4S4 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [December 21, IS 72 . 
preparations lie lias to commit great waste of ma¬ 
terial, throwing many ingredients away before they 
are half exhausted. I cannot help thinking that by 
possessing such stock liquors containing all the 
soluble active portions of our drugs in a simple and 
definite form, the labour of the physician as well as 
that of the chemist would be facilitated; the one 
would readily know what he had to prescribe, and 
the chemist would better know what he really dis¬ 
pensed ; tinctures, liquors and wines would become 
clear indicators of what they really are, a number of 
old and obsolete compounds would disappear from 
our shelves and store-rooms, and make place and 
throw more light on those preparations of importance 
that remained behind. 
But this is not the case, and without speaking of silica, 
iron, etc., there is always a proportion of glauberite 
present, and sometimes a considerable quantity. Analyses 
would therefore give a varying proportion of the different 
elements, according to the quality of the specimen ex¬ 
amined. The following are the results of some analyses 
made by the author 
No. 1. 
No. 2. 
No. 3. 
HO. 
.. . 20-15 
28-74 
28-78 
B0 3 . 
. . 16-42 
17-67 
25-40 
S0 3 . 
. . 21-56 
17-80 
18-00 
CaO. 
. . 15 - 15 
13-29 
17-36 
NaO. 
. . 7*75 
6-89 
6-97 
Insoluble (Si0 2 ) • 
. . 10-42 
8-37 
0-14 
Alumina and iron . 
. . 4-31 
5-10 
NaCl. 
. . 4-00 
1-95 
3-57 
BORATE OF LIME IN PERU.* 
EY M. TIIIEKCELIN. 
Borate of lime is found in the great pampas of Tamaru- 
gal, especially upon the western boundary, in the dry 
bed of a river which once ran from the north-east to the 
south-west. It is collected by breaking through the 
saline crust which covers the soil, and digging up the 
subjacent sand. The mineral then presents itself in 
nodules of various sizes, but having an average weight 
of from forty to fifty grams. There are besides myriads 
of smaller concretions a few millimetres in diameter, 
which are neglected because of their size. The pieces 
are rounded and white, with a brown tint derived from 
the earth. Their fracture is shining and pearly, and 
presents a lamellar crystallization, which recalls boracic 
acid. Small prisms with a yellowish reflection reveal 
the presence of glauberite. The solubility of the entire 
mass in water is very slight, varying from one to five 
per cent., according to the proportion of its elements. 
Acids, on the other hand, especially hydrochloric acid, 
dissolve it nearly completely in a short time. Dilute 
acids only partially dissolve it. 
By qualitative analysis the author has obtained from 
it the following: — HO, B0 3 , S0 3 , CaO, NaO, Cl, 
Si0 2 , Fe. He has not, however, met with potash or 
ammonia, the presence of which has been stated by some 
authors to be constant. 
The neighbourhood of the volcano of Isluga, about 
twelve or fifteen leagues to the north-east, explains the 
origin of the boracic acid ; either it was conveyed in the 
steam which the ordinary winds would drift towards 
these parts, or else, dissolved in cold water, it was brought 
down in the river which formerly ran in the now dry 
bed. It would also be accompanied by sulphurous acid, 
which would account for the sulphuric acid now found. 
The numerous masses of easily disintegrated carbonate 
of lime that are scattered about upon the soil, would 
necessarily furnish a base to the two acids vomited from 
the volcano, and borate and sulphate of lime would thus 
be formed. But in the presence of a large quantity of 
common salt which is spread over all the neighbouring 
country, the sulphuric acid has formed a double salt of 
soda and lime, or glauberite, which is besides found in 
nearly every part of the province. Boracic acid, on the 
contrary, not being able to decompose the chloride of 
sodium in the cold, would remain free from the soda. 
This in reality proves to be the case upon analysis. 
Various analyses show that the salt contains two equiva¬ 
lents of acid,—that it is, therefore, a biborate of lime,— 
with eight equivalents of water. If this salt were in a 
pure state in the mineral, it would have the following 
centesimal composition:—j 
BO 3 .. . . 41-18 
CaO .16-47 
HO.42-35 
* From the ‘ Bull. Soc. Cfiim.’ and ( L’Union Pkarmaceutique.’ 
99-76 99-81 100-22 
The first two represent two commercial specimens, the 
last some nodules chosen for their purity, and separated 
from glauberite and earth. It would appear, therefore, 
if the first two were of average richness, that boracic 
acid is present in the mineral to the extent of from six¬ 
teen to eighteen per cent. The water found over and 
above the eight equivalents of crystallization must be 
considered as hygroscopic; its proportions vary con¬ 
siderably. 
The proportion of boracic acid in relation to the lime 
proves clearly that it is a biborate, and as the rest of the 
lime and soda are required to constitute the glauberite, 
it is evident that soda is not present in the borate. 
According to the formula of biborate of lime 
(2B0 3 Ca0, 8 HO), in which the acid represents 41-18 
per cent, it might have been expected that all the speci¬ 
mens analysed would contain less acid than was found 
in the pure salt. It is astonishing to see in published 
analyses quantities of acid out of all proportion to the 
composition of the mineral. For instance, in ‘ Watts's 
‘ Dictionary’ analyses are given in which boracic acid 
figures as 34, 43, 44, 45, 43, and even 49-5 per cent. 
These must certainly have been analyses where the de¬ 
termination of the acid has been by difference. If the 
method is easy, it runs the risk of not being very exact. 
It must be admitted that the direct analysis of boracic 
acid is difficult, and that this circumstance has without 
doubt influenced the processes employed. In order to 
render his analyses as exact as possible by w-orking directly 
upon the acid, the author had recourse to the volumetric 
method. 
It has already been stated that dilute hydrochloric 
acid does not entirely dissolve the mineral; in fact, it 
leaves all the glauberite intact, and acts only upon the 
borate. If, therefore, hydrochloric acid, say of fifty per 
cent, strength, be dropped from a burette into a vessel 
containing a determined quantity of borate well powdered 
and suspended in a little water coloured blue with tinc¬ 
ture of litmus, after the acid has decomposed all the 
borate it will remain free and redden the solution. The 
quantity of hydrochloric acid employed will indicate the 
quantity of boracic acid displaced, from which the pro¬ 
portion per cent, may be calculated. This easy method 
gives very exact results, and allows an analysis of borate 
to be made in less than an hour. 
THE FLORA OF THE QUANTOCKS.* 
BY W. TUCIvWELL. 
_ The geological formation and the historical associa¬ 
tions of the Quantock Hills have been abundantly investi¬ 
gated. Their natural productions, animal or vegetable, 
have not yet, so far as I know, been described or 
* Read before the Somerset Archaeological find Natural 
History Society September 12 th, 1872 , and reprinted from. 
Nature. 
