Harrogate and its resources : chemical analysis of its medicinal waters report addressed to the chairman of the Harrogate Water Committee / by A.W. Hofmann ; with an appendix, on the modes of their administration / by the Committee.
- August Wilhelm von Hofmann
- Date:
- [1854]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Harrogate and its resources : chemical analysis of its medicinal waters report addressed to the chairman of the Harrogate Water Committee / by A.W. Hofmann ; with an appendix, on the modes of their administration / by the Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![with nitric acid^ and adding a small quantity of binoxide of lead. If manganese be present_, the liquid exhibits, as soon as the precipitate has subsided, the magnificent colour of permanganic acid. By applying this method to the insoluble portion of the saline residue the presence of manganese in the Harrogate waters could be proved without difficulty, but the amount was not sufficient for quantitative determination. Ammonia, which could be detected in all the waters, if consider¬ able quantities were evaporated, with a few drops of hydrochloric acid, on mixing the residue with recently slacked lime, was likewise present in such a minute proportion that quantitative determination became impossible. Alumina was detected only in one case by means of the blow¬ pipe reaction with nitrate of cobalt, after separation of silica and iron, and in this case not more than a mere trace was found. All the waters were very carefully examined for arsenic, antimony, and tin, which have been found of late in so many mineral springs. But although large quantities of the solid residue obtained by evapo¬ ration were submitted to analysis, no trace of these metals could be detected. Not more successful was the attempt to trace the presence of nitric and iihos]ohoric acids, or of lithia and strontia in the Harro¬ gate waters. The nitric acid was tested for by means of sulphuric acid and sulphate of iron in the residue of a large quantity of water, evapo¬ rated with a few grains of carbonate of soda. Phosphoric acid had to be looked for both in the soluble and insoluble part of the solid residue obtained by evaporating the water. Both were carefully tested by means of molybdate of ammonia, the insoluble portion after the removal of the iron. In order to find lithia, the solid residue of the waters (the experi¬ ment was made with the following three waters, viz. : the Old Sul¬ phur Well, the Hospital Strong Sulphur Spring, and the Cheltenham Saline Chalybeate) was repeatedly boiled out with water, the solution neutralised with a few drops of hydrochloric acid, evaporated to dryness and the residue exhausted with alcohol. The saline residue obtained by distilling off the alcohol was then treated with a mix¬ ture of alcohol and ether. The solution thus formed neither exhibited the crimson red lithia-flame when lighted, nor was it possible to obtain from it the difficultly soluble ^double salt of phosphate of soda and lithia.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30561942_0009.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
