THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. X X I I I . - A N A L Y S E S OF A I R . BY WM. VAN SLOOTEN, C. E. Received June 19, 1 4 9 .
During the epidemic of the past year, l!879, my attention waa continuously attracted by the theories concbrning the cause of yellow fever. The germ theory seeming to possess the best,grounds for belief, I reflolved, if possible, to try and furnish some facts, either to throw doubts upon, or confirm the theory. The following “ a p i o r i reasoning” led me to investigate the condition of the atmosphere with reference to the amount of free and albuminoid ammonia, viz., if the atmosphere contains germs, they will consist principally of albumen, because all the lower forms, with which we are acquainted, do ; therefore, by determining the amount of albuminoid ammonia in the atmosphere, during the epidemic, we have a measure of the organized matter ; and, if the atmosphere, during an epidemic, contained more albuminoid ammonia than during a normal condition of health, it would have a tendency to confirm our belief in the germ theory of disease. Through the kindness of Dr. Samuel Choppin, Yrest. Board of Health, of this State (La.), the rem-ins of the laboratory a t the Charity Hospital School of Medicine, were placed at my disposal. After many failures in niy experiments, for lack of apparatus, I managed to prepare such apparatus as enabled me to make satisfactory analyses. The manner in which analyse8 were conducted, is as follows :
The bottle A was placed on the ground, or otherwise, in the place where we wished to determine the amount of ammonia in the
air ; the bottle wap then filled three-fourths full (which took 4 liter) with pure water (free from ammonia) ; it was connected by rubber tubing with a meter ; the meter, in turn, with an aspirator ; the aspirator u a s regulated to draw about 200 cub. feet of air per day through the water contained in the bottle ; in order t o insure that the air would come in contact with the water, through the stopper of the bottle A, nuuierous small glass tubes B 13 . . . . were inserted, aggregating in area much more than exit tube leading to meter through P. The water in the h t t l e was carefully measured after each filtrstion of the air, and a correction made accordingly. The correction * nas made in the following manner : If the bottle contained only 480 cc after a filtration, I added on one twenty-fourth of results found, for the free and albuminoid ammonias. The amount of free and albuminoid ammonia was determined by means of Wanklyn, Smith & Chapman's ammonia process. The results I tabulated, so that they might be compared with those of R. Angus Smith, vide " Air and Rain." GRAIM PER MILLION CUBIC FEET. DATE.
FREE AMMONIA.
. . . . . . . . . . . . ..125.62 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100.05
Sept. 9 . . LL
1 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82.00 1 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79.56 1 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95.66 2 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98.06 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102.25 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 2 . i 2 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.05 2 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112.26 2 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.20 2 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. 15.06 2 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..103.07 2 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96.78 2 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103.05 30.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100.25
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ALBUMINOID A Y Y O N I A .
350.56 371.21 382.19 376.82 400.75 360.80 345.76 325.78 328.72 300.42 285.62 312.92 314.62 325.08 300.20 250.96
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*
The method of correction was adopted from results obtained in twenty duplicate analyses, as, for instance : through two bottles at the same time we filtered the air ; through one bottle we drew 226 cubic feet, and the other 200 ; F e found on measuring the water in the two bottles that it varied, and by making the correction mentioned in the article, the amount of ammonia w88 found to be the same in both instances when reduced to grains per million cubic feet, to Tithin a fraction of a grain. The amount of water evaporated in the bottles eeemed to be in direct relation to the amount of air drawn through the water, and also to amount of moisture in the air. The eater the amount of air filtered, the greater the amount of water e raporatex the drier the air, the greater the amount of water evaporated. The amount of water evaporated rarely exceeded 10 cc.
ANALTBEB OF AIR
DATE.
Oct
'(
.
QRAINB PER FREE AMMONIA
. 1 ................. 76.02
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.25 66 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68.70 '( 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74.09 " 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.92 (6 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.82 'L 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.74 6' 8 ,100.86 '' 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 5.92 '' 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..10 3.33 '' 11 92.86 " 12 ................. 92.07 (' 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90.02 '( 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98.62 " 15 92.08 " 16 ,105.30 " 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 . 2.06 " 18 . 1 0 7.45 " 1 9 ................ . 1 0 2.01 '( 20 .12 5.66 " 21 .12 0.02 " 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. l l 8.56 '* 23 ................ l l 2.06 " 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. l l 1.56 '' 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90.06 " 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85.67 " 27 83.04 '' 28 ................. 85.09 " 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89.70 '' 30 76.22 'I 31 70.06 82.42 Nov 1 79.23 '' 2 " 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76.79 " 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.05 56.62 '' 5 50.64 " 6 " 7 40.40 32.07 6' a " 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.09 31.00 " 10 31.67 " 11 ". 12 32.66 " 13 ................. 33.00 " 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34.06 " 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.66 " 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34.03 31.68 " 17
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..._.. . . . . . . . . . . . ................. . .................
