Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Aug.,  1888. 
Oxy  Salts  of  Bismuth. 
387 
presence,  after  the  nitric  acid  has  been  liberated  and  the  more  basic 
salt  formed.  To  this  very  dilute  acidulated  solution  is  perhaps  due 
the  excessive  basicity  of  the  subnitrate  to  a  greater  extent  than  to  the 
washing  which  is  generally  believed  to  be  the  cause. 
BISMUTH  SUBCARBONATE. 
Moisture,  bismuth  oxide  and  nitric  oxide  as  in  the  case  of  sub- 
nitrate.  Carbon  dioxide  by  loss  on  addition  of  HgSO^  in  Schroetter^s 
apparatus. 
NgOs       Other  impurities. 
(BiO)2C03.H20 
No.  1. 
No.  2. 
No.  3. 
3-40 
1-00 
0-40 
0-20 
CO  2 
8-30 
7-90 
7-  50 
8-  15 
Bi.Oa 
88-  30 
89-  90 
91-70 
90-  64 
1-19 
0-22 
0-92 
HCLl 
HCl.  i-  Traces. 
HCl.j 
Calculating  (BiO)2  CO  3  from  CO  2  and  BiONOg  from  N2O5. 
(BiO)2C03 
H2O 
BiONOa 
BiaOa 
(BiOjaCOg.HzO 
96-60 
3-40 
No.  1. 
91-93 
1-00 
6-35 
0-71 
No.  2. 
,87-50 
0-40 
1-17 
10-75 
No.  3. 
94-84 
0-20 
4-91 
These  results  also  show  the  absence  of  an  amount  of  water  repre- 
senting a  molecule.  In  the  National  Dispensatory  is  the  statement 
that,  if  the  mixture  resulting  from  the  addition  of  the  bismuth  nitrate 
to  the  sodium  carbonate  solution  be  boiled,  an  anhydrous  subcarbon- 
ate  is  produced.  The  presence  of  the  subnitrate  was  detected  in  each 
case  by  using  H2SO4  tinted  with  indigo  solution.  To  ascertain  if  this 
impurity  was  due  to  defective  manipulation  two  experiments  were 
made,  one  in  which  the  mixture  of  bismuth  nitrate  and  excess  of 
sodium  carbonate  was  heated  to  55 °C.,  in  the  other  heat  was  applied 
so  as  to  keep  the  mixture  very  near  the  boiling  point ;  both  precipi- 
tates were  thoroughly  washed,  but  on  examination  both  contained 
nitric  acid,  in  small  quantity ;  the  one  prepared  at  the  lower  tempera- 
ture containing  more  than  the  other.  In  consideration  of  these  ex- 
periments and  the  fact  that  the  commercial  product  contains  such  a 
small  percentage  of  water,  the  recommendation  is  thought  well-based 
to  make  the  subcarbonate  by  using  a  boiling  solution  of  sodium  car- 
bonate and  adding  thereto  the  bismuth  nitrate  solution  with  the  addi- 
tional precaution  of  boiling  vigorously  for  several  minutes  after  the 
