232 
BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
number of reliable “ samples ” for examination,—I have thought it better to 
ask your indulgence upon the present occasion, in the hope that members of 
the Pharmaceutical Conference and others may, during the next twelve 
months, be charitable enough to assist me freely with specimens, facts, and 
suggestions relative to “ Commercial Chlorinated Lime.” 
As far as I have proceeded in this inquiry,—and I may as well confess at 
once that the work accomplished as yet amounts to very little indeed,—the 
results obtained appear to warrant the following general conclusions, which 
are given here with the view of eliciting the opinions and experiences of others 
rather than for any special weight or importance of their own. I am led to 
believe— 
1st. That too little attention is, in many instances, paid to the condition 
and quality of the limestone from which the first essential material—caustic 
lime—is obtained, as, in the course of the experiments, I have found almost 
every conceivable impurity in the commercial “ chloride,” including many 
that could not be present unless calcareous stones of an entirely unsuitable 
nature had been employed. I am aware that in numerous cases this is diffi¬ 
cult to avoid, from the manufacturers not calcining their own quicklime ; but 
even here a good rule would be to permit no lime to be slaked for the chlo¬ 
rine chambers unless previously examined, and found fit for use. Were this 
more generally insisted upon, the “ stinking ” bleaching powders now com¬ 
plained of would be less frequently met with, and a higher percentage of 
available chlorine would be readily obtained. 
2nd. That it is of the first importance in the manufacture of bleaching- 
powder that the lime employed should be effectually slaked before it comes 
in contact with chlorine. This may appear a very uncalled-for suggestion, 
but some circumstances have come under my notice which are, to my think¬ 
ing, conclusive of the fact that, from the anxiety felt by some makers to use 
the hydrate of lime before any carbonic acid has been absorbed, occasionally 
a small portion of free caustic-lime remains, which, in the presence of a cur¬ 
rent of moist chlorine gas, becomes heated, and initiates the formation of a 
little chlorate of calcium—a most pernicious ingredient. 
3rd. That the “ chlorinated lime ” of commerce is at present an indefinite, 
unsatisfactory product, which opens up an extensive field for underselling, 
adulteration, and other dishonest practices. By the continual extension of 
trade publications of all kinds, we are supposed to be getting better and 
better acquainted with the current value of all commercial products, especi¬ 
ally drugs and chemicals; but I must frankly confess that I am utterly igno¬ 
rant of the proper price of “ chloride of lime ” at this moment; or, supposing 
some to be quoted to me at 14?. 9 d. per cwt., have no idea what I should get 
for my money. Among the more obvious consequences of this uncertain state 
of things may be mentioned the inconvenience experienced in the bleaching 
and dyeing trades, from the difficulty of obtaining a chlorinated liquor of de¬ 
finite strength ; the uselessness of special formulae for the preparation of 
“Liq. Sodse Chlor.;” the loss and uncertainty entailed in the manufacture 
of chloroform ; and the doubts engendered in using the chloride as a disin¬ 
fectant. I once asked a Lancashire calico-printer to tell me confidentially 
how much it would cost him, for bleaching-powder only, to bleach 1000 yards 
of “ grey cloth” of a particular “reed ”? He replied, pointing to a number 
of pieces, “ I could tell you without very much trouble what those have actu¬ 
ally cost; but a similar quantity next time might cost me either half or double 
the amount, for anything I know. The lime is never twice alike.” 
4th. That the present system of quoting the price of chlorinated lime is 
unsatisfactory and unjust, while it tends to discourage the manufacture of a 
superior article. 
