Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 485 



Chlorine 11-76 

 Mercury 64-11 



Arsenic 23-50 99*37 



M. Capitaine considers it as composed of two equivalents of each 

 of its elements ; reckoning, however, chlorine, mercury, and arsenic 

 respectively as 36, 202 and 38, it will appear to be a compound of 

 1 eq. of Chlorine 36 



1 eq. of Mercury 202 



2 eqs. of Arsenic 76 



This substance is very readily acted upon by light, especially when 

 powdered ; when exposed to the action of the solar rays it becomes 

 in a few seconds of a greenish colour, and passing gradually through 

 deeper tints, it becomes eventually quite black. Neither the air 

 nor the water which the crystals contain has any effect in producing 

 these phsenomena ; for when exposed to light in a dry vacuum, 

 it becomes brown as rapidly as in the air. The effects in both cases 

 are produced more readily by the direct rays of the sun, than in a 

 diffused light. 



The crystals of a hyacinthine red colour are not so constant in 

 their composition as the foregoing, and the results of analysis were not 

 so satisfactory. The quantity of chlorine varied from 12 to 14 per 

 cent., and that of the mercury varied from 68, 70, 71, 73, and even 

 75 per cent., the remainder being arsenic. 



The compound was probably composed of 

 1 eq. of Chlorine 36 

 1 eq. of Mercury 202 

 1 eq. of Arsenic 38 276 



If this be the case, the first compound, called by M. Capitaine ar- 

 seniuretted chloride of mercury, is bi-arseniuretted chloride, and this 

 which he terms sub-arseniuretted, is in fact the arseniuretted. These 

 compounds resemble each other in the decomposition which they 

 both undergo by the action of water and of heat. When treated 

 with water, especially at a boiling heat, they are completely de- 

 composed into mercury, arsenic, arsenious and hydrochloric acids. 

 When acted upon by heat, a portion is volatilized without under- 

 going any alteration ; while another portion is decomposed yielding 

 mercury, arsenic, and chloride of arsenic. — Journal de Pharmacie, 

 September, 1839. 



ANALYSIS OF ALBUMEN. 



In order to verify the late analysis of albumen by M. Mulder, 

 M. Vogel employed the white of hens' eggs coagulated by heat, 

 because in this state the foreign salts which it contains are more 

 readily removed by washing with water than when in the liquid 

 state. 



The white of egg hardened by ebullition was carefully separated 

 from the exterior pellicle and from every adhering portion of yelk ; it 

 was then cut into pieces and washed for several days with distilled 

 water, till it ceased to dissolve anything. It was then dried between 

 folds of blotting-paper at the ordinary temperature of the room; after 

 some days it became hard, brittle, of a pale yellow, translucent and 



