From Leonard Darwin 8 January 1878
Brompton Barracks, | Chatham.
Jan 8th. 1878
Dear Father
Today I tested that lamp black for ammonia.1 In doing this test, the substance is put into a still and the water that distills over is tested for the ammonia. A good deal of greasy matter came over, shewing the presence of oil or fat in the lamp black. The amount of ammonia present proved to be 0.1 to 0.2 per cent of the lamp-black. This is free ammonia, or ammonia in any salt. The test is not a very sure one, for some organic substances, of which urea is the only one I know of, test as if they were ammonia. But there is sure not to be more than .1 to .2 per cent of ammonia present. Carbon absorbs ammonia readily, and I think it would take up this amount, if the air near it had ever been charged with ammonia; as it is sure to be in a laboratory sometimes.
Your affec son | L. Darwin.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Movement in plants: The power of movement in plants. By Charles Darwin. Assisted by Francis Darwin. London: John Murray. 1880.
Summary
Has been testing lamp-black for ammonia.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11317
- From
- Leonard Darwin
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Brompton Barracks, Chatham
- Source of text
- DAR 186: 33
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11317,” accessed on 23 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11317.xml