CHEMISTRY. r)03 



the large particles of sand, coal, &c., from neighboring locomotivea had 

 settled out, the water was analyzed, with the following results: 



Parts per 100,000. 



Chlorine Trace 



Phosphates None 



Nitrates None 



Nitrogen in nitrates 0.0494 



Free ammonia 0.0396 



Albuminoid ammonia 0.0318 



Hardness 0.91 



Total solids C.3 



While the water was settling, a slimy fungoid growth collected on 

 the bottom and sides of the vessel. The presence of volcanic ash (pre- 

 sumably from Krakatoa) was not established. {Chem. News, l, 49.) 



Occurrence of Manganese in Plants and Animals, by E. Maumen^. — 

 Wheat, rye, rice, and barley are shown to contain manganese, probably 

 combined with an organic acid. The bran and starch of wheat do not 

 contain the element. It is also found in potatoes, beets, carrots, lentils, 

 peas, parsley, and in exceedingly minute quantities in apples and grapes. 

 It is found in a large proportion in cocoa, still larger in coffee, and most 

 of all in tea. It is absent in oranges, lemons, onions, &c. Human 

 blood does not always contain it; very small traces occur in milk, urine, 

 bones, and hair. It is almost entirely eliminated in the solid excrements, 

 and should be regarded as non-essential to life; hence manganese 

 must not be substituted for iron in medicine. ( Comptes rendus, xcviii, 

 June 9, 1884.) 



Notes on Explosives. — Panclastite, the new explosive invented by 

 Eugene Turpin, consists essentially of a mixture of liquid nitrogen 

 tetroxide with carbon disulphide in the proportions of 3 N2O4 + 2 CS2. 

 The mixture is exploded by a fulminate primer, with a result more 

 powerful than that of nitroglycerine. If ignited without confinement 

 in a vessel it burns with a brilliant flame, which M. Turpin proposes to 

 utilize as a signal in the field or for photographic purposes. The heat 

 of combustion is also very great, being estimated at about 3,000° C; 

 platinum fuses instantly under the action of this flame. The advantages 

 claimed for this explosive are greatt^r power than dynamite, perfect 

 safety of the separate constituents in transport and storage, insen- 

 sitiveness of the mixture to blows, and easy control of the manufacture 

 by the Government, owing to the fact that nitrogen tetroxide is not 

 met with in commerce. 



Explosive gelatine, or gelatine dynamite, is made by dissolving photo- 

 graphic gun-cotton in nitroglycerine, or by mixing nitroglycerine with 

 collodion, removing the solvent by evaporation. The solution is aided 

 by heat, and yields a gelatinous mass of a consistency varying with the 



