DR. RONALDS ON SULPHUR AND PHOSPHORUS IN URINE. 
463 
Table, showing the relative proportions of Sulphur free and combined with oxygen 
excreted by the kidneys in twenty-four hours. 
Quantity of urine in 24 hours. 
58 fluid-ounces. 
41*5 fluid-ounces. 
62'5 fluid-ounces. 
56 fluid 
-ounces. 
43*5 fluid-ounces. 
Specific gravity. 
1-014. 
1-019. 
1*017. 
1*022. 
1-016. 
Inl014 grs. 
In 100 grs. 
In 1019grs. 
In 100 grs. 
In 1017 grs. 
In 100 gT3. 
In 1022 grs. 
In 100 grs. 
In 10l6grs. 
In 100 grs. 
Sulphate of barytes from the 1 
3-1658 
0-312 
4-354 
0-427 
4-215 
0-414 
7-314 
0-715 
3-922 
0-386 
acid existing in the urine. . . J 
Sulphate of barvtes precipi- ] 
5-158 
0-507 
fated after oxidation of the 1 
free sulphur J 
4-4784 
0-441 
5-744 
0-563 
5-559 
0-546 
8-447 
0-826 
Quantity of unoxidized sul- 1 
phur J 
018 
0-017 
0-19 
0-018 
0-183 
0-018 
0-157 
0-0153 
0-168 
0-0165 
Free sulphur excreted in 24 "I 
hours J 
4-639 
3-715 
4-998 
3-866 
3-247 
It thus appears that from three to five grains of sulphur pass off daily by the urine 
in some other combination than as 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 contained this sulphur in the urine, I 
have examined the precipitates produced in urine by neutral and basic acetate of 
lead, after the separation of the sulphates by baryta, and find that they 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 propose 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 ob- 
tained : — • 
Phosphate of barytes obtained from the 
PO, naturally contained in urine was 
BaO P0 5 5*775 grains 
= P0 5 1*834 
= P 0*805 ; 
showing an excess of phosphorus over 
of urine to be 0*105 grain. 
Phosphate of barytes obtained from urine 
after deflagration with nitre was 
BaO P0 5 6*532 grains 
=P0 5 2*074 
= P 0-910; 
contained as phosphate in the four ounces 
