Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. ^65 



Apophyllenic acid dissolves slowly and with difficulty in water ; 

 and, except when the solution is made in hot water, the octahedral 

 crystals are obtained slowly. When the acid is made to crystallize 

 by cooling a boiling solution, the crystals occur in long aggregated 

 prisms, the form of which could not be determined ; they do not ef- 

 floresce, and are insoluble in alcohol and water. 



The taste of this acid is slightly sour and astringent. When 

 heated, it melts, carbonizes and disengages an oleaginous substance, 

 which, to judge by its odour, must be quinolein ; and it possesses a 

 strong alkaline reaction. 



Apophyllenic acid appears to form soluble salts with all bases ; 

 its ammoniacal salt crystallizes in tables ; it is very soluble, and gives 

 no precipitate with the salts of barytes or of lead. It does not im- 

 mediately form a precipitate with a salt of silver, but after a few 

 minutes have elapsed, small stellated crystals are produced, which 

 soon form small groups of fine white needles. This salt of silver de- 

 tonates with as much facility as the oxalate, when heated. The 

 small residue of the detonation is composed of a coaly mass, which 

 leaves spongy metallic silver. This acid was obtained during the 

 preparation of cotarnina. — Ann. de Ch. et de Phys., October 1844. 



ANALYSIS OF HYPERSTHENE. 



M. Damour has recently analysed a specimen of this mineral which 

 belongs to the Ecole des Mines, and which is ticketed as coming from 

 Labrador. 



It is a lamellar mass, cleavable only in one direction ; colour black, 

 with a brilliant bronze reflection. Powder gray. Fractures readily 

 into small laminae and very minute needles. Specific gravity 3*392. 

 Scratches glass feebly. Attracted slightly by the magnet. A thin 

 portion heated by the blowpipe fused into a black enamel ; gave no 

 water when heated in a tube ; fused with carbonate of potash and a 

 little nitre ; on platina foil gave a green-coloured substance, indica- 

 ting manganese. Hydrochloric acid attacks it with difficulty. 

 It yielded by analysis, — 



Silica 51-36 



Protoxide of iron 21-27 



Manganese 21-31 



Lime 3-09 



Protoxide of manganese . 1-32 



Alumina 0-37 



98-72 

 Annales des Mines, tome v. p. 157. 



PROTOXIDE OF TIN AND THE ALKALIES. BY M. FREMY. 



It is well known that protoxide of tin dissolves in the alkalies, the 

 solution has, however, been hitherto but little examined. It is ge- 

 nerally admitted, according to the experiments of Proust, that a so- 

 lution of protoxide of tin in potash deposits metallic tin, and retains 



