Improvements in the Manufacture of Antiseptic Soaps containing Mercury Albuminate.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1898
ALBERLE
Improvements in the Manufacture of Antiseptic Soaps containing
Mercury Albuminate.
I, ROBERT EHRHARDT, Ph.D. Manufacturing Chemist, of Volkartstrasse 121,
Augsburg, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Soaps containing mercury being used for antiseptic purposes are commonly
prepared by mixing solutions of bichloride of mercury with the soap liquor. Since
soluble salts of mercury are precipitated by alkali the soap prepared in this way
contains the mercury in an insoluble state and therefore is not sufficiently effective.
My invention produces mercury soaps containing the metal in an easily soluble
form, for this purpose I use mercuric casein which I obtain by suspending 40 parts
of free casein in alcohol and boiling it with 8 parts of mercury bichloride at water
bath temperature. Instead of mercury casein any other mercury albuminate
soluble in alkali can also be taken.
The mode of operation is as follows;
Example I. 100 parts of cocoanut oil are saponificated with 50 parts of caustic
soda of 70° Tw. to which 2 parts of mercury albuminate have been added,
for this purpose 2 parts of mercury albuminate are well mixed with 10 parts
of caustic soda of 700 Tw. until a perfectly uniform paste is obtained when
40 parts of caustic soda of 70° Tw. are added and the mixture is then poured into
100 parts of cocoa nut oil at a temperature of 85° C. Cochinfat and other oils
can also be taken instead of cocoa nut oil. The mass is constantly stirred until the
saponification is complete and a uniform soapy mass is obtained when the vessel is
well covered and allowed to stand for some time. After two days standing the
soap is ready for use.
Example II. for some purposes concentrated aqueous solutions of soaps are
required in which case the more soluble potash soaps are preferable to sodium
soaps. A potash soap extremely soluble in water is obtained by the saponification
of castor oil with caustic potash, 3 parts of mercury albuminate are thoroughly
mixed with 30 parts of caustic potash of a strength of 50° Tw. to a perfectly
uniform paste, 100 parts of potash lye 50° Tw. are then added and the mixture is
then poured into 150 parts of castor oil. In place of castor oil linseed oil, cocoa
nut oil, cotton seed oil, and others can also be taken. The mixture is boiled while
constantly stirring the mass, evaporated to about 250 parts and allowed to cool.
The sodium and potash soaps obtained in this way contain the mercury in a
readily soluble state and possess excellent antiseptic properties. The percentage of
mercury in the different soaps can be altered ad libitum according to the
quantity of mercury albuminate that is added to the alkaline lye.
Having
now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-

page_text: 1. The improvements in the manufacture of antiseptic soaps consisting in mixing
mercury casein or any other mercury albuminate with the sodium or potash lye
before saponification.
2. The process consisting in mixing mercury casein or any other mercury
albuminate with the sodium or potash lye substantially in the proportions set forth 5
and subsequently saponifying the same as herein described.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London.