November 25,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
435 
selves of this opportunity of bringing any specimens, 
instruments, preparations or other articles under the 
notice of those who will be present, are requested to 
coirmunicatc early with the Secretaries, Messrs. J. Lucas 
■andAV. R. Jones, 24, Quadrant Chambers, Birmingham. 
UmttMitp of Snmtifa Soxwtits. 
CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 
Thursday, November 16, 1871; Dr. Odlixg, Vice-Pre¬ 
sident, in the chair. 
The ordinary business of the Society having been 
transacted, the Secketary proceeded to read a paper 
“ On Burnt Iron and Steel,” by W. H. Johnson, B.Sc., 
in which the author commented on a former paper on 
the same subject by Mr. Williams, stating it to be his 
opinion that the steel became burnt through the agency 
of the carbonic acid present, and not through there being- 
■any free oxygen in the hottest part of the furnace. 
Air. S. Bell had found that the oxidizing effect of the 
carbonic acid and the reducing action of the carbonic 
oxide went on simultaneously, varying, however, with 
the temperature ; so that if the carbonic acid were present 
in sufficient quantity, its oxidizing effect would exceed 
the reducing effect of the carbonic oxide, and the iron or 
steel would become burnt. 
An interesting discussion ensued, during which Mr. 
Riley mentioned several curious facts which he had ob¬ 
served diming his experience. 
Mr. F. W. Hart then gave a description of an im¬ 
proved form of siphon, and, finally, the meeting ad¬ 
journed until December 7, when a paper will be read by 
Dr. Gladstone “ On Essential Oils.” 
success by Dr. Stenhouse in separating the purpurino 
and munjistine from the other substances existing in 
munjeet. He states that the munjeet root contains as 
much colouring matter as the Pubia tinctorum , and, 
according to Mr. Higgins, of Manchester, it yields from 
52 to 55 per cent, of a garancine; but as it has only 
SOCIETY OF ARTS. 
Dyes and Dye-Stupes other than Aniline.* 
BY DR. CRACE-CALVERT, F.R.S. 
Lecture II. 
Jlcd Colouring Substances (continuedJ. — Munjeet; Campechy 
Peach, Sapan, Cane and Par Woods; Alhanet Poot; 
Safflower; Cochineal, Lac Pye ; Murcxide. 
Munjeet. —It is to the researches of Dr. John Sten- 
Lousc, one of the most eminent and learned of English 
chemists, that we are indebted for our knowledge of the 
true composition of many of the dye-stuffs, and it is to 
him that wo are indebted for the whole of the information 
we possess in the colouring matters of munjeet, or Pubia 
munjista. 
This peculiar variety of the genus Pubia is cultivated 
•exclusively in Asia, and especially in India, where it has 
Been used as a dye-stuff for a long period of time, either 
alone or mixed with other dyes, to produce a variety of 
red shades. It is imported into this country from time to 
lime, but has never been extensively used, as the colours 
produced from it are neither so fast nor so bright as those 
■obtained with Pubia tinctorum. 
Whilst the colouring principles of madder are pur- 
purine and alizarine, those of munjeet are purpurine and 
a yellow colouring matter, named by Dr. Stenhouse 
munjistine. He has assigned to this latter body the 
iormula C lfi H 8 0 6 . When crystallized from an alcoholic 
solution, it forms large, beautiful, golden-coloured 
Hakes, which, sublimed, give prismatic crystals of an 
orange-red colour. It is only slightly soluble in cold 
water, but freely soluble in hot water. Its best solvent 
is bisulphuret of carbon, which was employed with 
* Cantor Lecture, delivered Tuesday, Feb. 14. Reprinted 
tfrom the Journal of the Society of Arts. 
half the dyeing power of ordinary garancine, it cannot 
be employed with advantage for this purpose. The in¬ 
feriority of munjeet arises from its containing only the 
comparatively feeble colouring matters, purpurine and 
munjistine. Munjeet is not much used by calico prin¬ 
ters, as the munjistine gives a brownish purple with 
salts of iron, which prevents it being employed with 
that mordant. It is used for special shades of Turkey 
red, the munjistine giving, with salts of alumina, an 
orange-yellow colour, which is in some instances employed 
by the dyers. 
I have now the pleasure of calling your attention to 
an important class of dyeing substances, “ the dye- 
woods.” 
Campechy or Logwood .—This wood, obtained from a 
large tree of the leguminous family, called by the 
botanist Hematoxylum campechianum , grows abundantly 
in the West Indies, Mexico and other states of South 
America. The best quality is imported from the Bay of 
Campechy, in the Gulf of Mexico. Large quantities 
are also obtained from Jamaica and St. Domingo. The 
qualities obtained from Honduras, Martinique and Gua- 
daloupe are inferior. 
Campechy was introduced into Europe by the Spaniards, 
but it was not till the reign of Elizabeth that it came 
into use in England, and then only for a short period, 
after which its employment was forbidden under the 
severest penalties for upwards of a century. 
The discovery of its colouring principle, hematine, 
was made in 1810, by my learned and venerable master, 
M. Chevreul (who, although now 85 years old, is still 
actively engaged in scientific pursuits). Shortly after¬ 
wards it was studied by Ermann, who gave it the name 
of hematoxyline. It was obtained by these eminent che¬ 
mists as yellowish-white prismatic crystals, which become 
discoloured by contact with the oxygen of the air and 
the small amount of ammonia which the atmosphere 
contains. It is only slightly soluble in cold water, but 
much more so in hot. It is very soluble in alcohol, 
ether and bisulphuret of carbon. It combines with, 
three equivalents of water, forming a crystalline hydrate, 
which at 212° F. retains one equivalent. 
Hematine in the presence of oxygen, especially under 
the influence of alkalies, assumes a beautiful purple co¬ 
lour. This colouring-matter can be obtained under the 
form of purple-black crystals, having a metallic lustre, 
and has received the name of hemateine. Hematine 
has the formula C 16 H 14 0 6 , which, on conversion 
into hemateine, becomes C 16 H 12 0 6 , H 2 0. The hy¬ 
drate is Ci 6 H 14 0 6 ,3 H 2 0, which, at 212° F., becomes 
^10^-14 0 6 , HoO. 
The oxidation, and consequent coloration, of hema¬ 
tine under the influence of oxygen and alkalies, is so 
rapid that it may be used as a most delicate test of the 
presence of carbonate of lime in natural waters ; and it 
is a fact well known to practical dyers that waters con¬ 
taining a large quantity of carbonate of lime are well 
adapted for the production of good logwood blacks. 
Hematine gives little or no coloration with salts of 
protoxide of iron, but hemateine gives a dark purplish 
blue; the latter also gives dark blue precipitates, with 
salts of lead and tin. Hemateine is easily reduced to 
hematine by hydrogen and sulphuretted hydrogen. 
In my opinion the colouring matter in Hematoxylum, 
campechianum exists in the state of a glucoside, for when 
the trees are felled the wood is colourless; but by the 
time the logs arrive here the outside is of a dark red 
colour, whilst the inside has only become of a pale yellow 
colour. 
As hemateine is the principle which the dyer requires. 
