Au^nimtf'''}      Action  of  Chlorides  on  Calomel  347 
ON  THE  ACTION  OF  CLORIDES  ON  CALOMEL. 
By  Michael  J.  Cummings. 
(From  the  Author's  Inaugural  Essay.) 
According  to  M.  Mialhe,  calomel  is  in  part  converted  into  bi- 
chloride (corrosive  sublimate)  and  metallic  mercury  by  muriate  of 
ammonia,  and  by  the  chlorides  of  sodium  and  potassium.  Doctor 
Gardner  denies  this  assertion,  and  my  experiments  conform  with 
this  authority.    Calomel  is  not  converted  into  corrosive  sublimate  by 
the  chlorides  of  the  alkalifiable  metals  at  the  temperature  of  the  body, 
but  when  raised  to  a  temperature  nearer  the  boiling  point,  it  becomes 
in  part  slowly  converted  into  corrosive  sublimate.    Having  placed  in 
a  flask  a  mixture  of  twenty  grains  of  muriate  of  ammonia,  ten  grains 
of  calomel  and  an  ounce  of  water,  I  set  the  flask  in  a  water-bath 
heated  to  70°F.  and  allowed  it  to  stand  at  this  temperature  for  three 
days,    f'inding  no  change  had  taken  place,  the  calomel  having  re- 
mained undissolved  in  the  bottom  of  the  flask,  I  raised  the  tempera- 
ture to  80°F.  ;  the  clear  liquid  was  not  precipitated  or  colored  by  lime 
water,  ammonia  or  sulphuretted  hydrogen  ;   the  remaining  calomel 
was  placed  in  a  filter,  washed  with  distilled  water,  and  the  filtrate 
still  gave  no  indications  of  corrosive  sublimate.    I  again  heated  a 
mixture  of  muriate  of  ammonia  calomel  and  water  at  a  temperature 
of  90°F.,  dropped  into  it  twenty  drops  of  muriatic  acid,  continued 
the  heat  for  three  hours,  poured  off"  a  small  quantity  of  the  clear 
liquid  and  applied  the  tests  without  result.    I  then  raised  the  tem- 
perature to  119°F.,  and  allowing  it  to  remain  at  this  temperature 
for  four  hours,  found  a  slight  trace  of  corrosive  sublimate ;  the 
mixture  was  allowed  to  stand  until  cool  and  then  filtered.  The  deposit 
in  the  filter  was  washed  with  distilled  water,  and  to  the  filtrate  an 
equal  bulk  of  sulphuric  ether  was  added,  agitating  the  mixture  briskly 
for  fifteen  minutes.    The  etherial  solution  was  removed  by  means  of 
a  syphon,  evaporated  at  a  low  temperature  and  a  minute  residue  ob- 
tained which  proved  to  be  corrosive  sublimate.    Having  found  the 
precise  point  at  which  calomel  will  become  converted  into  bi-chloride 
in  the  presence  of  chloride  of  ammonium,  and  being  desirous  of  ascer- 
taining the  exact  quantity,  I  heated  a  mixture  of  calomel  muriate  of 
ammonia  and  water  in  the  quantities  indicated  above,  continuing  the 
heat  at  110°F.  for  six  hours,  filtered,  washed  the  filter  with  distilled 
water  and  allowed  the  filtrate  to  cool.    It  was  agitated  with  an  equal 
