Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 479 



EVENING MEETINGS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON. 

 The Professors have for some time past held Monthly Evening 

 Meetings in the Anatomical Museum of the University, and have 

 now made the addition, on the plan of the Royal Institution, of 

 having a lecture on some literary or scientific subject. The first 

 lecture was given by Dr. Ritchie, On the communication of scien- 

 tific knowledge to Youth, an outline of which will be found in the 

 April Number of this Journal, page 312. The second lecture, On 

 the Chemistry of Geology, was delivered by Dr. Turner on the 7th 

 of May. We hope, in a future Number, to give an outline of this 

 lecture. 



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LXXXII. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



ON KINIC ACID AND SOME KINATES. BY M. BAUP. 



BAUP states that, according to MM. Henry and Plisson, 

 kinic acid consists of 



Carbon 34-4320 or 2 atoms. 



Hydrogen 5*5602 4 atoms. 



Oxygen 60*C078 3 atoms. 



M 



100-0000 

 M. Baup observes that this atomic constitution does not at all 

 agree with its saturating power. M. Liebig has given as the result 

 of his analysis : 



Carbon 46*193 or 15 atoms. 



Hydrogen 6*101 24 atoms. 



Oxygen 47*706 12 atoms. 



100000 

 According to M. Baup its analysis and atomic constitution are : 



Carbon 50*000 or 15 atoms = 90 



Hydrogen 5556 10 atoms =10 



Oxygen 44*444 io atoms = 80 



100000 Atomic weight =180 

 These numbers are equivalent to 3 atoms carbon, 2 hydrogen, 

 and 2 oxygen ; but they do not accord with its saturating power. 

 M. Baup remarks, kinic acid is equivalent to a compound of equal 

 weights of carbon and water, agreeing exactly with Dr. Proufs 

 analysis of lignin. M. Baup therefore considers kinic acid and lignin 

 as isomeric bodies, though their properties are singularly different. 



Crystallized kinic acid is not anhydrous ; it contains water, which 

 does not enter into the composition of the dried kinates. Crystal- 

 lized kinic acid contains 1 atom of water. 



Kinate of Soda is composed of an atom of acid 180, 1 of soda 

 32, and 4 of water 36 = 248. It is very easily prepared by satu- 

 rating bi-carbonate of soda with kinic acid, and exposing the con- 



