CHEMISTRY. G51 



Notes on the Literature of Explosives. — Under this title Prof. Charles E. 

 Munroe, of the United States Naval Academy, is publishing a series of 

 papers giving a compendium of discoveries in the field mentioned. The 

 articles appear in the Proceedings United States Naval Institute, Nos. 

 20, 21, 22, 24, and 27 et seq. 



A white modification of phosphorus has been described by Drs. Ira 

 Eemsen and E. H. Reiser. It is obtained by distilling ordinary phos- 

 phorus in hydrogen and collecting the element in ice-cold water. This 

 white phosphorus is light and plastic, is soluble in carbon disulphide, 

 and melts at the same point as ordinary phosphorus. It bears the same 

 relation to ordinary phosphorus as " flowers of sulphur" to " roll brim- 

 stone." 



The conduct of moist phosphorus and air towards carbon monoxide 

 has been again most carefully examined by Ira Kemsen, assisted by 

 E. H. Keiser, and, contrary to the views of Leeds, negative results are 

 reported. The small amount of carbon dioxide obtained by Leeds is 

 ascribed to oxidation of the carbon in the phosphorus, the presence of 

 which was not, however, demonstrated by the author. (Am. Chem. J., v, 

 424.) 



According to the latest returns published by the Italian Government, 

 the average annual production of sulphur in Sicily and Italy during 

 the five years 1875-1879, inclusive, was 282,000 tons, of which 216,000 

 tons were exported. Delivered at Marseilles the sulphur sells at about 

 $25 per ton. (Chem. News, xlvii, 88.) 



Cadmium iodide has been studied by Prof. F. W. Clarke, who obtained 

 evidence of the existence of two allotropic varieties, differing in specific 

 gravity by about a unit. The higher or normal salt is white, and un- 

 dergoes no perceptible change when heated below 250° ; the lower salt 

 is brownish, and loses weight at 40°. 



The use of mercury thermometers, and especially the determination 

 of melting point and boiling point, is the subject of an exhaustive re- 

 search by Prof. J. M. Crafts, who points out that the defects in the pro- 

 cesses of graduating these instruments, as usually conducted, can be 

 remedied by means easily within the reach of a careful mechanic. 



Thiophene is a new substance, C 4 H 4 S, discovered by Victor Meyer in 

 benzene (benzol) from coal tar, and which is marked by its containing 

 sulphur in its composition. It forms a light, limpid, mobile oil, boiling 

 at about 84°, and remaining liquid when subjected to the cold of a 

 mixture of ice and salt. Pure coal-tar benzene contains about 0.5 per 

 cent, of thiophene. (Ber. d. chem. Ges., xvi, 1465.) 



The Ethyl Derivatives of Anhydro-benzdiamido-benzine have been 

 treated in a paper by Prof. James Lewis Howe, of the Central Univer- 

 sity, Kichmond, Ky., and published in the Am. Chem. J., V, 418. 



Arabic acid has been prepared in a pure state and carefully studied 

 by C. O'Snllivau, who assigns to it the formula C Sa B. U2 1A . 



Cryptidin has been synthetically made by Dr. Albert R. Leeds. It has 



