ON MINIMETRIC ANALYSIS. 



201 



Here it is proposed that a bottle of 50 ounces capacity 

 should have attached to it a flexible ball filled with a known 

 quantity of lime-water. A little is squeezed into the bottle^ 

 and shaken about until it becomes neutral ; again a little 

 more ; and when there is no more carbonic acid to render 

 more lime neutral, the operation ceases. But how are we 

 to know when the liquid is neutral? Of the many sub- 

 stances tried for this, perhaps turmeric was the best — a 

 little bit of turmeric paper floating on the liquid itself. 

 One of my assistants, Mr. Clement Higgins, tried the tur- 

 meric in this way, and became very familiar with its use. 

 The operation, however, was slow, and not satisfactory to me, 

 although it can be made excellent with patience and attention. 

 The plan is not correct for large quantities of carbonic 

 acid, because the liquid takes up so much of the vessel. 

 This could be avoided by emptying it into another elastic 

 ball; but I have not cared to employ it so. 



The solution used by this method was lime-water ten 

 times diluted. The manufacture of lime-water is a very 

 good method of obtaining a pretty exact strength of a liquid 

 without weighing. The lime-water which has plenty of 

 lime at the bottom, remains much the same. There is a 

 little change occasionally ; it would be well to determine 

 the exact cause, and we might perhaps be able to start from 

 the point of saturation, even for the most exact researches. 

 The following results were obtained : — Four bottles of lime- 

 water took of oxalic acid — 





Cub. centims. solution. 



1st. 



2nd, 



3rd. 



4tli, 



April 7th, 12° C 



19-5 

 19-4 



20*0 

 19-9 

 19-9 

 19-9 



i9'6 



19-3 



19-8 



20*05 



199 



19*5 

 i9'3 



20*1 

 20* I 

 19-9 

 19-9 



i9'6 

 19-4 

 19-9 



20'I 

 19-9 

 19-9 



After two days, 6° 



„ „ 8°-4C 



„ „ 15° c 



i^°C 





