GUANO.

137

Acetate or nitrate, as it is liable to be deposited from the solution when this is kept fors ome time. If this point be not attended to, serious errors would be committed in theoslimation of the phosphoric acid.

2. The quantity of uric acid was verified by several repetitions, and found to be 14Per cent.

3. The undefined organic matter, when deprived of the uric acid by prolonged diges-•J°n with weak borax, being subjected to ignition along with hydrate of soda, yieldedo'o quantity of ammonia requisite to constitute the whole sum, that producible from the"ric acid also being taken into account.

4. The little lumps of the guano afforded, by distillation along with quicklime, 5’27P er cent, of ready-formed ammonia, probably from the uric acid having been partially'^composed by the moisture which had caused them to concrete. It is a curious fact,

^t the solution of borax, from being of an alkaline, becomes of an acid reaction, afterP'Sestion with the Bolivian guano.

For distinguishing and separating the soda salts from those of potash, I tried thea, >timoniate of potash, according to Wackenroder ’s prescription, but I found reason toPrefer very much the crystallized soda-chloride of platinum, for that purpose.

From another specimen of the Bolivian guano, I extracted 3-5 per ct. of the ammonia-Phosphate of magnesia.

F. & sample of guano from the Chincha islands, of nearly the same light color asae preceding, and the same dryness, being an early importation of 250 tons in thePresent year, was subjected by me to a careful analysis.

*• The solution in water of this guano had an alkaline reaction from carbonate of' thnionia, which, being neutralized by test acid, indicated 0*34 per cent, of ammonia,G( luivalent to about 1 of the smelling sesqui-carbonate.

, Of this guano, 47 per cent, were soluble in water, and 53 per cent, remained, afteryr ying at a heat of 212° F. Of the above 47 parts, 8*5 were moisture in the guano.

• 3. The solution being acidulated with nitric acid, was treated with acetate of barytes,a quantity equivalent to the sulphuric acid present, and it afforded 12 parts of sul-ihate of barytes. With the filtered liquor, 700 water grain measures of ferric acetatemixed, and then ammonia in excess ; 18*5 parts of washed’and ignited sub-phosphate?J iron were obtained, from which deducting 8-8 parts present in the acetate, 9*7 re-as the quantity of phosphoric acid; but 9*7 of acid produce 13*25 of bi-phos-Jhate of ammonia, which contain only 2*3 of ammonia, combined with 0*95 of water,r fis elements. From the alkaline excess in the guano, there can be no doubt, how-er 5 that it contained the sub-phosphate ( fc:md in the urine of Carnivora ), and not thel ~Phosphate of that base. In this case, 9*7 of acid produce 14*32 of dry saline corn-ed, containing 4*62 of ammonia, which, with the 0*34 of ammonia in the carbonate,i Pstitute a sum of 4*96. To the liquor freed from the phosphate of iron, and acidu-te d -with nitric acid, acetate of lime being added, 3*33 parts of oxalate of this basee fe obtained, which are equivalent to 3*23 oxalate ammonia, containing 0*89 of am-monia.

j** Nitrate of silver now produced from the filtered residual solution 8 parts of chlo-corresponding to nearly 3 of sal ammoniac, which contain nearly 0*95 of ammonia,in ** ^ le ^ parts insoluble in water were digested with weak solution of borax at a boil-,/*£ heat, thrown on a filter, and the uric acid being precipitated from the filtrate byof a little hydrochloric acid, washed and dried, was found to weigh 13*5 parts,here were left on the filter 36*5 parts, dried at 212° F., so that 3 parts of soluble or-,j nic flatter had passed through the filter. These 36*5 parts lost by ignition only 9*7hvV S * n or S an * c matter, became white, and afforded a very faint effervescence withWo-cliloric acid, showing that a very little oxalate of lime had been present. T25Sul i s ^ ca were left after the action of the acid. To the solution of the 26*55 parts,Uni llr * c ac ^ was added, and the mixture being heated to expel the hydro-chloric acidIht excess sulphuric, the residuary matter was digested and washed with di-

e a lc°h°l,and thrown on a filter; the solution of magnesia passed through, while thesq} ate remained. After ignition, this weighed 27*5 parts, equivalent to 22 of

J JPhosphate of lime. On supersaturating the filtrate with ammonia, 4*5 parts of thet()A?r s 2 an ammonia phosphate were precipitated, containing 0.32 of ammonia. With*3*5 parts of uric acid, 1*23 of ammonia had been originally combined, forming 14*73

of

hrate.

20 a‘ ^.grains of the dry guano afforded, by ignition in the combustion-tube along with[ 0 -jpains of the mixed lime and hydrate of soda, 4*165 of ammonia, which correspond■ lb ‘ 6 6 in 100 parts of the dry, or to 15*244 in the natural state; leaving therefore 5

«y of urea, which I did not think it worth while to determine quantitively, and