THE 
AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
AUGUST,  1873. 
ON  CHLORIDE  OF  MERCURETHYL. 
By  J.  M.  Maisch. 
This  compound,  it  appears,  has  recently  been  introduced  in  Eu- 
rope into  medicine,  and  it  is  claimed  for  it  that  it  may  be  used  in 
the  same  doses  and  for  the  same  purposes  as  corrosive  sublimate, 
over  "which  it  has  the  advantage  of  not  precipitating  albumen,  no 
matter  in  what  solution  the  latter  may  be,  whether  as  egg  albumen, 
in  the  serum  of  blood,  in  urine,  etc.  Sobering  &  Co.  have  introduced 
it  under  the  name  of  Hydrargyrum  cethyloehloratum. 
It  was  discovered  by  Strecker*  and  by  Diinhauptf  in  1854.  The 
former  chemist  started  with  iodide  of  ethyl,  preparing  therefrom  as 
the  first  step  the  iodide  of  mercurethyl ;  the  process  of  the  latter  in- 
volves the  previous  preparation  of  bismuth-triethyl,  which,  being  de- 
composed by  corrosive  sublimate,  yields  the  compound  in  question, 
besides  chloride  of  bismuth-ethyl.  Whichever  course  is  followed,  the 
process,  or  rather  series  of  processes,  are  tedious  and  complicated  ; 
but  that  of  Strecker  appears  to  offer  better  advantages  in  utilizing 
all  the  material. 
Iodide  of  ethyl  or  hydriodic  ether  =  C4H5I,  was  discovered  by 
Gay-Lussac  in  1815,  and  prepared  by  distilling  absolute  alcohol  with 
hydriodic  acid,  and  separating  the  compound  from  the  distillate  by 
water.  SerullasJ  subsequently  improved  the  process  by  using  iodine 
and  phosphorus  with  alcohol,  and  Personnel  found  the  use  of  amor- 
*  Ann.  d.  Chem.  und  Pharra.  xcii,  57.        f  Journ.  f.  prakt  Chemie,  lxi,  399. 
%  Ann.  de  Chim.  et  de  Phys.  xxv,  323 ;  xlii,  119. 
I  Oompt.  rend,  lii,  468. 
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