614 
Native  Wyoming  Soap. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1889. 
pasty  mass,  about  the  consistency  of  butter.  Its  color  is  light 
yellowish  gray.  Taste  slightly  saline,  clay-like.  Odor  argillaceous. 
Moistened  between  the  fingers  with  a  little  water  it  feels  like  soap  or 
some  greasy  substance  :  hence  its  name.  This  soapy  feel  is  probably 
due  to  the  extreme  fineness  of  the  silicates  which  it  contains.  In  hot 
weather,  the  edges  of  the  sink  holes  become  hard  and  brittle,  and  on 
some  places  show  an  efflorescence  of  fine  crystals  of  magnesium  sulphate. 
These  holes,  which  seem  to  be  almost  bottomless,  at  times  become 
very  annoying  to  the  ranchers,  as  cattle  frequently  get  into  them,  and 
unless  discovered  in  time  and  pulled  out  are  sure  to  perish,  as  it  is 
impossible  for  them  to  free  themselves. 
2  The  dry  variety  occurs  underground  in  veins  like  coal.  It  is 
hard  and  dry,  and  looks  very  much  like  chalk  ;  the  color  is  somewhat 
darker,  varying  from  yellowish-white  to  dirty  greenish-yellow.  On 
addition  of  a  little  water,  howerer,  it  is  converted  into  the  soft  variety 
as  found  on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  It  appears  probable  that  the 
wet  variety  is  formed  by  springs  running  over  beds  of  the  dry  soap, 
washing  it  up  and  in  time  accumulating  it  in  large  quantities. 
It  is  used  by  cowboys  and  ranchers  who  live  in  the  vicinity  as  a 
substitute  for  soap,  and  for  removing  grease  by  absorption.  They 
also  use  it  for  making  "  hard  water." 
Five  grams  of  the  soap,  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  for  several  weeks, 
at  a  temperature  of  about  24°C.  lost  41*20  percent,  of  moisture.  It 
had  becomea  very  hard  and  brittle  mass  varying  from  dirty  white,  gray- 
ish-green to  orange-yellow.  Taste  and  odor  were  unaltered ;  it  adhered 
to  the  tongue,  and  when  cut  with  a  knife  exhibited  a  very  smooth  and 
shining  surface.  On  ignition  the  wet  soap  lost  53*30  per  cent,  while 
the  air-dry  lost  12*10  per  cent,  corresponding  to  41*20  per  cent,  on  ex- 
posure. The  air-dry  soap  reduced  to  an  impalpable  powder  gave  the 
following  composition  on  analysis  : 
Si02  61*08  per  cent. 
Fe203   371 
A1203  17-12 
MnO   traces 
CaO   2  96 
MgO   1*82 
Na20   0-20 
S03   0.88 
H20  1210 
Total 
99-87 
