166 



SCIENTIFIC NEW*. 



Suberic *c*>d 

 characteristic 

 t>i vegetable 

 ocmbrane. 



Crystal* in the 

 toot of tree- § 



pnmrose. 



Vurute of «ili 

 •wer not blacK- 

 eucd \rhhout 

 tight. 



JSertboHefte 

 kyyothesis., 



grange obtained from cork, but without this substance 

 leaving any residuum. 



As Mr. Brugnateili obtained suberic acid from paper, I 

 believe it is a peculiar characteristic of vegetable membrane, 

 to furnish this acid. 



In the roots of the ccnothera biennis, broadleaved tree- 

 primrose, I have seen by the help of a good microscope ex- 

 tremely small crystals, regularly formed, accumulated in the 

 cellular texture. It was difficult to obtain a sufficient 

 quantity for a chemical analysis. They appeared to me 

 somewhat analogous to the crystals obtained from indigo by 

 Nicholson : they are very little, if at all, soluble in water, 

 alcohol, or many of the acids: sulphuric acid itself act* 

 but very feebly on them ; the nitric acid alone is their true 

 solvent. 



\ have endeavoured to blacken the muriate of silver by a 

 current of air employed in the darl$, but found it impossi- 

 ble to succeed. 



Mr. Berthollet, as 1 see in his work, was able to blacken 

 it by a simple current of air. He says, that light acts upon 

 this salt by taking from it a portion of muriatic acid. But 

 bow will this celebrated chemist account for the black co- 

 lour, that muriate of silver assumes when covered with ruu-» 

 riatic acid ? 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



Wernerian Natural History Society. 



Minf ral strata 

 «f Clackman- 

 panshrre. 



>T the meeting of this Society on the 8th of April, was 

 read the first part of a Description of the Mineral Strata of 

 Clackmananshire, from the bed of the river Forth, to 

 the base of the Ochils, illustrated by a large and very accu- 

 rate plan and section of those strata, done frgr» actual sur- 

 vey, 



