92 
REVIEWS. 
Laboratory Teaching; or, Progressive Exercises in Practical Chemistry. By 
Charles Loudon Bloxam, Professor of Practical Chemistry in King’s College, 
London, etc. 
This book will be found to meet the requirements of a large class of students who, 
desiring to become acquainted with the means of applying chemical knowledge for de¬ 
tecting and distinguishing the various substances which pass through the hands of a 
chemist and druggist, or are likely to be presented to him for examination, have not yet 
had. and possibly may not be able to obtain, the advantage of lengthened instruction in 
a chemical laboratory. It does not presuppose any knowledge of chemistry on the part 
of the pupil, and does not enter into any theoretical speculations. It is therefore 
equally applicable to the old and to the new school of chemistry. In adopting this plan, 
it was, of course, necessary to avoid the use of symbolic notation. All the tests and other 
substances referred to are designated by their ordinary and generally their more popular 
names, and there is nothing throughout the book that will not be found to be perfectly 
intelligible to those who are beginning the study of chemistry, or to those who have 
acquired a smattering of the chemistry which is no longer in vogue. The matter is suf¬ 
ficiently elementary for the uninitiated, and yet it is much more comprehensive than other 
books of the kind. It contains a series of simple tables for the analysis of unknown 
substances of all kinds (not excepting organic bodies) which are known to be single sub¬ 
stances and not mixtures. It also gives, what is very important to pharmaceutical stu¬ 
dents, a brief description of the physical characters and properties of the substances 
referred to, by which their identification may be facilitated. In addition to this, 
simple directions and illustrations are given relating to chemical manipulation, and this 
kind of matter is not collected into a separate chapter as it usually is, but is given 
just where the learner requires it in the operations which are described. The following 
table and note relating to the vegetable alkaloids will serve to indicate the sort of 
matter given, and the way in which it is arranged:— 
163. IDENTIFICATION OF THE MORE FREQUENTLY OCCURRING VEGETABLE 
ALKALOIDS.* 
Table O. 
Dissolve the Substance in a small quantity of Water or of Dilute Hydrochloric Acid. 
1 . 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
To a part of the 
To another part 
Moisten some of the 
To another part 
To another part 
solution add 
of the solution, add, 
original solid, in 
of the 
of the 
diluted Potash, 
if necessary, 
a porcelain dish, with 
original solution, 
original solution 
very carefully, till 
Dilute Sulphuric 
Strong Sulphuric 
add some 
add Ammonia 
the solution is very 
Acid till 
Acid. 
strong Chlo- 
in excess, 
slightly alkaline. 
slightly acid, and 
Red colour indicates 
rink-water 
and shake with 
Stir with a 
glass rod, 
a saturated solution 
Brucine (166). 
and Ammonia 
Ether. 
and set aside. 
of Bicarbonate 
Add a minute quan- 
in excess. 
Precipitate nn- 
. If no precipitate, 
of Soda 
tity of 
Green colour 
dissolved by 
see (164). 
till the liquid no 
Bicromate of 
indicates 
the ether, 
If a precipitate is 
longer reddens blue 
Potash on the end 
Quinine (168). 
probably Cin- 
produced, add 
litmus. 
of a glass rod. 
Orange-red 
chonine (170). 
Potash 
Stir briskly with a 
Dark purple colour 
colour indicates 
in excess. 
glass rod, and 
indicates 
Narcotine (169). 
set aside. 
Strychnine (167). 
/-^ 
If no precipitate, 
Dissolved. 
Undis- 
see column 3. 
Morphine 
solved. 
If a precipitate is 
(165). 
See Co- 
produced, see 
lumn 2. 
column 4. 
* Heat a small portion of the substance in a small tube open at both ends. 
If a fine red liquid is deposited on the sides of the tube, and the remarlcable odour of 
quinoline (resembling that of tar) is perceived, either quinine or cinchonine is probably pre¬ 
sent (See table O, columhs 4 and 5). 
If a very powerful odour of ammonia is perceived, without much blackening, some base of 
animal origin, such as urea (182), may be suspected. 
