The American homoeopathic pharmacopoeia / compiled and published by Boericke & Tafel.

Date:
1882
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The American homoeopathic pharmacopoeia / compiled and published by Boericke & Tafel. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    fluid-ounces, or the liquid has acquired a sp. gr. of 1.16. The bottle containing the distilled water must he kept cool during the whole operation. (Br.) Properties of the Pure Acid—Muriatic acid, when pure, is a transparent colorless liquid, of a suffocating odor and corrosive taste. Exposed to the air it emits white fumes, owing to the escape of the acid gas, and its union with the moisture of the atmosphere. When concentrated, it blackens organic substances like sulphuric acid. It freezes at 60° F. below zero. When exposed to heat, it continues to give off' muriatic acid gas, with the appearance of ebullition, until its sp. gr. falls to 1.094, when it properly boils, and distils over unchanged. Muriatic acid is characterized by forming, on the addition of nitrate of silver, a white precipitate (chloride of silver), which is insoluble in nitric acid, but readily soluble in ammonia. Tests.—This acid, when pure, will evaporate without residue in a platinum spoon. If sulphuric acid be present, a solution of chloride of barium will cause a precipitate of sulphate of barium in the acid, previously diluted with distilled water. Iron may be detected by sat- urating the diluted acid with carbonate of sodium, and then adding ferrocyanide of potassium, which will strike a blue color if that metal be present. The absence of arsenic may be inferred if it do not tarnish bright copper foil when boiled with it, and of this as well as other metallic impregnation, excepting that of iron, by its giving no precipi- tate with sulphuretted hydrogen. Ammonia in excess shows the ab- sence of iron, if it produces no precipitate. Free chlorine or nitric acid may be discovered by its having the power to dissolve goldleaf. Any minute portion of the leaf which may be dissolved is detected by adding a solution of protochloride of tin, which will give rise to a purplish tint. The free chlorine is derived from the reaction of nitric or hyponitric acid on a small portion of the muriatic acid, which is thus deprived of its hydrogen. Hence it is that, when free chlorine is present, hyponitric acid or some other oxide of nitrogen is also pres- ent as an impurity. The nitric and hyponitric acids are derived from nitrates in the common salt, and from hyponitric acid in the commer- cial sulphuric acid employed in the preparation of the muriatic acid. Preparation for Homoeopathic Use. — One part by weight of pure muriatic acid (spec. grav. 1.16) is dissolved in two parts by weight of distilled water. Amount of drug power, jfo. Dilutions must be prepared as directed under Class V—«. ACIDUM NITRICUM. Synonym, Aqua Fortis. Present Names, Hydric Nitrate. Nitric Acid. Formula, HX<>3. Molecular Weight, 63. Nitric Acid, of the specific gravity 1.420. Origin.—Nitric acid occurs chiefly in combination with the alkalies and alkaline earths, and in localities where vegetable or animal mat-