^epteSber^™"}     The  Interaction  of  Borax,  Carbonates,  etc.  429 
observation  and  rigid  analysis.  These  sentiments  are  applicable  to 
the  questions  in  hand  as  well  as  to  the  many  difficult  problems  con- 
stantly inviting  our  sober  thoughts. 
From  statements  made  in  certain1  lines  of  literature  we  are  led  to 
infer  that  on  mixing  borax,  sodium  bicarbonate  and  glycerin,  a  cer- 
tain chemical  reaction  ensues  in  which  there  are  formed  normal 
sodium  carbonate  and  carbon  dioxide.  This  is  equivalent  to  saying 
that  there  is  no  interaction,  as  far  as  the  carbonate  is  concerned, 
when  a  normal  alkaline  carbonate  is  employed  instead  of  the  acid 
carbonate. 
Recently  the  writer  had  occasion  to  establish  the  presence  or 
absence  of  sodium  bicarbonate  as  an  adulterant  in  a  sample  of  borax. 
After  having  exhausted  all  the  available  tests  of  any  standing  with- 
out any  definite  results,  recourse  was  sought  in  the  above  reaction, 
but  it  was  soon  discovered  that  the  same  reaction  resulted  with  the 
normal  carbonate,  only  less  energetic.  Being  somewhat  surprised 
at  this  unexpected  phenomenon,  the  writer  made  an  investigation, 
and  soon  found  that  the  same  result  was  reported  some  six  years 
ago  by  C.  Jehn.  2 
D.  Klein,3  and  the  same  year  A.  Senier*  and  A.  J.  G.  Lowe 
showed  that  an  acid  reaction  resulted  when  borax  is  dissolved  in 
glycerin.  W.  R.  Dunstan5  also  made  a  comprehensive  report  on 
the  reaction  of  polyhydric  alcohols  and  borax.  The  acid  reaction 
results  not  only  with  the  polyhydric  alcohol  glycerin,  but  also 
with  many  other  polyhydric  alcohols,  as  manitol,  erythrol,  levulose, 
dextrose,  glucose,  a — galactose  and  ft — galactose.  Undoubtedly 
many  other  polyhydric  alcohols,  as  sucrose,  raffinose,  lactose,  dulci- 
tol,  quercite,  etc.,  would  produce  the  same  results  if  subjected  to  the 
proper  conditions. 
It  is  reported  that  borax  is  even  decomposed  by  water,  for  Rose  6 
has  shown  that  strong  solutions  of  this  salt  give  precipitates  of 
silver  borate,  while  dilute  solutions  precipitate  argentic  oxide,  like 
an  alkali. 
1  National  Dispensatory,  5th  Ed.,  page  1455. 
2  1888,  Arch,  der  Pharm.,  (3)  36,  495  ;  Am.  J.  Pharm.,60,  455. 
3  1878,  Bull.  Soc.  Chim.,  39,  195  ;  Comp.  rend.  86,  826. 
4  1878,  Pharm.  J.  Trans.  (3),  8,  819. 
5  1883,  Pharm.  J.  Trans.  (3),  13,  257  ;  Am.  J.  Pharm.  55,  447. 
6  Mendeleeff's  Principles  of  Chemistry,  Eng.  Ed.,  Vol.  3,  p.  60. 
