412 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



acid. In order to purify the cerebric acid, it must be boiled with 

 slightly acidulated alcohol, in order to decompose the cerebrate of 

 soda, which is always mixed with cerebric acid. Cold alcohol holds 

 the olein, and the oleic and margaric acids : it is to be rendered slightly 

 alkaline by ammonia and evaporated, and by these means the olein is 

 deposited when the liquor has acquired a certain degree of concentra- 

 tion, whilst the oleate and margarate of ammonia remain in solution. 



The albuminous matter and the cerebrate of soda, which have re- 

 sisted the action of the absolute alcohol, are in their turn treated with 

 boiling alcohol, acidulated with hydrochloric acid, which decomposes 

 the cerebrate of soda. The cerebric acid set free dissolves very readily 

 in alcohol ; there then remains a coloured matter, albuminous in its 

 nature, which contains sulphur, but never phosphorus. 



After having thus determined the composition of the fatty matters 

 of the brain, M. Fremy examined the substances which M. Couerbe 

 has described by the names eleencephol, cephalote and stearoconote : 

 and he states that the first is formed of olein and cerebrate of soda ; 

 that the second contains olein and cerebrate of soda, associated with 

 traces of albumen ; and that the last is merely a mixture of albumen 

 and cerebrate of soda. 



In analysing the brain in different states and of different ages, 

 M. Fremy found that the quantity of free fatty acids was variable ; 

 and that it even sometimes increased when the fatty matters were left 

 in a closed bottle. He discovered the cause of this curious pheno- 

 menon by referring to the observations of M. Chevreul on the fat 

 of carcases, and to the memoir of MM. Pelouze and Boudet, in which 

 they mention the spontaneous saponification of palm oil. He further 

 observed, that it was the albuminous matter of the brain which had 

 the property of eventually converting the olein into oleic acid. Lastly, 

 he found by analysis, that all the fatty bodies occur in the white sub- 

 stance of the brain, and that the gray portion contained only traces 

 of it ; if therefore the anatomy of the brain were to be represented in a 

 chemical point of view, it may be said that the substance which forms, 

 so to speak, the frame of the brain, is originally gray, aiid that it is 

 the fatty matter which infiltrates and spreads in the interior of this 

 gray matter, that forms the white zones which constitute the white 

 portion of the brain. — Journal de Pharmacie, torn, xxvii. p. 766. 



ACTION OF PEROXIDE OF IRON ON POTASH. BY M. FREMY. 



The evident analogy which exists between iron and manganese, 

 leads to the opinion that similar compounds of them will sooner or 

 later be formed. 



This idea induced M. Fremy to suppose that it might be possible 

 to form salts in which an oxygenated compound of iron would act the 

 electro-negative part, and which would thus correspond with the 

 compounds of manganic and oxymanganic acid with bases ; and the 

 following experiments are conceived by M. Fremy to demonstrate 

 that iron can give rise to compounds produced under the same cir- 

 cumstances as the manganates, and possessing a striking analogy 

 with that species of salts. 



