INDUSTKIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 187G. Ixxiii 



a gas containing ninety to ninety-five per cent, nitrogen dioxide ; (b) 

 the same action in presence of a strong solution of copper nitrate 

 evolves a gas containing eighty-five per cent, nitrogen monoxide ; {c) 

 potassic nitrate has no influence, but ammonium nitrate causes the 

 evolution of nitrogen and nitrogen monoxide, with some dioxide ; 

 (d) mercury, zinc, and iron, in presence of ammonium nitrate, give 

 rise to the evolution of nearly pure nitrogen ; (e) silver alone with 

 nitric acid gives chiefly nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen. With am- 

 monium nitrate the gas evolved is chiefly nitrogen. 



Storer has called attention to the almost universal occurrence of 

 minute quantities of ammonia in the ordinary chemicals of com- 

 merce, the sulphuric acid examined aftbrding from 0.07 to O.IG of a 

 millic'ramme in five cubic centimeters. 



Meusel has proposed to account for the occurrence of nitrites in 

 spring waters, not as is usually the case by supposing the oxidation 

 of ammonia therein, but by supposing the reduction of the nitrates 

 in the water through the agency of bacteria. He shows (1) that 

 spring waters which contained bacteria and nitrates, but no ammo- 

 nia or nitrites, showed the nitrous acid reaction on standing four 

 daj-s ; (2) that the production of nitrites in this way is stopped by 

 antiseptics ; (3) that aqueduct water containing nitrates produces no 

 nitrites, even in presence of bacteria, unless a carbohydrate be pres- 

 ent ; (4) that distilled water containing both glucose and nitrates 

 can not be made to generate nitrites if bacteria be absent ; and (5) 

 that decomposing albuminates reduce nitrates to nitrites. 



Spirgatis has given some facts which appear to prove the exist- 

 ence of arsenic in antique bronzes. Four bronzes were analyzed, two 

 of them earlier than the Christian era, the other two of the fourteenth 

 and fifteenth centuries. Of the earlier ones one contained 0.12 and 

 the other 3.52 per cent, of arsenic ; of the later the quantities were 

 0.96 and 0.32 per cent, respectively. 



Gautier has given an improved method of quantitative testing for 

 arsenic in cases of poisoning. The organic matter is destroyed by 

 alternate treatment with strong nitric and strong sulphuric acids, the 

 sulphide precipitated as usual, converted into oxide, and placed in a 

 modified form of Marsh apparatus, by which the whole is collected 

 in a tube and weighed. 



Jones has made a somewhat extensive research on stibine, with a 

 view to determine its exact composition. Taking the fact, discov- 

 ered in the progress of the work, that stibine passed over sulphur is 

 decomposed, yielding antimony sulphide and hydrogen sulphide, as 

 the basis of a quantitative method, he proves this stibine to be SbHj. 



Suilliot finds that borax is not the excellent antiseptic that has 

 been claimed, though it is equal in this regard to salt. But he gives 

 the results of some experiments with calcium borate, which seem to 

 show that this salt has antiseptic powers of considerable value. He 



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