198 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



acetylene produced around the poles may be carried away by a cur- 

 rent of hydrogen, and condensed by passing through an ammoniacal 

 solution of protochloride of copper. In this manner it is easy to 

 obtain large quantities of acetylene, which is readily liberated in a 

 free state by the action of hydrochloric acid. Acetylene is very im- 

 portant, as it presents a basis from which other bodies may be ob- 

 tained ; thus Berthelot has demonstrated that by the simple addition 

 of hydrogen it can be changed into olefiant gas, and that from olefiant 

 gas alcohol can be formed, from alcohol ether, and thus the commence- 

 ment be made of a chain of compounds, all of which have been hith- 

 erto regarded as belonging exclusively to the domain of organic 

 chemistry. 



In the Great Exhibition of last year, a bottle of alcohol thus arti- 

 ficially formed was exhibited. 



Alcohol from Coal Gas. " Cosmos " gives the fallowing descrip- 

 tion of a patent taken out in France by Sieur Castex: " In burn- 

 ing organic matter the smoke which is disengaged can be entirely 

 absorbed by concentrated sulphuric acid. This sulphuric acid mingled 

 with water, and distilled, yields alcohol. To facilitate the absorption 

 of all the smoke of the organic matter, it is made to pass over a sub- 

 stance like coke, wetted with the sulphuric acid. Before sending out 

 coal gas it may be treated according to this method." 



NEW METHOD OF GENERATING CARBONIC ACID. 



At a recent meeting of the Franklin Institute Mr. A. L. Fleury 

 called attention to a new and simple apparatus for generating car- 

 bonic acid and other gases, invented by Mr. F. Ruschhaupt. The ap- 

 paratus consists of a strong wooden tub or vessel, two feet high, and 

 seventeen inches wide, having a partition near the middle. The 

 whole inside of both partitions is lined with lead. From the upper 

 part of the wider partition a leaden pipe leads near to the bottom of 

 the smaller partition. A leaden vessel, perforated with holes at the 

 bottom, is filled with carbonate of lime, marble pieces, say six pounds, 

 and dipped, by means of a sliding rod, into the larger partition, contain- 

 ing about seven pounds of hydrochloric acid. The other (smaller) 

 partition is half filled with pure water, having a glove-valve as 

 outlet. The vessel is closed air-tight by a strongly-braced cover. 



Whenever a supply of carbonic acid is desired, the lead vessel con- 

 taining the marble pieces is slid into the acid, which, passing through 

 the leaden tube, under and through the water in the next partition, to 

 the glove valve (for the purpose of purifying the gas from any foreign 

 matter or chlorine carried over with the carbonic acid), is, by means 

 of suitable pipes, conveyed wherever it may be desired. When the 

 marble, which is a chemical combination of lime with carbonic acid 

 (56.09 lime with 43.91 carbonic acid), is dipped into the hydrochloric 

 acid, the carbonic acid is thereby expelled, the lime combining with 

 the chlorine to form chloride of lime, which, after all the carbonic 

 acid is expelled, can be taken from the gas apparatus by a siphon, 

 without taking off the cover, and may afterwards be used for the 

 purpose of bleaching, etc. 



Six pounds of marble dust and seven pounds of hydrochloric acid 



