Improvements in Baking Powders.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Sept., 1896
Complete Specification Left. 17th June, 1897-Accepted, 31st July, 1897
Improvements in Baking Powders.
I, FRANZ DIETRICH, of Riegel, in the Grandduchy of Baden in the Empire of
Germany, Chemist do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
As is well known the baking powder containing potassic bitartrate (cream of tartar)
may be considered a type of a good baking powder. Unfortunately the tartaric acid
and its derivatives are very dear and subject to the fluctuations of the market. For
this reason it is important to find out something cheaper which may replace the
tartar.
I have discovered that pure acid phosphate of ammonia (NH,H,PO) is most
suitable for replacing the tartaric acid and the tartar.
As is well known the various phosphates of ammonia, when boiled with water
release so much ammonia as to become acid phosphate of ammonia. From this
behaviour it follows that a baking powder containing acid phosphate of ammonia will
show certain properties, while other acid phosphates such as acid phosphate of
potassium acid phosphate of sodium and so on, on being mixed with bicarbonate
of soda in the proportion of their equivalents and boiled with water will always yield
a bibasic salt, the said acid phosphate of ammonia on being mixed with the
bicarbonate of soda and boiled with water will only in the first instance give a
bibasic salt. On further boiling the ammonia will escape and an acid salt will be left
behind. Thus it will be evident that the acid phosphate of ammonia has an
acidulating or neutralising capacity which is similar to that of the free phosphoric
acid. In this respect the acid phosphate of ammonia is superior to all the other
acid phosphates and cannot be replaced by them. Hitherto this property of the acid
phosphate of ammonia has not to my knowledge been taken advantage of for the
manufacture of baking powders.
The acid phosphate of ammonia may be obtained pure and cheap at present, also
it may be formed the same as the cream of tartar and has the same specific gravity.
The salt is a dry powder which is not subject to decomposition when mixed with a
bicarbonate and exposed to the air.
In order to produce a good strong baking powder I make a mixture in the following
proportions, viz.: about
40 to 45 parts of acid phosphate of ammonia,
30 parts of bicarbonate of soda,
25 to 30 parts of a filling substance.
When the mixture is applied it will produce a supply of carbonic acid gas at a
more than satisfactory rate of speed. If baking powders be wanted where the
carbonic acid gas is produced less quickly the bicarbonate of soda should be partly
replaced by carbonate of magnesia or carbonate of lime. Or a part of the acid
phosphate of ammonia may be replaced by pure bibasic phosphate of lime.
baking powder of the first description may be made of
40 to 45 parts of acid phosphate of ammonia,
20 parts of bicarbonate of soda,
20 parts of carbonate of lime or carbonate of magnesia,
A

page_text: For inaking a baking powder of the second description the following proportions
may be adopted.
35 parts of acid phosphate of ammonia
25 parts of bibasic phosphate of lime
30 parts of bicarbonate of soda,
40 parts of a filling substance.
In this manner the production of the carbonic acid gas may be regulated at
pleasure, i.e. the slower the gas production be wanted the more of the other matters
should participate in the mixture.
I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not restrict myself to the exact
proportions given above but that I reserve to myself the right of altering the
proportions given according to the circumstances. Nor do I limit myself to the four
mentioned auxiliary substances viz. bicarbonate of soda, carbonate of magnesia,
carbonate of lime, and bibasic phosphate of lime, but I reserve to myself to use
other substances having the same or a similar effect and for the same purpose,
namely, to protract the production of the carbonic acid.
Dated this 19th day of September 1896
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE.
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
I, FRANZ DIETRICH, of Riegel, Grandduchy of Baden, in the Empire of Germany,
Chemist, 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 -
As is well known, the baking-powder, which contains bitartrate of potassium
(cream of tartar), may be considered the type of a good baking-powder. Unfortu-
nately, the tartaric acid and its derivatives are very dear and subject to the
fluctuations of the market. For this reason it is important to find out some cheaper
article which may be used in the place of the tartar."
It has been discovered that acid phosphate of ammonium (NH,H,PO) answers
this purpose and may be used for replacing the tartaric acid or the tartrate."
Accordingly, under former methods, it has been proposed to combine mono-phosphate
of ammonium instead of cream of tartar with bicarbonate of sodium or other alkaline,
carbonates with the view of using such mixture as baking powder.
However, in those methods no stress has been laid upon using the acid phosphate
of ammonium in a pure condition, and the compounds hitherto proposed are more in
the nature of effervescent powders than of baking-powders since both of the salts,
bicarbonate of sodium (or other alkaline carbonates) and the acid phosphate of
ainmonium are readily soluble. As a consequence the carbonic acid gas, which is
evolved in combining the two salts, is liberated at too fast a rate and will generally
be entirely dissipated before the dough has been prepared and before the baking-
process cominences. I have discovered this to be the fact by actual trials and find
that only in very rare cases will the acid phosphate of ammonium alone serve as an
ingredient of baking-powder. The baking-process demands that the generation of
carbonic acid takes place during the application of heat and continues until the
baked product is finished, or at least completed and developed into shape.
It is hence absolutely essential that the fundamental mixture of phosphate of
ammonium and alkaline carbonate, preferably bicarbonate of sodium, be so tempered
or modified in its action by the addition of other substances that the evolution of
carbonic acid gas is retarded.

page_text: The baking-powder may also be used in admixture with other baking-powders
without departing from my invention.
I am aware that phosphate of ammonia in combination with all other possible
substances has already been proposed and used. My invention however differs from
others in the obligatory combination with retarding substances the necessity of which
has not been previously recognised.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. In a baking-powder, the combination of acid phosphate of ammonium, an alkaline
bicarbonate and a retarding substance for partly replacing the acid phosphate of
ammonium.
2. In a baking-powder, the combination of acid phosphate of ammonium, an
alkaline bicarbonate and a retarding substance for partly replacing the alkaline
bicarbonate.
3. In a baking-powder the combination of acid phosphate of ammonium, an alkaline
bicarbonate and retarding substances for partly replacing both the acid phosphate of
ammonium and the alkaline bicarbonate, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 17th day of. June 1897.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE.
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.