IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING COLOURING MATTER FROM LICHENS CONTAINING SUCH COLORING MATTER
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Murdoch, of 7, Staple Inn, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
EXTRACTING COLOURING MATTER FROM LICHENS CONTAINING SUCH COLORING
MATTER." A communication.
-
Sealed the 11th December 1855, and dated the 9th October 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Murdoch at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th October 1855.
I, JAMES MURDOCH, of 7, Staple Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN EXTRACTING COLOURING MATTER FROM LICHENS CONTAINING SUCH COLORING
MATTER," (communicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad,) to be as
follows, that is to say:-
The extracting the coloring matter from lichens by boiling them in ammonia,
and the recovering the ammoniacal vapor disengaged during the process, so as
to admit of employing it afresh.
I proceed as follows:-The lichen is placed in a distilling vessel A. (see the
annexed Drawing); liquid ammonia is poured upon it through the funnel B,
and is made to boil; at the end of two hours the lichen is exhausted, and the

page_text: cock E being opened, an ammoniacal liquor flows from it, which, being placed
in vessels and stirred frequently daily, acquires in about a fortnight a deep color.
The ammoniacal vapors which are disengaged during the boiling pass off by
the pipe C, and are condensed in the worm D, which contains distilled water.
The worm must be kept constantly cool, so that the ammoniacal gas may be
more readily condensed. The lichen is taken out of the vessel A, and put
under a press to extract the ammoniacal liquor which it still contains.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
A, the still; B, funnel; C, vapor pipe; D, worm or condenser; E, cock for
drawing off the ammoniacal liquid; F, cover at which the lichen is intro-
duced; K, waste pipe; O, water cock for cooling the condenser; M, vessel
containing the condenser, and kept constantly supplied with cold water; I,
cock by which the condensed ammoniacal vapour is drawn off.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Murdoch in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
MURDOCH, of 7, Staple Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Murdoch, Her special licence that I, the said James Murdoch,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Murdoch, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN Ex-
TRACTING COLORING MATTER PROM LICHENS CONTAINING SUCH COLORING MATTER,"
(communicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Murdoch, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands

page_text: 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 James Murdoch, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the annexed Drawing, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
The Invention consists, firstly, in extracting coloring matter from lichens by
means of liquid ammonia alone; and, secondly, in collecting the aminoniacal
vapors disengaged in order to use them over again.
I proceed as follows:-The lichens are placed in the distilling vessel a (see
the annexed Drawing), into which liquid ammonia is introduced by the
funnel b, and is made to boil. At the end of about two hours the whole of
the coloring matter will be extracted. The cock e is then opened, and an
ammoniacal liquor flows off, which, placed in suitable vessels and shaken
repeatedly during the day, will in the course of about a fortnight assume a
beautiful tint of orchil. The ammoniacal vapours disengaged during the
boiling pass by the pipe c into the vessel d containing distilled water, and form
liquid ammonia, which is drawn off at the cock . The vessel d must be kept
constantly cool, in order that the ammoniacal gas or vapour may be more easily
condensed. As for the lichen, it is withdrawn from the still, washed,
and pressed in a hydraulic press, in order to extract the ammoniacal liquor
remaining in it.
Any suitable distilling apparatus may be employed for carrying out this
Invention, but the Inventor prefers that shewn in the Drawing, and of which
the following is a description:-
a, the distilling vessel; b, the funnel; c, the pipe by which the ammoniacal
vapors pass off to d, the condenser; e, the cock by which the ammoniacal
liquor is drawn off; f, the aperture at which the lichen is introduced; g, the
vessel in which the condenser d is placed, and containing cold water to keep
the condenser cool; h, cold water cock; i, overflow cock; k, the cock at which
the condensed ammonia is drawn off.
Having thus described the Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I claim, in respect thereof,-
First, the extracting coloring matter from lichens by boiling them in liquid
ammonia.

page_text: Second, the collecting the ammoniacal vapours disengaged, by carrying on
the boiling in a close vessel to which a suitable condensing apparatus is
attached.
Third, the employment of the apparatus herein-before described for carrying
out the Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Murdoch, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
H. H. MURDOCH.
JAMES MURDOCH. (L.S.)