2\t ' Sckntific 'News, Accounts of Books, hfi. 



On the New Alcali called Pneum of Dr. Hahneman. 



Meflrs. Klaproth, Karfteiri, and Hermftadt having publifiied in the Literary Gazette of 

 Jenu, that the refult of their examination of Mr. Hahneman's new alcali was, that it is 

 merely the acid of borax fuperfatu rated with foda, that is to common borax. The Doftor 

 publiflied his anfwer addreffed to thofe chemifts, as follows : 



" I may be deceived, but I am not capable of deceiving. I was at work upon crude 

 borax; pot-afli dropped into.a folution not yet difpofed to cryftailize, afforded an abundant 

 precipitate in the form of powder. But as authors aflure us that borax becomes uncryftal- 

 lizable by the addition of alcali, it is not furprizing that I (hould have confidered this pre- 

 cipitate as a new and particular fubftance. Th.e re-agents alfo fliewed phenomena different 

 from thofe prefented by common borax. But in order to clear it as I thought from all 

 adherent borax, I faturated it exactly with acetous acid, and mixed the concentrated ley 

 with equal parts of fpirit of wine. After the feparation of what remained infoluble, I 

 fuppofed myfelf to be in pofleflion of the alcaline part, combined with the acetous acid 

 diflblved in the fpirit of wine, and I feparated this acid by adding one of the three alcalies. 

 The fait thus precipitated and wafiied, appeared to me to poflefs a fufficient number of 

 properties different from thofe of common borax, to be confidered as a peculiar alcali. The 

 general notion of chemifts of an unfaturated excfefs of alcali in borax led me into error; 

 for how could this excefs exift in my borax of foda, fince the mineral acids added to my 

 borax to drynefs efcaped by heat ? How coiild the excefs of foda exift in my borax in a 

 cauftic ftate.' This excefs either is not foda, or it is (lot a real excefs, it is adopted by 

 chemifts without foundation. This laft is in fa£t the Cafe. The acid of borax neutralizes 

 the foda in fuch a manner, and extends its neutralizing power in fuch a manner on the 

 part whicTi has hitherto appeared to us to be in excefs, that the carbonic acid and the 

 mineral acids fcarcely enter into any intimate combination with this excefs." 



jfournat de Ph^ique, Mcffidor An. 9» 



FaBs and D'lfcover'us refpeSling Galvanifm, 



In 3 letter from Berlin inferted in the Magazine Encyclopedique I. i80r. pag. no, 

 dated April laft, feveral experiments are related by Helvige, a Swedifh major, Bourguet, 

 profeffor of chemiftry, Hermann, profefTor of natural philofophy, and Dr. Grapengiefler. 

 Thefc philofophers repeated the experiments made by Volta, together wich thofe which 

 we added in this country. Their pile confifted of gold, and zinc with cloth moiftened 

 with fait water. Other metals were ufed, namely, filver and copper, inftead of- the gold, 

 without affording any determinate ground for preference, as it appeared to thefe operators. 

 They found that the galvanic fpark is obtained with much greater facility, when one of the 

 two conduftors terminates in very fine pointed iron wire, and the other in a knob or 

 button. This difcovery prefented itfelf when the gold leaf of the eleilrometer of Bonnet 



was 



