Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 477 



gas; the residue was 210 volumes; 390 had therefore disappeared. 

 Of this number, 260 were hydrogen, which indicates a loss of azote 

 nearly equal to that of the second portion. 



As the excess of hydrogen cannot be attributed to the decom- 

 position of the vapour of water, since it is well known that copper 

 does not decompose water at a red heat, and as the requisite means 

 for drying the ammoniacal gas were adopted, the only explanation 

 of the facts which can be given, is that a strong red heat sufficiently 

 increases the affinity of copper for azote to cause their combination, 

 and consequently it is owing to this that the physical properties of 

 the copper are altered, as first remarked by Thenard and confirmed 

 by Despretz. — Journal de Pharmacie, Aug. 1838. 



SOLUBILITY OF BINOXIDE OF MERCURY IN WATER. 



The solubility of binoxide of mercury, which has been stated to 

 exist by some chemists, has been objected to by others, be- 

 cause the oxide employed might be supposed to contain some nitrate 

 of mercury. To obviate this objection, M. Boudet employed some 

 precipitate per se, which was prepared by Deyeux, and had been 

 kept in the matras in which it was prepared. A portion of this 

 oxide was triturated in a mortar to an impalpable powder, was rub- 

 bed with distilled water at 50° Fahr. ; when filtered, it rendered a 

 weak solution of syrup of violets decidedly green ; but hydrosul- 

 phate of ammonia produced no effect. On the contrary, boiling 

 water took up so much oxide, that it made syrup of violets of a de- 

 cided green colour, and restored the colour of reddened litmus ; 

 hydrosulphate of ammonia rendered the solution brown, and eventu- 

 ally flocks of a blackish precipitate were deposited. — Journal de 

 Pharmacie, tome xxiv. 253. 



DECOMPOSITION OF LITHIC ACID BY NITRIC ACID. 



MM. Wcehler and Liebig have found that by decomposing lithic 

 acid by nitric acid, two new compounds are formed, which they ob- 

 serve have no analogy in chemistry. They both crystallize, but one 

 is very soluble and the other slightly sd ; reducing the equivalents 

 to the English standard, the soluble is composed of 5 eqs. of hy- 

 drogen, 8 of carbon, 10 of oxygen, and 2 of azote; while the 

 slightly soluble contains one equivalent less of hydrogen. One of 

 these products is easily converted into the other ; by heating the 

 soluble one with nitric acid, one equivalent of hydrogen is removed, 

 and the less soluble is obtained. When, on the other hand, the less 

 soluble is treated with hydrosulphuric acid, sulphur is deposited and 

 hydrogen added, so as to reproduce the compound containing 5 eqs. 

 of hydrogen. 



These are the two substances which, when they are mixed with 

 ammonia, produce what is called purpurate of ammonia, one of the 

 most brilliant preparations of organic chemistry. Separately taken 

 neither furnishes the purpurate of ammonia. 'I'he composition of 

 this substance is then extremely complicated ; it is a new kind of 

 amide. The authors have been able to arrive at a complete and 

 satisfactory explanation of its production. 



