767 
Karch 23, 1872.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
last mother-liquors prepared from cinchonine showed a 
rotatory power of J 44-5°, and its oxalate J 18‘5°, while 
the last portions prepared from cinchonidine showed 
S 40°. 
The question now arises: is the uncrystallizahle alka¬ 
loid obtained from cinchona hark quinicine, or is it yet 
.another alkaloid really uncrystallizahle. Hitherto the 
most careful purification has failed to obtain crystalline 
:salts from it such as have been described. When quini- 
■cine is present, it will, as has been stated, crystallize out 
•of the mixture, but the bulk of the quinoidine, however 
carefully purified, refuses to crystallize even after many 
months’ standing. It seems highly improbable, though 
of course it is possible, that this is owing to some im¬ 
purity which hinders the crystallization: for we find 
'that quinicine-salts prepared from crystallizable alkaloid 
•crystallize entirely with comparative freedom, even when 
the heat used in its formation has been considerably 
^above the point needed, and sufficient to decompose a 
portion, and there is no sign of any amorphous modifica¬ 
tion being formed. 
Quinoidine closely resembles quinicine in other re¬ 
spects. When purified, as far as possible, by fractional 
precipitation and solution in ether, it forms a readily 
fusible yellow resin. The platinochloride precipitates 
■as an amorphous powder, readily fusible, slightly soluble 
in hot water, and much more so in hot dilute hydro¬ 
chloric acid, from its solution in which it falls out on 
cooling, as an amorphous powder, which under the micro¬ 
scope appears to consist of globules without any sign of 
crystallization. 
The salt precipitated from a cold solution contains 
26-59 per cent, of platinum, and after solution in dilute 
•acid 26-28 per cent.; it is, therefore, isomeric with qui¬ 
nine and quinicine. 
It is difficult to speak with certainty of the optical 
properties of this alkaloid, on account of the great diffi¬ 
culty of ensuring absolute purity from the other alkaloids 
•of higher rotatory power, a very small percentage of 
which would evidently vitiate the results. The speci¬ 
men, the analysis of the platinum salt of which is given 
.•above, showed a specific rotatory power of S 33°; other 
specimens gave higher results, but their purity was more 
•doubtful .—Journal of the Chemical Society. 
THE COMPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR 
AND RAIN-WATER. 
BY It. ANGUS SMITH. 
(Sixth and Seventh Reports of the Inspector under the 
Alkali Act of 1863.) 
Impurities of the atmosphere may be discovered by an 
examination of the rain-water of the locality; or the 
air may bo subjected to artificial washing, and these 
washings examined. The author has employed both 
methods. Ho considers the latter method as affording a 
more accurate comparison between different atmospheres, 
since the composition of rain-water necessarily varies 
according to the amount which falls in a given time, the 
rain of a dry season being far more impure than the rain 
of a wet season. 
The author’s examinations of rain-water are very 
numerous. The modes of determining the various im¬ 
purities were in no case gravimetrical, owing to the 
small volume of water at disposal. The ammonia, albu¬ 
minoid ammonia and nitric acid were estimated by 
Wanklyn, Chapman and Smith’s methods. The hydro¬ 
chloric and sulphuric acids were determined from the 
quantity of water required to produce a certain standard 
amount of whiteness with solution of silver or barium. 
The permanganate test was applied to the acidified 
water, the experiment lasting a few minutes only. The 
more characteristic results are given in the accompany¬ 
ing table. 
It appears that the amount of chlorides in rain-water 
is dependent on the distance from the sea, and on the 
direction and force of the prevalent winds; the combus¬ 
tion of coal has a slight effect in increasing the quantity. 
Sulphuric acid is derived chiefly from the combustion of 
coal, but is also a product of vegetable and animal de¬ 
composition ; it always increases as we proceed inland. 
In sea-water the proportion of hydrochloric to sulphuric 
acid is 100 to 11*6; excess of sulphuric acid over this 
proportion is due to terrestrial contamination. Free 
acids are rarely found, save in the rain-waters of towns. 
Ammonia is chiefly connected with the combustion of 
coal, and to a lesser degree with the decomposition of 
organic matter. Albuminoid ammonia is related solely 
to animal and vegetable life. Nitric acid may be taken 
Rain Water. —Average impurities per million parts. 
Where collected. 
’u 
o 
•is 
C O 
*-< S3 
nr 
>*> 
m 
Sulphuric 
acid, 
Sulphuric 
acid for 100 
hydrochloric. 
Free acids cal¬ 
culated as sul¬ 
phuric acid. 
Ammonia. 
Albuminoid 
ammonia. 
Nitric acid.* 
Oxygen re¬ 
quired as per¬ 
manganate. 
Ireland, Valencia. 
48-67 
2-73 
6 
None 
*18 
•03 
•37 
•05 
Scotland, five sea-coast country plaoes, west . . 
12-28 
3-61 
29 
•14 
•48 
T1 
•37 
•02 
Scotland, eight sea-coast country places, east . . 
12-91 
7-66 
59 
2-44 
•99 
T1 
•47 
*65 
Scotland, twelve inland country places .... 
3-38 
2-06 
61 
•31 
•53 
•04 
•31 
•26 
England, twelve inland country places .... 
3-99 
5-52 
138 
None 
1-07 
T1 
•75 
"47 
Scotland, six towns (Glasgow excluded) .... 
5-86 
16-50 
282 
3T6 
3-82 
•21 
1T6 
' 1-86 
Darmstadt. 
•97 
29-17 
2998 
1-74 
— 
— 
— 
— 
Londonf . 
1-25 
20-49 
1645 
3T0 
3-45 
•21 
•84 
England, six manufacturing towns. 
8-70 
34-27 
394 
8-40 
4-99 
•21 
•85 
2" 7 4 
Manchester. 
5-83 
44-82 
768 
10-17 
5-96 
•25 
1-01 
3 * 22 
Glasgow.. 
8-97 
70-19 
782 
15-13 
9T0 
•30 
2-44 
10-04 
ns a measure of “purified sewage.” The permanganate 
test denotes a variety of products, both from coal and 
organic decomposition. 
To examine air by washing, the author shakes 50 c. c. 
of water in an empty 2-litre bottle; then draws out the 
* Nitrous acid is here included, 
f Average of a few specimens only. 
washed air by one stroke of a flexible bellows-pump 1 h 
times the capacity of the bottle; agitates as before the 
fresh air which has entered; and repeats the operations 
10 to 100 times, according to the purity of the. atmo¬ 
sphere. In this plan the volume of air used is only 
known approximately, the results are therefore compa¬ 
rative instead of absolute. The following are some ot 
the results obtained by washing, the purest air being 
taken as 100 :— 
