1699. Collins' Disinfecting Powder

1699.    Collins' Disinfecting Powder. Mix 2 parts dry chloride of lime with 1 of burnt alum. To be set in shallow dishes in rooms, etc., with or without the addition of water.

1700. Ellerman's Deodorizing Fluid

1700.    Ellerman's Deodorizing Fluid. This consists chiefly of perchlorides and chlorides of iron and manganese. In a report addressed to the Metropolitan Board of "Works of London in 1859, Drs. Hoffman and Frank-land stated that the perchloride of iron was the cheapest and most efficient deodorizer that could be applied to sewage; 1/2 gallon deodorized 7500 gallons. 1 bushel lime, or 3 pounds chloride of lime, would do the same.

1701. Condy's Solution

1701.    Condy's Solution. A saturated solution of permanganate of potassa is one of the most efficient and elegant of all disinfectants. A tea-spoonful in a soup-plate of water, exposed in a room, quickly removes any offensive smell; when the pink color disappears more must be added. It has been used to remove the smell of bilge-water and guano from ships. A word as to economy: One ounce of the crystallized salt costs about as much as a pound of the crude, which is just as good for deodorizing purposes. The crude gives a greenish solution, which, even while cold, but more rapidly and completely upon boiling, passes into the deep red so characteristic of the permanganate, and is fit for use. It speedily cleanses foul water and makes it drinkable. A tea-spoonful to a hogshead is generally enough, but if added until the water acquires a permanent faint tinge, we are certain that injurious organic matter has been destroyed. Then, as Condy suggests, if a piece of clean stick be put into the liquid, or if a little tea or coffee be added, the pink color will disappear, and the water will be fit for use. The very small amount of potassa remaining in the solution could not possibly do any harm, as it would not amount to 1/100 part of a grain to the gallon.

1702. Siret's Compound

1702.      Siret's Compound. Sulphate of iron, 20 pounds; sulphate of zinc, 31/2 pounds; wood or peat charcoal, 1 pound; sulphate of lime, 261/2 pounds ; mix and form into balls. To be placed in cesspools, etc., to deodorize them. M. Siret has subsequently modified this compound thus: Sulphate of iron, 100 parts; sulphate of zinc, 50; tan or oak-bark powder, 40; tar, 5; and oil, 5 parts.

1703. Ledoyen's Solution

1703.    Ledoyen's Solution. This is a solution of nitrate of lead, and contains about 20 ounces of the salt in a gallon. The specific gravity should be 1.40. A similar compound may be made by mixing 131/2 ounces litharge with 6 pints water, and adding 12 ounces nitric acid at 1.38 specific gravity (or 8 ounces at 1.50) and digesting at a gentle heat till the solution is complete.

1704. Chloride of Lime as a Disinfectant

1704.    Chloride of Lime as a Disinfectant. It is a great purifier. 1 pound requires 3 gallons of water; use the clear solution. To purify rooms, sprinkle on the floor, and, if needful, on the bed-linen. Infected clothes should be dipped in it and wrung out, just before they are washed. It purifies night commodes, water-closets, etc.. It may also be used in its pure state. For butcher stalls, fish markets, slaughter houses, sinks, and wherever there are offensive putrid gases, sprinkle it about, and in a few days the smell will pass away. If a cat, rat, or mouse, dies about the house, and sends forth an offensive gas, place some chloride of lime in an open vessel near the place where the nuisance is, and it will soon purify the atmosphere. The presence of chloride of lime in a room causes iron or steel to rust rapidly. Articles of that material should therefore be removed during the use of this disinfectant.