MANUFACTURE OF BORAX. 113 
stances have been employed, and with careful treatment, to 
from 60 to 62 lbs. of pure crystallized borax. 
The preparation of borax from crude soda and boracic 
acid is more advantageous, but at the same time more diffi- 
cult ; for this purpose a solution of caustic soda is likewise 
made, amounting to 300 lbs., of 1-090— 1*095 spec, grav., 
which requires about 100 lbs. good crude Alicant or Tene- 
rifFe soda and from 45 to 50 lbs. caustic lime ; the ley is 
prepared in the same manner, and from 45 to 48 lbs. of 
boracic acid added to it, upon which the ley is concentrated 
to about 180 to 185 lbs., or spec. grav. 1-175 to 1-180 ; in 
the mean time the froth is now and then removed, and fi- 
nally the whole placed aside to crystallize. To the first 
mother-ley from 8 to 10 lbs. of boracic acid are added, and 
to the second residuous ley 2 or 3 lbs. more, frequently 
however, according to the substances employed, even as 
much as 10 lbs., which must be determined by a previous 
examination of the borax ley. The mode of operation is 
precisely the same as described in the preceding method ; a 
greater quantity of sulphate of soda is however obtained 
on saturating the last mother-ley with sulphuric acid ; the 
produce in crystallized borax amounts to from 80 to 90 lbs. 
The third method relates to the preparation of the bibo- 
rate of soda from the half-refined East Indian borax, which 
contains considerable quantities of smeary or fatty ingre- 
dients; it is washed with a caustic soda-ley of 1-370 to 1-380 
spec, grav., and then, since it always contains a large excess 
of soda, it is gradually saturated with Tuscan boracic acid, as 
described in the previous methods, and purified by 3 to 4 re- 
crystallizations. The produce may amount to 65, and in a fa- 
vourable case to 75 per cent, crystallized borax. — Ibid, 
from Jlrchiv. der Pharm. 
