CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 167 



tions that a decigramme of the sulphate given to a dog has caused death 

 in forty hours. Mr. Crookes, on the other hand, denies its power, and 

 states that he has occasionally swallowed a few grains of its salts with- 

 out injurious effect. 



THE SYNTHETIC PRODUCTION OF ORGANIC SUBSTANCES. 



A lecture was recently given before the French academy by M. Ber- 

 thelot, " On Synthetic Methods in Organic Chemistry." It was an 

 able resume of the chief steps by which complex, organic substances 

 have been built up from the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and 

 niti-ogen. Although no absolutely new facts were given, yet the treat- 

 ment of the subject was such as to present some of the phenomena in a 

 new light. It was illustrated by several experiments ; the most inter- 

 estino- among these showed the first and most important synthetic step 

 the direct combination of carbon and hydrogen with formation of 

 acetylene, C 4 H 2 . The union was thus accomplished : a stream of hy- 

 drorren was conducted into a globe, in which the electric arc was shown 

 between two carbon poles. The particles of carbon, transferred me- 

 chanically from one pole to the other, took no part in the chemical 

 action, but the volatilized carbon combined, in the intense heat, with 

 the hydrogen present. The acetylene thus produced was converted 

 into a compound with copper ; from this substance olefiantgas was pre- 

 pared, and, finally, from olefiant gas, alcohol. 



Prof. Franklin stated, in a recent lecture before the Royal Institu- 

 tion, London, that more than one thousand organic bodies can now be 

 produced from these inorganic elements (oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, 

 carbon, etc.) without the agency of vitality. 



CONVERSION OF ALBUMEN INTO FIBRES. 



A paper by Mr. Alfred Suree, Jr., recently read before the Royal 

 Society, appears, so far as can be judged at present, to have a bearing 

 on physiological chemistry. In few words, the facts may be thus sta- 

 ted : Pass a stream of oxygen through a quantity of albumen, and por- 

 tions of that albumen will be converted into fibrin. The albumen may 

 be derived from the serum of blood, from eggs, or from the gluten of 

 wheat ; the result is the same, formation of fibrin. Taking the facts 

 for granted, this is a very remarkable discovery ; and it is thought that 

 it may throw some light on the phenomena of fibrinous diseases, 

 phthisis, peritonisis, and the like, which are obscure in their origin. 

 If a small quantity of potash be mixed with the albumen, there is then 

 no formation of fibrin. 



THE MOLECULAR MOBILITY OF GASES. 



The following paper on the above subject by Prof. Graham, pre- 

 sented to the Royal Society, June, 1863, is a continuation of that em- 

 inent scientist's researches on dialysis, and is one of the most important 

 contributions made to science during the past year : 



The molecular mobility of gases is here considered in reference 

 chiefly to the passage of gases, under pressure, through a thin porous 

 plate or septum, and to the partial separation of mixed gases, which 

 can be effected, as will be shown, by such means. In the diffusiom- 

 eter, as first constructed, a plain cylindrical glass tube, rather less 



