Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 41

2. Digest ferrocyanide of lead or of iron in a solution of sesquicarbonate of ammonium, at a gentle heat, for some time; then filter, evaporate, and crystallise.

_Prop., &c._ It is isomorphous with ferrocyanide of pota.s.sium; it is easily crystallisable, very soluble in water, and is decomposed by ebullition.

=Ammonium, Iodide of.= NH_{4}I. _Syn._ HYDRIODATE OF AMMONIA; AMMO"NII IODI'DUM, L.; HYDRIODATE D'AMMONIAQUE, Fr. _Prep._ An aqueous solution of hydriodic acid is neutralised with ammonia, or ammonium sesquicarbonate, in slight excess; and the resulting liquid is either carefully, but rapidly, evaporated to dryness over a water bath, or it is concentrated by the same means, and then caused to deposit crystals by refrigeration; in both cases care is taken to keep a slight excess of ammonia present during the evaporation. The crystals are dried by pressure between folds of bibulous paper; and the product, in either form, preserved in a stoppered bottle.

Pure iodine is triturated with a little distilled water, and solution of ammonium sulphydrate added, in small quant.i.ties at a time, with continued trituration, until the red colour of the iodine has entirely disappeared.

The solution, after being gently boiled for a few seconds, to expel the sulphuretted hydrogen present, is filtered, slightly alkalised, with ammonia, and evaporated or crystallised, as before.

_Prop., &c._ Colourless; deliquescent; freely soluble in water, and in spirit; air and light turn it yellowish or brownish, with partial decomposition. It closely resembles iodide of pota.s.sium, than which it is more active, and thought to be better suited to irritable and relaxed habits.--_Dose_, 1 to 10 or 12 gr.

=Ammonium, Lac'tate of.= _Syn._ AMMO"NIae LAC'TAS, L. An uncrystallisable salt prepared by saturating ammonia, or its carbonate, with lactic acid.

It has been found useful in rickets, and in dyspepsia and worms, when occurring in debilitated habits. For this purpose it is best taken fresh-prepared, as a draught, flavoured with syrup of orange-peel, 3 or 4 times daily. See LACTATE and LACTIC ACID.

=Ammonium, Nitrate of.= NH_{4}NO_{3}. _Syn._ AMMO"NIae NI'TRAS, L.; NITRATE D'AMMONIAQUE, Fr. _Prep._ Saturate nitric acid (diluted with 3 or 4 times its weight of water) with sesquicarbonate of ammonium, evaporate by a gentle heat, and crystallise. When not required in a crystalline form, it is usually evaporated to dryness at about 212 Fahr.; and the heat being carefully raised to about 250, the fused salt is poured out on a polished slab of iron or stone, and when solidified broken up and put into bottles.

_Prop._ When the evaporation of the solution is conducted at a heat under 100 Fahr., the salt is obtained in beautiful hexagonal prisms; when at 212, in long silky fibres; when by rapid evaporation and fusion, it forms a white, compact, and usually foliated ma.s.s. It dissolves in about twice its weight of water; is slightly deliquescent; melts at 230, and is decomposed into nitrous gas and water at 460 Fahr. It deflagrates, like nitre, on contact with heated combustible matter.

_Uses, &c._ Chiefly to prepare nitrous oxide or laughing gas (of which nearly 4-1/2 cubic feet may be procured from every _lb._ avoir.); and with water, to form freezing mixtures, for which purpose it may be used for any number of times by simply evaporating the solution to dryness, when the salt, obtained unaltered, is ready for another operation. Care, however, should be taken not to expose it to too great a heat, as at a certain temperature it deflagrates with violence. It is occasionally employed in the laboratory to promote the combustion of organic bodies during incineration; and sometimes, though seldom, in medicine, as a diuretic and diaph.o.r.etic. It is said to reduce the frequency of the pulse, and the animal heat, without affecting the head, chest, or stomach.

(Wibmer.)--_Dose_, 10 to 30 gr.

=Ammonium, Nitro-sulphate of.= _Syn._ AMMO"NIae NITRO-SUL'PHAS, L.

Dissolve sulphite of ammonium, 1 part; in solution of ammonia, 5 parts; and pa.s.s nitric oxide gas through the solution; rapidly wash the crystals that form with solution of ammonia, dry in bibulous paper, without heat, and preserve them in a well-stopped bottle.--_Dose_, 10 to 20 gr.; in typhoid fevers, &c.

