M. Chiozza on the Artificial Production of Oil of Cinnamon. 55 



The silicon in this condition forms large and small opake 

 crystalline laminae possessing a metallic lustre, and very similar 

 in appearance to natural and artificial graphite ; but it has more 

 of a metallic lustre than these, and its colour inclines to a leaden 



It might be obtained in large crystals if the operation were 

 conducted on a sufficiently extensive scale. Its exact crystalline 

 form has not been determined ; but in some modifications of the 

 experiment, large hexagonal plates have been obtained, the edges 

 of which were curved like those of diamond. It is harder than 

 glass, but not so hard as topaz. Its specific gravity is 2*49 ; 

 less, therefore, than that of its oxygen compound, for the specific 

 gravity of quartz and of rock-crystal is from 2*6 to 2* 8. 



It is not at all afiected by being heated in the alcohol and 

 oxygen flame ; but when fused with carbonate of soda, it decom- 

 poses the carbonic acid, carbon and carbonic oxide being produced, 

 and the silicon itself being converted into silicic acid. It is 

 slowly decomposed by caustic potash with evolution of hydrogen. 



Geuther investigated the products of distillation of the Tor- 

 bane Hill mineral. They are composed principally of an oil 

 containing paraffine in solution. The oil consists of a carbo- 

 hydrogen homologous with olefiant gas. 



Gossmann and Atkinson communicate observations on lophine 

 and some of its salts. For lophine they propose the formula 

 Q42 JJ17 ]\j-2^ which differs very little from that adopted by Fownes, 

 one of the original discoverers of this base. 



Breunlin proposes a new theory of the constitution of blue and 

 green ultramarine. His view is, that ultramarine is a compound 

 of a silicate of the formula of nepheline with a polysulphide of 

 sodium. A translation of this paper was given in the preceding 

 Number of this Journal. 



On the coast of Oldenburgh large quantities of a kind of 

 prawn are caught, which are made into an artificial manure by 

 being dried and powdered. Hanstein has analysed this sub- 

 stance, and finds that it contains more nitrogen, but less phos- 

 phates than Peruvian guano -, the deficiency in this latter consti- 

 tuent might be made good by the addition of bone-meal. 



By the action of potash, cinnamic acid is decomposed into ben- 

 zoic and acetic acids according to the following equation : — 

 C9 H^ 02 + 2(KH0) = 02 H3 K02 + C7 H^ O^K + H2. 



Chiozza, who observed this decomposition, found that when a 

 mixture of aldehyde and oil of bitter almonds is saturated with 



