MR THORNTON J. IIERAPATH VL-On some newly discovered Substances from the African Guano Deposits. By THORNTON ESQ. J. HERAPATH Some time in the latter part of the ycar 1845 a paper was read before this Society by Mr. 3. F. Teschemaeher,* in which the author gives an account of the results of his analyses including a variety of substances which had been found in the guano deposits and in their vicinity. Besides those there described however I have lately had the opportunity of examining another which that gentleman does not ap-pear to have taken any notice of This substance which wax found * Mem. Chem. SOC. FC~. 111 part 16,p. 13. ON SOME NEW SUBSTANCES PROM AFRICAN GUANO. occurring in large crystalline masses or nodules in a cargo of guano from the island of Ichaboe on the western coast of Africa was sent to my father’s laboratory for examination by Mr.Ruxton of Swansea in January 1846 some of the parties to whom he had supplied the guano having complained to him of the presence of the crystals imagining them to be an adulteration. These crystals when purified from the adherent guano were found to be perfectly transparent and homogeneous but stained of a light yellowish-brown colour by the humic acid and extractive matters of the guano. They were ex-ceedingly frangible and did not effloresce upon exposure to the air ; they dissolved easily both in hot and cold water and the solutions gave with the soluble salts of silver a bright yellow precipitate which was almost entirely soluble in an excess of nitric acid.When boiled with a solution of potassa pungent fumes of ammonia were given off which gave a fugitive stain to moistened turmeric paper. Before the blow-pipe they intumesced turned black and gave off water and ammonia; by a further application of heat the carbo- naceous matters were burnt off and the residue fused into a transparent colourless glass which dissolved readily in boiling water giving a solution which yielded a granular precipitate when tested with anti- moniate of potash. The specific gravity of these crystals as determined by means of oil of turpentine was about 1.6151. An attempt was made to ascertain the primary form of the crystal but it was found impossible to do 60 from the rough irregular masses met with in the guano.By dissolving these however in boiling water and filtering the solution and crystallizing the salt was obtained in moderately large colourless prismatic crystals. Upon subjecting these to analysis the following results were obtained I. 10 grains of the salt when heated to redness lost 5.103 grs. of water and ammonia. 11. 10 grains when treated as before lost 5.243grs. in weight. 111. 5 grains when burnt with potash and lime by Varrentrapp and Will’s process gave 4.890 grs. of ammonio-chloride of platinum =Om377 grs. of ammonia. IV. 5 grains treated as before gave 5.078 grs. of ammonio-chloride of platinum = 0.391 grs. of ammonia. V. 10 grains when dissolved in water and the solution precipi- tated by neutral acetate of lead gave 20.331 grs.of phosphate of lead which when decomposed by sulphuric acid gave 22.938 grs. of sulphate of lead. MR. THORNTON J. HERA4YAT€i TI. 10 grains treated as before gave 19.549 grs. of phosphate and 21.867 grs. of sulphate of lead. VII. 10 grains gave 3.002grs. of chloride of sodium. VTII. 10 grains gave 2.905 grs. of chloride of sodium. These numbers give the following per-centage composition .. . I. TI. 111. TV. v. VI. 1-11. VIII. Mean. .. 34.291 34.360 .. .. 34.325 P } .. .. { *' Na .. .. *. .. 16010 15.494 15.752 7.540 7.820 .. .. .. .. 7.680 yH3}51-030 92.320 H I .. .. .. .. *. .. 42.243 which very closely corresponds with that of the arnmonio-phosphate of soda or microcosmic salt the formula for which is ..ia NIL,' Pi+ OH or according to Graham Na 0 NH 0 PO, H0-t-8HO. The original crystals contained the following constituents in 100 parts as Crystallized arnmonio-phosphate of soda . . 91.660 Organic matters (urates humates &c.) . . 1.956 Phosphate of potash . evident traces. Chloride of sodium . . . 0,521 Carbonatc of lime . . 0.280 Carbonate of magnesia . . traces. Phosphate of lime . . . 2.100 Silica sand &c. . . . 2.151 Water and loss . . 1.332 100~000 With regard to the manner of the formation of this salt it is extremely difficult to comprehend how such a compound as the ammonio-phosphate of soda could be produced by the decoinpositiori of a substance so remarkably deficient in the alkalies as guano. For unless we can conceive that there was in this case a peculiar aiid special source of the soda wc must of necessity adinit that it was obtained froin the decomposition of the chloride of sodium of the sea-water by the phosphate of ammonia of the guano.The resulting chloride of ammonium being either volatilized at the high tenipe-rature of those climates or from its extreme solubility dissolved out by the rain-water and carried into the sea or the lower strata of the guano deposits. We well know that chloride of sodium is capable ON SOME NEW SUBSTANCES FROM AFRICAN GUANO. of being decomposed by phosphate of ammonia at a high tempe- rature. May not this decomposition therefore also take place when the salts are in solution ? I think it very probable.This being the first instance in which the ammonio-phosphate of soda has been met with as a natural production I propose to class it amongst our minerals under the name of Stercode.”* I should have preferred to have given it that of Guanite as being more indi- cative of its origin but this has been already applied by Mi. Tesche-macher to the ammonio-magnesian phosphate another product of the decomposition of guano. I have also examined another salt which was met with in the same cargo of guano as the preceding to which it bore a very close resemblance both in physical and chemical properties. Like it it was frangible crystalline and readily soluble in water and gave off ammoniacal fumes when heated to redness or when treated with caustic potash; it also gave a yellow precipitate with nitrate of silver; but it differed from it in efflorescing upon exposure to the air and in not giving a precipitate with antimoniate of potash.The primary form of the crystal as nearly as could be determined from the few imperfect specimens in my possession was an oblique rhomboidal prism with a dihedral summit. Upon redissolving these in water and recrystallizing by spontaneous evaporation long acicular crystals were obtained which when dried between pieces of bibulous paper and subjected to analysis afforded the following results I. 2.131 grains of the crystals when heated to redness lost 1.034 grs. in weight of water and ammonia. 11. 1940 grains gave 6.039 grs. of amrnonio-chloride of platinum =0*465 grs.of ammonia. 111. 3.500 grains gave 10.539 grs. of phosphate bf lead which gave 11.786 grs. of sulphate of lead= 1.854 grs. of phosphoric acid. Or on 100 parts I. 11. 111. Water . -23.058 Ammonia }48*521{ 23.980 -23.980 Phosphoric acid -52.962 52.962 numbers which are very nearly equivalent to 1atom of ammonia 1 atom of phosphoric acid and 14 atoms of water. It may therefore be considered as the neutral phosphate of ammoniu. The excess of water was doubtlessly caused by the moisture which remained between the interstices of the crystals. It was therefore the same * From the Latin Stwcoro,” to dung or manure land. MR. JOHN film ASHLEY salt as that which had been previously examined by Mr. Tesche-macher but which he was prevented from analyzing quantitatively on account of the smallness of the quantity in his possession. In conclusion I should perhaps observe that the guano from which the above substances were obtained was exceedingly moist and possessed a very strong ammoniacal smell.