A piece of glass is fitted into the bottom of the stopper for the flask.
To that is placed an 8 in. lenght rubber tubing and at the end of this the
aerator. Two more pieces of glass are put in the top of the stopper.
First, you will need pure alcohol, so but some 100 proof vodka and distill
it until you have 12 oz.
Put the alcohol in the flask. Put 2 in. of bleach and a teaspoon of
Sani-flush in the chlorine bottle. This will generate the chlorine gas
that you will need. Start the chlorine through the alcohol while the flask
is still cold. Watch it carefully to see when the alcohol stops absorbing
the chlorine. Then light an alcohol lamp and place it under the 600 ml.
flask. Keep the flame low until the alcohol stops absorbing again. Raise
the flame and repeat. Continue this until the alcohol is boiling. Some of
the alcohol will distill off into the collection bottle. Several times
during the process, pour this back into the 600 ml. beaker.
When the alcohol is totally clorinated the flask is poured into a
porcelain dish and allowed to cool. If you have done this right the cooled
product should be unrefined Cloral Hydrate.
Now, pour strong sulfuric acid, 3 times the volume of the Cloral Hydrate,
into a pan. Place this pan on your stove over gentle heat. When the cloral
hydrate is melted, it and the sulfuric acid are stirred thoroughly ,
poured into the flask and heated again. But this time use the thermometer
and don't let the temperature get above 200 F.
As the mixture heats up, the still impure cloral hydrate will rise to the
surface. When it stops rising, use the basting syringe and draw the top
off of the sulfuric acid. Repeat this until the pan is empty.
Put the cloral hydrate you drew off in the last step, into the beaker and
heat to about 190 F. for 20 minutes. This will get rid of any alcohol or
acid still in it. Pour this back into the flask and add an equal amount of
sulfuric acid. Swirl this around to mix it.
Once again you must distill the mixture. But this time it is easy since
the cloral hydrate will boil at 210 F. and the sulfuric will boil at 722
F. When finished pour out the acid, then wash & dry the flask. Now, put
the powdered calcium oxide, equal in volume to the cloral hydrate , into
the flask and add the cloral hydrate and distill it again. Stop as soon
as the surface of the oxide is dry.
To use, add 1 part water to 2 part <by volume> of the finished product.
The dose is one gram. The best way to use it is to put it in a mixed
drink, because it has a bitter taste.
