512 
PHARMACEUTICAL MEETING. 
P on M or M'.102° 00' 
P on e, or e'.120 o, 30' 
M on M'.86°-30' 
M on h .133°-15' 
M on k .136°*45' 
A NOTE ON ABSENICAL PLAYTHINGS. 
BY PROFESSOR ATTFIELD. 
One more word of caution, in addition to those already published, concerning 
arsenical pigments may prove useful. 
I recently sat watching the pretty play of two children in whom I have spe¬ 
cial interest. The one, a boy, about two years old, was charmed with the move¬ 
ments of a toy bird suspended by an elastic thread ; the other, a baby girl, 
equally delighted with a simple cotton reel. Each testified joy by suddenly 
stuffing the plaything into its mouth. But the wings of the bird were coloured 
green : so was the label on the reel. The articles were therefore quickly takei 
from the children, subsequently analysed, and found to contain arsenic. Nov 
this statement need not alarm any one. Arsenical paperhangings, paints, arti¬ 
ficial flowers and birdies, and even arsenical labels, are all useful and pretty in 
their way. These green pigments or powders (green dyes are harmless), like 
sharp knives, needles, and scissors, have their appointed place ; but they must 
be kept out of the mouths of children. 
NOTE ON THE SEPAEATION OF TIN FEOM ANTIMONY. 
BY PROFESSOR ATTFIELD. 
The analysis of a solution containing tin and antimony is usually effected by 
immersing pieces of iron ; antimony is then precipitated, an equivalent quantity 
of iron going into solution ; the tin salt remains in the liquid. Sufficient acid 
is added to dissolve the whole of the iron ; the precipitated antimony is then 
collected on a filter, washed, dried, and weighed; the tin precipitated in the 
form of sulphide, washed, dried, converted into stannic oxide by ignition, and 
weighed. 
This method, however, does not yield concordant results. Working on an 
alloy of known composition, perfectly correct percentages will sometimes be 
obtained, but frequently too little antimony comes out, and too much tin. The 
cause of this discrepancy was not, at first sight, apparent; but noticing that the 
best numbers were obtained when the operation was quickly performed, the 
thought occurred to me that possibly the oxidation of the ferrous product by 
the air gave a liquid which redissolved the precipitated antimony. The matter 
then resolved itself into this question : does metallic antimony reduce ferric 
