104 
AN ANALYSIS OF ERGOT OF RYE. 
1. The soluble portion, after evaporation to dryness and treatment 
with a little nitric acid, was mixed with diluted alcohol, by which 
the sulphate of lime was obtained. The phosphate of magnesia 
was then thrown down by ammonia, after getting rid of the alco- 
hol and nitric acid. The solution was then divided into two parts, 
one of which was employed to determine chlorine, sulphuric acid, 
and magnesia ; the other for the alkalies and magnesia. The 
quantity of chlorine was not appreciable. 
2. The insoluble part of the ash was treated as a silicate, to 
obtain silica, and the muriatic solutions precipitated to ^et the 
joint weight of the phosphates. These were fused with carbonate 
of soda, the phosphoric acid determined by iron from the aqueous 
solution, and the bases in the usual manner. 
A serious loss occurred in the insoluble portion, the cause of 
which I could not discover without a repetition of the whole ana- 
lysis, which want of time prevented. 
The lollovving are the results of the analysis of ash from 100 
parts of ergot : 
Sulphate of lime, 1.184 
Phosphate of magnesia, - 0.380 
Sulphate of potash, 0.038 
Carbonate of magnesia, - 0.108 
" of soda, 0.554 
of potash, 1.000 
Total soluble salts, - < - - 3.264 
Silica, - 0.366 
Phosphate of magnesia, • 0.187 
of iron, - - " - - 0.092 
Loss, - - - 0.531 
Total insoluble salts, - - - 1.176 
Amount of ash analysed, - 4.440 
In thus presenting an analysis of ergot as the subject of a thesis, 
I may be permitted to add my regrets that I did not succeed in 
ascertaining the characteristic principle, if there be one. I am 
