264 
POLYSULPHIDES  OF  THE  HEAVY  METALS. 
that  the  same  efficacy  shall  be  attributed  to  the  said  Holy  Chrism 
if  prepared  aright  with  the  said  juice,  as  if  balsam  were  an  in- 
gredient in  it. 
4.  Any  previous  constitutions  or  ordinances  whatever,  whether 
apostolic,  or  given  forth  by  provincial  and  sjnodal  councils, 
whether  special  or  general,  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 
Given  at  Rome,  at  St.  Peter's,  under  the  Fisherman's  Ring, 
this  2d  day  of  August,  1571,  in  the  6th  year  of  our  Pontificate. 
" — London  Pharm.  Journ.  Marchy  1861. 
THE  POLYSULPHIDES  OF  THE  HEAVY  METALS. 
By  Hugo  Schiff. 
Concerning  the  behaviour  of  the  metallic  salts  to  the  alkaline 
polysulphides,  the  chemical  literature  contains  but  two  state- 
ments, both  by  Berzelius,  namely,  the  behaviour  of  lead  and  of 
copper  salts  to  pentasulphide  of  potassium.  The  following  are 
the  results  of  experiments  performed  by  the  author;  in  all  cases 
a  dilute  solution  of  the  salt  was  poured  into  an  excess  of  a  di- 
luted solution  of  commercial  liver  of  sulphur  or  of  yellow  sul- 
phide of  ammonium.  The  precipitates  are  mostly  thick  and  floccu- 
lent,  and  soon  begin  to  decompose,  by  separating  sulphur  and 
rendering  the  clear  liquid  opalescent ;  the  precipitate  usually 
becomes  darker. 
Lead-salts  yield  a  deep  red  precipitate ;  the  oxide  and  car- 
bonate assume,  on  agitation,  the  same  color;  the  precipitate 
turns  brownish  and  finally  black. 
Copper-salts  yield,  according  to  the  concentration,  a  dirty 
yellow  to  light  brown  precipitate,  which  separates  sulphur  with- 
out changing  the  color  materially,  or  becoming  of  a  constant 
composition. 
Silver-salts  :  light  yellow,  turning  green,  finally  black. 
Salts  of  the  binoxide  of  mercury  light  yellow  ;  of  the  protoxide, 
dirty  yellow,  both  immediately  becoming  black. 
Salts  of  nickel,  cobalt  and  protoxide  of  iron :  black. 
Sesqui-salts  of  iron  at  first  violet,  instantly  yellow,  subse- 
quently discolored,  if  the  sulphide  is  added  to  the  salt.  On 
dropping  sesquichloride  of  iron  into  the  sulphide,  a  yellow  pre- 
