318  Sodio-Bismuth  Citro-Pyroborate.        |  Am>Ju0nue"'i884.arm' 
action,  showing  the  absence  of  fixed  alkalies.  Nor  did  any  of  them 
contain  any  appreciable  amount  of  cinchonine,  as  was  proven  by  the 
ready  solubility  of  the  alkaloids  in  definite  weights  of  ether  and  alcohol. 
Whilst  assaying  the  scales  containing  ammonia,  I  noticed  that  four 
separations  of  chloroform  of  15Ccm.  each  were  not  sufficient  in  some 
cases  when  five  and  even  six  such  additions  were  necessary  to  thoroughly 
extract  the  alkaloids.  It  was  also  found  necessary  to  increase  the 
amount  of  tartaric  acid  to  one  gram,  before  precipitating  with  soda, 
for  when  iron  is  precipitated  the  clear  separation  of  the  chloroform  is 
hindered  very  much. 
SODIO-BISMUTH  CITROPYROBORATE. 
By  R.  Rother. 
Most  of  the  normal  salts  of  bismuth  are  either  insoluble  in  water  or 
decomposed  by  it  into  insoluble  bismuthyl  or  oxysalts  and  free  acid. 
Certain  bismuth  and  bismuthyl  double  salts  of  various  organic  acids 
are  extremely  soluble  in  water  without  decomposition.  Alkalies  in 
moderate  excess  do  not  disturb  these  solutions,  but  most  acids  destroy 
the  soluble  compound  and  precipitate  insoluble  normal  salts  of  the 
organic  acids.  This  behavior  is  a  great  obstacle  to  the  formation  of 
permanent  acidulated  solutions.  The  generality  of  galenical  prepara- 
tions of  which  bismuth  is  a  component  usually  contain  it  as  ammonio- 
citrate.  The  combinations  are  always  permanent  when  alkaline  or  if 
acid  when  ferrated.  All  elixirs  containing;  bismuth  when  in  the  least 
acidulated  inevitably  separate  bismuth  citrate  in  crystalline  crusts  on 
standing  a  short  time.  The  peculiar  and  popular  combinations  of 
bismuth  and  pepsin  when  acid  are  sure  to  precipitate  the  bismuth  salt 
and  when  alkaline  to  injure  the  pepsin.  The  writer  in  attempting  to 
find  a  suitable  compound  of  bismuth  which  could  bear  moderate  acidu- 
lation  and  remain  dissolved,  believed  that  the  sodio-bismuth  pyrophos- 
phate would  be  such  a  salt,  and  that  it  might  admit  of  permanent 
association  with  pyrophosphoric  acid.  No  success  attending  this 
experiment,  the  writer  next  resorted  to  a  trial  of  various  acids  in  con- 
nection with  the  prevalent  bismuth  ammonio-citrate.  It  was  found 
that  boric  acid  did  not  decompose  this  salt,  and  hence  a  desideratum 
is  thus  obtained  in  the  stability  of  a  solution  containing  free  boric  acid. 
This  result  led  the  writer  to  treat  bismuth  citrate  with  borax  direct^ 
thereby  aiming  at  a  similar  and  definite  sodium  compound.  The 
