Ferric chloride

“ The oil diluted with alcohol acquires a reddish hue by ferric chloride.
The resin ammoniacum usually amounts to about 70 per cent. Przeciszewski asserts that the indifferent resin when heated yields sulphuretted hydrogen. Our own experiments failed to show the presence of sulphur in the crude drug; and the same negative result has been more recently obtained in some careful experiments by Moss [1240] . Water when boiled with the resin acquires a yellow hue and slightly acid reaction; the liquid assumes an intense red coloration on addition of ferric chloride. ”

“ The solution is filtered off, boiled till free of sulphuretted hydrogen, and ammonium chloride and ammonia added. If phosphoric acid is absent, aluminium, chromium and ferric hydrates are precipitated. If, however, phosphoric acid is present in the original substance, we may here obtain a precipitate of the phosphates of the remaining metals, together with aluminium, chromium and ferric hydrates. In this case, the precipitate is dissolved in as little as possible hydrochloric acid and boiled with ammonium acetate, acetic acid and ferric chloride. ”

“ The pigment can be obtained at a far lower temperature when ferric chloride is used in place of ferrous sulphate. The mixture is made by grinding together 5 parts of cobalt hydroxide and 25 parts of ammonia alum, then adding a solution of ferric chloride, rapidly drying the whole to a powder, and whilst still hot filling it into the crucible in which the ignition is performed. When small quantities of ferric chloride are used chocolate brown shades inclining to violet are produced; the larger the quantity of the iron compound the more pure is the brown. ”

“ The conversion of copper sulphide into the chlorides may be accomplished by calcining with common salt, or by treating the ores with ferrous chloride and hydrochloric acid or with ferric chloride. The dry way is best; the wet way is only employed when fuel is very dear, or when it is absolutely necessary that no noxious vapours should escape into the atmosphere. The dry method consists in an oxidizing roasting of the ores, and a subsequent chloridizing roasting with either common salt or Abraumsalz in reverberatory or muffle furnaces. ”

“ A dark red but perfectly clear colloidal suspension of ferric hydroxide is obtained by the dialysis of a ferric chloride solution which has been treated with ammonium carbonate until a permanent precipitate begins to form. This process of dialysis is commonly resorted to also for freeing colloidal solutions or suspensions prepared in other ways from mineral impurities. It is most conveniently carried out in parchment tubes, which are now an article of commerce. As the surface exposed by these is large, the process is a comparatively rapid one. ”

“ A solution is produced which contains ferric hydrate dissolved in ferric chloride, with free chloride of ammonium. Either the liquor ferri perchlor. fort. (B. P.) , or the liquor ferri chloridi (U. S.) , may be conveniently used, and the liquor ammoniæ, sp. gr. ·959 or ·960, of either Pharmacopœia will be found a convenient strength. If the ammonia be added to the strong solution of iron, considerable heat is evolved, and, on cooling, the preparation becomes gelatinised—often so much so that the vessel containing it may be inverted. ”

“ It may be recognized by the violet coloration it gives when added to a very dilute solution of potassium bichromate in the presence of hydrochloric acid; by the orange-red colour it gives with a solution of titanium dioxide in concentrated sulphuric acid; and by the precipitate of Prussian blue formed when it is added to a solution containing ferric chloride and potassium ferricyanide. ”

“ Equilibrium is established in such a solution, as will be shown further on in the text, by the liberation of chlorine and the formation of ferro-salt, according to 2 Fe3+ + 2 Cl− ⇄ 2 Fe2+ + Cl2, until the potential, resulting from the tendency of chlorine to form chloride-ion, just balances the tendency of the ferric-ion to form ferro-ion. ”

“ When concentrated the solution is nearly black, and on heating it yields a yellow solution of potassium ferrite, oxygen being evolved. Barium ferrate, BaFeO4·H2O, obtained as a dark red powder by adding barium chloride to a solution of potassium ferrate, is fairly stable. It dissolves in acetic acid to form a red solution, is not decomposed by cold sulphuric acid, but with hydrochloric or nitric acid it yields barium and ferric salts, with evolution of chlorine or oxygen (Baschieri, Gazetta, 1906, 36, ii. p. 282) . ”

