314 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



usual manner ; the quality of No. 1 was much better than the other, 

 being stronger, more aromatic, and finer in flavour. 



Cork, February 27, 1844. Jas. J. Cunningham. 



A NEW PROCESS FOR PREPARING GALLIC ACID. BY EDWARD 



N. KENT. 



During a recent examination of black ink, which had been pre- 

 pared by exposure to the atmosphere for three months, I found it 

 contained a quantity of free gallic acid, protosulphate of iron and 

 pertannate of iron. 



Having previously experienced the inconvenience of waiting two 

 months to prepare gallic acid by the old process, and as it is not an 

 article of commerce, it; occurred to me that if the acid in the ink 

 could be easily isolated, it would form a valuable process for its 

 preparation when wanted for immediate use, as ink can always be 

 readily obtained containing the acid ready formed. I therefore 

 agitated a pint of ink with an equal measure of sulphuric aether*, 

 left it at rest for a few moments to separate, and then decanted the 

 aether, and found it had taken up gallic acid to the exclusion of the 

 other constituents, except a light vellow colour and odour of cloves, 

 these having been put into the ink. I then distilled the aethereal 

 solution nearly to dryness ; the residue crystallized on cooling. 

 I returned the distilled eether on the ink, and repeated the process 

 the third time ; and after crystallizing three times and drying, ob- 

 tained 28 grs. of colourless gallic acid. 



I then distilled off from the ink a little remaining aether, and the 

 ink was left as good for ordinary purposes as before ; and the only 

 expense in the preparation of the acid was the loss by evaporation 

 of about 1 oz. of the aether. 



Most of the inks which I have tried gave the same result when 

 treated with aether. Some however which have been prepared by 

 boiling the nutgalls, and exposure for a few days only, yielded prin- 

 cipally tannic acid. It is therefore advisable to test the ink with 

 gelatine before attempting to prepare gallic acid by this process. — 

 Silliman's Journal for Jan. 1844. 



ANALYSIS OF MELILITE. BY MONS. A. DAMOUR. 



The melilite of Capo-di-Bove, which has been long known to mi- 

 neralogists, has hitherto been classed in most collections among 

 substances, the composition of which is not well known. The ana- 

 lysis by M. Carpe, performed several years ago, leaving much uncer- 

 tainty as to the nature of this mineral, M. Damour has undertaken 

 an analysis of some pure crystals recently received from Italy. 



Physical characters — The colour of this substance varies from pale 

 honey-yellow to deep brown. Semitransparent. Fracture vitreous, 

 but no distinct cleavage. The crystals are strongly imbedded in the 

 matrix, and they rarely exceed 12-100dths of an inch in diameter; 



* Mr. Silliman, Jun. states that he has repeated Mr. Kent's experiment suc- 

 cessfully. He observes that care must be had that the ajther is quite free from 

 alcohol, which commercial aether never is. As gallic acid is more soluble in alcohol 

 than in aether, the process is only partially successful when alcohol is present. 



