CHEMICAL SCIENCE. '241 



same insect, although they may be very different on another working 

 on the same flower-bed. A single bee, with all its industry, energy, 

 and innumerable journeys it has to perform, will not collect more than 

 a tea-spoonful of honey in a single season, and yet the total weight of 

 honey taken from a single hive is often from sixty to one hundred 

 pounds. A very profitable lesson of what great results may arise 

 from persevering and associated labor ! 



The evide'nce on winch the author relied for the presence of formic 

 acid was by distilling the honey and receiving the distillate in an 

 alkaline solution. The resulting solution, after decomposition by an 

 acid and evaporation, afforded all the usual reactions, and readily 

 reduced the salts of silver. 



The foregoing facts, therefore, clearly show that 



First. Honey is derived simply from a solution of cane-sugar iden- 

 tical in every respect with that from the sugar-cane. 



Secondly. That it afterwards receives the addition of a small 

 quantity of formic acid from the glands of the bee. 



Thirdly. That cane-sugar afterwards becomes gradually altered 

 into grape-sugar by chemical decomposition. The flavor of honey is, 

 of course, quite accidental, and dependent on the aroma of the flowers 

 the bees have visited. 



NEW METHOD OF PREPARING OZONE. 



Bottger has given a method of obtaining ozone ( O) in compara- 

 tively large quantities and with great facility. He recommends a 

 mixture of two parts pure, dry, finely-pulverized hypermanganate of 

 potash in a flask, with three of pure sulphuric acid, of density 1.85, 

 so that the liquid is opaque, and of a deep olive-green color. The 

 mixture slowly evolves ozone at the ordinary temperatures. He finds 

 the gas thus obtained one of the most powerful oxidizing agents yet 

 known. Ether, alcohol and the ethereal oils burst into flame when 

 brought into contact with a mere trace, and flowers of sulphur are 

 instantly converted into sulphuric acid, the action being attended by 

 an explosive noise. Journal fur Prakt. Chem. 



APPLICATIONS OF ALUMINUM FOR CHEMICAL PURPOSES. 



The lighter weights used for chemical purposes are now advantage- 

 ously made of aluminum wire and foil, since, occupying something 

 like seven times the space of those of platinum, they are more easily 

 adjusted and handled, and less likely to be lost. The finest aluminum 

 wire, from its insignificant weight, advantageously serves also to sus- 

 pend, from the beam of the balance, objects the specific gravity of 

 which it is desirable to ascertain. 



THE DESULPHUPJZATION OF IRON IN PUDDLING. 



The inferior quality of bar iron obtained from the puddling of pig 

 iron reduced from iron ores rich in sulphur, or even from good ores 

 when reduced with coal containing much pyrites, is well known to 

 ironmasters, and many methods have been devised for the desulphur- 

 ization of this iron in the puddling process. Prof. li. Richter, of 

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