518 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1882. 



of caustic potash to one of 200 grams of ferrous sulphate. The nitrogen 

 thus treated failed to develop a brown color with potassium pyrogallate. 

 {Chem. News, xlv, p. 105.) 



Behavior of Nitrogen in the Distillation of Coal. — Text-books usually 

 state that coal contains about 2 j)er cent, of nitrogen, which comes off 

 as ammonia when the coal is heated in closed vessels. Prof. W. Foster, 

 however, finds that only a small fraction of the total nitrogen comes off 

 as ammonia. In an experiment with coal containing 1.73 per cent, of 

 nitrogen, only 14.5 per cent, of this amount was evolved as ammonia, 

 1.56 per cent, as cyanogen, 35.26 remained unaltered, and 48.68 of the 

 whole amount remained in the coke. [Chem. Neics, xlv, p. 299.) 



Presence of Arsenic in Bismuth Suhnitrate. — Of fourteen samples of 

 bismuth subnitrate examined by E. H. Chittenden and S. W. Lambert, 

 only one was found to be perfectly free from arsenic. The average con- 

 tent of poison in the samples was .013 per cent, or 13 ragms. (about two- 

 tenths of a grain) of ASa O3 in 100 grams of bismuth. The subnitrate of 

 bismuth is extensively used in medicine, and though it may not contain 

 arsenic in sufficient quantity to be in itself injurious, the presence of the 

 poison is greatly to be deplored. Fortunately, as the further experi- 

 ments of the authors show, the arsenic is not readily absorbed into the 

 system when combined with the bismuth preparation. {Am. Chem. J., 

 ni, p. 396.) 



A new Oxichloride of Sulphur. — J. Ogier, by heating to 250° C. in 

 sealed tubes a mixture of equal weights of chloride of sulphur and 

 chloride of sulphuryle, obtained the body Sj 001;;; it forms a dark red 

 liquid, boiling at 60° and having a specific gravity at 0° of 1.656. Its 

 formation is explained by the equation : 



2 S2 CI + 2 SO2 CI = 2 S, OCI2 + SO2 + S 



It is decomposed by water, forming a precipitate of sulphur, sul- 

 phurous anhydride, sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and thio-acids. 

 (Bull. iSoc. Chim., xxxvii, p. 293.) 



An abundant source of selenium, according to P. Kienlen, exists in 

 the crude hydrochloric acid condensed in Glover's towers. The selen- 

 ium is derived from the pyrites, and being volatile at a red heat is car- 

 ried over by the hydrochloric acid gas during the calcination of the 

 salt cake, and condenses in the first recipients in the form of a red- 

 dish mud ; this mud, when dried, contains In some cases from 41 to 45 

 per cent, of selenium. The author extracts the selenium from this 

 deposit by acting upon it with chlorine, which converts it into a tetra- 

 chloride, and this, in the presence of water and chlorine, is transformed 

 into selenic acid. The acid liquid obtained is then precipitated with 

 hydrogen sodium sulphite and purified. {Bull. Soc. Chim., xxxvii, p. 

 441. 



