Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles, 237 



by me, and in which it is stated that I could not detect chromium 

 either by the moist way or before the blowpipe. In the July num- 

 ber of Silliman's Journal, page 105, among the mineralogical notices 

 by Mr. W. T. Blake, he observes that the specimens from the 

 Wheatley mine, which he mistook for chromate of lead, have been 

 found to be the molybdate containing chromic acid. I find also in 

 Dana's Mineralogy, under the head of this mineral, the observation 

 that "a red variety contains a few per cent, of chromic acid." In 

 my former analysis I looked particularly for this acid without finding 

 it. Supposing that Mr. Blake had been more fortunate than myself, 

 I repeated the examination on larger quantities of mineral, and with 

 great care, but have no reason to change what was before written. 

 About 1 decigrm. of the pulverized molybdate was dissolved in 

 boiling concentrated hydrochloric acid. No chlorine could be de- 

 tected, as would have been the case were chromic acid present. 

 After boiling for some time to reduce the hypothetical acid to ses- 

 quioxide of chromium, enough water was added to dissolve the 

 formed chloride of lead, and then sulphuric acid in excess. The 

 solution was yellow, and when drops of the liquid had reached the 

 hot sides of the capsule, the blue molybdenum compound was formed, 

 which gave with the yellow solution a green tinge to those parts. 

 The lead being thus separated in combination with sulphuric acid, 

 to the filtrate was added hydrosulphuret of ammonium, which kept 

 in solution the sulphuret of molybdenum thus formed, and precipi- 

 tated sulphuret of iron, which should contain sesquioxide of chro- 

 mium, if chromic acid were in the mineral. This sulphuret of iron 

 was removed from the solution, oxidized by nitric acid, precipitated 

 hot by ammonia, then washed, and the ashes of the filter fused with 

 nitre and carbonate of soda. The result was the slightest shade 

 greenish, as if from the presence of minute traces of manganese, but 

 not in the least yellow, nor did it give a yellow solution with water; 

 nor did the solution, neutralized exactly by ammonia and nitric 

 acid, give, as would be the case with chromic acid, the purple-red 

 precipitate of the chromate of silver on addition of the nitrate. The 

 reactions of chromium are so decided, that the presence of this 

 metal could hardly escape the notice of one looking for it. I have 

 not yet been able to obtain a sufficient quantity of the mineral for a 

 quantitative examination. This compound may possibly be an acid 

 molybdate, analogous to many chromates, which when neutral are 

 yellow and red when acid. — Proc. Franklin Institute, 1853. 



ON THE PRETENDED OCCURRENCE OF IODINE IN MILK, EGGS, 

 AND THE ATMOSPHERIC AIR. BY DR. LOHMEYER. 



Some years since, Chatin instituted some investigations upon the 

 distribution of iodine ; he not only found it in all spring-waters, 

 in fresh water and land plants, in the most various articles of food, 

 in artificial beverages such as wine and beer, but, according to him, 



