398 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [November 11,1871. 
for systematically preaching the doctrine of quantity 
and practising it. After him came Berzelius, whose 
labour, so patient, so vast, and withal so exact, stands 
a monument alike to warn and to stimulate future ge¬ 
nerations of chemists. But these men and their suc¬ 
cessors for half a century worked by methods which 
were almost exclusively gravimetric. In the deter¬ 
mination of quantity they have relied almost entirely 
upon the conversion of the substance into some form, 
either elemental or as a compound of known composition, 
which could be conveniently placed upon the pan of a 
balance and weighed. But unfortunately the separation 
of bodies one from another is a task which, though it 
has occupied the lifelong endeavours of some of the most 
acute experimenters, must yet be looked upon as far 
from complete. 
In addition to this, suppose an element isolated from 
the companionship of its congeners, it must then, if it 
does not present the stability and fixity required for 
gravimetric purposes, be converted into one of its com¬ 
pounds, the composition of which is accurately known 
and which presents the necessary physical character¬ 
istics. Chemists found out at last, however, that some 
of the difficulties and much of the tediousness of gravi¬ 
metry might be eluded by employing processes based 
upon another principle. 
This principle has consequently come to be of great 
importance, and the art of volumetric analysis in high 
esteem. In English we have but one book devoted to 
this subject, and that is Sutton’s ‘ Volumetric Analysis,’ 
—a work which reflects the very highest credit on the 
skill and experience of the author. 
Mr. Sutton explains the leading idea of volumetry as 
follows:— 
“ Suppose, for instance, that it is desirable to know 
the quantity of pure silver contained in a shilling. The 
coin is first dissolved in nitric acid, by which means a 
bluish solution, containing silver, copper, and probably 
other metals, is obtained. It is a known fact that 
chlorine combines with silver in the presence of other 
metals to form chloride of silver, which is insoluble in 
nitric acid. The proportions in which the combination 
takes place are 35-5 of chlorine to ©very 108 of silver; 
consequently, if a standard solution of pure chloride of 
sodium is prepared by dissolving 58 ’5 grains of the salt 
(7. e. 1 at. sodium 23, 1 at. chlorine 35-5 = 1 at. chloride 
of sodium 58-5) in so much distilled water as will make 
up exactly 1000 grain-measures; every single grain- 
measure of this solution will combine with O’108 of pure 
silver to form chloride of silver, which precipitates to 
the bottom of the vessel in which the mixture is made. 
In the process of adding the salt solution to the silver, 
drop by drop, a point is at last reached when the preci¬ 
pitate ceases to form. Here the process must stop. On 
looking carefully at the graduated vessel from which 
the standard solution has been used, the operator sees at 
once the number of grain-measures which have been 
necessary to produce complete decomposition. For ex¬ 
ample, suppose the quantity used was 520 grains ; all that 
is necessary to be done is to multiply 520 by the coefficient 
for each grain-measure, viz. 0108, which shows the 
amount of pure silver present to be 56-16 grains.” 
And this is the general piinciple of volumetric analy¬ 
sis. We have not always to do with silver and chlorine, 
but the principle is applicable to all those cases in which 
a definite chemical reaction occurs, the completion of 
which can, by observation or by the use of some simple 
test, be recognized immediately and with precision. 
“ In alkalimetry it is the change of colour produced in 
litmus, turmeric or other sensitive vegetable colouring- 
matter. The formation of a permanent precipitate, as in 
the estimation of cyanogen. A precipitate ceasing to 
form, as in chlorine and silver determinations. The ap¬ 
pearance of a distinct colour, as in iron analysis by per¬ 
manganate solution, and so on.” It must be obvious that 
wherever the method is applicable a great saving of time 
and trouble is accomplished. Further than this, it has 
been abundantly shown that in a very large number of 
cases volumetric processes rival successfully, as to accu¬ 
racy, the more tedious gravimetric operations. 
All practical chemists, however, know that volumetry 
has, like gravimetry, its defects, and we think Mr. 
Sutton has exercised a very laudable and judicious mo¬ 
deration in limiting the number of processes which he 
recommends in this capital book of his. A great defect 
with which special books are so often chargeable is that 
the authors endeavour to extend their subject beyond 
its true and legitimate limits, and to give to it a wider 
generality than it has any right to. 
Sutton’s ‘Volumetric Analysis’ is known in every 
laboratory where technical chemistry is practised, but 
we fancy some of his former readers will hardly recog¬ 
nize their old friend in the magnificent volume into- 
which he has developed. The book is very considerably 
enlarged, “the modern system of atomic weights has 
been adopted in the present edition, but the alteration, 
is in many cases merely a nominal one, since the sys¬ 
tematic arrangement previously in vogue facilitates the 
calculation of results and needs in no way to interfere 
w-ith the theory of the chemical constitution of bodies.” 
Water analysis is a subject of entirely recent growth, 
and a very useful article is contributed to the volume by 
Mr. W. Thorp, principal assistant chemist to the Royal 
Commission on the Pollution of Rivers. 
Those who are interested in gas analysis wall be really 
indebted to Professor M‘Leod for the very able and lucid 
article, illustrated by drawings from his own pencil* 
which occupies some seventy pages at the end. 
Hitherto Bunsen’s valuable ‘ Gasometrie’ has been, 
the only book at the disposal of the student. For the 
English reader it is now superseded. 
We cannot conclude without congratulating Mr, 
Sutton, as a pharmaceutical chemist, upon the production 
of this important addition to scientific literature. 
We regret to announce the death, from phthisis, on 
October i6th, of Mr. John G. Dale, F.C.S., at the age- 
of 31. The deceased gentleman was connected with tho 
firm of Roberts, Dale and Co., Cheniical Manufacturers, 
of Warrington, of the town council of which town ho 
was a member. At the meeting- of the Warrington 
town council on the 31st October, the mayor in a few 
feeling remarks, mentioned the loss the town had sus¬ 
tained, and moved that a resolution of condolence with 
the widow of their late colleague should be passed. 
After this had been supported by several other council¬ 
lors, who all bore testimony to the great worth of the 
deceased, it was carried and ordered to be forwarded to 
Mrs. Dale. 
We have also to record the death, on Monday, October 
30th, of Mr. William Wootton, Pharmaceutical Che¬ 
mist, of Wolverhampton, aged 44. 
The following journals have been received:—The ‘British 
Medical Journal,’ Nov. 4; the ‘Medical Times and Gazette/ 
Nov. 4; the ‘Lancet/ Nov. 4; the ‘Medical Press and Cir¬ 
cular/ Nov. 8; ‘Nature/ Nov. 4; the ‘Chemical News/ 
Nov. 4; ‘English Mechanic/ Nov. 3; ‘Gardeners’ Chro¬ 
nicle/ Nov. 4; the ‘Grocer/ Nov. 4; the ‘Journal of the- 
Society of Arts/ Nov. 4; ‘Food, Water and Air/ No. 1, for- 
November; the ‘Practitioner’ for November; the ‘Brewers’ 
Guardian ’ for November; ‘ Transactions of the Odontological 
Society’ for June; ‘Journal of Applied Science’ for Novem¬ 
ber; the ‘Doctor’ for November; ‘ Bromsgrove, Droitwiclx 
and Redditch Weekly Messenger/ Nov. 4. 
