206 MR, GRIFFIN

June 17, 1850.

THOMAS GRAHAM, EsQ., V.P., in the Chair.

J o h n Bennet t Lawes, Esq. and Frederick Vaux, Esq. were

The following presents were annotrnced : ‘‘ Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society,” No. 44 :

presented by the Society. ‘(On a New Medium for Mounting Organic Substances as Per-

manent Objects for Microscopic Inspection,” by Robert War ington: presented by the Author.

clected Fellows of the Society.

The following papers were read :

XXIL-Description of art Ammonia-Meter.

BY JOHN JOSEPH GRIFFIN, F.C.S.

I take the liberty of presenting to the Chemical Society a Hydro- meter for determining the strength of solutions of Ammonia. I think it may be interesting to the Society, because i t is founded on a chemical principle, while its indications arc such as adapt it to the use of the manufacturer.

In a memoir which the Society did me the honour to insert in their Transactions four years ago,* I recited some experiments to prove, that mixtures of liquid ammonia with water possess a specific gravity which is the mean of thc specific gravities o€ their components; that

in all solutions of ammonia, a quantity of anhydrous ammonia, weighing 212+ grains, which I call a Test-atom, displaces 300 grains of water, and reduces the specific gravity of the solution to the extent of *OO125; and finally, that the strongest solution of ainrrionia which it is possible to prepare at the temperature of 62O Fah. contains in an imperial gallon of solution, one hundred test-atoms of ammonia. The new Ammonia-Meter is founded upon those facts.

The form of the instrument is that of an ordinary glass hydrometer, with a paper scale showing 100 degrees. Every degree indicates 1 test-atom, or 212& grains, of anhydrous ammonia, in the gallon of solution. The zero of the scale signifies pure water at the temperature of 62O F.

* On the Constitution of Aqueons Solutions of Acids and Alkalies, hlem. Chem. SOC. 111, 188,

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ON THE AMMONIA-METER. 207

The first degree signifies 1 test-atom of ammonia, and the hundredth degree 100 test-atoms, The specific gravity of the liquor which corresponds with 1000 of strength is 0875, water being taken at 1.000.

TO render the indications afforded by this instrument useful to manufacturers, I have prepared a table which shows the constitution of the hundred solutions of ammonia corresponding with the hun- dred degrees of the instrument. The table contains six columns of numbers. The first column shows the spec@ gravity of the solutions; the second column, the weight of an imperial gallon in avoirdupois pounds and ounces ; the third, the percentage of ammonia by weight; the fourth column, the degree of the solution as indi- cated by the instrument, corresponding with the number of test- atoms of ammonia present in a gallon of the liquor ; the fifth coluniii shows the number of grains of ammonia contained in a gallon ; and the sixth column, the atomic volume of the solution, or that measure of it which contains one test-atom of ammonia. The horizontal lines represent the various equivalents of every degree of ammonia indi- cated by the instrument.

The Ammonia-iUeter and the Table together will enable a manu- facturer to determine, not only the actual strength of any given liquor, but the precise amount of dilution necessary to convert it into a liquor of any other desired strength. Thus, a liquor indicating 96' by this instrument has a specific gravity of *88, and another indicating 32O has a specific gravity of 96 . If the strong liquor is to be diluted to form the weak liquor, the numbers in column 6 of the table show, that 104-16 measures of the former must be diluted to 312.5 measures of the fatter.

The direct quotation of the number of grains of ammonia contaiiied in a gallon of solution, enables one to judge at a glance of the money value of any given sample of ammonia. Finding that a liquor at 33O contains about one pound of ammonia; a second liquor at 66u, two pounds; and a third at 990, three pounds, in the gallon, we perceive at once the relative value of these liquors.

The degrees of this instrument mark the strength of solutions of ammonia in a more comprehensible manner than is done by a state- ment of their Specific Gravities. Thus, the weak liquid ammonia of the London Pharmacopoeia has a specific gravity of *96, and that of the Dublin Pharmacopmia. a specific gravity of -95. A gallon of the latter weighs only 1-& ounce less than a gallon of the former. These comparisons do not appeay to indicate any great differmce in the strength of the liquors; yet the new Ammonia-Meter marks the London ammonia as of 32O and the Dublin ammonia as of 40°; and

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208 MR. QRIFFIN

the respective strengths of the liquors agree with these numbers, the Dublin solution containing 25 per cent more ammonia than the Lon- don solution.

I n proposing to determine the strength of solutions of am- monia by a hydrometric process, I do so in accordance with the practice of chemical manufacturers; but I may add, that, in point of accuracy, the best hydrometer that can be made, stands, for such a purpose, far behind the cheniical process of centigrade testing. This arises from the fact, that the density of ammonia in solution closely approximates to the density of water. A gallon of water weighs only 20 ounces more than a gallon of the strongest solution of ammonia. The extreme difference between the specific gravities of the two liquids is only *125. Every degree of the Ammonia-Meter shows the hundredth part of that difference, and therefore indicates an alteration equal to + of an ounce in 10 lbs. of water, or the 800th payt of the entire weight. As a hydrometer of many spindles is ex- pensive and troublesome, and as a single spindle cannot conveniently carry above 100 degrees, this instrunlent may be said to exhaust the capabilities of such a mode of trial;-but, centrigrade testing, applied to ammonia, readily discriminates ten degrees of chemical strength between each of the hydrometric degrees.

The following precautions are necessary to be taken in using the dmmonia-Meter :

1, The instrument must not be warmed by the hand before inser- tion into the liquor to be tried.-2. The spindle must not be unne- cessarily wetted by the liquor : to prevent this, the instrument in a dry state should be put gently into the liquor, and the jar or table be tapped till the hydrometer sinks to the proper level,---3. The lines on the scale are drawn level with the general surface of the liquor under trial, not with the liquor which capillary attraction draws up round the spindle.-4. It must be borne in mind, that when the so- lution of Ammonia has been made with undistilled water, the ap- parent strength will be less than the real Strength, according to the increase of density due to the impurities contained in the water.*

* The specific gravity of the Thames water at Greenwich is 1*00116, (Bennett, Chem. SOC. Qu. J. 11, log), and that of London Well-water is 1.0007, (Brande, ibid, 11, 349). Liquid ammonia prepared with the former would be lo, with the latter, +o stronger than the degree indicated by the instrument,

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dwar

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