542  Action  of  Water  upon  Opium.       {A  Decern*** 
a  very  white  precipitate  of  citrate  of  bismuth,  which  I  wash  with  warm 
water  as  long  as  it  gives  any  traces  of  acidity,  and  then  dry  in  a 
stove.  The  washings  are  acid  and  contain  a  large  proportion  of  ni- 
trate of  ammonium,  with  scarcely  any  traces  of  bismuth.  This  can  be 
isolated  in  a  state  of  sulphide  by  means  of  sulphide  of  sodium. 
The  citrate  of  bismuth  so  prepared  dissolves  in  ammonia ;  the  solu- 
tion can  be  diluted  at  will  with  water  without  becoming  turbid,  and 
may  be  preserved  for  years.  1  have  examined  during  two  years  seve- 
ral solutions  of  bismuth  containing  from  20  to  50  grams  of  metallic 
bismuth  per  litre  without  recognizing  the  least  alteration.  The  solu- 
bility of  the  citrate  of  bismuth  is  very  rapid  and  easy ;  it  is  only 
necessary  to  wash  solid  citrate  of  bismuth  with  a  strong  solution  of 
ammonia  to  obtain  a  perfect  solution  too  strong  for  ordinary  use. 
When  the  solution  of  citrate  of  bismuth  in  ammonia  is  evaporated 
upon  plates  there  is  left  a  white  residue,  insoluble  in  water,  but  com- 
pletely soluble,  although  rather  slowly,  in  ordinary  solution  of  am- 
monia. • 
The  citrate  obtained  by  the  evaporation  of  the  ammoniacal  solution 
yields  nothing  perceptible  to  alcohol,  unless  it  contain  nitrate  of  am- 
monium in  excess  or  some  other  impurity  soluble  in  that  menstruum. 
The  solution  of  citrate  of  bismuth  in  ammonia  is  not  rendered  turbid 
by  acetic  acid,  chloride  of  sodium,  chloride  of  ammonium,  iodide  of 
potassium,  ferrocyanide  of  potassium,  or  bichromate  of  potash.  It  is 
precipitated  by  oxalate  of  ammonium,  nitric  acid,  phosphoric  acid,  sul- 
phuric acid,  and  nitrate  of  urea. — Lond.  Pharm.  Journ.  Nov.  8,  1873. 
ACTION  OF  WATER  UPON  THE  RESINOID  PRINCIPLE  OF 
OPIUM.* 
By  L.  Perier. 
Soubeiran  in  his  Traite  de  Pharmacie  Theorique  et  pratique,f 
has  pointed  out  that  the  proportion  of  water  put  into  contact  with 
crude  opium  exercises  an  influence  upon  the  solution  of  the  resinoid 
principle,  oil,  and  narcotina,  but  that  the  resulting  modifications  of 
this  action  are  little  known.  The  author  has  found  that  at  any  rate 
the  proportion  of  water  employed  plays  an  important  part  in  the 
*  Bulletin  des  Traveaax  de  la  Societe  de  Pharmacie  de  Bordeaux,  xiii.,  245# 
t  Fifth  edit.  (1857),  i.,  777  ;  seventh  edit.  (1869),  i.,  851. 