=Ammonium, Oxalate of.= (NH_{4})_{2}C_{2}O_{4}. _Syn._ AMMO"NIae OX'ALIS, L.; OXALATE D'AMMONIAQUE, Fr. Neutralise a hot solution of oxalic acid with sesquicarbonate of ammonia; evaporate and crystallise.

_Prop._ It forms beautiful, colourless, long, rhombic prisms, which effloresce in the air; slightly soluble in cold water; freely soluble in hot water; heated in a retort, it yields ammonia, carbonate of ammonia, cyanogen, and carbonic acid, together with oxamide, which sublimes.

_Uses, &c._ In _chemistry_, chiefly as a test for calcium (with which it produces a white precipitate soluble in nitric acid), and to separate lime from magnesium, solutions of the salt of which it does not precipitate. A BINOX'ALATE may also be formed; but it possesses no practical interest.

=Ammonium, Phosphate of.= (NH_{4})_{3}PO_{4}. _Syn._ AMMO"NIae PHOS'PHAS, L. _Prep._ Saturate a solution of phosphoric acid with sesquicarbonate of ammonium, in slight excess; gently evaporate and crystallise by refrigeration. Diuretic, discutient, and antilithic.--_Dose_, 3 to 10 gr., or 20 to 30 drops of a saturated solution, 3 or 4 times a day; in gout, rheumatism, and calculus, accompanied with the lithic-acid diathesis; also in rickets and certain forms of dyspepsia.

=Ammonium Suc'cinate.= _Syn._ AMMO"NIae SUC'CINAS, L. _Prep._ 1. Succinic acid, 1 part; water, 4 parts; dissolve, neutralise with solution of ammonia, or of ammonium carbonate, in slight excess, and evaporate, and crystallise as directed under the 'benzoate' or 'phosphate,'--_Dose_, 2 to 10 gr.

=Ammonium, Sul'phate of.= (NH_{4})_{2}SO_{4}. _Syn._ SULPHATE OF OX'IDE OF AMMONIA; AMMO"NIae SUL'PHAS, L,; SULFATE D'AMMONIAQUE, Fr.; SCHWEFELSAUER AMMONIUM SALZ, Ger.; Glauber's SECRET SALT, G. SECRET SAL AMMONIAC, SAL AMMONI'Ac.u.m SECRE'TUM GLAUBE"RI, &c. Crude sulphate of ammonia exists in considerable quant.i.ty in the soot from pit-coal; and it is obtained, as a secondary product, from the ammoniacal liquor of gas-works and animal charcoal manufactories. These last are its chief sources. It is also found native, a.s.sociated with sal ammoniac, in the neighbourhood of volcanoes, under the name of '_mascagnine_' or '_ma.s.sagnine_,'

_Prep._ 1. (Medicinal.) Saturate dilute sulphuric acid with sesquicarbonate of ammonia, in slight excess; filter, gently evaporate, and crystallise.

2. (Commercial.) From gas-liquor or bone-spirit, saturated with weak oil of vitriol, and, the clear portion of the liquid, after repose decanted, concentrated by rapid evaporation, and crystallised, in the manner noticed under AMMONIUM, CHLORIDE OF.

_Prop._ Crystals, long, flattened, six-sided prisms; soluble in 2 parts of cold, and 1 of boiling water; fuses, with loss of one atom of water, at about 280 Fahr.; and is volatilised, with entire decomposition, at about 535. Even its solution, by long boiling, becomes acid from loss of ammonia. The anhydrous salt does not exist.

_Uses, &c._ Pure sulphate of ammonia is diuretic, aperient, resolvent, and stimulant.--_Dose_, 10 to 30 gr. It is now seldom employed in medicine.

The crude sulphate is princ.i.p.ally used in the preparation of sal ammoniac and sesquicarbonate of ammonia, and for manure. "A mixture of 10% of this sulphate with 20% of bone-dust, some gypsum, and farm-yard manure, forms a very fertilising compost, applicable to a great variety of soils" (Ure); and we may add--greatly superior to a very large portion of what is now so commonly vended under the name of 'guano.'

