402 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [November 23, 1872. 
lime never contains less than 33 per cent, and some¬ 
times as much as 37 per cent, of available chlorine. 
My experience has taught me that chlorinated lime 
is sent into the market for the use of the druggists, of 
such a low chlorine value as would not be accepted 
as bleaching powder in any manufactory where pur¬ 
chase is preceded by analysis, unless offered at a 
reduction in proportion to its real value. I should 
suggest that in future chlorinated lime should be 
described as containing one-tliird of its weight (38'3 
per cent.) of available chlorine. I append the results 
of a recent examination of specimens of Liq. calc, 
chloratee, B. P., of pharmacy. 
Spec. Available Chlorine 
grav. per cent. 
Brit. Pliarm. . . P035 .... 2*958 
i _ __ 
No. 1 ... 1-045 .... 1-830 
No. 2 ... 1-049 . , . . 2-780 
No. 3 ... 1-042 .... -590 
No. 4 ... 2-000 .... 1-053 
Tliese^ show that anything but uniformity exists, 
and that the maximum chlorine value is seldom or 
ever attained. In all probability, were the standard 
of the chlorinated lime raised to 333 per cent., then 
we might have a liq. calcis chloratse containing 3 per 
cent, of available chlorine. 
Liq. Ferri Perchloridi Fortior. —It has been shown 
by Abraham (Pharm Journal, vol. IX. 2nd series, 
p. 272) that the specific gravity of this liquor should 
be 1-445 and not l/338, and this I can corroborate. 
While writing upon this solution, I would suggest 
that in future a somewhat smaller quantity of ni¬ 
tric acid be used than is at present ordered, as the 
great excess over and above the theoretical quan¬ 
tity acts powerfully upon the spirit of wine with 
which the liquor is diluted for tincture, and ren¬ 
ders the tincture most unacceptable to those who 
were accustomed to the tincture made by the London 
Pharmacopoeia process. 
Liq. Hydrarg. Nitr. Acidus. —In my hands the 
directions of the Pharmacopoeia have been insufficient 
to ensure a uniform result. 
We are told “ to boil (the solution of the mercury 
in the acid) gently for fifteen minutes, cool, and pre¬ 
serve the solution hi a stoppered bottle. Specific 
gravity, 2"246.” No mention is made of making up 
the product to a given weight or measure. 
On the several occasions on which I have made 
the solution, I have never obtained it of the officinal 
density, 2'246. The greatest gravity I have noted 
after fifteen minutes’ gentle boiling has been 2-130, 
sometimes it has been much less. I would suggest 
that the following clause be added to the direc¬ 
tions :—“ Let the product be made to measure 
5 oz, 1| fluid drachms, or to weigh eleven ounces. 
The specific gravity should be 2T30.” 
Liq. Plumb. Subacet. —The directions for prepar¬ 
ing this liquor are almost identical with those of the 
London Pharmacopoeia, although the proportions 
are somewhat varied— 
Acetate of Lead 
Litharge 
Water 
Pharm. Lond. 
2167 grains. 
1280 grains. 
20 oz. 
Brit. Pharm. 
2187*5 grains. 
1531-2 grains. 
20 oz. 
The increase in the acetate of lead is unimportant, but 
the proportion of litharge is nearly 20 per cent. (19-6) 
greater in the British than in the London Phar¬ 
macopoeia. In Phillips’s translation of the London 
Pharmacopoeia, 1851, the specific gravity is described 
asl‘260; and although the proportion of litharge has 
been thus augmented, in the British Pharmacopoeia 
the solution is still said to be of specific gravity 1-260. 
Now I have found that it is possible to obtain a 
solution when making a large quantity with the 
greatest ease at 1-285, and even in making a quan¬ 
tity of one pint, which I imagine is seldom done, 
the resulting liquor will have a density of P270. 
This, I should suggest, should be the recognized 
minimum gravity of the officinal solution. 
Liq. Sodce Chloratce .—Although I have scheduled 
this solution, and have given a specific gravity which, 
I think, would representja solution of carbonate of 
soda, 12 oz. in 30 oz. water (1-100), into which 
chlorine (not dried) has been passed to saturation 
and increased thereby in weight 3 - 3 per cent,—still 
I have never been able to'obtain a solution containing 
2"535 per cent, of available chlorine by this officinal 
process, neither have I been fortunate enough to 
meet with any manufacturer who has ever been more 
successful. 
The strongest solution I have produced has con¬ 
tained 2"02 per cent] of available chlorine when 
examined immediately after production, with specific 
gravity l - 090, but this has rapidly decreased in 
value, on account of free chlorine being present, 
which, decomposing the bicarbonate of soda, is 
converted into chloride, and consequently unavail¬ 
able chlorine. As far as I can estimate, this very 
nearly corresponds with the theoretical quantity 
that would be contained in the hypochlorite of soda 
formed, presuming the liquid to be in addition satu¬ 
rated with free chlorine. If the statement be true, 
that when the chlorine comes in contact with the 
solution of carbonate of soda, there are formed 
hypochlorite, chloride and bicarbonate of sodium; 
then the 12 oz. (5250 grains) of carbonate of soda 
ordered in the Pharmacopoeia would require 651*6 
grains of chlorine, 325*8 grains of which would be 
transformed into hypochlorite, and would be always 
available in the proportion of 1-469 per cent, of 
chlorine in the perfected solution. 
Let us presume the addition to this of the quan¬ 
tity of chlorine in an aqueous solution, which is about 
•606 per cent., 
Then 1*469 Chlorine (as Hypochlorite) 
+ *606 Chlorine (as free Chlorine) 
= 2-075 per cent, of available chlorine, 
closely corresponding with the result I obtained in 
practice (2*02). It may be argued that this is rather 
speculative, but if we turn to Pereira’s ‘ Materia 
Medica’ (page 556), we find at any rate one part 
of this corroborated as far as the [hypochlorite 
is concerned, by the composition of the chlorinated 
soda of the London Pharmacopoeia being expressed 
as, 
Hypochlorite of Soda .... 
. 3-11 
Chloride of Sodium. 
2-44 
Bicarbonate of Soda .... 
. 6-26 
Water. 
. 88-19 
100.00 
Now as hypochlorite of soda has 47-7 per cent, value 
of available chlorine, the quantity of hypochlorite 
in the solution of the London Pharmacopoeia will 
be equal 1'48 per cent, of available chlorine, free 
chlorine being altogether ignored. It is difficult to 
understand why there should be such a different 
