the bottom, at all temperatures 

 above 15 C. At 15 C. oleomargarine will 

 remain in equilibrium in any portion of the 

 liquid in which it is placed. Since oleomar- 

 garine is seldom sold pure, but is mixed with 

 true butter to improve its taste and appear- 

 ance, it may be practically most convenient to 

 use alcohol of 55 per cent and consider as oleo- 

 margarine any so-called butter that will not 

 sink to the bottom in it at 15 0. or 59 Fahr. 

 The theory has sometimes been set up in 

 cases where arsenical poisoning is suspected, 

 that the arsenic found in the subject may have 

 been absorbed from bismuth taken for medici- 

 nal purposes. In view of this fact, Messrs. 

 E. H. Ohittenden and S. W. Lambert, of the 

 Sheffield Laboratory, Yale College, have made 

 experiments for the purpose of ascertaining the 

 purity of bismuth subnitrate as regards arsen- 

 ical poison, and whether, if arsenic is present, 

 the poison taken in repeated doses of the bis- 

 muth is absorbed by the different organs and 

 tissues of the body. Out of fourteen different 

 samples of subnitrate of bismuth analyzed, only 

 one was found to be absolutely free from ar- 

 senic, while the average content of arsenic in 

 the samples examined was -013 per cent, or 13 

 milligrammes of arsenious oxide in 100 grammes 

 of bismuth. This amount is equivalent to two 

 tenths of a grain of arsenious oxide. Of one of 

 the specimens 100 grammes contained 77 milli- 

 grammes, or 1-2 grain of arsenious oxide, or half 

 a fatal dose of the poison. Although arsenic 

 is known not to be an accumulative poison, 

 but to be gradually eliminated from the healthy 

 body when very small quantities are taken at 

 periods somewhat remote from each other, 

 there was still no evidence to show that even 

 such small quantities as were present in the 

 samples of bismuth might not be absorbed and 

 give rise to an appreciable accumulation of the 

 poison. In order to ascertain exactly to how 

 great an extent it is absorbed and retained 

 when arsenical bismuth is taken, a given quan- 

 tity of bismuth subnitrate was administered to 

 a large and healthy dog three times daily with 

 his food, in increasing doses. This was con- 

 tinued for five weeks, when the dog was killed, 

 twenty -four hours after the last dose was 

 given. During the whole time he had taken 

 a little more than a grain of arsenious oxide, 

 and 2*38 milligrammes per day during the last 

 three weeks. He was apparently unaffected 

 by the bismuth. Only -00116 gramme of metal- 

 lic arsenic was found in the stomach and in- 

 testines, with unweighable mirrors or minute 

 stains in the other organs, and but little ab- 

 sorbed bismuth. It is concluded from these 

 results that the greater part of the arsenic 

 taken was not absorbed. The amount found 

 in the alimentary canal was only one half the 

 amount contained in the last three doses of 

 bismuth taken, a portion of which remained in 



the alimentary canal at the time of death. 

 This, then, was not absorbed arsenic, but sim- 

 ply the amount contained in the bismuth still 

 remaining in the alimentary canal. The un- 

 weighable mirrors found in the liver, brain, 

 and blood were, however, evidence of slight 

 absorption. The non-absorption of arsenic is 

 probably dependent upon the form in which 

 it exists in the bismuth that is, upon its in- 

 solubility. The conclusion is drawn from tlie 

 experiments that, while medicinal bismuth 

 subnitrate contains a weighable quantity of 

 arsenic, the poison was not present in the 

 specimens experimented with, in a form capa- 

 ble of being readily absorbed into the system. 

 This fact, however, does not diminish the need 

 of a preparation of bismuth entirely free from 

 arsenic. 



M. Goppelsroeder has invented a method of 

 what might be called dyeing by electricity, or 

 of forming dye-stuffs by electrolysis. His pro- 

 cess depends upon the decomposition of water 

 in the galvanic battery, and upon the fact that 

 coloring-matters may be produced by the oxi- 

 dation of some substances and the deoxidation 

 of others. To produce his dyes he dissolves 

 organic matters, chiefly coal-tar products, which 

 produce dyes by either action, in the acidulat- 

 ed water which is to be decomposed by the 

 battery. As the same substance may some- 

 times give one color by oxidation and another 

 by deoxidation, he separates the poles with- 

 in the acidulated bath by interposing porous 

 earthenware between them. The battery be- 

 ing put in action, the coloring substances which 

 are derived by oxidation are produced in the 

 oxygen end of the bath, those derived by re- 

 duction in the hydrogen end. With this pro- 

 cess he has successfully produced aniline-black, 

 different aniline-blues, Hoffmann's violet, arti- 

 ficial alizarine, etc. ; and he exhibited at the 

 Paris Exposition some fabrics beautifully col- 

 ored with the dyes thus formed. 



MM. Latour and Dubreuil have described 

 a new process for extracting sulphur. The 

 method commonly employed in Sicily is by 

 roasting the mineral by piling it into tower- 

 like heaps, and making fires at the bottom. 

 The sulphur melts and is collected, but only 

 half of it is secured, for the rest is lost in the 

 atmosphere as sulphurous and sulphuric acids. 

 The process can be carried on only during a 

 part of the year, for the acid vapors destroy 

 all vegetation during the growing season. The 

 new method consists in throwing the mineral 

 into boilers containing chloride of calcium. 

 When the mixture is heated to 248, the sul- 

 phur melts and sinks to the bottom of the 

 boiler. As soon as the separation is completed 

 the boiling liquid is poured off into another 

 boiler, and is good to use again, without cool- 

 ing. Extraction by this method secures nearly 

 all of the sulphur, and can be carried on at 

 all times, for it does not disengage any noxious 

 gases. 



M. E. Houdard has described a process and 



