Translation of the Pharmacopoeia of the Royal College of Physicians, of London, 1851 : with notes and illustrations / by Richard Phillips.

Royal College of Physicians of London. Pharmacopoeia Londinensis. English

Date:: 1851

Credit: Translation of the Pharmacopoeia of the Royal College of Physicians, of London, 1851 : with notes and illustrations / by Richard Phillips. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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$Carbon. Hydrogen. Oxygen. One equivalent of Alcohol consists of 24 -f 6 -\- 16 = 46 One „ of Ether consists of 24 + 5 + 8 = 37 Difference 1 + 8 = 9 One equivalent of water. When an equivalent of water, or of each of the elements com- posing water, is abstracted from one equivalent of alcohol, there remains one equivalent of ether. Fourcroy and Vauquelin sup- posed that sulphuric acid in its action upon alcohol, eliminated ether by the direct separation of water from the alcohol, on ac- count of the great affinity of sulphuric acid for water ; this how- ever is not the case. According to Mr. Hennell, the action of the sulphuric acid is not direct, but intermediate ; he found that when two eqs. of sulphuric acid, and one eq. of alcohol were merely mixed, the acid immediately lost four-sevenths of its power of precipitating oxide of lead, and that this portion underwent great change of pro- perties, being converted into the hydrate of peculiar compound called Sulphovinic acid, consisting of Two equivalents of Sulphuric Acid . . 40X2— 80 One „ of Alcohol 46 One eq. of Sulphovinic Acid 126 Or what is the same, of Two equivalents of Sulphuric Acid . . 40X2= 80 Four ,, of Carbon 6X4= 24 Six „ of Hydrogen 1X6= 6 Two „ of Oxygen 8X2= 16 One eq. of Sulphovinic Acid 126 Now in the process for obtaining ether, this Sulphovinic Acid is no sooner formed than it is again decomposed into two eqs. of sulphuric acid, one eq. of water, and one eq. of ether, which distils, thus: Sulphuric Acid. One equivalent of Sulphovinic Acid — 80 -f- Remaining in the retort 80 Carbon. Oxygen. 24 -f 6 + 16 = + 1 + 8 = 126 89 which distils. Or, [1] 46Alcohol/ []] n?€,r 3n L J f [1] Water 9 [2] 80 Sulphuric Acid. One equivalent of Ether 37 1126 SaS™ic{ 37 Ether [1] 9 Water [1] 80 Sulphuric Acid [2] 126 126 Mr. Williamson (Phil. Mag. xxxvii. p.353.) considers the ethe- rifving process as effected by the continuous transformation of sul-$