348 
PHARMACEUTICAL MEETING. 
1st. One part of the salt of bismuth, dissolved in nitric acid moderately dilute, 
two parts citric acid, dissolved in a little water ; then add an excess of ammonia, 
and boil. This solution remains perfectly clear until it is boiled, but when it 
reaches the boiling-point it lets fall a bulky basic precipitate, which remains in¬ 
soluble until the solution has been boiled for some minutes longer; it then parts 
with its ammonia, assumes a slightly acid condition, when the precipitate re¬ 
dissolves and remains perfectly bright. 
2nd. Proceeded as above, adding two grains of phosphate of lime to the bis¬ 
muth salt previous to solution. The result was similar to the above, with this 
exception : the precipitate redissolved, but left the solution somewhat opales¬ 
cent, and, after the lapse of twelve or fourteen hours, gave an abundant, in¬ 
soluble basic precipitate. Not satisfied with the result of these experiments, I 
adopted the same method again with two more samples, this time omitting the 
boiling altogether. 
1st. As No. 1 before named, not boiled. 
2nd. As No. 2 ; two grains phosphate of lime added ; not boiled. The first 
solution remained perfectly clear, and has done so for many days. The second, 
after the lapse of five or ten minutes, gave a bulky insoluble basic precipitate. 
I have also dissolved “ metallic bismuth,’’ passing it through the same process ; 
and, whether boiled or otherwise, the results have been the same in each in¬ 
stance as detailed above. 
I have carefully examined the precipitates formed, and produced a consider¬ 
able bead of metallic bismuth before the blowpipe, whether phosphate of lime has 
been added or not. The natural conclusion to be arrived at is this, that whilst 
the modification suggested by Messrs. Howard and Sons may serve as a kind of 
negative test in the cold, it cannot be relied upon as an absolute test, and es¬ 
pecially not when the solution is boiled ; although it may serve to show the pre¬ 
sence of a phosphate, it is open to the same objection as that suggested by Mr. 
Roussin. 
I have found in all my experiments with this most eccentric of metals that it 
will not bear boiling in the presence of free ammonia ; even the Pharmacopoeia 
liquor, and others which have come under my notice, give this same basic change 
when boiled with this agent in excess. 
There is a question growing out of this well worthy the careful examination 
of experimenters, via. does the salt of bismuth undergo a change when boiled in 
the presence of phosphate of lime and nitric and citric acids, producing an in¬ 
soluble phosphate of bismuth? Phosphate of bismuth we know is not soluble in 
acetic acid, but freely so in dilute hydrochloric acid. These precipitates pro¬ 
duced by the above-enumerated process correspond to this; but I have had no 
time to pursue them further, and should be glad to see the subject investigated 
by more able hands. 
This subject is an important one, from the fact that manufacturers and whole¬ 
sale houses may be exposed to unjust imputations, through hasty experimenters 
calling the precipitate produced by Mr. Roussin’s and Messrs. Howard’s test 
phosphate of lime, and estimating the percentage as such, when none exists in 
the salt. And the more especially is it important that great care should be 
exercised, as it appears that this adulteration is one of foreign origin, and the 
possession of drugs thus adulterated renders the possessor liable to a heavy 
penalty. 
It would not, therefore, be policy for any one to rely upon a simple test which 
is in itself fallacious ; and it would be well if we could have some more ready 
method of detecting this adulteration than the tedious, yet more reliable, one 
which already exists. 
Our daily high-pressure hard work precludes the majority of us from bestow¬ 
ing that attention to these necessary details of examination of the materials we 
