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Phosphorus Bottles

Put 12 grains phosphorus with 1 ounce olive oil in a 1 ounce phial; and place it, loosely corked, in a basin of hot water; as soon as the phosphorus is melted, remove the phial, cork it securely, and agitate it until nearly cold. On being uncorked it emits sufficient light in the dark to see the time by a watch, and will retain this property for some years if not too frequently employed. starch; mix all thoroughly, raise the heat to 158°, and keep it between that and 167 for 20 or 30 minutes. When the liquor becomes thin, instantly raise the heat to the boiling point, to prevent the formation of sugar.

Strain the liquor, and evaporate it to dryness, as the dextrine will not keep long in a liquid form. Another method is to boil solution of starch with a few drops of sulphuric acid, filter the solution, and add alcohol to throw down the dextrine.

Or: Mix 500 parts potato starch with 1500 parts of cold distilled water and 8 parts of pure oxalic acid; place this mixture in a suit- 4337. To Coat Phosphorus with Cop-able vessel on a water-bath, and heat until a per. Dr. Siewert, of Halle, suggests a small sample tested with iodine solution does method by which the sticks can be kept, even not produce the reaction of starch. When in the light, without undergoing deteriora- this is found to be the case, immediately retion. For this purpose, he takes advantage move the vessel from the water-bath, and of the well-known property of phosphorus to neutralize the liquid with pure carbonate of reduce some metals from their solutions. The lime. After having been left standing for a sticks of phosphorus are put into a cold satu- couple of days the liquor is filtered, and the rated solution of the sulphate of copper. clear filtrate evaporated upon a water-bath Presently they become coated with a deposit until the mass has become quite a paste, of metallic copper, and in this state resemble which is removed by a spatula, and, having copper rods. They can now be removed to a been made into a thin cake, is placed upon bottle containing water, and will keep for years. When a stick is wanted for any purpose, on removing the metallic film, and scraping off a black deposit underneath it, the phosphorus will be found to have retained its translucency, as if it had been freshly cast. paper and further dried in a warm place; 220 parts of pure dextrine are thus obtained. (See No. 2925.)