Or, for every 142 parts of phosphoric acid, there are 224 parts of lime. Contrary to what we might expect, this phosphate is less insoluble than the ordinary tribasic or bone phosphate. This may be owing to the fact that, in the tetrabasic phosphate, there is more lime present than that which the phosphoric acid can retain with strong chemical affinity.[227] In the manufacture of superphosphate the tribasic phosphate is converted into the soluble phosphate--the lime, which was formerly in combination with the phosphoric acid, uniting with the sulphuric acid, and forming gypsum.[228] It was till recently supposed that soluble phosphate and gypsum were the only two resulting products of this decomposition. It has been recently shown, however, by Ruffle and others, that this is not, strictly speaking, the case, and that probably a large proportion of free phosphoric acid is formed; in fact, it seems probable that in the first stage of the reaction, only phosphoric acid is produced, and that this subsequently acts upon the undecomposed phosphate, with the production of monocalcic phosphate.[229] The amount of sulphuric acid which experience has shown it is necessary to add for the successful and economical manufacture of superphosphate, depends on the composition of the raw material employed. The larger the percentage of tribasic phosphate, the larger the quantity of sulphuric acid required for its decomposition; but sometimes even a poor phosphate consumes a large amount of sulphuric acid. This is the case where much calcium carbonate or fluoride is present in the raw phosphate, as both of these compounds require a quantity of acid for their decomposition, which takes place before the decomposition of the phosphate. Hence phosphates rich in carbonate of lime are not well suited as economical materials from which to manufacture superphosphate. _Reverted Phosphates._ A change which is apt to take place in superphosphate after its manufacture is what is known as reversion of the soluble phosphate. Thus it is found that on keeping superphosphate for a long time the percentage of soluble phosphate becomes less than it was at first. The rate at which this deterioration of the superphosphate goes on varies in different samples. In a well-made article it is practically inappreciable, whereas in some superphosphates, made from unsuitable materials, it may amount to a considerable percentage. The causes of this reversion are twofold. For one thing, the presence of undecomposed phosphate of lime may cause it. This source of reversion, however, is very much less important than the other, which is the presence of iron and alumina in the raw material. When a soluble phosphate reverts, what takes place is the conversion of the monocalcic phosphate into the dicalcic. Now in the first case, where reversion is due to the presence of undecomposed phosphate, the action taking place may be represented as follows:--