March 2,1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
711 
fntoml fransarfwns. 
NOTTINGHAM AND NOTTS CHEMISTS’ 
ASSOCIATION. 
The Second General Meeting of the session was held 
in the Society’s Rooms, Britannia Chambers, on De¬ 
cember 20th, 1.871; the President, Mr. J. H. Athertox, 
in ther chair. 
The minutes were read and confirmed. 
The President presented to the Society, on behalf of 
Messrs. Morson and Sons, London, a beautiful collection 
cf alkaloids and chemical preparations for the museum. 
The specimens were exhibited on the table, and were 
very much admired. A cordial vote of thanks was ac¬ 
corded to the donors, on the motion of Mr. W. H. Parker, 
seconded by Mr. Rayner. 
The prizes in connection with the classes on Inorganic 
Chemistry were awarded to the successful candidates. 
Frizes. —Mr. Bothamley, Mr. De Pease and Mr. God¬ 
dard. 
Certificates of Merit .—Mr. Symons, Mr. Archer, Mr. 
Bolton, Mr. Norweb, Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Dixon. 
The paper of the evening, by Mr. Rayner, entitled 
“ Ourselves as Pharmacists,” was unavoidably post¬ 
poned. 
The Third General Meeting of the Association was 
held in the Society’s Rooms, Britannia Chambers, on 
Tuesday evening, February 2nd; the President, Mr. 
Athertox, in the chair. 
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and 
confirmed, and the following donations announced:—• 
The Pharmaceutical Journal, the Chemist and Druggist, 
the Chicago Pharmacist and the Year-Book of Pharmacy. 
Mr. Oscroft Ilkeston and Mr. Margett Eastwood were 
elected members of the Society. 
The Presidext made an appeal to the Society on 
behalf of the English Contribution towards the re¬ 
establishment of the College of Pharmacy, Chicago, 
destroyed during the lamentable fire in that city. Great 
sympathy was expressed and a collection made, which 
was duly forwarded to Dr. Attfield, the Hon. Secretary 
of the Fund. 
_ Mr. Rayxer read a paper on “ Ourselves as Pharma¬ 
cists.” After the discussion thereon, a vote of thanks 
was accorded to Mr. Rayner. 
The Annual Supper of the Association was held at the 
‘Maypole Hotel’ on Tuesday, January 16 ; Mr. Ather¬ 
tox, the President, in the chair. There was a very 
large attendance. 
After the usual loyal toasts had been duly honoured, 
the Presidext called upon the members to drink to the 
success of the Nottingham and Notts Chemists’ Associa¬ 
tion. 
The other toasts given were, “ The Medical Profes¬ 
sion,” “ The Pharmaceutical Society and Council,” “ The 
Lecturers, Past and Present,” “ The President,” “ The 
Vice-President and Council of the Association,” “ The 
Secretary,” “ The Treasurer,” and “ The Ladies.” 
LIVERPOOL CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The Eighth General Meeting was held on February 
15th; Mr. E. Davies, F.C.S., in the chair. 
Mr. Thomas Kirby was elected an associate. 
The following donations were announced:—current 
numbers of the Pharmaceutical Journal; the New York 
Druggists' Circular ; and the “ Proceedings of the Liver¬ 
pool Architectural and Archmological Society,” Oct. 
Nov. 1871. 
Mr. Johx Abraham read the following paper on the 
Pretaratiox of Liquor Potassas. 
In the Pharmaceutical Jourxal for March, 1861, is 
an article by Professor Redwood on the preparation of 
liquor potass®. The object is to obtain a solution of 
potassa free from colour, from lime, and from carbonic 
acid, and of definite strength. It is further desired that 
these objects shall be obtained in the most ready man¬ 
ner, but the means of obtaining such a solution are not 
quite so obvious as might at first bo supposed, and the 
details of the process have varied from time to time, and 
in different Pharmacopoeias. In all, carbonate of potash 
with lime or hydrate of lime, and water, are the ingredi¬ 
ents. Lime having a greater attraction for the carbonic 
acid than potash has, abstracts it from the solution of 
carbonate of potash. But if this solution is too strong, 
the whole of the carbonic acid is not abstracted. Ac¬ 
cording to Mitscherlich, as quoted by Gmelin, 50 parts of 
water are required to 1 of carbonate of potash, but I have 
found nothing to warrant the assertion. In all the 
Pharmacopoeias, before the publication of the first Bri¬ 
tish Pharmacopoeia, quicklime was ordered to be used. 
But quicklime is very far from being of uniform quality, 
and Professor Redwood recommended that the lime 
should be slaked, the grosser impurities removed by sift¬ 
ing, and a definite weight of the hydrate employed. 
This was a very decided improvement, and it was adopted 
in succeeding Pharmacopoeias. The Professor, however, 
further recommended that the preparation should be 
made entirely in the cold, and he gives a formula ac¬ 
cordingly, which he thinks satisfactory; but this sug¬ 
gestion was not adopted, either in the first British Phar¬ 
macopoeia or in the second, which was edited by himself. 
And I may say that I remember to have tried it, and 
that I did not find it satisfactory. But I expect that one 
reason for that is to be found in the fact that the solution 
of carbonate of potash was directed to be poured into the 
milk of lime. The first and second British Pharmaco¬ 
poeias direct that the decarbonating agent shall be added 
gradually to the solution of the carbonate. This is a. 
material variation, by which the hydrate of lime first 
added becomes more fully carbonated, and leaves the re¬ 
maining hydrate of lime to act energetically upon the 
remaining carbonate. 
The directions of the London Pharmacopoeia ordered 
the use of boiling water, but involved no subsequent 
boiling. Those of the British Pharmacopoeia direct the 
ingredients to be boiled in an iron pan. Now, this, 
will be found by most operators, I think, extremely 
objectionable, and I find it to be unnecessary. Ope¬ 
rating on seven gallons in a steam pan, the amount of 
evaporation and consequent strength is extremely un¬ 
certain ; although, of course, careful operators will test 
and dilute. Even if the whole of the carbonic acid is 
removed, which, I think, is not always the case, the 
liquid is very liable, when made in an iron pan fre¬ 
quently applied to other purposes, to be discoloured. 
I have, therefore, tried a modification, which I find to 
be perfectly successful, whether the quantities operated 
on be seven gallons or one pint, and the convenience of 
which will, I think, be generally appreciated. I put the 
carbonate in a stoneware vessel, add the water boiling, 
then, by little and little, the hydrate of lime, stirring- 
during half an hour. I find that the solution may, after 
a short time, be poured off with very little loss, and that 
to the tests of lime water and oxalate of ammonia it does 
not exhibit the presence of carbonic acid or of lime. 
I find also that the Pharmacopoeia quantities, used in 
this manner, furnish a solution identical with, or but a little 
stronger than, the standard of the Pharmacopoeia. On 
the first occasion, making seven gallons, the sp. gr. was 
exactly right, T058. On a subsequent occasion, ope¬ 
rating on a pint, the sp. gr. is 1-0615. This gives, as I 
now show you, no precipitate with lime water or oxalate 
of ammonia. Using a substance so hygrometric as carbo¬ 
nate of potash, a uniform result cannot be expected ; but. 
