ON  THE  PREPARATION  OF  SMELLING  SALTS. 
353 
Take  of 
English  Oil  of  Lavender, 
Essence  of  Musk, 
Oil  of  Bergamot,  ^ij. 
Oil  of  Cloves,  3j. 
•  Otto  of  Rose,  gtt.  X. 
Oil  of  Cinnamon,  gtt.  v. 
This  quantity  is  added  to  an  imperial  pint  of  strong  solution 
of  ammonia. 
I  will  now  give  the  data  upon  which  this  process  is  founded. 
Sesquicarbonate  of  ammonia  consists  of — 
2  equivalents  of  ammonia,  17      2  =  34 
3  equivalents  of  carbonic  acid,  22  -j-  3  =  66 
2  equivalents  of  water,  9  -j-  2   =z=  18 
118 
Now,  to  get  good  smelling-salts  it  is  necessary  to  convert  this 
sesquicarbonate  into  neutral  carbonate  of  ammonia^  and  in  order 
to  do  this  we  must  introduce  half  as  much  more  ammonia  as  it 
already  contains.  This  is  done  by  the  addition  of  a  strong  solu- 
tion of  ammonia,  but  there  are  probably  few  persons  who,  in 
adding  the  Liquor  Ammonioe,  are  aware  of  the  quantity  required, 
or  of  the  circumstances  under  which  the  union  is  effected  and 
the  most  satisfactory  result  obtained.  On  referring  to  Dr.  Dalton's 
table  of  the  quantities  of  ammonia  contained  in  Liquor  Ammo7iice 
of  different  specific  gravities  it  will  be  found  that  strong  solution 
of  ammonia,  of  sp.  gr.  -880,  which  nearly  corresponds  with  the 
Liquor  Ammonice  Fortior  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  contains  27'3 
grains  of  amraoniacal  gas  in  100  grains  of  the  solution.  Now, 
as  118  grains  of  sesquicarbonate  of  ammonia  contain  34  grains 
of  ammonia,  and  require  the  addition  of  17  grains  more  to  con- 
vert it  into  neutral  carbonate,  wo  must  use  62.2  grains  of  strong 
solution  of  ammonia  to  supply  the  required  quantity.  In  my 
process  I  have  ordered  only  59  parts  of  Liquor  Ammonice  to  118 
parts  of  a  sesquicarbonate,  but  the  further  addition  which  is 
directed  to  be  made  when  the  salts  are  put  into  a  smelling-bottle 
will  rather  more  than  make  up  the  theoretical  quantity,  giving  a 
slight  excess  of  free  ammonia. 
Liquor  Ammonice  of  other  strength  than  that  I  have  indicated 
23 
I  each  3iv. 
