42 
ON  THE  PREPARATION  OP  CHLOROFORM. 
If  the  acid  liquid  is  precipitated  by  milk  of  lime,  the  tartrate 
of  lime  will  usually  have  a  yellowish  color  due  to  iron,  which 
renders  it  unfit  for  the  preparation  of  tartaric  acid.  Even  if 
the  acid  is  not  entirely  neutralized,  the  precipitate  contains  a 
portion  of  it.  For  complete  saturation,  a  little  more  of  burned 
lime  than  one-fourth  the  weight  of  muriatic  acid  will  be 
necessary. 
The  cream  of  tartar  free  from  lime,  with  which  commerce  is 
supplied  from  Wiirtemberg,  does  not  yield  such  purely  white 
preparations  as  that  obtained  by  the  above  process ;  but  it  is 
well  adapted  for  the  tartrate  of  iron  and  potassa. — Schweiz. 
Zeitschr.f.  Ph.  vi.  160-65.  J.  M.  M. 
ON  THE  PREPARATION  OF  CHLOROFORM. 
By  B.  Hirsce,  of  Gruenberg. 
M.  Pettenkofer's  paper  on  the  same  subject  (see  Amer.  Journ. 
Ph.,  1861,)  has  induced  the  author  to  publish  his  observations, 
made  during  the  years  1852 — 54,  in  Berlin,  under  the  direction 
of  Wittstock.  The  chloride  of  lime  was  passed  through  a  wire 
sieve  to  break  up  all  lumps,  and  immediately  mixed  with  suffi- 
cient cold  wrater  to  produce  a  thin  past,  which  was  poured  into 
a  still,  and  w^ter  added  to  make  its  quantity  four  times  that  of 
the  chlorinated  lime.  Alcohol  of  90  per  ct.,  Tralles  (sp.  gr. 
834,)  amounting  to  from  17J  to  20  per  ct.  of  the  chlorinated 
lime,  or  a  corresponding  quantity  of  weaker  spirit,  deducting  at 
the  same  time  the  equivalent  weight  of  water,  is  carefully  stirred 
into  the  mixture,  the  head  is  luted  on  and  connected  with  a  re- 
frigerator. Not  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  still  must  be  filled 
by  the  whole  mixture,  so  as  to  give  room  for  the  rising  of  it  dur- 
ing the  reaction.  A  moderate  fire  is  at  once  applied,  and  the 
temperature  in  the  still  allowed  to  rise  to  34  or  36°  R.  (108.5 
to  113°  F.),  when  all  the  fire  is  immediately  withdrawn.  The 
proper  temperature  depends  on  the  quantity  of  the  material,  on 
their  relative  proportions,  on  the  shape  and  size  of  the  still,  but 
principally  in  an  inversed  proportion  on  the  strength  of  the 
hypochlorite  of  lime,  which  for  this  reason  must  previously  be 
carefully  ascertained,  and,  finally,  on  the  length  of  time  necessary 
