Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles, 153 



gooseberries, so as to be able to obtain it for 12 francs, 96 centimes 

 the kilogramme j whereas the price of citric acid in France is from 

 29 to 30 francs for the same weight. 



The gooseberries are to be bruised and fermented ; the alcohol is 

 to be separated by distillation ; the residuum is to be pressed to ex- 

 tract the whole of the liquid. To this liquor, while hot, carbonate of 

 lime is to be added as long as effervescence takes place : after standing, 

 the citrate of lime is to be collected and suffered to drain j it is to be 

 repeatedly washed and then pressed. The citrate of lime thus ob- 

 tained, being still coloured and mixed with malate of lime, is to be 

 mixed with water to the consistence of a thin syrup, and is then, 

 while hot, decomposed with sulphuric acid, diluted with twice its 

 weight of water. The liquor resulting from this operation, is a mix- 

 ture of sulphuric (malic ?) and citric acid, and is to be again treated 

 with carbonate of lime. The precipitate, when collected on a filter, 

 is to be plentifully washed, pressed, and again mixed with sulphuric 

 acid j the clear liquor, containing the acid, is to be decolorized by 

 animal charcoal, and evaporated. When it is sufficiently concen- 

 trated, it is suffered to deposit, and the clear liquor poured off is put 

 into stoves heated from 20° to 25° Centig. Coloured crystals are 

 thus obtained, which are to be drained, slightly washed, and recry- 

 stallized.— Ibid. 



SOLANINE. 



M. Pelletier could not obtain solanine from the solatia of Europe, 

 but he procured it from the solarium mammosum of the Antilles. — 



Ibid, May 1828. 



BLUE COLOUR BY THE ACTION OF MURIATIC ACID UPON ALBU- 



• 'MEN. 



Various unsuccessful experiments appear to have been made to 

 produce this blue colour j first observed, we believe, by M.Caventou. 

 According to M. Robiquet, the more acid employed, the more readily 

 is the blue colour produced, to a certain extent. He finds that seven 

 or eight parts of acid, to one part of albumen, yield the most intense 

 blue, even at a low temperature j but its development is favoured by 

 a temperature of 25° to 30° Centig. — Ibid. 



BOTRYOGENE, OR NATIVE RED IRON-VITRIOL Of FAHLUN. 



Berzelius gave an analysis of this salt some time since j of its phy- 

 sical properties very little was however then known. Mr. Haidinger, 

 having been furnished with specimens by Berzelius, and M. Pohlhei- 

 mer of Fahlun, has given an account of its crystalline form and quali- 

 ties in Brewster's Journal for July last. 



It occurs in the great copper-mine at Fahlun in Sweden. The 

 regular forms of botryogene belong to the hemiprismatic system of 

 Mohs j they are in general pretty distinct, but too imperfectly formed 

 to permit any thing more than an approximation to the real angles 

 within ten minutes of a degree. The lustre of botryogene is vitreous. 

 It is translucent. Its colour is a deep hyacinth-red j which, how- 

 ever, in compound massive varieties, passes into ochre-yellow, which 

 is likewise the colour of the streak. It is sectile, and becomes a little 



New Series. Vol. 4. No. 20. Aug. 1828. X shining 