_Concluding remarks, Patents, &c._ The manufacture of sulphate of ammonia, on the large scale, has been unavoidably explained in treating on the salts of that base already noticed. All that is necessary is to saturate with sulphuric acid the solution of ammonia, crude or otherwise, and obtained in any manner; and then to evaporate the solution until the salt crystallises out. At other times, however, instead of adding the acid to the ammoniacal liquor, the latter, either at once, or after treatment with lime, is submitted to distillation, and the evolved alkaline vapour is pa.s.sed into the acid (previously somewhat diluted), contained in a large receiver or cistern, or a series of them; the salt being obtained from the resulting solution in the usual manner. By re-solution and a second crystallisation the sulphate is generally obtained sufficiently pure for all commercial purposes; but when the salt is intended for use as manure, or (unless very rough) for conversion into sal ammoniac, this need not be had recourse to.

Among modifications and improvements, not previously noticed, may be mentioned--

1. That of Dr Richardson (Patent dated Jan., 1850), who mixes SULPHATE OF MAGNESIA with the crude ammoniacal liquor, and thus forms a double sulphate of magnesia and ammonia, from which he obtains the SULPHATE OF AMMONIA by sublimation.

2. That of Michiel (Patent dated April, 1850), who prepares sulphate of ammonia by means of OXYSULPHATE OF LEAD obtained by roasting galena (sulphide of lead), by exposing it in a crushed state and thin layers for 2 or 3 hours, to the heat of a reverberatory furnace. The resulting mixture of sulphate and oxide of lead is reduced to the state of coa.r.s.e powder, and well worked up with the ammoniacal liquor, when SULPHATE OF AMMONIA and sulphide and carbonate of lead are produced by the mutual reaction of the elements present. The first is removed by treatment with water; and the residuum serves for the manufacture of lead compounds, or may be reduced to the metallic state by fusion in the usual manner.

3. That of Mr Laming (Patent dated Aug., 1852), in which a stream of SULPHUROUS ACID GAS is transmitted through the liquor containing the ammonia, either in the free state or as carbonate, by which SULPHITE OF AMMONIA is formed. This salt he oxidises, and thus converts into the SULPHATE OF AMMONIA, by agitation and free exposure to the air.

Sulphate of ammonia, like the hydrochlorate, may also be obtained by saturating stale urine with the acid, and subsequent evaporation and crystallisation. See AMMONIA; AMMONIA, CARBONATES OF; AMMONIUM, CHLORIDE OF, and MANURES, &c.

=Ammonium, Sulphide of (neutral).= (NH_{4})_{2}S. _Prep._ Saturate strong solution of ammonia with pure sulphuretted hydrogen gas; then add a second portion of solution of ammonia, equal to that first used, and preserve it in a well-stoppered bottle.

=Ammonium, Sulphydrate of.= NH_{4}HS. _Syn._ SULPHIDE OF AMMONIUM, HYDROSULPHIDE OF AMMONIUM, HYDROSULPHATE OF AMMONIA. _Prep._ By pa.s.sing sulphuretted hydrogen gas, to saturation, through a mixture composed of strong solution of ammonia, 1 part, and distilled water, 4 parts.

_Props._ Prepared as above, it has a very ftid odour. When pure it is wholly volatilised by heat, and does not disturb a solution of sulphate of magnesium. Mineral acids decompose it, with the evolution of sulphuretted hydrogen. By keeping, it decomposes and acquires a yellow colour. This yellow coloration does not, however, render it unfit for use as a reagent; but it must be borne in mind that it will now deposit sulphur when mixed with acids. In this state it proves valuable as a reagent to detect hydrocyanic acid, and as a solvent to separate metallic sulphides thrown down by sulphuretted hydrogen.

_Uses, &c._ It is princ.i.p.ally employed by chemists as a reagent to precipitate metals, to separate metallic sulphides, &c.; and by the perfumers as a mordant in dyeing hair. In _medicine_ it has been used by Cruickshank, Rollo, and others, to check the morbid appet.i.te, and to increase the action of the stomach and general tone of the system in diabetes mellitus. It has also been used by Brauw, Gruithuisen, and others, in old pulmonary and vesical catarrhs. It is a powerful sedative, lessening the action of the circulatory system, causing nausea, vomiting, vertigo, drowsiness, &c.--_Dose_, 3 to 6 drops, three or four times daily, mixed with pure water, and instantly swallowed. In large doses it is poisonous.

_Ant._ Very dilute solution of chlorine, or of chloride of lime or soda, followed by a powerful emetic, or the stomach-pump. When the vapour has been respired, free exposure to fresh air, with the head a little elevated, and copious affusions of cold water, with moderate draughts of brandy-and-water, and the use of the smelling-bottle (ammoniacal) should be adopted. If need be, artificial respiration should be attempted, and the air around the patient should be slightly impregnated with the fumes of chlorine or chloride of lime.

