Am.  Jour.  Pharni. ) 
April,  1885.  j 
Old  Specimems  of  Spirit  of  Nitre. 
191 
I  first  determined  the  specific  gravities  at  60°F. 
Sample  B  0-8956  Increase  0  01 655 
Sample  C  0-8684  Increase  0-01005 
Sample  D  0-8828  Increase  0-01070 
Sample  H  0*8616  Increase  0-00911 
Sample  L  0*8844  Increase  0-06955 
Sample  N  0  8700  Increase.....  0-00225 
These  results  are  corroborative  of  a  previous  statement  that  increase 
in  specific  gravity  is  one  of  the  results  of  deterioration. 
The  next  point  of  interest  is  the  odor  and  color  of  the  samples.  B 
and  C  are  free  from  color  and  their  odor  is  similar  to  that  of  sweet 
spirit  of  nitre.  D  is  of  a  yellow  color  and  strong  amylic  odor.  H  is 
slightly  straw-colored  and  has  a  faint  acetic  ether  odor.  L  is  free  from 
color,  the  odor  is  that  of  aldehyde.  N  is  free  from  color  and  has  a 
faint  naphtha  odor.  The  whole  of  these  specimens  failed  to  re  ict  with 
ferrous  sulphate  and  sulphuric  acid,  potassium  iodide  and  acetic  acid, 
and  did  not  affect  the  color  of  a  weak  solution  of  rosaniline  hydrochlo- 
rate.    The  nitrous  radicle  was,  therefore,  entirely  absent. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  samples  B  to  L  reacted,  more  or  less  strongly 
with  the  usual  aldehyde  reagents.  They  gave  the  phenol-sulphonic 
acid  reaction,  the  aldehyde  resin  coloration  with  potash  and  reduced 
ammonio-silver  nitrate.  Unfortunately,  the  limited  quantity  of  the 
samples,  and  their  value  as  a  curiosity,  precluded  accurate  quantitative 
estimation;  but  I  give  a  fair  comparison  judged  from  the  degree  of 
color  produced  in  15  minutes  of  each,  by  2  drachms  of  potash  solution. 
L  contained  twice  as  much  as  B  and  C,  which  were  nearly  similar,  B 
giving  greater  reduction  of  silver.  D  and  H  gave  very  little  color, 
but  reduced  the  silver  salt  more  than  B  and  C,  while  L  gave  very 
intense  reduction ;  this  greater  reduction  of  silver  by  D,  H,  L  is  due 
to  the  presence  of  formic  acid  derived  from  methyl  nitrite  thus: 
CH3NO2  -rO,  =  CHA  +  HNO2 
It  is  interesting  to  know  that  after  the  lapse  of  twenty-seven  years 
the  specimens  still  contain  aldehyde,  and  the  fact  is  corroborative  of  my 
statement  that  the  aldehyde  of  sw^eet  spirit  of  nitre  does  not  disappear 
as  organic  acid  is  produced,  and  a  determination  of  the  acidity  of  B, 
C  and  L  brings  out  clearly  the  fact  that  a  large  aldehyde  content  may 
exist  along  with  a  large  acid  content. 
