Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July.  1899. 
BismutJi  Subgallate. 
329 
The  history  of  the  preparation  of  bismuth  subgallate  indicates 
that  the  United  States  patent  would  not  stand  long  should  oppo- 
sition come.  In  due  time  the  patent  was  attacked,  and  one  manu- 
facturer after  another  began  to  put  the  article  on  the  market,  yet, 
as  far  as  the  writer  knows,  the  patent  has  neither  been  officially 
annulled,  nor  have  the  patentees  maintained  a  rigorous  legal 
defence.  In  consequence  almost  every  manufacturer  is  supplying 
the  article. 
From  this  condition  of  affairs  it  might  seem  that  articles  of  great 
variation  would  be  met  with  in  the  channels  of  trade.  This,  how- 
ever, is  not  the  case  with  this  article,  as  the  following  table  will 
show  : 
No. 
Physical 
Appearance. 
Microscopical 
Appearance. 
Per  Cent, 
of  Bismuth 
Oxide, 
Dried  at 
630  c 
Per  Cent, 
of  Volatile 
Matter  at 
no°  C 
Reaction 
on  Litmus 
Paper. 
Solubility  in 
10  Per  Cent, 
KOH. 
1  .  .  . 
Soft,  bright 
yellow  powder. 
Amorphous. 
53"40 
2-8 
Acid. 
Soluble. 
2  .  .  . 
Soft,  bright 
yellow  powder. 
53-38 
3'2 
3  •  •  • 
Soft,  bright 
yellow  powder. 
52-89 
3'5  ' 
4.  .  . 
Soft,  dull 
yellow  powder. 
54'26 
5-56 
5  •  •  • 
Soft,  bright 
yellow  powder. 
53-8i 
5'2i 
6.  . 
Soft,  bright 
yellow  powder. 
52-73 
26 
7... 
Soft,  bright 
yellow  powder. 
Amorphous 
and  crystals 
54-63 
2-4 
8.  .  . 
■ 
Soft,  bright 
yellow  powder. 
Amorphous. 
53  "37 
3-6 
-9  .  .  . 
Soft;  bright 
yellow  powder. 
53-84 
4'25 
10  .  .  . 
Soft,  bright 
yellow  powder. 
53*72 
2  91 
The  above  data  were  obtained  from  samples  collected  in  the 
Eastern  United  States,  and  represent  the  best  manufacturers  in  this 
section.  Dermatol  is  included.  It  is  quite  evident  that  the  samples 
did  not  differ  from  one  another  very  materially. 
Nothing  was  removed  by  either  alcohol  or  ether.  All  indicated 
the  presence  of  nitrates  with  diphenylamine  in  a  longer  or  shorter 
time.    No  arsenic  was  detected  with  Marsh's  apparatus. 