“ The vapours of the ammonium chloride indicate the proper temperature for the operation. When this substance is completely volatilised the temperature should not be further raised, or the mixture would fuse.
By means of ferric oxide a fine and durable yellow is produced; the quantity employed must not be too large, or a red colour will result. A very high temperature is required for burning in this colour. The alum used in making the yellow enamel colours serves to prevent the oxides from fusing. ”

“ Perfectly dry hydrochloric acid gas has no action on metals, but in aqueous solution it dissolves many of them with evolution of hydrogen and formation of chlorides.
The salts of hydrochloric acid, known as chlorides, can, in most cases, be prepared by dissolving either the metal, its hydroxide, oxide, or carbonate in the acid; or by heating the metal in a current of chlorine, or by precipitation. The majority of the metallic chlorides are solids (stannic chloride, titanic chloride and antimony pentachloride are liquids) which readily volatilize on heating. ”

“ If, however, no porous division be used to prevent the intermingling by diffusion of the anode and cathode solutions, a complicated set of subsidiary reactions takes place. The chlorine reacts with the caustic soda, forming sodium hypochlorite, and this in turn, with an excess of chlorine and at higher temperatures, becomes for the most part converted into chlorate, whilst any simultaneous electrolysis of a hydroxide or water and a chloride (so that hydroxyl and chlorine are simultaneously liberated at the anode) also produces oxygen-chlorine compounds direct. ”

“ About 6 parts of the salt are dissolved by 100 of water at 15°, the solubility increasing with the temperature, so that at 100° nearly 60 parts dissolve; if strong sulphuric acid be dropped on the crystals, peroxide of chlorine is evolved; when rubbed with sulphur in a mortar, potassic chlorate detonates. When the salt is heated strongly, it first melts, and then decomposes, yielding oxygen gas, and is transformed into the perchlorate. If the heat is continued, this also is decomposed, and the final result is potassic chloride. ”

“ By evaporating in vacuo the solution obtained by dissolving iron in hydrochloric acid, there results bluish, monoclinic crystals of FeCl2·4H2O, which deliquesce, turning greenish, on exposure to air, and effloresce in a desiccator. Other hydrates are known. By adding ammonium chloride to the solution, evaporating in vacuo, and then volatilizing the ammonium chloride, anhydrous ferrous chloride is obtained. The solution, in common with those of most ferrous salts, absorbs nitric oxide with the formation of a brownish solution. ”

“ These two tests—viz., the production of chlorine by the one, and the production of hydrogen by the other—separate and reveal the constituent parts of the acid. Hydrochloric acid, in common with chlorides, gives a dense precipitate with silver nitrate. The precipitate is insoluble in nitric acid, but soluble in ammonia; it melts without decomposition. Exposed to the light, it becomes of a purple or blackish colour. Every 100 parts of silver chloride are equal to 25·43 of hydrochloric acid, HCl, and to 63·5 parts of the liquid acid of specific gravity 1·20. ”

“ It is best to add a tube, bent at right angles and going to the bottom of the flask, to draw air continuously through the apparatus. During the whole process, the tube containing the lime is kept at a red heat. The chloroform is decomposed, and the chlorine combines with the lime. The resulting calcic chloride, mixed with much unchanged lime, is, at the end of the operation, cooled, dissolved in dilute nitric acid, and precipitated with silver nitrate. Any silver chloride is collected and weighed and calculated into chloroform. ”

“ The white precipitate formed by cold hydrochloric acid is boiled with water, and the solution filtered while hot. Any lead chloride dissolves, and may be identified by the yellow precipitate formed with potassium chromate. To the residue add ammonia, shake, then filter. Silver chloride goes into solution, and may be precipitated by dilute nitric acid. The residue, which is black in colour, consists of mercuroso-ammonium chloride, in which mercury can be confirmed by its ordinary tests. ”

“ A large excess must be used in disinfecting, otherwise the chlorine may simply oxidise fœcal or other organic matter, and not effectually destroy contagia.
Methods of Use— (a) As a gas, by the action of hydrochloric acid on strong chloride of lime. The molecular density of chlorine is 35·5, of formic aldehyde 15, of sulphurous acid 32; and the rate of diffusion of gases being inversely to the square-root of their densities, clearly chlorine does not compare favourably as a gas with formic aldehyde. The bleaching effect of chlorine on coloured articles of apparel is a disadvantage. ”

