410 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



this compound was sufficiently concentrated, and left to itself, it 

 yielded a multitude of small acicular crystals of a ruby-red colour. 

 These, however, proved to be sulphate of lime, which was left 

 colourless by the application of alcohol ; the alcoholic liquor, 

 on evaporation, gave an imperfect crystalline result ; and these 

 crystals, dissolved in water, and acted upon by magnesia, gave 

 the original blue substance. 



Strong sulphuric acid, diluted muriatic acid, and oxalic and 

 other vegetable acids, dissolve this substance with facility ; the 

 solutions have generally the properties already described, and are 

 decomposed by ammonia, magnesia, <^c, fyc. The solutions leave 

 blue stains on the skin, which, when touched by a little alkali, 

 are very permanent. Silk dipped into them, and then into a 

 weak solution of alkali, became of a grayish-blue colour. Acetic 

 acid combines with the most difficulty with this substance, and 

 the brownish solution obtained by boiling, if evaporated, lets the 

 acid go, and the blue matter separates. Strong nitric acid, when 

 heated with it, permanently alters it. 



The blue matter precipitated from the weak sulphuric acid so- 

 lution by magnesia, appearing to be in its purest state, a portion 

 of it was heated in a glass tube, in the upper part of which was 

 some reddened litmus -paper ; this became blue by the action of 

 the fumes ; some empyrematic oil also rose, and much carbon 

 with a little oxide of iron remained behind. The matter, as ob- 

 tained from its alcoholic solution, also gave ammonia when de- 

 composed by heat : hence the substance certainly appears to contain 

 nitrogen. 



It appears from these experiments, that this sediment is com- 

 posed almost entirely of a peculiar blue substance, being accom- 

 panied by small quantities of fatty matter, phosphate of lime, 

 mucus, and perhaps oxide of iron. Considering its slight solu- 

 bility in water or alkalis, and its aptitude, on the contrary, to 

 combine with acids, also the large quantity of carbon which it 

 contains, M. Braconnot seems disposed to assimilate it with or- 

 ganic salifiable bases, and proposes for it the name of cyanurine. 



The urine from which this blue matter was separated, was then 

 limpid, of a yellow brown colour, and with the usual odour ; it 

 distinctly reddened blue litmus paper. Heated, it lost colour, 

 and deposited a very black sediment, which was soluble in weak 

 acids, and in the concentrated urine itself. Alkalis had but 

 little action on this black matter : it agreed in many points with 

 the blue substance, but its solutions did not become bright red by 

 excess of acid, but deep brown. M. Braconnot proposes the name 

 of melanurine for it, and he thinks it probable that it is this sub- 

 stance which colours certain urines black. 



The urine gave the same quantity of urea and other substances 

 as an ordinary secretion, with the exception of uric acid, of which 



