442 liECORD OF SCIKNCK FOR 188? AND ls8H. 



Amorphous antimony. — This modification o\' aiitiiuoiiy, discovered by 

 Gore, is prepared by Herard by beating antimony to dull redness in a 

 current of nitrogen. The grayish vapors (londense at the cool end of 

 the tube in which the operation is ]ierfornied, to an aniorj^hous powder. 

 Its specific gravity is 6.22 and it melts at 614°, while ordinary crystal- 

 line antimony fuses at 440° and has a density of C.73. (Conipt. Rend., 

 cvii, 420.) 



Decomposition of antimony sulphide by icater. — Elbers finds that when 

 antimonious sulphide is boiled with water it is slowly decom])osed with 

 evolution of sulphuretted hydrogen. In this way 0.05 gramme of sul- 

 phide was converted into oxide in fourteen hours, giving a liquid of 

 faintly alkaline re-action. (Jour. Chem. Soc, lvi, 108, from Chem. 

 Zeitung, xn, 355.) 



Hydrochlorates of ehlorides. — Three of these hitherto doubtful salts, 

 well crystallized, are described by Engel. They are (SbCls)^. HCl. 2H2O ; 

 SbCls. 5HC1. IIIT.O; (BiCl,)>. HOI. SH^O, A similar copper salt, CuCl^. 

 2H01. 5H2O, also crystallized, is described by Sabatier. (Compt. Rend., 

 cvi, 1724 and 179G.) The tluohydrates of potassium fluoride, KF.2HF 

 and KF.3HF, lately discovered by Moissan, may be analogous in con- 

 stitution. (Compt. Rend., cvi, 547.) 



Pentathionie and hexathionic acids. — When sulphuretted hydrogen is 

 passed into an aqueous solution of sulphurous acid a milky liquid is 

 formed in which an acid called pentathionie acid is commonly believed 

 to exist. Its existence, however, having been called in question by 

 Spring, the question has been re-investigated by Debus with afiSrma- 

 tive results. According to Spring the ])entatliionic acid is merely a 

 j)hysical solution of sulphur in tetrathionic acid, and the pentathionates 

 are mixtures of tetrathionates with free sulphur. 



The original liquid from which pentathionie acid is obtained is known 

 as Wackenroder's solution, and is a highly com]>lex and unstable mix- 

 ture. Its i)roperties were thoroughly studied by Debus, who explains 

 the anomalies which have troubled Spring and others, and who dis- 

 covers in it, besides tetra- and jienta-thionic acids, still a new compound, 

 hexathionic acid, H2SgOg. He obtained well-crystallized and definite 

 pentathionates of potassium and copper, and also the potassium salt of 

 hexathionic acid, establishing the existence of both acids beyond all 

 reasonable question. lie also fouml in the Wackenroder solution rather 

 large quantities of free sulphur in anew colloidal modification, soluble 

 in water. (Journ. Chem. Soc, lii, 278.) 



A nctv sniphnr acid. — Villiers, studying the action of sulphur dioxide 

 upon sodium thiosulpliate, finds that when the gas is passed into an ice- 

 cold solution of the latter salt a new sulphur acid is generated. If the 

 solution, after saturation, be allowed to staiul for a few days and then 

 is evaporated in vacuo over sulphuric acid, crystals of the sodium salt, 

 KazS^s, are obtained. It crystallizes from water with 2H2O. From 

 the first mother liquor on further evaporation sodium trithionate crys- 



