Pottox— On the Extraction of Glucnum from Beryl. 147 
dry carbonate were added to 30 cc. of a saturated solution of commercial sesqui- 
carbonate of ammonia, and well shaken for two days; they were then filtered, and 
the solution boiled down, to reprecipitate the dissolved carbonate, which was then 
filtered off, dried, burned, and weighed, giving *6656 grams of oxide, or about 58 
grams of glucinum basic carbonate, equivalent to 22 grams of ignited oxide, 
dissolved per litre of saturated solution of ammonium sesquicarbonate. 
A saturated solution of sesquicarbonate of ammonia was now prepared by 
dissolving 167 grams of the salt in 1 litre of water; this gave about 1200 ce. of 
solution, and of this 1000 cc. were taken, and 80 grams of dry basic carbonate 
added, and well shaken up at frequent intervals for a week; it was noted that 
there was a continual evolution of carbon dioxide as the solution progressed. At 
the end of the week the undissolved residue was filtered off, and the solution 
boiled down. On boiling, the basic carbonate of glucina does not at once begin to 
precipitate, there being little or no precipitate, until a certain proportion of the 
ammonium carbonate is decomposed, and then the glucinum basic carbonate is 
rapidly precipitated, and it is practically all precipitated, when the solution is 
evaporated to half its bulk, or when a thermometer indicates that the temperature 
has reached 100°. After filtering off the reprecipitated glucinum basic carbonate, 
the residual liquors were evaporated to dryness and ignited, and gave only -27 
grams. The fraction that dissolved and reprecipitated weighed, on drying, 66 
erams. ‘The undissolved fraction weighed 10 grams. 
An analysis of the basic carbonate of beryllia gave :— 
Per cent. 
Glucina, oes ie eae 387°9 + 25 = 1°5 
Carbon dioxide, _.... Ke 22:9+44= +5 
Water, on ee ot 42:0 + 18 = 2:2 
corresponding to the formula G1CO,2GIH,0,2H,O ; but the composition is not 
really very constant, the water being liable to vary from two to three mole- 
cules, and even the ratio of the carbonate to the hydrate is subject to some 
variation. In another experiment, where the first portion to be precipitated 
was filtered off, and the boiling then continued and the second portion kept 
separate, an analysis gave :— 
First Fraction. Second Fraction. 
(Per cent.) (Per cent.) 
Glucina, wie Ps iss 34:4 40:5 
Carbon dioxide, _... sei 23°6 21:0 
Water, re sot $5 42:0 38°5 
Evidently the first portions to come down contain more carbonate, and the latter 
portions more hydrate, and all rather more water, than the formula given. 
TRANS. ROY. DUB. S0C., NoS., VOL. VIII., PART XI. 2C 
