NOTE ON SULPHATE OF POTASSIUM IN ERGOT. 
513 
salts to ferrous, the antimony becoming dissolved by the influence of the excess 
ot acidulous radical in ferric salts over and above that in ferrous salts? To an¬ 
swer the question, some solution of chloride of antimony was placed in a beaker, 
and a similar quantity in a flask, metallic iron and hydrochloric acid added to 
each, and both warmed. As soon as the iron had disappeared in both vessels, 
the flask was tightly corked, the beaker being set aside uncovered. In the 
course of 24 hours the quantity of antimony in the beaker had diminished, and 
in 48 hours had wholly redissolved. In the same time the antimony in the 
flask had not sensibly diminished; indeed on testing the liquid, no antimony 
was discoverable. Ordinary metallic antimony of commerce was next finely 
powdered and digested in solution of ferric chloride, the result being slow re¬ 
duction to ferrous chloride, the liquid taking up antimony. 
These experiments show that in precipitating antimony by iron with the view 
of quantitatively estimating the antimony, air must be excluded until all ferrous 
salt is washed away. This can generally be accomplished by using large beakers 
or precipitating-glasses, a considerable quantity of well-boiled and still boiling 
water, and washing rapidly by decantation. In delicate experiments, mechanical 
arrangements might be contrived, whereby the antimony could be washed in 
an atmosphere of carbonic acid gas. 
NOTE ON A CRYSTALLINE DEPOSIT IN AN OPIUM 
LINIMENT. 
BY PROFESSOR ATTFIELD. 
Mr, Young, Pharmaceutical Chemist, recently brought under my notice the 
fact that on mixing one pint each of tincture of opium, soap liniment, and com¬ 
pound camphor liniment, about a quarter of an ounce of a greenish-yellow semi- 
crystalline precipitate rapidly formed, sometimes adhering in tufts to the sides 
of the bottle. He was anxious to know whether or not the deposit consisted of 
any of the active principles of the opium, and if so, how its occurrence might 
be prevented. Other pharmacists, doubtless, have met with the deposit, and 
will therefore be glad to know that it consists solely of the acid meconates of 
potassium and (mainly) sodium, with a little sulphate of calcium. My pupil 
Mr. Franklin found that 100 parts yielded 17 of water, 47 of organic matter, 
3 of inorganic ash insoluble in water, and 33 of inorganic alkaline ash soluble 
in water. Its presence or absence in a liniment is apparently of no moment. 
In answer to questions put by the Chairman and others, Dr. Attfield 
stated that the precipitate was formed in a few hours after mixing the in¬ 
gredients, and that it was entirely free from morphia. 
NOTE ON SULPHATE OF POTASSIUM IN ERGOT. 
BY PROFESSOR ATTFIELD. 
In the official process for Extraction Ergo tie Liquidum , B. P., powdered ergot, 
freed from oil by ether, is exhausted by warm water, the mixture filtered, the 
filtrate evaporated to a low bulk, spirit of wine added, the mixture set aside for 
coagula to subside, and, after an hour, filtered and bottled for use. On recently 
carrying out this process, a correspondent (Mr. Romans, 55, Westgate, Wakefield) 
tells me that after adding the spirit of wine he had occasion to set the mixture 
aside during a night instead of for one hour, and on the following morning found 
the walls of the bottle lined with crystals. These he collected, purified, and 
