78 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



powder. It may be dried by exposure to the air, without heat. It 

 appears to contain six atoms of water. 



The yellow oxide oflead fused with chlorate of potash, is readily 

 converted into peroxide. Green oxide of chrome treated in the 

 same manner, gives neutral chromate of potash, attended with a co- 

 pious evolution of chlorine. — Ann.de Chim. et de Phys. tom.xlix. p. 30. 



ANALYSIS OF PARAFFINE. 



M. Jules Gay-Lussac has analysed this substance (for an account 

 of which see Lond. and Edin. Phil. Mag. and Journ. vol. i. p. 402.) 

 by means of oxide of copper, and obtained such quantities of car- 

 bonic acid and water as showed that it consisted of 



Carbon 85-23 



Hydrogen 14*99 



100-22 

 These, he remarks, are in the same proportions as form olefiantgas ; 

 and he considers this compound as equivalent to one atom of carbon 

 and two atoms of hydrogen : but adopting the atomic weights usual 

 in this country, it is a compound of one atom of each, or of 



Carbon ... 6 ... . 857 



Hydrogen . . 1 .... 14*3 



7 1000 



Ibid. torn. 1. p. 78. 



RED OXIDE OF PHOSPHORUS. 



M. Pelouze observes, that there remains after the combustion of 

 phosphorus, a red insoluble residue, which has generally been re- 

 garded as an oxide of phosphorus. M. Pelouze prepared this sub- 

 stance in the mode proposed by Berzelius, which consists in melting 

 phosphorus in boiling water, and passing a current of oxygen gas 

 into it ; the phosphorus burns under water, phosphoric acid is formed 

 and dissolves, and the oxide of phosphorus floats in the liquor in the 

 form of cinnabar- red flocks. When the combustion ceases, the clear 

 acid liquor is poured off, the oxide is washed and put into a retort j 

 water passes over first, and afterwards the phosphorus which had ad- 

 hered to the oxide ; this remains in the retort, and is to be separated 

 from a little phosphoric acid by water. 



The oxide thus obtained was exposed for three days to a vacuum 

 over sulphuric acid to dry it. The properties of this oxide are as fol- 

 lows : it is red, inodorous, and tasteless ; it is denser than water, and 

 completely insoluble in it ; as also aether, alcohol, the fixed and es- 

 sential oils. It is not luminous in the dark, even when quickly rubbed 

 between two rough bodies, such as pieces of cork. 



When heated in contact with the air nearly to dull red, it inflames; 

 when put into a tube placed in boiling mercury, it does not burn j 

 when it does burn it is converted entirely into phosphoric acid j when 

 heated in a closed tube, it separates into phosphorus, which distils, 

 and phosphoric acid. Cold sulphuric acid does not act upon it; when 