“ At room temperature it has a vapor pressure of 24 mm. of mercury. It thus lies, in persistency, between such gases as phosgene on the one hand, and mustard gas on the other, but so much closer to phosgene that it is placed in the phosgene group.
Chloropicrin is a very stable compound and is not decomposed by water, acids or dilute alkalies. The reaction with potassium or sodium sulfite, in which all the chlorine is found as potassium or sodium chloride, has been used as an analytical method for its quantitative determination. ”

“ Pass dry chlorine over a mixture of sesquioxide of chromium and charcoal, heated to redness, in a porcelain tube. The chloride collects as a sublimate, of a peach or violet colour, in the cool part of the tube.
Dissolve chromic oxide in hydrochloric acid and evaporate to dryness; the residue is chromic chloride. It forms a dark green mass, containing water, which is evolved by igniting at a temperature of 400°, turning a purplish red. ”

“ The red substance is not produced at every temperature; 300° C. is the most favourable. On washing sodium chloride is dissolved; the washed violet is free from chlorine, but has taken up water, which is expelled on heating, when the violet turns to blue. A similar brownish-red body is formed when sulphur trioxide is led over heated ultramarine blue, and when sulphur chloride acts on warm ultramarine blue. When the brownish-red chlorine compound is introduced into absolute alcohol, a reddish-violet compound is produced, containing organic matter. ”

“ The steam-chest is not used to such an extent, as the bottom would be prematurely corroded; less water is used, as the pulp would become too thin on account of the soluble salts (sodium chloride, sulphate, &c.) going into solution; and the roasted ore is not ground, as the hot brine readily dissolves the silver chloride from the porous ore, and thus brings it into intimate contact with iron and quicksilver. Chemical reagents are sometimes added—lime or sulphuric acid, to neutralize an excess of acid or alkali; copper sulphate, to form cuprous chloride with sodium chloride ”

“ They are all decomposed on heating, with evolution of oxygen; and in contact with concentrated sulphuric acid with liberation of chlorine peroxide. The most important is potassium chlorate, KClO3, which was obtained in 1786 by C.L. Berthollet by the action of chlorine on caustic potash, and this method was at first used for its manufacture. The modern process consists in the electrolysis of a hot solution of potassium chloride, or, preferably, the formation of sodium chlorate by the electrolytic method and its subsequent decomposition by potassium chloride. (See Alkali Manufacture.) ”

“ The speed with which nitric oxide takes up oxygen from the air, and thus becomes capable of oxidising more iron, renders some precautions necessary; ferrous chloride should, therefore, be used, since it is easier to expel nitric oxide (by boiling) from solutions of a chloride than it is from those of a sulphate. The process is as follows:—Dissolve 2 grams of thin soft iron wire in 50 c.c. of hydrochloric acid in a flask provided with an arrangement for maintaining an atmosphere of carbon dioxide. When the iron has dissolved, allow the solution to cool, and add 0.5 gram of the nitrate. ”

“ Commercial.—From oil of vitriol and water, of each 7 parts, cautiously mixed, and allowed to cool; chloride of sodium (common salt) , 4 parts, mixed intimately with peroxide of manganese, 3 parts. The dilute acid is placed in a retort or other generating vessel, and the powder added. The gas comes off slowly at first, but the application of a gentle heat causes it to rush forth in large quantities. Of late years, owing to the general demand for bleaching agents, numerous new methods and suggestions for obtaining chlorine have been patented, of which the following are the most important. ”

“ The choice of sulphuric or hydrochloric acid depends mainly upon the cost, both acting with about the same rapidity; thus if a Leblanc soda factory is near at hand, then hydrochloric acid would most certainly be employed. Ferrous chloride is not much used; the Douglas-Hunt process uses a mixture of salt and ferrous sulphate which involves the formation of ferrous chloride, and the new Douglas-Hunt process employs sulphuric acid in which ferrous chloride is added after leaching. ”