262 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



injected first, and the iodine afterwards, without the former affecting the 

 animal : in this case, it suffices to suspend the absorption of the toxical 

 substance by the application of a cupping glass, which gives to the chemi- 

 cal reactive the time to meet the curare and to operate its disorganization. 

 The same remarks apply to the ticunas, another sort of poison which comes 

 from the borders of the Amazon. After this note had been read, M. Bous- 

 singault said he did not think it sufficiently established that the curare 

 contains the poison of serpents ; he said that, at the least, he could affirm 

 that the curare he brought from one of the affluent streams of the Amazon 

 contained none : the Indians obtained it by pounding in cold water the 

 bark of a vejuca, which is very common, in the forests traversed by the 

 great rivers of Equatorial America. It was with this same curare, given 

 to M. Pelouze in 1833, that M. Bernard made these interesting experi- 

 ments. 



ON THE SO CALLED AMORPHOUS PHOSPHORUS. 



M. Puttfarcken has examined some amorphous phosphorus obtained 

 from England. He received it in the form of a brownish red, shining, co- 

 herent powder, the peculiar odor of which powerfully affected the eyes. 



By long washing with pure water, the phosphorus lost thirteen per cent, 

 in weight. The wash- water contained phosphorus and phosphoric acids, 

 and a small quantity of phosphate of lime. The powder, when exhausted 

 by water, was put, when dry and neutral, into well- stopped vessels ; it 

 had, however, again become acid in a very short time. 



Fifteen grms. of the so called amorphous phosphorus were oxidized with 

 nitric acid ; this was readily effected without the assistance of heat, merely 

 by the gradual addition of the phosphorus to the nitric acid. 135 grms. 

 of fluid phosphoric acid, of specific gravity 1.13, were obtained. Sulphuret- 

 ted hydrogen, however, threw down so much sulphuret of arsenic from 

 this phosphoric acid that the quantity of metal in the phosphorus must 

 have been equal to one-half per cent. 



For the sake of comparison, fifteen grms. of common phosphorus were 

 converted into phosphoric acid of the same specific gravity. The quantity 

 of acid was 160 grms. 



Exposure to a temperature of 392-437 F. for three days left the amor- 

 phous phosphorus unchanged, so that even the microscope could detect no 

 globules of ordinary phosphorus. When heated in a glass tube drawn 

 out to a capillary point, it became black, with evolution of a strong odor 

 of phosphuretted hydrogen, which probably arose from the decomposition 

 of the moist phosphoric acid. It did not fuse during the operation, and 

 on cooling re-acquired its original color. After the tip of the glass tube 

 had been sealed up, the tube was inserted into another a little wider, and 

 then strongly heated for a considerable time with the blow-pipe. No sub- 

 limate was produced, nor had the substance undergone any change by its 

 exposure to a red heat. Boiled with solution of caustic potash, the sub- 



