230        Pharmaceutical  Notes  from  Purdue  University.  {Am'May?Sfrm' 
Pharmacopoeia  is  the  preparation  of  sulphurated  antimony.  The 
former,  it  seems,  might  readily  be  discarded,  and  the  latter  might 
be  made  more  directly  by  treating  the  native  sulphide  in  hydro- 
chloric acid,  and  precipitating  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  By  this 
process  the  prolonged  maceration  with  ammonia  can  be  omitted,  and 
a  nearly  definite  chemical  substance  results.  The  most  apparent 
objection  is  the  possibility  of  dissolving  arsenic  in  hydrochloric  acid, 
and  this  danger  was  subjected  to  careful  examination.  A  sample  of 
ordinary  sulphide  was  purified  by  the  pharmacopoeial  process;  another 
portion  was  dissolved  in  hydrochloric  acid  and  re-precipitated  by  sul- 
phuretted hydrogen.  Both  products  met  all  the  requirements  for 
"purified  sulphide,"  though  both  contained  arsenic,  as  shown  by 
Fleitmann's  test.  The  comparative  experiments  were  repeated  upon 
a  mixture  of  sulphide  of  antimony  with  about  5  per  cent,  sulphide 
of  arsenic.  Both  produces  gave  about  equally  strong  reactions  with 
Fleitmann's  test.  The  process  was  repeated  with  these  products,  and 
the  reactions  were  again  about  equal  but  very  slight.  Judging  by 
comparative  tests,  they  contained  less  than  0*01  per  cent,  of  arsenious 
sulphide.  This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  arsenic  is  eliminated  by 
precipitation  as  readily  as  by  maceration  with  ammonia  in  the  man- 
ner prescribed.1  In  applying  the  proposed  method  to  the  manufac- 
ture of  sulphurated  antimony,  some  expense  may  be  saved  by  passing 
the  sulphuretted  hydrogen  from  a  portion  of  fresh  ore  into  the  acid 
solution  of  another  portion. 
The  question  also  arises  whether  the  traces  of  arsenic  allowed  are 
deleterious.  Sulphurated  antimony  is  alterative  and  emetic;  altera- 
tive in  small  doses,  and  this  effect  would  be  increased  by  a 
small  quantity  of  arsenic;  and  even  the  larger  emetic  doses  would 
not  contain  a  dangerous  quantity  of  arsenic;  for  any  harm 
from  the  latter  would  be  obviated  by  the  emetic  effect  of  the 
antimony. 
1  Further  experiments  are  desirable  to  determine  the  conditions  for  obtain- 
ing the  best  results;  but  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  arsenic  will  dissolve 
most  slowly  during  the  first  part  of  the  operation,  while  sulphuretted  hydro- 
gen is  given  off  copiously.  Lang  has  investigated  the  condition  of  equilibrium 
for  the  solution  and  precipitation  of  sulphide  of  antimony  [Ber.  d  Chem.  Gesel , 
xviii,  2714-2724  (Oct.  1885)];  and  the  fundamental  principles  of  "action  of 
mass"  are  likely  to  find  more  general  recognition  in  the  future,  as  applied  to 
both  manufacturing  and  analytical  opera' ions.  R.  B.  W. 