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265 MILLIONCUBIC FEET. ALBUMINOID A U N O S I A .
275.23 206.05 198.33 150.42 125.05 150.02 125.67 105.82 150.32 175.06 162.73 165.22 154.21 160.02 168.06 200.32 250.32 292.08 300.67 290.62 230.04 226.05 203.05 201.03 225.76 203.03 180.16 170.22 162.00
160.02 147.22 142.07 120.78 110.22 92.07 85.66 84.75 75.00 62.06 61.80 61.02 60.72 55.66 53.04 52.63 48.60 44.55 46.87
266
ANALYBES OF AIR.
G x a ~ s sPEH MILLIOX C'CBIC FEET.
DATE. "
" "
'' "
'( "
FREE A M M O N I A .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.32 1 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.02 Y O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.24 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 i . 4 5 18.
2 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.uo 2 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.22 2 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.31
ALRUMISOID A M M O X I A .
43.66 50.52 55.03 52.90 49.60
48.07 47.25
In the above analyses the air was filtered a t 4 2 S.Derbigney St., the yellow fever prevailing during the months of Sept. and Oct.; the bottle was placed upon the ground. l'be following are a few analyses made by filtering the air in the yard of the Charity Hospital School of Medicine ; the bottle was placed on the ground : GRAIXSPER MILLION CUBIC FEET.
DATE.
TREE
AMMONIA.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130.06 . "
30..
......
2 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .,100.30 2 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 0 5 . 6 7 " 2 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88.32 xov. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.02 "
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ALBUMINOID
AMMONIA.
325.62 326.22 315.34 290.02 256.05 268.09 240.83 235.06: 180.72 156.70 55.02 48.67
'( 1 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335.93 The following are determinations mad from air filtration made on the roof of the Charity Hospital School of Medicine : 30.. ....... . . . . 39.42 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.24 '( 10. . . , 24.02 " 1 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28.82 '( 2 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.22 '( 3 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.46 Nov. 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.39 " 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.02
'( oat.
...
86.42 76.02 88.46 72.08 56.04 64.57 64.25 52.65 48.65 43.02
The inferences that I draw from the above analyses regarding the condition of the atmosphere, are as follows :-1st. That the air was abnormally charged with albuminoid ammonia during the epidemic. 2d. That the abnormality disappeared with the fever. 3d. That the atmosphere not in immediate connection with the ground, was comparatively free from any abnormal variations from an average standard.
267
ANALYSES OF AIR. OZONE.
The ozone test papers were prepared in the following manner : A solution was made containing Iod,ide of potassium.. ................ 1 gramme. Starch.. ......................... 5 " Water.. ......................... .400 CC. Fine Swiss filter paper was then thoroughly soaked in the above solution, in the dark, then carefully dried and cut into strips 3 in. X 1 in., and theRe were placed in black bottles and carefully protected from light and air until needed. Other ozone test papers were also made by soaking the paper in a solution of Iodide of potassium.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 grammes. Water.. .......................... .200 cc. The next step was the preparation of the standards with'which to compare the effects produced on the ozone papers when exposed to the air. Ozone was generated in a small gasometer filled with air, by means of an electrical machine, On making an analysis of the ozone contained in the air of the gasometer, I found that the air contained 16 grains of ozone per 100 cubic feet at a temperature of 60' F. and barometer 30.09 inches ; the ozone was determined by passing the ozonized air through a standardized solution of iodide of potassium, containing a little hydrochloric acid, then determining the iodine freed, as indicated by the following formula :
+
0, 2 K I
+ H*O = 2 K H O + 08 + &.
The ozonized air was passed into a glass measure, and from thence tramiferred to jars containing kiiown quantities of air, and. mixtures were made which contained, at 60' F. and 30.09 bar., the following quantities of ozone : Sample No. 1.. .......... 0.02 of a grain per 100 cub. ft.. "
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