410 Miscellaneous Intelligence, 



found that the air contained from 21 to 21.2 per cent, of oxygen. — 

 A nnales de Chimie, xli. 423. 



7. Disinfecting powers of Chloride of Lime. — M. Poutet, of Mar- 

 seilles, says, that this substance cannot be used with advantage in 

 destroying the bad odour offish or marine animals, for that it evolves 

 oneasbadas any they can previously possess. The powder, added 

 with a little water, to fresh or salt fish, cut into small pieces, evolved 

 such an odour of bromine as to be insupportable. The muscle of 

 putrid fish produced a still worse smell ; and the same thing took 

 place with other marine products, as shell-fish, sponges, &c. &c. 



8. Proportions in which Oil Gas and Air detonate. — The oil 

 gas experimented upon by M. Dumas, contained 18 per cent, of 

 vapours, absorbable by sulphuric acid in a few minutes ; 100 parts 

 required 270 of oxygen for complete combustion, and produced 174 

 parts of carbonic acid gas. The combustion was made in a deto- 

 nating Volta's eudiometer, by means of a strong spark from a 

 Leyden jar ; or on those mixtures near the limits of combustibility 

 by a series of sparks. One volume of gas with 



Air. 



1, 4, 6, and 7, no inflammation. 



8, detonation — fuliginous flame. 



9, detonation strong — no smoke. 



10 and 11, very strong detonation — maximum. 



12, detonation less strong. 



13, detonation still less. 



17, feeble detonation. 



18, very feeble detonation. 



20, feeble detonation at the second spark. 



21, • after many sparks. 



25, no detonation after many sparks. 



These results were in winter at the temperature of 40° or 42° F. — 

 Ann. de V Industrie. 



9. On the proportional Number of Lithium. — Arfwedson, the dis- 

 coverer, gives this number as 255.63 (Berzelius scale), Gmelin as 

 191.21 only, and Kralovansky as 254.2. This difference has in- 

 duced M. Hermann, who possessed a considerable quantity of it, to 

 examine the subject minutely. His lithia was procured from the 

 mica of Altenberg, in Saxony, at first in the form of double phos- 

 phate of soda and lithia, which was converted into chloride of lithium, 

 and then by Berzelius' process into carbonate of lithia, by means of 

 excess of carbonate of ammonia. The carbonate, of lithia thus 

 formed was heated to redness, and found to fuse into a clear liquid, 

 strongly acting upon platina. After cooling, it became diaphanous 

 and crystalline, and easily broke into numerous fragments. Being 

 analysed by Murschand, it gave 39.02 lithia and 60.98 carbonic 



