CHLOROFORM.  CHCI3.  $yn.  Teeohloeidb


OF  FOEMTLE,  f  OBMTL-CHLOEIDE  ;  ChLO-
EOFOEMXI.,      TEICHIOBOMETHANB,      ChIOEO-

FOEMUM,  Jj.  A  remarkable  ttuid  discoverea
by  Liebig  in  1830,  and  independently  by  Son-
beiran  in  1832,  and  carefully  examined  in  1834
by  Dumas.  In  1842  its  action  upon  animals  was
investigated  by  Di  M.  Glover,  and  in  1847  it
was  introduced  to  the  medical  profession  as  an
aniesthetic  agent  by  Dr  Simpson  of  Edinburgh,

It  was  first  obtained  by  the  action  of  caustic
alkali  upon  chloral,  but  it  is  more  easily  pre-
pared by  distilling  alcohol  or  wood  spirit  with
chloride  of  lime.  It  may  also  be  procured  from
wood  spirit,  acetone,  oil  of  turpentine,  and
several  essential  oils,  as  well  as  from  amylic
alcohol,  acetic  acid,  tartaric  acid,  and  phenol ;
when  these  different  bodies  are  severally  sub-
jected to  the  action  of  chloride  of  lime.  When
chlorine  is  made  to  act  on  marsh  gas,  or  when
chloral  is  treated  with  ah  alkali,  chloroform  is
also  produced.
Prep.  1.  Chloride  of  lime  (in  powder),  4  lbs. ;
water,  12  lbs. ;  mix  in  a  capacious  retort  or
still,  add  of  rectified  spirit,  12  ll.  oz.,  and  cau-
tiously dintil  as  long  as  a  dense  liquid,  which
sinks  in  the  water  it  passes  over  with,  is  pro-
duced ;  separate  this  from  the  water,  agitate
it  with  a  little  sulphuric  acid,  and,  lastly,
rectify  it  from  carbonate  of  barium.
