76 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



which is insoluble in water, and has the appearance of an animal 

 remain. 



Glairine is produced by the immediate action of the air on the 

 sulphurous water, and is deposited on the pavement of the pumps. 

 It retains a large quantity of water, which it does not lose by long 

 exposure to the air : it is not entirely expelled below 104° F. Thus 

 dried it is quite colourless, completely inodorous, of a horny appear- 

 ance, and is reduced to about one-tenth of its M^eight ; when water is 

 added to it, it is rendered again mucilaginous, becomes nearly of its 

 original size, but remains inodorous. When dried and thrown upon 

 burning charcoal, it gives the smell of burnt horn, without any trace 

 of sulphurous acid, and the gases which it yields turn reddened lit- 

 mus paper blue. The absence, in this experiment, of sulphurous 

 acid seems to indicate that this substance contains no sulphur ; it 

 will soon be shown that it contains so little, that it can only be 

 isolated by means of aether. Water, alcohol, oil of turpentine, nitric, 

 hydrochloric, sulphuric, phosphoric, oxalic, acetic acids, &c., solution 

 of chlorine, dilute alkalies, all dissolve a small quantity cold, and a 

 little more when heated, but some of them occasion peculiar modi- 

 fications in it. The nitric, concentrated hydrochloric acid, and 

 liquid chlorine, immediately destroy the gray colour which it acquires 

 out of water and restore its natural whiteness. Separated from these 

 acids, it becomes more gray by exposure to the air : other acids do 

 not decolorize it. Alkalies precipitate it from solution in acids in 

 white flocculi which have a bluish reflexion. The nitric solution, 

 filtered and evaporated to dryness in a small porcelain capsule, leaves 

 a yellowish sharp residue, which is slightly acid, diificultly decom- 

 posable in a strong heat, and insoluble in water and in alcohol : 

 glairine does not decompose nitric acid unless it be heated. When 

 hydrochloric acid decolorizes glairine blackened by contact with the 

 air, it assumes a yellow colour, derived from the formation of a per- 

 salt of iron. This shows that this organic matter contains peroxide 

 of iron in combination, derived, unquestionably, from the carbonate 

 of iron which the water holds in solution. Concentrated sulphuric 

 acid, instead of decolorizing it, like the fore-mentioned acids, im- 

 parts to it the colour of wine dregs, which becomes lighter when acidu- 

 lated water is added. The caustic alkalies do not act upon it 

 when cold ; but when heated a green colour results, which acids 

 cause to disappear immediately. Bromine also decolorizes it ; but 

 at first it gives it a red colour, and the decoloration of the glairine is 

 not perfect until all the bromine is volatilized. If it should retain a 

 yellow tint from some remaining bromine, washing with distilled 

 water renders it perfectly white. Iodine colours it brick-red ; and 

 this colour does not disappear, either by long exposure to the air or 

 frequent washings. Alcohol and oil of turpentine dissolve a small 

 quantity, and acquire a slight yellow tint ; alcohol becomes sweetish, 

 and its consistency is sensibly increased. If these two liquids be 

 evaporated to dryness in a porcelain capsule, the lower portion is 

 carbonized by slightly increasing the heat. 



Glairine is totally insoluble in aether. If they be mixed in a well- 

 stopped phial, and shaken occasionally during two or three days, the 



