October 29, 1370.J 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
351 
will be followed by questioning upon the previous lec¬ 
ture, and illustrated with experiments. The course will 
commence on Friday, November 4th, from 8 to 9.30 p.m., 
and will be continued weekly until the end of April at 
the laboratory, 17, Back Colquitt Street. Fee for the 
course, one guinea. Pharmaceutical students will be 
received at the laboratory for the study of practical che¬ 
mistry at any hour between 9 and 5 o’clock. Foe, one 
guinea and a half for three months, two hours per week. 
Materia Medica .—A course of lectures wall be deli¬ 
vered by W. Carter, M.B., B.Sc., F.R.C.S.I., Lecturer 
on Botany and Zoology in Queen’s College, having spe¬ 
cial reference to the requirements of the examinations 
under the Pharmacy Act, and will bo illustrated by spe¬ 
cimens from the museum. The course will include the 
recognition of drugs, properties of drugs, adulterations 
of (Rugs, plants and animals yielding medicinal sub¬ 
stances, etc. The lectures will be delivered in the 
Museum, Royal Institution, on Tuesday evenings, at 
8.15, from November 1 to the end of March, 1871. Fee, 
one guinea. 
Botany .—This course, by Dr. Carter, will include (1) 
Structural and Physiological Botany—cells and vessels, 
roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit, functions of the 
organs of vegetation and reproduction; (2) Systematic 
Botany and Demonstrations on Plants—general classifi¬ 
cation, Linncan and natural systems, distinctive charac¬ 
ters of the British Natural Orders. Attention will be 
paid to the recognition of plants by dried and fresh spe¬ 
cimens and plates. The class w r ill be held on Tuesday 
evenings, at 8.15, from April 4th until the end of July, 
1871. Fee, one guinea. 
Further particulars may be obtained at the School of 
Pharmacy, 17, Back Colquitt Street, or of Mr. Edward 
Davies, Hen. Sec. 
THE LINCOLN CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The First Meeting of the Lincoln Chemists’ Associa¬ 
tion for the session 1870-71 was held on Tuesday, Octo¬ 
ber 18th. Nearly all the members were present, and the 
following offieex's were elected :—Brest dent: Mr. \V. Har¬ 
rison. Vice-Bresident : Mr. C. Clayton. Hon. Secre¬ 
tary : Mr. C. F. Gadd. Councillors : Mr. F. Mack, Mi*. 
J. Wingate, Mr. W. Cox. 
Several new membei*s were elected, the accounts 
audited, and the funds were found to be in a prosperous 
condition. 
This Association has sent several members to Blooms¬ 
bury Square for the different examinations, and it is to 
be hoped that its sphere of usefulness may greatly extend. 
HULL CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The Second Annual Meeting of this Association took 
place at the Cross Keys Hotel, on Tuesday, October 18th, 
to pass the accounts and elect officei’S for the ensuing 
year. Mr. Baynes was re-elected President, Mr. A. 
Smith Vice-Pi*esident, and Mr. Bell, Secretary. 
Through the able management and liberality in time 
and money of these gentlemen, suppoi*ted by an active 
Committee, this Association was, during the session 
1869-70, not only self-supporting, but enabled to pro¬ 
vide interesting and instructive lectures on botany, 
pharmacy and materia medica to a good number of the 
apprentices of Hull. The lecturers give a very satisfac¬ 
tory report of the attention, good conduct and intelli¬ 
gence of their pupils. 
It is hoped that, in future, all the chemists in Hull, 
and especially those who have appi'entices, will take 
more interest in this movement by attending regularly 
the monthly meetings, and inducing the youths under 
their care to attend the lectures. 
BRITISH PHARMACEUTICAL CONFERENCE. 
JFedncsday, September 1’4 th. 
The Conference l’eassembled at 2 p.m. 
The President said it gave him gi'eat pleasure to in¬ 
troduce to the meeting one of their oldest members, who 
had often contributed valuable papers to their Proceed¬ 
ings, but who resided at so gi'eat a distance that they 
had not had his personal presence before. He alluded 
to Mr. Tichbornc, Chemist to the Apothccai'ies’ Hall of 
Ireland, who had come from Dublin to attend the meet¬ 
ing. 
On Sulphite of Zinc. 
» 
BY CHARLES R. C. TICHBORNE, F.C.S., M.R.I.A., 
Chemist to the Apothecaries' Hall , Ireland , etc. 
The interest that attaches to the sulphites from a 
pharmaceutical point of view is inci'easing every day, 
and the following notice of the chemical and general 
properties of one of them will, I have no doubt, be of 
use. The sulphites are gradually creeping into favour 
with the medical profession. No doubt this is due moi*e 
or less to the development of the germ theories and- 
kindred views, for as regai’ds the antiseptic properties of 
the sulphites there are no two opinions. The antiseptic 
power of the anhydride is perpetuated through all its- 
salts, more or less modified by its solubility or decompo- 
sibility. 
Having had occasion to prepare the sulphite of zinc, 
I was impressed with an opinion that it was one of those 
compounds that bid fair to become practically useful,, 
and was therefore woi'thy of careful investigation. 
j Preparation .—Zinc being bivalent, 6 ounces of sul¬ 
phate of zinc and 5\ ounces of sulphite of sodium were 
dissolved respectively in 6 and 10 ounces of distilled 
watei*, and poured together whilst hot. If necessary, 
the solutions should be filtered before mixing.. The 
quantities are calculated after the following equation: — 
Zn"S0 4 ; 7H 2 0 + Na 2 S0 3 ; 7H 2 0 
= Zn" S 0 3 + Na 2 S 0 4 + 14 H 2 O. 
The salt is, as will be seen further on, practically inso¬ 
luble, and this method of preparation is much better 
than dissolving cai’bonate of zinc in sulphurous acid. 
The salt does not immediately form whilst, the mixed 
solutions are hot, but as they slowly cool it is deposited 
in needle-like prisms; these crystals are, when once 
formed, extremely insoluble in hot or cold water. As- 
regards its purification, the mode simply consists in well 
stirring during the cooling, so as to get microscopic 
crystals. These are thrown upon a filter, and well 
washed with distilled water as long as the washings give 
any decided precipitate with chloride of barium in the* 
presence of hydrochloric acid. The washing, however, 
always gives a minute precipitate, but the sulphate will 
not practically amount to an impurity of any import¬ 
ance, and it is this reaction that has evidently given the* 
idea of a constant oxidation going on which is unlimited 
as regards its extent. The salt, when properly washed, 
is dried at 100° C. The yield is about 43. 
Composition .—The following formulae have been given 
by different authorities as the composition of this salt:— 
Foi'dos and others, ZnS0 3 2H 2 0. 
Rammelsberg, 2 (Zn S 0 3 ) 5 H 2 O. 
There was evidently some discrepancy here,, and it 
was therefore considered necessary to detei'mine the 
actual composition. # g 
The sulphite was finely powdered and di'ied at lOCP C . 
1*237 gramme of the salt so prepared required. 2099; 
grain-measures of the B. P. volumetric solution of iodine’ 
to colour the solution blue, mucilage ot starch and a few- 
drops of acid having been previously added. This gave 
