INDUSTRIAL PROGEESS DURING THE YEAR 187G. Ixxxi 



ammonio-silver nitrate, giving a brilliant mirror and also the copper 

 test. 



Girard has proposed to mix with dynamites, in order to prevent 

 their congelation in cold weather a result which seriously interferes 

 with their exj^losive power about ten per cent, of methyl nitrate. 

 The volatility of this body he finds to be no inconvenience in practice. 



Michaelis has succeeded in introducing arsenic into the aromatic 

 series by acting upon arsenous chloride with mercury-diphenyl. A 

 heavy, colorless, strongly refracting liquid was obtained, which was 

 phenyl-arsenous chloride. 



Sadtler has discovered the interesting fact that tartronic acid is a 

 product of the direct oxidation of glycerine by nitric acid. 



Kilmenko has studied the action of bromine on lactic acid, and 

 finds that it yields ethyl bromide and a crystallized substance neutral 

 in its reaction, and containing bromine, apparently formed by the di- 

 rect union of bromal and lactide. 



Kolbe has published a valuable paper entitled " Chemical Hints 

 for the Practical Use of Salicylic Acid," of the synthesis of which 

 substance he is the discoverer, and which has proved so efficacious 

 as an antiseptic. 



Bremer and Van't Hoff have examined the succinic acid obtained 

 from active tartaric acid with a view to determine its optical action. 

 According to the latter's view, no substance can rotate a polarized 

 ray which does not contain one or more asymmetrical carbon atoms. 

 Since succinic acid contains no such atom, it should not rotate such 

 a ray ; and the authors show that it does not. 



Kupferberg has succeeded in eflecting the retransformation of 

 paraoxybenzoic acid into salicylic by heating its sodium salt to 290^ 

 Centigrade. Over one half of the theoretical yield was obtained. 



Brunner and Brandenburg have succeeded in detecting succinic 

 acid in the juice of unripe grapes. They were led to examine for it 

 by the fact that nascent hydrogen, acting on ethyl oxalate, produced 

 tartaric acid and glycolic acid. The same reduction process, the au- 

 thors believe, therefore goes on in the plant. 



Barth has investigated a product of the action of hydrochloric acid 

 on resorcin observed by him some time ago. He finds it to be solu- 

 ble in alkalies, and precipitable by acids in bright brown flocks, 

 which on drying show a magnificent green metallic lustre, and by 

 transmitted light are scarlet. It is an ether of resorcin, 



Bindschedler and Busch have described the synthetic process by 

 which the new red color, eosin, is produced artificially. As is well 

 known, eosin is derived from fluorescein, which is a product of the 

 action of phthalic acid on resorcin. The phthalic acid is readily 

 prepared by the oxidation of naphthalene. The resorcin is produced 

 by fusing the sodium salt of benzol-disulphonic acid with soda. 

 Heating the resorcin and phthalic acid together gives fluorescein ; 



4* 



