ON SOME NEW LACTATES. 
55 
This salt presents, in its crystallization, a peculiarity, 
which is not, however, an isolated fact in chemistry — name. 
ly, +v »at its solution saturated by ebullition does not crystal- 
lize by the cooiiug of the liquor, even after eight days (this, 
at least, is the phenomenon which two saturated solutions 
of this salt have presented to me.) To crystallize it, it must 
be again submitted to the action of heat ; and if, as soon as 
some pellicles appear on the surface of the liquid, even be- 
fore it enters into ebullition, the capsule be removed from 
the fire, the whole takes the form of a mass on cooling. 
It is ascertained that lactate of cadmium prepared by the 
second process does not contain sulphate of cadmium in the 
mixture, by its very dilute aqueous solution not being ren- 
dered turbid by chloride of barium. But, in order to as- 
certain that it contains no lactate of lime, oxalic acid must 
not be added to its solution, as this acid causes in the so- 
luble salts of cadmium an insoluble white precipitate of the 
same base. It should be operated in the following manner : 
— All the cadmium should be precipitated from the solution 
to be tested in the state of yellow sulphuret, by means of 
sulphuretted hydrogen ; oxalic acid is thus added after the 
liquor has been filtered, and previously heated, in order to 
drive off the excess of sulphuretted hydrogen. 
IV. LACTATE OF PROTOXIDE OP ANTIMONY. 
I endeavored to dissolve in lactic acid oxide of antimony 
precipitated from emetic by the process of M. Durand, of 
Caen, or oxide precipitated from the same salt by ammonia, 
but without heat, and in both cases the acid dissolved only 
very minute quantities of oxide, incapable of saturating it. 
I think that protoxide of antimony, which, as is known, is 
endowed with almost as eminently electro-negative as basic 
properties, is, in general, little susceptible of combining alone 
with the vegetable acids ; however, Berzelius describes 
several antimonial salts of organic acids. Having wished 
to prepare acetate of antimony with the same oxide as that 
