Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
Nov.,  1882. 
I       ■  BismuthiG  Hair-dye.  551 
A  BISMUTHIG  HAIR-DYE. 
By  a.  Naquet. 
The  author  states  that  he  was  induced  by  a  knowledge  of  the  inju- 
rious properties  of  the  many  hair-dyes  that  are  put  forward  as  per- 
fectly harmless  to  make  the  attempt  to  produce  one  that  should  be 
fairly  entitled  to  that  description.  Whilst  working  upon  the  subject  he 
protected  the  different  steps  by  patents,  in  order  to  secure  priority,  but 
having  attained  what  he  considers  to  be  a  satisfactory  result  he  has 
now  abandoned  his  rights  for  the  public  benefit. 
M.  Naquet's  experiments  were  made  in  the  direction  of  compound- 
ing a  metallic  tincture  that  should  have  an  innocuous  metal  for  a  basis 
instead  of  lead,  and  for  this  purpose  he  selected  bismuth.  The  pre- 
paration "which  was  the  subject  of  his  first  patent  consisted  of  two 
solutions  that  were  mixed  immediately  before  being  used,  and  he 
describes  the  method  of  making  it  as  follows. 
It  has  long  been  known  that  a  solution  of  bismuth  is  obtained  in 
treating  bismuthic  hydrate  with  a  solution  of  bitartrate  of  sodium ; 
but  it  is  not  very  easy  to  prepare  and  not  more  than  a  very  small  pro- 
portion of  the  bismuthic  hydrate  employed  is  ever  dissolved.  M. 
Naquet  therefore  sought  an  easy  method  of  preparing  the  double  tar- 
trate of  potassium  (or  sodium)  and  bismuthyl  (C^H^NaBiOOg).  The 
bismuth  is  dissolved  in  the  smallest  possible  quantity  of  nitric  acid  and 
to  this  is  added  an  aqueous  solution  of  tartaric  acid  (3  parts  of  acid  to 
5  of  bismuth)  and  a  large  quantity  of  water  ;  the  whole  is  then  thrown 
on  a  filter  and  the  precipitate  washed.  The  wash  water  contains  some 
bismuth,  which  can  be  removed  by  precipitating  with  a  sulphide,  then 
redissolved  in  nitric  acid  and  used  in  a  subsequent  operation.  The 
well  washed  precipitate,  w^hilst  still  moist,  is  dissolved  in  a  boil- 
ing solution  of  sodic  bitartrate  (12  to  1 5  parts  of  bitartrate  to  5  of 
bismuth),  then  filtered,  diluted  with  water,  alcohol  and  glycerin,  and 
again  filtered.  Each  liter  should  contain  150  cc.  of  glycerin,  150  cc. 
of  alcohol  and  600  cc.  of  water.  The  proportion  of  bismuth  present 
should  be  2  grams  of  metal  per  1,000  and  if  the  liquor  contains  more 
or  less  it  should  be  brought  to  that  strength.  The  paper  through 
which  this  liquid  is  filtered  will  retain  some  bismuth,  precipitated  by 
the  alcohol;  this  can  be  redissolved  in  nitric  acid  and  again  used. 
The  bismuthic  solution  alone  does  not  dye,  but  mixed  with  sodium 
hyposulphite  it  soon  deposits  sulphide  of  bismuth  which  dyes  the 
