CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 233 



NEW SOURCE OF AMMONIA. 



Mr. Alexander Williams, of Neath, England, in a letter to the Journal of 

 the Society of Arts, has suggested a means of economizing the waste nitrogen 

 products escaping from the oil of vitriol chamber, by effecting their conver- 

 sion into ammonia. This is done by passing the escaping gases, mixed with 

 steam, over heated charcoal, and then into dilute sulphuric acid, by which 

 sulphate of ammonia is obtained. The following is Mr. Williams' descrip- 

 tion of the arrangement he employs, and which has been tried on a large 

 scale at the Pontardawe Vitriol Works. 



"The apparatus fitted up was of the following description: A furnace 

 was built above the exit-tube of one of their vitriol chambers, and a brick 

 gas retort, about fourteen inches in diameter, eight feet long, and open 

 at both ends, was passed through its whole length. This retort was filled 

 with charcoal, and kept at a red heat ; the exit-tube of the chamber and a 

 steam-jet to supply the hydrogen were attached to one end, whilst at the 

 other end was an upright leaden cylinder filled with coke, and moistened 

 with diluted sulphuric acid. On passing the waste gases and steam through 

 the retort containing hot charcoal, both were decomposed, the oxygen of 

 each uniting with the charcoal to form carbonic acid, the nitrogen and hy- 

 drogen combining to form ammonia; then, together, probably forming car- 

 bonate of ammonia, which was again decomposed by the diluted sulphuric 

 acid, the sulphate of ammonia being found remaining in solution. This 

 solution was then evaporated, and in July 1857 I first had the pleasure of 

 obtaining any quantity of crystals of sulphate of ammonia, by this process, 

 from a vitriol chamber in actual work." 



ARTIFICIAL INDIA-RUBBER. 



The Journal Franklin Institute, April 1859, translates from the proceedings 

 of the French Academy the following communications on the above subject : 



On the Action of Chloride of Sulphur upon Oils By M. Z. Moussin. If 

 a vegetable oil be mixed with about one-thirtieth of its bulk of chloride of 

 sulphur, this latter substance will be entirely dissolved; in a little while the 

 mixture heats, and assumes a viscous consistence, so that frequently the 

 vessel may be inverted without spilling the contents. 



If the chloride of sulphur is in the proportion of one-tenth, the preceding 

 phenomena acquire greater intensity. The mixture soon attains a tempera- 

 ture of 12CP or 1 10 Fah., some bubbles of hydrochloric acid are disengaged, 

 and the whole mass solidifies instantaneously without losing its transpar- 

 ency, and acquires a consistence like caoutchouc. This product possesses 

 some elasticity, and shrinks slightly after consolidation. Macerated in dis- 

 tilled water, it loses its transparency and becomes opaque white. In a few 

 days it is transformed into a white, slightly friable, elastic mass, having 

 no similarity to the original substance, and resembling rather an organic 

 substance. 



If we take a mixture of one part of chloride of sulphur, and nine of oil, 

 and heat the mixture, we shall find that at about 140 a pretty strong re- 

 action shows itself. Hydrochloric acid is disengaged, and the mass is trans- 

 formed into an elastic cavernous substance like sponge, very closely resem- 

 bling certain cryptogamic vegetations. Macerated in water, it becomes 

 whiter, without changing its form. 



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