Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 311 



It is powdery, insoluble either in concentrated or dilute muriatic 

 acid, but dissolved by aqua regia and nitric acid. It burns when 

 heated by the blowpipe with a phosphoric flame. 



Phosphuret erf Chromium. — The decomposition of anhydrous cry- 

 stallized chloride of chromium is not effected by phosphuretted 

 hydrogen below a red heat, which occasions the gas to deposit 

 phosphorus. The phosphuret of chromium preserves the form of 

 the chloride: it is black, insoluble in muriatic acid, and very slightly 

 dissolved by nitric acid and aqua regia: it burns with the blowpipe,, 

 giving a phosphoric flame. It is composed of 



Chromium . . . 6^5 or 1 atom of chromium . . 29 

 Phosphorus . . 35*5 1 atom of phosphorus . . 16 



100- 45 



In attempting to convert other metallic chlorides and sulphurets 

 into phosphurets by means of phosphuretted hydrogen, satisfactory 

 results were not obtained. Though at first combined with phos- 

 phorus, it was lost by continuing the heat necessary for the decom- 

 position of the chlorides or sulphurets. 



Phosphuretted hydrogen gas very readily decomposes chloride 

 of silver, but metallic silver only is obtained; chloride of lead is 

 not so quickly decomposed, but the results are similar. Muriatic 

 acid gas is disengaged, and phosphorus is deposited in the cool 

 parts of the apparatus. Chloride of mercury, decomposed by the 

 gas, produces a phosphuret. There is a very violent disengagement 

 of muriatic acid gas, but the combination is destroyed by heat. 



Chloride of zinc may be converted into phosphuret, but the 

 quantity obtained was too small for examination. Chloride of 

 manganese also gives a phosphuret by the action of phosphuretted 

 hydrogen : it has a metallic lustre, but does not give a phosphoric 

 flame with the blowpipe. Protosulphuret of tin is very slowly de- 

 composed at a low temperature by phosphuretted hydrogen gas ; 

 sulphuretted hydrogen gas is disengaged and phosphorus sublimes. 

 No phosphorus was discoverable in the residue, but it still contained 

 sulphur : it dissolved entirely in muriatic acid with disengagement 

 of sulphuretted hydrogen gas. 



Sulphuret of bismuth is also reduced by the action of phosphu- 

 retted hydrogen gas to the metallic state, and so also is sulphuret 

 of antimony; phosphorus is deposited; sulphuretted hydrogen is 

 given out: it is, however, remarkable that the greater part of the 

 antimony sublimes, although the temperature is not raised to the 

 degree at which the metal volatilizes per se. — Ann. de Chim. et de 

 Phys. torn. li. p. 47. 



ON ARICINA, SANTALINE, SARCOCOLINE, &C BY M. PELLETIER. 



Aricina — This is an organized salifiable and crystallizable base, 

 accidentally discovered by MM. Pelletier and Coriol in examining 

 some bark, which had the characters of yellow bark, but which it 

 was stated did not yield any quina. Aricina, when combined with 

 sulphuric acid, forms a compound which is more soluble in hot than 



