CHEMISTRY. 165 



to wait until the sodium was exhausted that results might not be 

 vitiated by the nascent hydrogen escaping from the water. At 

 the proper time the decomposing amalgam was covered with 

 fragments of transparent phosphorus, when many bubbles of in- 

 flammable phosphide were obtained. The hydrogen must then 

 have been in the nascent state and just escaping from the am- 

 mojiium. Dr. Gallatin, in the Philosophical Magazine, July, 1869, 

 p. 57. 



ACTION OF LIGHT ON CRYSTALLIZED SULPHUR. 



We know, from the researches of Schroetter on the allotropic 

 modifications of phosphorus, that ordinary phosphorus is con- 

 verted by the action of light into the amorphous variety. M. Lalle- 

 mand finds that a similar effect is produced on ordinary crystallized 

 sulphur. He exposed a solution of sulphur in bisulphide of car- 

 bon, in a sealed glass vessel, to rays of light concentrated by u 

 lens, and obtained a copious deposit of amorphous sulphur. On 

 passing the emerging rays through a prism, he found that the 

 luminous spectrum showed no rays between G and H, and that 

 the ultra-violet rays had disappeared entirely. A solution of 

 phosphorus in bisulphide of carbon acts similarly, although more 

 slowly, and the spectrum produced by the emerging light shows 

 a sensible diminution of intensity only in the neighborhood of H 

 in the luminous spectrum, and only the most refrangible actinic 

 rays have disappeared. Comptes Rendus, LXX., p. 182. 



SOLUBILITY OF SULPHATE OF LEAD IN ALCOHOLIC SALINE 



SOLUTIONS. 



Very considerable quantities of sulphate of lead can be held 

 dissolved in ivater by means of many acetates, citrates, tartrates, 

 and by various 'other salts. Prof. Storer finds that a certain pro- 

 portion of lead can be held dissolved in presence of sulphuric acid, 

 even in an alcoholic solution like wine, by the action of various 

 soluble alkaline salts capable of decomposing and of being de- 

 composed by sulphate of lead. Attention was called to the fact by 

 the analysis of a sample of sherry, which proved to contain some 

 salt of lead, and, at the same time, free sulphuric acid. Among 

 the salts which possess in dilute alcoholic solutions this power of 

 holding lead dissolved, are the acetate, tartrate, succinale, citrate, 

 and dicitrate of ammonium, and tricitrate of potassium. The ex- 

 periments made show clearly that very considerable quantities of 

 sulphate of lead can be held in solution by weak alcohol charged 

 with various salts. It may, therefore, reasonably be inferred 

 that wines sometimes retain lead in solution, in consequence of 

 this action of the acids and salts peculiar to wine upon lead com- 

 pounds ignorantly employed to correct acidity. Proc. Amer. 

 Acad., x.,^?. 59. 



