IM- PROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING OR EXTRACTING QUININE AND THE PRINCIPAL ORGANIC ALKALIES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer & Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING OR EXTRACTING QUININE AND THE PRINCIPAL
ORGANIC ALKALIES."-A communication from Lalonel de Sourdeval,
of 22, Rue Bergère, Paris.
Sealed the 27th October 1859, and dated the 3rd May 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
May 1859.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer & Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING OR EXTRACTING QUININE AND THE PRINCIPAL
ORGANIC ALKALIES," to be as follows:--
The several processes for the manufacture of sulphate of quinine which
have been made use of or suggested to the present time are well known and
consist in the action either of alcohol or of essences, schist oils, or of coal and
other carburets of hydrogen on the raw precipitate, dried or pulverized, pro-
ducing decoctions of quinquina. The several agents exhausting the precipitate
more or less completely, produce a sulphate of quinine of greater or less
strength. The principal objections to the employment of these substances are
their volatileness, and the loss resulting from their use; the necessity for

page_text: drying and pulverizing the precipitate, and consequently the danger and even
certainty of leaving some quinine unextracted. In short all the known
processes, with the exception of the direct treatment of the bark by means of
alcohol, present the grave objection of leaving a great quantity of the quinine in
the mother water of the decoction which will be precipitated at the bottom in
a raw state from which it has to be withdrawn by evaporation at a com-
paratively great expense in relation to the result.
The improved method herein proposed appears to be exempt from the above
mentioned defects, and also presents great advantages, which are as follows:-
A decoction is obtained from the bark in the ordinary manner by means of
hydrochloric or sulphuric acids, an alkali or alkaline carbonate is then added
(such as soda, ammonia, or carbonate of soda) until precipitation ceases; at this
moment the liquor becomes entirely alkaline, care being taken that the excess
of alkali be as little as possible. The liquor holding the precipitate in sus-
pension is then boiled, and a certain quantity of solid fatty acids (such as
stearic or margaric acids) added; these acids then melt and form a layer on
the surface with which all parts of the liquid under the influence of ebullition
come in contact successively, in this manner the quinine being dissolved in the
water combines with the fatty acid and forms with it a perfectly insoluble soap.
After a certain time the precipitate becomes of a blackish color, and the
alkaline liquor is transformed into quinic acid, neither one nor the other
containing any trace of the quinine or cinchonine which is entirely absorbed by
the fatty acids. This liquor is then allowed to rest and cool; when the fatty
acids become solidified on the surface, it is removed in the form of a cake and
then boiled with pure distilled water for the purpose of removing any im-
purities with which it may be mechanically combined. This is continued until
the fatty matter yields nothing more to the pure water, it is then boiled in a
water acidulated with sulphuric acid and the excess of acid subsequently
saturated in the ordinary manner by means of an alkali, some dark matters
will be precipitated, and after filtration a crystalized block of sulphate of
quinine will be obtained by cooling, which may be purified as in ordinary.
It will be understood that the right is reserved of using any fatty acid,
either solid or liquid, or oils which may be spontaneously acidified, or of all
substances which may directly or by a double decomposition produce an insoluble
combination of fatty acid and quinine or quinine soap. However in practice
preference is given to fatty acids produced by the fusion of candles which are
inalterable in the atmosphere, and do not mix with water, are separated easily
from the precipitate, and also have the great advantage of solidifying; the
operation effected by these means is complete, very simple, and rapid in

page_text: execution. It will be understood that this improved process is also applicable
for the extraction of alkalies from opium, morphia, codeia, &c., the operation
as applied to opium is effected in a precisely similar manner as for the preci-
pitation of quinine. Thus it will be observed the principal feature is the use
of fatty acids for the extraction of matters as herein-before described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Wil-
liam Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OBTAINING OR EXTRACTING QUININE AND THE PRINCIPAL ORGANIC
ALKALIES," a communication from Lalonel de Sourdeval of 22, Rue Bergère,
Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their bands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office.
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in. and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
The several processes for the manufacture of sulphate of quinine which

page_text: have been made use of or suggested to the present time are well known, and
consist in the action either of alcohol, or of essences, schist oils, or of coal and
other carburets of hydrogen on the raw precipitate, dried or pulverized, &
producing decoction of quinquina. The several agents exhausting the preci-
pitate more or less completely produce a sulphate of quinine of greater or less
strength. The principal objections to the employment of these substances are
their volatileness and the loss resulting from their use; the necessity for drying
and pulverizing the precipitate, and consequently the danger and even certainty
of leaving some quinine unextracted. In short all the known processes with
the exception of the direct treatment of the bark by means of alcohol present
the grave objection of leaving a great quantity of the quinine in the mother
water of the decoction which will be precipitated at the bottom in a raw state,
from which it has to be withdrawn by evaporation at comparatively great
expense in relation to the result.
The improved method herein proposed appears to be exempt from the above
mentioned defects, and also presents great advantages, which are as follows:-
A decoction is obtained from the bark in the ordinary manner by means of
hydrochloric or sulphuric acids, an alkali or alkaline carburet is then added,
such as soda, ammonia, or carbonate of soda, until preciptation ceases; at this
moment the liquor becomes entirely alkaline, care being taken that the excess
of alkali be as little as possible. The liquor holding the precipitate in sus-
pension is then boiled and a certain quantity of solid fatty acids, such as
stearic or margaric acids added, these acids then melt and form a layer on the
surface with which all parts of the liquid under the influence of ebullition
come in contact successively; in this manner the quinine being dissolved in
the water combines with the fatty acids, and forms with it a perfectly insoluble
soap. After a certain time the precipitate becomes of a blackish color, and
the alkaline liquor is transformed into quinic acid, neither one nor the other
containing any trace of the quinine or cinchonine which are entirely absorbed
by the fatty acids. The liquor is then allowed to rest and cool. When the
fatty acids become solidified on the surface they are removed in the form of a
cake, and then boiled with distilled water for the purpose of removing any
impurities with which it may be mechanically combined. This is continued
until the fatty matter yields nothing more to the pure water, it is then boiled
in water acidulated with sulphuric acid, and the excess of acid subsequently
saturated in the ordinary manner by means of an alkali, some dark matters
will be precipitated, and after filtration a crystallized block of sulphate of
quinine will be obtained by cooling, which block may be purified as in
ordinary.

page_text: It will be understood that the right is reserved of using any fatty acid,
either solid or liquid, or oils which may be spontaneously acidified, or of all
substances which may directly, or by a double decomposition, produce an
insoluble combination of fatty acids and quinine or quinine soap. However,
in practice, preference is given to fatty acids produced by the fusion of candles,
which are inalterable in the atmosphere and do not mix with water, are easily
separated from the precipitate, and also have the great advantage of becoming
solid; the operation effected by these means is complete, very simple and rapid
in execution. It will be understood that this improved process is also appli-
cable for the extraction of alkalies from opium, morphia, codéia, &c. The
operation as applied to opium is effected in a precisely similar manner as for
the precipitation of quinine. It will be observed that the principal feature of
the present Invention is the use of fatty acids for the extraction of matters
from any vegetable base, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
W. G. E. SWINNOCK,
53, Chancery Lane.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)