December SO, 1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
535 
Professor Maisch read a paper on fluid extract of 
chestnut leaves. 
Professor Parrish exhibited specimens of “ Perkins 
and Hyatt’s Celluloid Base,” patented for the use of 
-dentists in making artificial dentures. This is composed 
of inspissated collodion combined with a certain propor¬ 
tion of camphor. At the temperature of 300° F. it 
softens so as to be perfectly adapted to the plaster cast 
of the mouth, and when cold is firm and somewhat 
•clastic, much resembling the hard rubber plates so much 
in use. He also showed a convenient screw-press, 
flask and oil-bath, with thermometer attached, in which 
•the base is moulded to fit the plaster cast. Although 
adapted to withstand any test experienced in actual use 
in the mouth, this substance is soluble in ether and alco¬ 
hol, and at a temperature of about 330° F. is decomposed 
and volatilized. Touched by an ignited match, it was 
£hown to burn rapidly, with much smoke. 
Dr. Pile exhibited crystallized bromide of morphia, 
prepared by him by double decomposition between equi¬ 
valent quantities of bromide of barium and sulphate of 
morphia. The crystals, which are very beautiful, acicular, 
and disposed in stellate groups, are very difficult to dry 
without losing their whiteness. He stated that this salt 
is sometimes prescribed as a remedy in nervous affections. 
Dr. Bridges remarked that bromide of potassium has 
been found useful in correcting the effects of opium, and 
this combination may have been suggested by a know¬ 
ledge of that fact. 
Professor Parrisii exhibited so-called “ divided medi¬ 
cines,” patented by Fred. Kraus, of Cincinnati. They 
consist of sheets of gelatine containing, either in solution 
or suspended equally throughout, such medicines as 
calomel, opium, subnitrate of bismuth, sulphate of quinia, 
sulphate of morphia, and arsenious acid. Being of uni¬ 
form thickness and definite outline, they are marked 
while yet soft with lines dividing them into twelve equal 
squares, each of which, by being cut out, will furnish a 
definite dose. He stated an objection to this form of 
^administering soluble medicines, that the full impression 
is made upon the palate during their solution in the 
mouth, wdiich must necessarily be protracted; the French 
wafer, on the contrary, by enveloping a nauseous medi¬ 
cine, so as to prevent its contact with the organs of taste, 
completely disguises it. The effect of moisture upon 
these gelatine sheets would seem to render them more 
perishable than many other pharmaceutical forms. 
In the discussion wffiich followed upon the eligibility 
of these medicines, Professor Maisch spoke of their 
having been used in Germany and other parts of Europe 
for several years, and being first suggested and introduced 
by Professor Almen, of Upsala, Sweden. The elegant 
atropine and calabar disks of Squire, and those contain¬ 
ing a variety of concentrated remedies made by Savory 
and Moore, are similar, though of greatly superior work¬ 
manship, and are especially adapted to be applied in the 
eye and for similar applications. 
Professor Maisch called attention to the recent ob¬ 
servations in regard to the solvent action of citrate of 
.ammonia, potash, soda and lithia upon various salts of 
iron and bismuth insoluble in water, and exhibited scales 
resembling the officinal pyrophosphate of iron, but com- ammoma 
posed of phosphate of sesquioxide of iron and citrate of 
potash. This salt was made by Mr. J. Creuse, of Brook¬ 
lyn. It is surprising how long a time it took to make 
fhis discovery, while it has been well known for a 
number of years that soluble salts of iron, mixed with 
-sufficient citric or tartaric acid, are not precipitated by 
potash, which has generally been attributed to the 
formation of a double salt. The discovery by Robiquet, 
in 1856, of the solubility of pyrophosphate of iron, and 
SOCIETY OF ARTS. 
Dyes and Dye-Stupes other than Aniline.* 
BY DR. CRACE-CALVERT, F.R.S. 
Lecturb III. 
Blue Colouring Substances. — Indigo , Orchil , Cudbear , 
Litmus , Prussian Blue and Ultramarine. 
(Continued from page 515.) 
Returning from this digression, let us now enter on a 
description of the process of M. Marnas. He treated 
the lichens, as suggested by Dr. Stenhouse, with milk of 
lime, filtered the lime liquor off, precipitated the colour- 
giving principle from it with hydrochloric acid, and 
gathered the precipitate on a filter. This precipitate 
was well washed, dissolved in caustic ammonia, and the 
ammoniacal liquor kept at a temperature of 153° to 160° 
for twenty to twenty-five days, when, under the influence 
of that temperature, the colour-giving principles of the 
lichens fix ammonia and oxygen, and are transformed 
into a new series of products. These wero separated 
from the liquid by the addition of chloride of calcium, 
which caused a fine purple lake to be deposited. This, 
after being washed and dried, was sold under the name 
of French purple. 
To dye silk or wool with French purple, it is simply 
necessary to mix the lake with its weight of oxalic acid, 
boil with water, and then filter, the oxalate of lime re¬ 
maining on the filter, while the colour passes through 
in the filtrate. This liquor is added to a slightly am¬ 
moniacal liquid in the dye-beck; all that is now ne¬ 
cessary is to dip the silk or wool in the beck, when 
it will become dyed with magnificent purple or mauve. 
To dye cotton, it is necessary to mordant it with albu¬ 
men, or prepare it as for Turkey red, before putting it 
in the bath. 
Robiquet was the first chemist to isolate a colourless 
principle from lichens susceptible of assuming a fine 
purple hue when brought in contact with ammonia and 
oxygen. This principle he named orcine. He obtained 
it by treating the Variolaria orcina by strong alcohol. 
This solution, on being allowed to cool, gives crystals, 
which, on being dissolved in water and allowed to 
crystallize, assume the form of large well-defined crys¬ 
tals of hydrate of orcine. By crystallization from ether 
anhydrous orcine can be obtained. Orcine gives a fine 
dark-red colour with perchlorido of iron; but its most 
remarkable property is its transformation into orceine , 
which Robiquet shows to be due to the following re¬ 
action :— 
C 7 II s 0 2 -f NHg -f 0 2 = C 7 H ? N0 3 + H 2 0. 
Orcine. Ammonia. Orceine. Water. 
Orceine presents itself under the form of a brown 
powder, slightly soluble in cold water, to which it gives 
a red colour. It is soluble in alcohol, but insoluble in 
ether. It is soluble in alkalis and ammonia, to which 
it communicates a magnificent violet colour. It exists 
in commercial orchil under the form of orceinate of 
Time will not permit me to describe the researches of 
Heeran and Sir R. Kane. I must therefore confine my¬ 
self principally to a short description of those of Dr. 
Stenhouse and Dr. Schunck. 
The chief merit of Dr. Schunck consists in having 
pointed out the connection which exists between the 
orcine of Robiquet, and the erythrine and pseudo-erythrinc 
of Heeran, and in showing that orcine is the sole im¬ 
mediate colour-producing principle of the series. This 
the observation by several, £ JsSS, of the £• P™ T*. ^ ~T ^ 
the ordinary phosphate of iron in citrate of ammonia, 
•failed to provoke similar experiments with citrate of 
potash and of soda, until the present time, by Mr. 
Creuse. 
he treated the dried and powdered Variolaria orcina 
* Cantor Lecture, delivered Tuesday, Feb. 21. Reprinted, 
from the Journal of the Society of Arts. 
