White Phosphorus, a Very Dangerous Chemical

Ilojmami seiii from Jamaica the following letter to the editors of the journal Annalcn dcr Chcmic und Pharmazie regarding a new reaction for detecting phosphorus in cases of poisoning  

In order to discover the phosphorus I subjected a portion of the solid entrails, together with liquid from the vessel and after the addition of some oxalic add, to a distillation in the dark hut I was unable to detect the least bit of luminescence in the air in the retort and the receiver. 

A portion of the distillate was treated with a little, sulphurous ammonia [ammonium hydrogensulfidef and evaporated as a test for prussic add a trace of residue remained, which 1 atlempled lo converl to sulphurous prussic add hy treatment with iron chloride to my great astonishment / observed a violet reaction, which rapidly disappeared, however, without a trace of blood-red. 

Meanwhile, I had received from another part of the island the entrails of another person who had died under suspicious circumstances. Fhe. liquid isolated from these entrails also provided me with no trace of phosphorcs cence, hut it again dispLiyed quite strikingly the blue reaction in the course of our procedure for the detection of prussic add. 

I thought at first of a laudanum poisoning, and an overdose of morphine or mcconic add, but close investigation showed that the distillate was completely devoid of these substances. The violet reaction must therefore neces- 

---