1016 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[June 21, 1873. 
and the mercury was almost instantaneous and very vio¬ 
lent, so much so that the whole material was for a moment 
in a complete state of fusion, the evolution of heat being 
sufficient to fill the spacious apartment with dense violet 
vapours. The proportion of the materials was then recti¬ 
fied by supplying the deficiency of mercury, and the mix¬ 
ture was now thoroughly triturated. The resulting com¬ 
pound did not have the deep olive green colour that this 
preparation usually possessed, but, on the contrary, it was 
of buff or yellowish green cast. Alcohol did not change 
its colour, and therefore I presumed that the intermediate 
iodide had been largely formed, or that the mixture con¬ 
tained an extraordinary amount of the red iodide. The 
washing with alcohol was then continued, and the filtrate at 
intervals examined by dropping it into water, the produc¬ 
tion of a precipitate indicating the presence of red iodide. 
The formation of turbidity remaining undiminished, I 
was led to believe that alcohol could not purify this lot. 
Very little satisfaction was obtained by referring to autho¬ 
rities, and at last I concluded that as the Edinburgh pro¬ 
cess for preparing red iodide of mercury consisted in part 
by crystallizing it from a hot solution of chloride of sodium, 
this might also answer for purifying the green iodide, con¬ 
sequently I boiled the refractory mixture with a strong- 
solution of chloride of sodium, and succeeded admirably in 
removing the poisonous red compound. After this I never 
employed alcohol, but always washed the green iodide with 
a hot solution of chloride of sodium for purification. I 
found this to be the most economical, expeditious, conve¬ 
nient, and thoroughly efficient operation that could pos¬ 
sibly be devised. 
In the manner of preparing the red iodide I resorted 
almost at the outset to a very important modification of 
the ordinary way. The unnecessarily great amount of 
water employed is a disagreeable feature when the process 
is applied in the production of large quantities. Knowing 
that red iodide of mercury is only sparingly soluble in a 
strong solution of chloride of ammonium, I introduced 
this latter salt into the formula, so as to obtain a very 
concentrated solution of corrosive sublimate, and in this 
manner get rid of an enormous quantity of water. The 
strong solution of the chloride of mercury made with the 
aid of the ammonia salt is mixed with a similarly concen¬ 
trated solution of iodide of potassium, and the heavy pre¬ 
cipitate of the red iodide subsides rapidly. Pints of water 
accomplish here what formerly gallons only could effect. 
My process is given below :— 
R Corrosive Sublimate . 4 parts. 
Iodide of potassium . 5 „ 
Chloride of Ammonium . 2 „ 
Water, a sufficient quantity. 
If not already in powder, pulverize the ammonia salt 
coarsely. Then put the mercury chloride into a conve¬ 
nient Wedgwood mortar and crush it (this can be easily 
and quickly done) ; add to it the hydrochloride of am¬ 
monia, and pour on three or four parts of water, triturating 
until the salts have dissolved. Now dissolve the iodide 
of potassium in five or six parts of water, and pour it into 
the first solution, collect the precipitate on a strong filter, 
wash it thoroughly with water and dry it in the open air. 
RESTORATION OF CHLOROFORM WHICH HAS 
BEEN INJURED BY AGE.* 
BY E. B. SHUTTLEWORTH. 
Although the nature of the changes induced in chloro¬ 
form by the agencies of time, light, moisture, and atmo¬ 
spheric exposure, have never been precisely determined, 
I am inclined to think that by far the most general and 
injurious products of decomposition are chlorine and hy¬ 
drochloric acid. In samples of imperfectly rectified 
chloroform, as that of ordinary German manufacture, 
From the Canadian Pharmaceutical Journal. 
these impurities are, after the lapse of some months, 
easily recognizable; and in the course of one or two 
years, an aqueous layer, containing these products in 
solution, may often be found floating upon the chloro¬ 
form. Traces of sulphuric acid quickly induce this change. 
When that liquid has been employed as the purifying 
agent, and has not been completely removed by repeated 
washings and rectifications, the product will very soon 
give sharp indications of chlorine, or some of its acid 
compounds. In the process of purification, adopted in 
the British Pharmacopoeia, the chloroform, after treat- 
ment with acid, is mixed with lime and chloride of 
calcium, and is at once rectified. I think the keeping 
qualities of the product would be much improved by 
agitating the chloroform, before being rectified, with a 
solution of carbonate of soda, followed by water. 
In regard to the restoration of that which has become 
spoiled, I would recommend that the chloroform be well 
agitated -with a dilute solution of hyposulphite of soda. 
It should then be separated by means of a glass funnel 
from the supernatant liquid and again washed; this time 
with simple water. After being separated, the chloroform 
should be passed through filtering paper to free it from 
traces of moisture, when it will be found much improved 
and comparatively sweet; good enough, in any case, for 
external use. 
In the manufacture of chloroform I have found that 
one washing with hyposulphite of soda is more effectual 
than three with simple water. The quantity of hypo¬ 
sulphite used may be so small as to be of no injury to the 
succeeding charges of chloroform, to which it is customary 
to add former washings. 
There are, of course, cex-tain other impurities of chloro¬ 
form, whether chlorinated or not I cannot say, which the 
hyposulphite will not remove. These are of a more 
stable character, and as they possess a higher boiling- 
point than chloroform, may be separated by distillation, 
or by treatment with sulphuric acid in the usual manner. 
PRELIMINARY NOTICE OF A NEW SALT OF 
QUININE.* 
Quinine Meconate. 
BY PETER TOWNSEND AUSTEN. 
As a salt of quinine and meconic acid has not to my 
knowledge been before described, I attempted to prepare 
one. , 
If an alcoholic solution of meconic acid be added to an 
alcoholic solution of quinine, a white, curdy precipitate is 
formed. The precipitate is soluble in hot water, being 
deposited on cooling in beautiful crystals. The water so¬ 
lution gives reactions for both quinine and meconic acid. 
The first curdy precipitate on drying forms a mass re¬ 
sembling dried glue, the next precipitate forms minute 
scales of a silken lustre. Finally, small crystals are ob¬ 
tained. When filtered and dried on bibulous paper, the 
salt has a peculiar sheen, resembling minute fish scales. 
A direct estimation of quinine was made as follows :— 
A weighed portion of the dried salt was dissolved in water 
by the aid of heat, the quinine was precipitated by am¬ 
monia and dissolved in ether. The ethereal solution was 
separated from the ammoniacal liquid and washed with 
water by means of a stopcock funnel, after which it was 
evaporated and weighed. Though the greatest care was 
observed in the washing, a loss of quinine occurred. 
Salt. Quinine. Found. Calculated. 
•25 grm. *137 grin. 54'8 per cent. 56'66 per cent. 
The composition of the salt is then most probably 
C 7 H 2 (C 20 H 2J N s O 2 )"O r , 
which corresponds to the silver salt 
C 7 H 2 Ag 2 0 7 . 
* From the Aynerican Chemist. 
