482 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



on subsequent evaporation the acid is obtained as a colourless cry- 

 stalline substance, readily soluble in alcohol and water, less so in 

 aether, forming uncrystallizable salts with bases, and yielding gual- 

 theria oil when distilled with dilute sulphuric acid. 



The substance analogous to emulsine contained in the exhausted 

 bark, the author could not isolate. It is insoluble in alcohol and water. 

 By heating to 100° and treating with dilute solution of potash, the 

 property of forming oil from gualtherine is lost. — Pharm. CentraL- 

 Blatt. No. 30. 



OPIANIC JETHER. 



M. Wohler states that this compound cannot be obtained by satu- 

 rating an alcoholic solution of opianic acid with hydrochloric acid gas. 

 On evaporating the solution the acid crystallizes unchanged ; it is, 

 however, very readily formed, when sulphurous acid is passed into a 

 hot alcoholic solution of opianic acid ; a certain quantity is even pro- 

 duced when the acid instead of being dissolved is merely in suspen- 

 sion in the alcohol ; the alcoholic solution after concentration and 

 cooling, yields crystals of the sether ; it has the form of small prisms 

 either fasciculated or globular. It is inodorous, its taste slightly 

 bitter, and insoluble in water ; when heated under M'ater, it melts at 

 about 212° into a colourless liquid which sinks to the bottom of the 

 vessel ; on cooling, it becomes a white, opake, crystalline mass ; it 

 contracts extremely on solidifying, when melted without water ; it so- 

 lidifies into radiated white masses resembling navellite [wavellite ?] ; 

 if its melting point be exceeded, it does not become solid again for a 

 very long time ; it may be sublimed between two plates of glass ; 

 when heated in a distilling apparatus, it creeps up the sides of the 

 vessel, and thus apparently distils, without being really volatilized ; 

 it sustains a high temperature without decomposing ; its vapour has 

 but little odour, and burns with a sooty flame. 



When long heated in water it gradually dissolves and is converted 

 into alcohol and opianic acid. Solution of potash converts it into al- 

 cohol and opianate of potash. Cold caustic ammonia does not alter it. 



By analysis it yielded — 



Experiments. Eqiiivalefits. Calculation. 



< "^ ) 



I. H. 



Carbon .... 6023 6077 24 6080 



Hydrogen .. 5-70 5*84 13 5-47 



Oxygen .... 34-07 3 3*39 10 33-73 



100- lOb- 100- 



Its formula is C'^o h« 0^ + C* H^ O.—Ann. de Ch. et de Phys., Oc- 



tobre 1844. 



ON METALLIC ACIDS. BY M. FREMY. 

 The author remarks, that he has already stated that some metallic 

 oxides, which have hitherto escaped the notice of chemists, are ca- 

 pable of forming metallic acids, and that certain compounds of metals 

 and oxygen, which have hitherto been considered as indiflferent ox- 

 ides, are true metallic acids. 