=Ammonium, Persulphide of.= _Syn._ BOYLE'S FUMING-LIQUOR, HOFFMAN'S VOL'ATILE SPIRIT OF SULPHUR, &c.; AMMO"NIae PERHYDROSUL'PHAS, A.

PERHYDROSULPHURE'TUM, &c. Authorities differ as to the const.i.tution of this liquid, which, since its introduction by Beguin in 1650, has pa.s.sed under more 'aliases' than perhaps any other preparation. Its precise position amongst the ammonia-compounds is still undecided.

_Prep._ 1. (Beguin.) Sulphur, 1 lb; quick-lime, 1/2 lb; sal ammoniac, 4 oz.; mix and distil.

2. (Boyle.) Sulphur and sal ammoniac, of each, 5 oz.; quick-lime, 6 oz.; as last.

3. (Liebig.) Agitate the common hydrosulphate of ammonia with pure sulphur, until the latter ceases to be dissolved; and, after repose, decant the clear liquid.

_Prop., &c._ An orange-yellow, fuming, ftid liquid, of an oily consistence, having the characteristics of the common sulphydrate in a remarkable degree. It may prove an excellent medicine. "Useful for wounds and ulcers." (Beguin.) Diluted with three parts of spirit of wine, it formed the LIQUOR ANTIPODAG'RICUS of F. Hoffman; of which we are told that about 30 drops acted as a strong sudorific; and applied externally, mixed with camphor, "it relieved pain like a charm." (Hoffman.) The sulphides of ammonium are now scarcely ever employed as remedies.

=Ammonium, Sul'phite of.= (NH_{4})_{2}SO_{3}.7Aq. _Syn._ AMMONIae SULPHIS, L. Prepared by pa.s.sing sulphurous acid gas into a solution of ammonia. It is crystallisable and very soluble in water.

=Ammonium, Sulphocyanide of.= NH_{4}CNS. _Prep._ 1. Neutralise hydrosulphocyanic acid with ammonia, and gently evaporate the solution to dryness, by the heat of a water bath.

2. Digest hydrocyanic acid with yellow sulphydrate of ammonium, and, after a time, evaporate as before.

A deliquescent, white, saline ma.s.s, very soluble in water, but seldom employed out of the laboratory in a pure state. Of late it has been obtained in quant.i.ty as a crude product of the gas-liquors.

=Ammonium, Tartrates of.= Of these there are two:--

=Ammonium, Neutral Tartrate of.= (NH_{4})_{2}C_{4}H_{4}O_{6}. _Syn._ AMMO"NIae TAR'TRAS, L. _Prep._ Saturate a solution of crystallised tartaric acid, 150 grs.; with sesquicarbonate of ammonium, 118 grs.; and either evaporate the solution at a gentle heat, and crystallise; or evaporate to dryness, and powder the residuum.

_Prop., &c._ Prismatic crystals, or a crystalline ma.s.s; soluble and efflorescent. Its medicinal properties and doses resemble those of citrate of ammonium.

=Ammonium, Bitartrate of.= NH_{4}HC_{4}H_{4}O_{6}. _Syn._ AMMO"NIae BITAR'TRAS, L. _Prep._ To a strong solution of tartaric acid add another of sesquicarbonate of ammonium, or of tartrate of ammonium, as long as a precipitate falls; which must be collected and dried.

_Prop., &c._ A crystalline powder, only slightly soluble in water, closely resembling ordinary cream of tartar. It is diaph.o.r.etic, diuretic, and deobstruent, and is frequently, though improperly, sold for the preceding preparation.

=Ammonium, Valerianate of.= NH_{4}C_{5}H_{9}O_{2}. _Syn._ AMMO"NIae VALERIA'NAS, L. _Prep._ Saturate valerianic acid with strong solution of ammonia, and evaporate the resulting liquid to a syrupy consistence at a heat under 175 Fahr.; then add twice its volume of alcohol, and, after agitation, allow it to crystallise by spontaneous evaporation.--_Dose_, 2 to 8 or 10 gr.; in neuralgia, epilepsy, hypochondriasis, hysteria, low fevers of an intermittent kind, &c.; also in dyspepsia and debility complicated with these affections.

=AMMONI'ACAL.= [Eng., Fr.] _Syn._ AMMONIACA'LIS, L. Pertaining to, or possessing the odour or properties of, ammonia. See AMMONIA, &c.