THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [February 10, 1872. 
GIG 
REACTIONS OF CARBON BISULPHIDE. 
BY F. SESTINI.* 
Solubility in water. —Carbon bisulphide is not quite 
insoluble in water. After several days’ contact at ordi¬ 
nary temperatures, water takes up about 1 part in 1000 
of its weight of this compound, a very small quantity at 
the same time undergoing decomposition. The aqueous 
solution, when distilled, gives up the carbon bisulphide 
unaltered, at the commencement of the distillation. It 
has the odour of the compound, a slightly burning taste, 
and does not contain more than 0’002 gram of hydrogen 
sulphide in a litre. 
Reactions with the Hydrates of the Alkaline Earths .— 
When a mixture of water, calcium hydrate and carbon 
bisulphide is exposed to the action of solar light in 
summer, the liquid in six or eight hours acquires a fine 
yellowish-red colour, and during the following night 
deposits a few very fine prisms of an orange-red colour. 
The same reaction takes place in two hours when car¬ 
bon bisulphide is heated to about 50° with milk of lime. 
The liquid, filtered while hot, does not deposit any crys¬ 
tals on cooling, but, on adding calcium hydrate to the 
cooled filtrate, it yields the prismatic crystals above 
mentioned. 
These crystals consist of a compound of hydrate and 
sulphocarbonate of calcium, represented by the formula 
3 CaH 2 0 2 . CaCS 3 .7 H 2 0. The formation of the sulpho¬ 
carbonate, which however is preceded by that of sulphide 
of calcium, is represented by the equation— 
3 CaH 2 0 2 + 3 CS 2 = 2 CaCS 3 + CaC0 3 + 3 H 2 0. 
Hydrate of barium acts exactly like hydrate of calcium, 
and gives rise to a yellow compound which crystallizes 
in short prisms. 
The hydrates of strontium and magnesium likewise 
acted in the same manner (the latter but feebly), but did 
not yield crystallized compounds. 
The reaction with calcium hydrate may be applied to 
the detection of carbon bisulphide in solution.— Journal 
of the Chemical Society. 
SHEFFIELD PHARMACEUTICAL AND CHEMICAL 
ASSOCIATION.—ANNUAL DINNER. 
The Annual Dinner of the above Association was held 
on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at the Adelphi Hotel; the newly- 
appointed President, Mr. W. V. Radley, occupied the 
chair. After the cloth had been withdrawn, and the 
usual preliminary toasts proposed and duly responded to, 
Mr. E. Birks gave the toast of the evening, “ Success 
to the Sheffield Pharmaceutical and Chemical Associa¬ 
tion.” In the course of his remarks, Mr. Birks alluded 
to the object of such an association, which he thought 
was primarily to instruct the apprentices and associates, 
whom he reminded, if their study was to be real and 
beneficial, it must be applied to by constant and un¬ 
wearied diligence. 
Mr. Dobb replied, in an eloquent speech. Alluding 
to the benefits conferred by the association, he said that, 
even if it ceased to be an educating body, yet it would 
always, as the representative body of the chemists of that 
important town, make itself felt, as it had done in the 
past session. With regard to the proposed “ Pharmacy 
Amendment Act,” he said the action of this Society had 
had a visible effect. 
Mr. Wards proposed “The Medical Profession,” 
which was responded to by Dr. Hime. He said he 
trusted that the good feeling then displayed might be 
increased, as it was indispensable that there should be 
such a feeling existingjbetween them and the medical pro¬ 
* Gazzetta chimica Italiana, i. 473. 
fession. In referring to dispensing, he said he hoped 
that the time was not far distant when quackery on the 
one hand would be utterly abolished, and, on the other 
hand, when the medical practitioners would altogether 
discontinue the dispensing their own medicines, and so 
leave the lawful calling of dispensing to the trained and 
qualified chemist. 
The other toasts were “The Honorary Members and 
Lecturers,” “The President,” “The Council and Offi¬ 
cers of the Association,” “ The Ex-Secretary.” 
At intervals during the evening several songs and 
recitations were rendered, and the company broke up at 
a late hour. 
SOIREE OF THE BIRMINGHAM AND MIDLAND 
COUNTIES CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
On Tuesday evening, February 6th, the President, Mr. 
George Dymond, gave a soiree to the members and 
associates of this society, at Lovegrove’s Royal Hotel. 
There was a very large attendance,—more than a hun¬ 
dred chemists and assistants and medical and other scien¬ 
tific men of the town and district, and an equally large 
number of ladies present. Various scientific objects and 
apparatus were ranged round the room, all of which 
were of the greatest interest to the visitors. 
Mr. Lancaster exhibited some valuable microscopes, 
and showed with them some admirable objects ; he had 
also several graphoscopes, through which a number of 
large photographs were seen to great advantage. 
Mr. Field, aided by several pharmaceutists, made up 
a good show of microscopes. 
Messrs. Southall, Son and Dymond, exhibited a collec¬ 
tion of roots and herbs which are officinal in the Phar¬ 
macopoeia of India, and which do not appear in the 
British Pharmacopoeia. Some of the specimens attracted 
particular attention. 
Mr. C. J. Woodward, B.Sc., chemical lecturer at the 
Midland Institute, exhibited some beautiful experiments 
with the oxy-hydrogen spectro-polariscope, showing the 
colours which may be produced on a white screen by 
means of sections of selenite and other substances before 
the lime-light. 
Many other objects of interest were exhibited by Mr. 
F. Bird; Mr. George Gore,F.R.S.; Mr. Alfred Creswell; 
Mr. W. H. Cremer; Dr. Hinds; Mr. W. H. J ones; 
Mr. W. L. Scott and other gentlemen. 
The room was admirably arranged, and great taste 
was displayed by the committee. 
Mr. C. L. Cornish and Mr. Alfred Bird, F.C.S., kindly 
lent a number of large photographs of Swiss and other 
views. 
Dancing commenced a little after ten o’clock, and was 
kept up with great spirit till after one. 
It was a pleasant feature of the evening to observe 
the perfect unanimity of feeling and cordiality which 
prevailed among all present, and how thoroughly the 
cares and anxieties of a pharmaceutist’s life were for 
once cast aside. 
At the conclusion of the last dance, the M.C., Mr. 
Alfred Bird, jun., proposed three cheers for Mr. Dymond 
(to whom they were indebted for the pleasant evening 
which they had spent), which were very heartily re¬ 
sponded to. 
It is only just to say that the great success of the 
soiree was entirely due to the untiring exertions of the 
secretaries of the Association, Mr. Lucas and Mr. Jones, 
and of the stewards, especially Mr. A. Bird, jun., Mr. 
Howes and Mr. W. J. Churchill; and the hope was ex¬ 
pressed by all present that this, the first soiree of the 
Birmingham chemists, might be the precursor of many 
annual gatherings. 
