Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 237 



cooling. The crystals of this salt are hexagonal tables. They are 

 very deliquescent, very soluble in weak alcohol, less so in absolute 

 alcohol, and insoluble in aether. They lose no water at 212° Fahr. 



Adopting with M. Pelouze 400 as the atomic weight of phospho- 

 rus, M. Wurtz gives as the formula of this salt, 

 PO, KO, 2HO = PH 2 3 , KO. 



Hypophosphite of Ammonia. — This salt was prepared like the pre- 

 ceding. It crystallizes in large irregular hexagonal laminae ; it is 

 less deliquescent than the salt of potash, and unalterable at 212° 

 Fahr. At about 394° Fahr., it fuses into a transparent liquid with- 

 out losing water, and becomes a crystalline mass on cooling. It 

 does not decompose under 464° Fahr., at which temperature, like 

 other hypophosphites, it disengages a little water and spontaneously 

 inflammable phosphuretted hydrogen. Its formula, as determined 

 by analysis, appeared to be 



PO, H 3 N 3HO - PH 2 3 , NH+O. 



Hypophosphite of Strontia. — This salt was prepared like that of 

 barytes, by boiling a solution of sulphuret of strontium with phos- 

 phorus, and decomposing the excess of sulphuret by carbonate of 

 lead, or by sulphuric acid added in sufficient quantity to render the 

 liquid slightly acid. By evaporation the hypophosphite of strontia 

 crystallizes in the mammillated form by the juxtaposition of small 

 laminae round a common centre. These crystals are unalterable in 

 the air, and lose no water at 2 J 2°. They are very soluble in water, 

 and insoluble in alcohol. The formula of this salt is 

 PO, SrO, 2HO = PH 2 3 , SrO. 



Hypophosphite of Magnesia. — This salt was prepared by double 

 decomposition with sulphate of magnesia and hypophosphite of ba- 

 rytes ; it crystallizes, as stated by M. H. Rose, in very brilliant 

 regular octahedrons, which effloresce in dry air. The formula of 

 the crvstallized salt is PH 2 O 3 , MgO-f- HO + 5Aq | of the salt dried 

 at 212"°, PH 2 O 3 MgO + HO ; and lastly, the formula of the salt dried 

 at 360° Fahr., is PH 2 3 , MgO. 



Hypophosphite of Zinc. — This salt was obtained of two different 

 forms. It crystallizes sometimes in very efflorescent regular octa- 

 hedrons, and sometimes in small rhombic crystals unalterable in the 

 air. When a moderately concentrated solution of this hypophos- 

 phite is submitted to spontaneous evaporation, the first-mentioned 

 crystals are usually formed. They are so efflorescent, that they lose 

 water during pressure between folds of paper, previous to analysis. 

 The formula of the rhombic crystals is 



PH 2 3 ZnO, + HO. 



Hypophosphite of Iron. — This salt crystallizes in large green oc- 

 tahedrons, which effloresce by exposure to the air and become a 

 white powder. When exposed to the air, the moist salt absorbs 

 oxygen from it rapidly. The formula of the crystallized salt is 

 PH 2 3 , FeO + 6HO. 



Hypophosphite of Chromium. — This salt was prepared by double 



