CHEMISTRY. 209 



After printing, the fabric is exposed freely to the light. Deutsche 

 Industrie Zeitung. 



Artificial Fruit Odors. A strong alcoholic solution of shellac, 

 mixed with 20 times its volume of 49 per cent, solution of bisili- 

 cate of sodium, gave, in a fortnight, a strong smell of ripe pears, 

 changing in a month to that of turpentine. A strong, aqueous 

 solution of non-crystalline sugars mixed with 5 volumes of the 



v C^ 



same silicate solution, gave, in a few days, an odor of apples, 

 which still persists after some months. 



Caseine and bisilicate of sodium gave a faint ammoniacal smell. 

 Glycerine and the silicate gave no result. These odors were at 

 different times noticed and spoken of by many persons. 



Since these experiments were tried, I find a German chemist 

 noticed that silicic acid and cane sugar gave fruity aromas, 

 changing to that of ether. He thought that SiO 2 acted as a 

 ferment. I cannot think so, as I found the result the same in 

 sealed and open vessels, and could trace no absorption of air, 

 evolution of gas, or formation of acids. Clias. E. Avery. 



Reduction of Carbonic Acid to Formic Acid. M. E. lioyer has 

 noticed the reduction by the galvanic current of oxalic acid to 

 formic acid. He finds, also, that carbonic acid is similarly con- 

 verted into formic acid, when a current of this gas is passed 

 through pure water in the porous vessel of a Bunsen's cell. 

 Comptes Rendus. 



Synthesis of Hydroxylamine. By the action of tin and chlor- 

 hydric acid upon nitrate of ethj'l, Lessen obtained the chlorhy- 

 drate of a new base NH 3 O, which he termed hydroxalaminc. 

 Luclwig and Heine have succeeded in preparing this body by the 

 direct addition of nascent hydrogen to nitric oxide, the reaction 

 being expressed by the equation 2NO-|-3H2=.2NH3O. The nitric 

 oxide was prepared by the action of nitric acid upon ferrous sul- 

 phate, and collected in a glass gas-holder, from which it was made 

 to pass through a series of flasks containing tin and boiling chlor- 

 hydric acid. After separating the tin and chloride of ammonium, 

 the chlorhydrate of hydroxylamine was obtained, with all the 

 properties described by Lessen. Amer. Jour. Science, March, 

 1870, from Bei\ deutsch. chem.Ges., n., 671 (i860). 



Action of Chlorine on Absolute Alcohol. Streit and Franz. 

 In the preparation of chloral, the authors have noticed, that when 

 chlorine is passed quite rapidly into absolute alcohol, the tem- 

 perature rises to 62, and there remains constant. If then the 

 alcohol be exposed to a ray of direct sunlight, there occurs a suc- 

 cession of feeble explosions, the alcohol turns black, and there is 

 deposited a brown powder, which is doubtless carbon ; at the 

 same time, the temperature of the liquid rises to 78. The elec- 

 tric and magnesium lights, as w r ell as that produced by the bum- 

 ing of bisulphide of carbon on melted chlorate of potassium, 

 produce the same effects. Jour : . fur prald . Chemie. 



Kryptophanic Acid. This substance is a normal ingredient of 

 human urine. One method of obtaining it is to treat the urine with 

 an excess of milk of lime. The mixture is concentrated and 

 filtered ; the filtrate is acidulated and evaporated to a syrupy 



