HYDROCYANIC ACID. 
221 
§ 272.] 
cyanide of potassium is always one of the products ; and, indeed, the 
ashes of a great variety of nitrogenous organic substances may contain 
cyanides—cyanides not pre-existing, but manufactured by combination. 
By the action of nitric acid even on sugar, 1 hydric cyanide is produced. 
The old method of distillation was to distil by the gentle heat of a 
water-bath, receiving the distillate in a little weak potash water, and not 
prolonging the process beyond a few hours. The experiments of Sokoloff, 
however, throw a grave doubt on the suitability of this simple method 
for quantitative results. 
N. Sokoloff 2 recommends that the animal substances be treated by 
water strongly acidified with hydric sulphate, and then be distilled in 
the water-bath for from two to three days ; or be distilled for twenty- 
four hours, by the aid of an oil-bath, at a high temperature. He gives 
the following example of quantitative analysis by the old process of 
merely distilling for a few hours, and by the new : — 
Old Process. —1. Body of a hound—age, 2 years ; weight, 5180 
grms. ; dose administered, 57 grms. HCN ; death in fifteen minutes. 
After five days there was found in the saliva 0-6 mgrm., stomach 3*2 
mgrms., in the rest of the intestines 2-6 mgrms., in the muscles 4-1,— 
total, 10*5. 
2. Weight of body, 4000 grms. ; dose given, 38 mgrms. ; death in 
eleven minutes. After fifteen days, in the saliva 0-8, in the stomach 
7-2, in the rest of the intestines 2-2, in the muscles 3-2,—total, 13-4. 
New Process. —Weight of body, 5700 grms. ; dose, 57 mgrms. ; 
death in twenty-four minutes. After fifteen days, in the saliva 1-1 
mgrm., in the stomach 2-6, in the rest of the intestines 9-6, in the 
muscles 31-9, and in the whole 45-2 mgrms. Duration of process, 
thirteen hours. 
From a second hound, weighing 6800 grms. ; dose, 67 mgrms. ; 25-1 
mgrms. were separated three days after death. 
From a third hound, weighing 5920 grms. ; dose, 98 mgrms. ; after 
forty days, by distillation on a sand-bath, there were separated 2-8 
mgrms. from the saliva, 4-8 from the stomach, 16-8 from the intestines, 
23-6 from the muscles,—total, 48 mgrms. 
It would also appear that he has separated 51-2 mgrms. of anhydrous 
acid from the corpse of a dog which had been poisoned by 57 mgrms. of 
acid, and buried sixty days. 3 
From another canine corpse, three days laid in an oven, and left 
for twenty-seven days at the ordinary temperature, 5 1 mgrms. were 
recovered out of a fatal dose of 38 mgrms. 
1 Chemical News, lxviii. 75. 
2 Ber. d. deutsch. them. Qesellsch., Berlin, ix. 1023. 
3 Without wishing to discredit the statements of M. 8okoloff, we may point out 
that a loss of half a dozen mgrms. only appears rather extraordinary. 
