Bone black (also known as drop black, ivory black and animal charcoal) is a black pigment produced by burning bones and other animal refuse in a closed retort. Bone black is usually supplied ground in turpentine as it tends to retard the drying of oil. Bone black also possesses the valuable property of arresting and absorbing into itself the colouring matter of liquids which are passed through it. Hence it was extensively used in the process of sugar-refining, when cylinders of large dimensions filled with this substance were used as filters. After a certain amount of absorption the charcoal became saturated and ceased to act. It had then to be restored by reheating, or could be used to make bone-ash. Bone black has also the property of absorbing odours, and so may serve as a disinfectant of clothing, rooms, etc. Research Bone Black
Eucalyptus is a genus of trees mostly native to Australia where they are called the gum tree from the gum which exudes from their trunks; individual species are known as 'stringy bark', 'iron bark', karri, jarrah, etc. They are members of the natural order Myrtaceae, and are remarkable for their gigantic size, some of them attaining the height of 150 meters.
The wood of some is excellent for building and many purposes. The Eucalyptus globulus, or blue gum, yields an essential oil which is valuable as a febrifuge, antiasthmatic, and antispasmodic; the medicinal properties of this tree also make it useful as a disinfectant, and as an astringent in affections of the respiratory passages, being employed in the form of an infusion, a decoction, or an extract, and cigarettes made of the leaves formerly being also smoked.
The Eucalyptus globulus and the Eucalyptus amygdalina were found to have an excellent sanitary effect when planted in malarious districts such as the Roman Campagna, parts of which were been reclaimed by their use. This result was partly brought about by the drainage of the soil (the trees absorbing great quantities of moisture), partly perhaps by the balsamic odour given out. Eucalyptus mannifera and others yield a sweet secretion resembling manna. Some yield a kind of gum kino. The Eucalyptus has been introduced with success into India, Algiers, Southern France, etc. Research Eucalyptus
Condy's fluid was a sanitary and antiseptic preparation which was formerly largely used as a deodorizer and disinfectant in fevers, etc. It was also employed as a gargle in diphtheria and other throat affections, and was considered especially valuable for cleansing ulcers and sores. Research Condy's Fluid
Salol (phenyl salicylate) is a colourless crystalline substance obtained by the action of phenol on salicylic acid and employed in medicine externally as an antiseptic and internally as a mouthwash and as an intestinal and urinary disinfectant. Research Salol
Storax is a balsam obtained by boiling the inner bark of the tree Liquidambar orientalis. It forms a brownish- yellow syrup with an aromatic taste and smell. It was used in medicine for destroying parasites and internally as an expectorant and mucousdisinfectant. Research Storax
Charcoal is a term applied to an impure variety of carbon, especially such as is produced by charring wood. One kind of charcoal is also obtained from bones. Lampblack and coke are also varieties.
Wood charcoal is inannfactured by the partial combustion of wood piled in heaps, with air-spaces between, and covered with turf. Water and various combustible materials are driven off, and impure carbon retaining the original structure of the wood is left. The more modern method is to heat the wood in closed retorts, when, in addition to the charcoal which is left behind, various volatile products of importance are obtained; among these are a combustible gas, wood spirit, pyroligneous acid, and wood tar.
Wood charcoal, well prepared, is of a deep-black colour, brittle and porous, tasteless and inodorous. It is combustible at high temperatures, cannot be fused in any flame or furnace, but is volatilized at the high temperature of the electric arc, presenting a surface with a distinct appearance of having undergone fusion. Charcoal is insoluble in water, and is not affected by it at low temperatures; hence, wooden stakes which are to be immersed in water are often charred to preserve them, and the ends of posts stuck in the ground are also thus treated. Owing to its peculiarly porous texture, charcoal possesses the property of absorbing considerable volumes of air or other gases at common temperatures, and of yielding the greater part of them when heated.
Charcoal likewise absorbs the odoriferous and colouring principles of most animal and vegetable substances, and hence is a valuable deodorizer, disinfectant, and decoloriser. Formerly, water which, from having been long kept in wooden vessels, as during long voyages, had acquired an offensive smell, was deprived of it by nitration through charcoal powder. Charcoal can also prevent the decay of animal and vegetable matter.
Charcoal is used as a smokeless fuel in stoves, etc, as a reducing agent in metallurgical operations, e.g. for obtaining metals from their oxides, and for converting wrought iron into steel by the process of cementation. It is an important component of ordinary gunpowder, and is used in domestic filters. In its finer state of aggregation, under the form of ivory-black, lampblack, etc, charcoal is the basis of black paint; and mixed with fat oils and resinous matter,to give a due consistence, it constitutes printing-ink. Artist's charcoal is formed from sticks of willow wood. Research Charcoal
Chlorine is a gaseous element with the symbolCl.Chlorine was discovered by Scheele in 1774, who named it dephlogisticated marine acid. It was afterwards proved by Davy to be a simple body, and from its peculiar yellowish-green colour the appellation of chlorine (from the Greek chloros, yellowish-green) was given to it.
Chlorine occurs in nature in combination chiefly with sodium as common salt, from which it is liberated by the action of sulphuric acid and manganese dioxide. Chlorine is very active, uniting with more or less vigour with most elements to form chlorides. It unites quietly with hydrogen in dull light, and explosively in bright light or when the mixture is ignited.
Chlorine is a very heavy gas, being about two and a half times as heavy as ordinary air; it has a peculiar smell, and irritates the nostrils most violently when inhaled, as also the windpipe and lungs. It exercises a corrosive action upon organic tissues. It is not combustible, though it supports the combustion of many bodies, and, indeed, spontaneously burns several. In combination with other elements it forms chlorides, which act most important parts in many manufacturing processes. This gas may be liquefied by cold and pressure, when it becomes a transparent, greenish-yellow, limpid liquid. Chlorine is one of the most powerful bleaching agents, this property belonging to it through its strong affinity for hydrogen. Hence in the manufacture of bleaching-powder (chloride of lime) it is used in immense quantities. When applied to moistened coloured fabrics it acts by decomposing the moisture present, the oxygen of which then destroys the colouring matter of the cloth, etc. It is a valuable disinfectant where it can be conveniently applied, as in the form of chloride of lime. Research Chlorine
Dakin's Solution is a disinfectant solution containing sodium hydrochlorite, rendered neutral by the addition of boric acid as a buffer. The disinfectant action of the solution is very rapid, but it has the disadvantage of being unstable and does not keep for more than about a week. Research Dakin's Solution
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Bone Black
