242 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



Loeben, Austria, calling to mind the powerful oxidizing effect 

 of litharge (oxide of lead), and its use to promote oxidation in many 

 metallurgical processes, has experimentally proved that litharge will 

 not only remove sulphur in the puddling process, but, what is equally 

 important, it also oxidizes the phosphorus contained in the iron, 

 thus affording a most simple means of correcting two sources of 

 greatest annoyance to the ironmaster. 







FEEVENTION OF WRITING FROM BEING EFFACED. 



M. Sennefelder has published a curious process for rendering 

 writing ineffaceable for purposes of fraud. It consists in dipping the 

 paper on which a bill or check is to be written for a few seconds 

 into a solution of gallic acid. When the paper is dry, it is fit to be 

 used for writing on with common ink. Suppose any person were, 

 with criminal intent, to endeavor to efface a word from the docu- 

 ments, he would either have recourse to the chloride of potash or the 

 oxalate of potash for the purpose, and would find, to his dismay, that 

 these substances produce a black ring or border round the characters, 

 which it is impossible to efface without destroying the paper. 







POTASH FROM THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



The supply of potash has hitherto been solely derived from the 

 vegetable kingdom. Recently, however, M. Maumene, a French 

 chemist, has obtained it in considerable amount from animals. 

 When sheep's wool is submitted to the action of cold soft water, a 

 kind of greasy soap dissolves ; this is a combination of certain fatty 

 and oily acids with the alkali potash. It is found that, by heating 

 this soap to redness, a very pure carbonate of potash is obtained. This 

 process is so productive that it is worked as a commercial speculation 

 at Rheims, and samples of the various potash salts were shown in the 

 London Exhibition ibr 1862. 



PARKESINE. 



This name has been given by a Mr. Parkes, of England, to a 

 material formed of collodion and castor oil, mixed with different 

 proportions of coloring agents, resins, gums and earthy matters, 

 according as it is desired to form plastic, flexible or hard materials, 

 to be used for the manufacture of medallions, combs, knife-handles, 

 etc. It is anticipated that the new material will supersede India- 

 rubber in many of its applications. 



MAGNETO-ELECTRICITY FOR THE REFINING OF IRON AND STEEL. 



Mr. A. L. Fleury, of Philadelphia, who has continued his experi- 

 ments (see Annual Sci. Dis., 18G2, pp. 105-6) of applying electricity 

 for the refining of iron and steel, communicates to the editor the 

 following resume of new results : 



" Experimenting with one of Baker's largest size magneto-electric 

 machines (so arranged as to give a broken and rapidly-reversed 



