September SO, 1871.] The PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
263 
bromide, iodide and chloride of potassium- ^ q |_ Gs a 
superficial inspection impossible, and one sanipA, 
remarkable for the whiteness, thickness and regu¬ 
larity of its crystals, was found to be extremely 
impure. 
All samples contained moisture, from ^ to 4A per 
cent., and free alkali or carbonate, from 1*5 to 4*25 
percent.; three samples contained iodide of potas¬ 
sium | to 2 per cent.; nine samples contained 
chloride of potassium, some 11*15 and 30 per cent., 
also sulphate of potash 1 to 3 per cent. Traces of 
bromate of potash were found in three samples, and 
appreciable quantities only in one. M. Adrian is of 
opinion that this is a very dangerous impurity, inas¬ 
much as it may give rise to the elimination of bro¬ 
mine in the stomach and be the cause of violent 
inflammation of the bowels. 
Bromide of potassium is prepared by passing 
chlorine through the mother-lyes of certain salt¬ 
works containing bromide of calcium and magnesium, 
together with iodides; the mother-lyes, coloured in¬ 
tensely yellow by free bromine, are shaken up 
with ether, the solution treated with potash, the 
bromate of potash which is formed, together with 
the bromide, is converted into bromide by ignition, 
dissolved in water and separated by crystallization. 
If chlorine is now passed through the mother-lyes, 
it not only replaces bromine and iodine in its com¬ 
pounds, but it unites with it to form chloride of bro¬ 
mine and iodine, which are both soluble in ether. 
This ethereal solution treated with potash, which fre¬ 
quently contains considerable quantities of chloride 
and sulphate, must of course yield a very impure 
article. 
The impurities are best recognized by dissolving 
ten grams of the salt to 100 c. c. solution; effer¬ 
vescence on addition of hydrochloric acid proves the 
presence of carbonates; one drop of benzole and a 
few drops of bromine water produce a rosy colour if 
iodides are present; sulphate is detected by nitrate 
of baryta, and bromate by sulphuric acid producing 
a yellow coloration. After these preliminary tests 
and after complete separation of the carbonate, sul¬ 
phate and iodide, the chloride may be determined by 
a standard solution of silver.— Journ. tie Pharm. et 
tie Ghim. janv. p. 17. 
PEOTOPLASMIC LIFE.* 
BY F. CRACE-CALYERT, F.R.S. 
A year since, the publication of Dr. Tyndall’s inter¬ 
esting paper on the abundance of germ-life in the at¬ 
mosphere and the difficulty of destroying this life, as 
well as other papers published by eminent men of science, 
suggested the inquiry if the germs existing or produced 
in a liquid in a state of fermentation or of putrefaction 
could be conveyed to a liquid susceptible of entering into 
these states; and although at the present time the residts 
of this inquiry are not sufficiently complete for publica¬ 
tion, still I have observed some facts arising out of the 
subject of protoplasmic life which I wish now to lay 
before the Royal Society. 
Although prepared, by the perusal of the papers of 
many workers in this field, to experience difficulties in 
prosecuting the study, I must confess I did not calculate 
on encountering so many as I met, and especially those 
arising from the rapid development of germ-life, and of 
which I have hitherto seen no notice in any papers 
which have come under my observation. Thus, if the 
* From the Proceedings of the Royal Society, No. 128, 1871. 
white of a new-laid egg be mixed with water (free from 
iii?/’ t an . exposed to the atmosphere for only fifteen 
show IfteTL , e m onths of August ov September, it will 
in many of my ^elflee. From this cause I was misled 
sufficiently careful to avoicP f $’i men i ;s > n °t having been 
of the fluids to the atmosphere. TtPnotary exposure 
knowledge of this fact may be traced the erroneoifif Aha 
elusions arrived at by several gentlemen who had de¬ 
voted their attention to the subject of spontaneous gene¬ 
ration. 
I believe that I have overcome the difficulty of the 
fluids under examination becoming polluted by impreg¬ 
nation by the protoplasmic life existing in the atmo¬ 
sphere, by adopting the following simple method of 
working. 
As a pure fluid, free from life and having no chemical 
reaction, was essential to carrying out the investigation, 
I directed my attention to the preparation of pure dis¬ 
tilled water. Having always found life in distilled 
water prepared by the ordinary methods, by keeping it 
a few days,—after many trials I employed the following 
apparatus, which gave very satisfactory results, as it 
enabled me to obtain water which remained free from 
life for several months. 
It consists of two flasks, A and B (A rather larger 
than B), fitted with perforated caoutchouc stoppers.* 
These flasks are connected by the tube D. Into the 
stopper of A is fitted a tube C, to which is joined a piece 
of caoutchouc tubing, which may be closed by the clif> 
E. Through the stopper of B is a siphon, F, the long 
limb of which is cut and joined with caoutchouc tubing, 
which can be closed by the clip G-. Through this stop¬ 
per is a third tube, H, connected by caoutchouc with 
the tube I; this can be closed by the clip K. The tube- 
I is about three feet long and goes into the vessel L, 
which is partly filled with water. 
The water to be distilled is mixed with solution of 
potash and permanganate of potash and placed in the 
flask A.f Before distillation is commenced, a rapid 
current of pure hydrogen or some other gas, must be 
passed through the apparatus by the tube C to displace 
* The stoppers and caoutchouc tubing used for the various 
joints must be new, and must be well boiled in water before 
use. 
t The reasons why I employed permanganate of potash 
(in large excess) were that, under the influence of heat, its 
oxidizing powers were much increased, and that it gave off 
no gas that could interfere with the purity of the water, 
this salt in solution not even yielding oxygen under any cir¬ 
cumstances. 
