D. CHEMISTRY AND METALLURGY. m 



may easily account for any moderate consumption of anti- 

 mony, from the fact that it enters largely into the composi- 

 tion of all type-metal. But arsenic is popularly supposed to 

 be a comparatively rare metal, best known, in the form of 

 white arsenic, as a deadly poison. It is, however, very exten- 

 sively used in the arts, forming a prominent constituent of 

 the finer kinds of paint, and employed extensively by glass- 

 makers. 



OX ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION. 



An exhaustive essay upon alcoholic fermentation, by Pro- 

 fessor Dumas, in an August number of the Comptes Kenclus, 

 is summarized by the London Chemical News as follows: No 

 chemical movement excited in a saccharine liquor can convert 

 sugar into alcohol and carbonic acid. The simple fermenta- 

 tion of a saccharine liquor and yeast may be regulated like 

 any other chemical reaction. The duration of the fermen- 

 tation is exactly proportionate to the quantity of sugar con- 

 tained in the liquid. Fermentation proceeds more slowly in 

 the dark, and in vacuo. No oxidation takes place during the 

 fermentation. Neutral gases do not modify the fermentation, 

 inducing action of yeast. Sulphur is converted into sulphu- 

 reted hydrogen by the fermentation. Acids, bases, and salts 

 can exercise an accelerating or retarding, disturbing or de- 

 structive, action on fermentation ; but the accelerating action 

 is more rarely observed. Very dilute acids do not affect fer- 

 mentation, but acids in larger quantity completely destroy 

 it. The same applies to alkalies. Carbonated alkalies only 

 impede fermentation when they are present in, or added to, 

 the fermenting liquid in large quantity. Earthy carbonates 

 do not interfere with fermentation. Neutral salts of }:>otassa 

 and of some other bases exert no influence upon the process. 

 Silicate of potassa, borate of soda, soap, sulphites, hyposul- 

 phites, neutral tartrate of potassa, and acetate of potassa may 

 be applied for the physiological analysis of ferment, and for 

 studying its mode of action. 1 A, August 1C, 1872, 209. 



NOCTILUCINE. 



A communication from Mr. Phipson appears in the Comp- 

 tes Rendus, upon what he calls noctilucine, and which he 

 claims to be a hitherto undistinguished organic substance, 



