364 A. Schlieper on the Oxydation of Uric Acid 
IT communicate the following _ as they presented them- 
selves in the course of the investigatio 
To observe the action of leiide yard of potassium and potassa 
into a nearly cold solution of uric acid in a little more po- 
tassa ley than was necessary for the formation of neutral urate of 
potassa 2KO,C,,N,H,O,. The salt dissolves easily in the 
liquid, and is then “directly changed into prussiate of potassa. 
After the first additions of red prussiate of potash, a separation 
occurred, of a thick, reddish white precipitate, by which all 
the liquid was soon thickened toa pulp; which on closer in- 
vestigation, was found to consist a! biurate of potash KO, 
So much potash and red prussiate of potassa 
were alternatively added, that i uric acid remained in per- 
manent solution. As soon as biurate of potassa separated, or as 
e red prussiate of potash was undecomposed with fa- 
eility, the sedition of a few drops of potash ley were sufficient 
to renew the operation. ‘The addition of red prussiate of potassa 
was continued till by a few drops of muriatic acid, no uric acid 
was precipitated. ‘Towards the end of the operation, the decom- 
position of the uric acid proceeds slowly, and therefore the addi- 
tion of red prussiate of potassa must be made at greater intervals. 
The alkaline liquor which smells weakly of ammonia, an 
contains prussiate of potash, an excess of potash and the products 
of decomposition of uric acid, was then nearly neutralized wit 
sulphuric acid, a considerable quantity of carbonic acid was dis- 
engaged, and the solution was evaporated by boiling ; a constant 
smell of ammonia seemed to indicate a further decomposition of 
the generated organic bodies. The solution must not be pet- 
fectly neutralized with sulphuric acid, because then the prussiate 
of potassa is decomposed during the evaporation, prussic acid 
goes off and a white pulverulent combination KFe, Cy, precipi- 
tates itself, which it is nearly impossible to separate, eae. it 
goes through every filter 
The greater part of the prussiate of potash was separated by 
crystallization, the mother liquor was then evaporated to a small 
volume and mixed with alcohol, by which sulphate and prussiate 
of potash were precipitated ; this precipitate was then boiled sev- 
eral times with alcohol to remove all substances soluble in the 
sane. The sociale solution, during evaporation, gave crystalline 
crusts of an organic body, which having been separated, the 
liquor was concentrated to a syrup, and indicated after long 
standing, traces only, of indistinct crystals containing potassa. 
This syrupy mass was soluble in a great quantity of weak, and 
may be again precipitated in thick white flocks by absolute ‘alco- 
hol. The residuary salt mass extracted with alcohol consisted 
