TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 51 
___ Again, we have the whole plant renovating the atmosphere, both as 
_ regards oxygen and nitrogen, and preserving an equilibrium throughout 
_ the different seasons; each plant decomposing water, and assimilating 
other portions of it, by methods peculiar to itself; in the vinous fer- 
mentation, the carbon (of sugar for instance), when nitrogen and earthy 
matter are present, decomposing water, forming carbonic acid gas, 
_ olefiant gas, and a minute quantity of azotic gas; in the acetous fer- 
_ mentation, the oxygen of the atmosphere, uniting with this olefiant gas, 
forms acetic acid and water, a portion of vegetable and earthy matter 
_ being necessary ; and, in the decomposition of vinous fluids, the oxygen 
of the atmosphere combines with the carbon of the olefiant gas, to 
form carbonic acid, and with the hydrogen to form water, vegetable 
and earthy matter being essential. 
The author, referring to the difficulties which, in his opinion, par- 
ticularly embarrass experiments on the mixed results of fermentation, 
_ gives a brief notice of his mode of analysis in these cases. 
The apparatus which he employs in ultimate analysis is included in 
two glass tubes, connected by caoutchouc, as under : 
A B Cc D 
“RE a Ll I 
__ A. The part containing the mixture of black oxide of copper and 
the compound under analysis. 
_ B. Amianthus in the same tube, which condenses the steam, and 
dries the gases. It is kept cool by moistening blotting paper with 
spirit. 
C. Caoutchouc connecter, about an inch in length. 
D. Bent thermometer tube, for conveying the gaseous products to 
the receivers standing over mercury. 
_- The analysing tube A B rests upon a frame, made of two pieces of 
strong wire, bent at each end at right angles, and kept together by 
smaller wires. These, together with tubes, for detecting minute 
quantities of nitrogen, and lamps, which will give off flames from one 
to six inches in length, constitute the whole apparatus. 
On a Variety of Ozocerite. By ProrEssor JOHNSTON. 
_ This substance was found in a coal-mine near Newcastle. It con- 
sists of three distinct principles; the one being soluble in cold, the 
other soluble in hot ether, and the other nearly insoluble in both. 
The first is the most abundant of the three, and upon analysis is found 
to be a binary compound of carbon and hydrogen, and therefore to 
be an addition to the already extended list of isomeric combinations 
of these elements. The whole mass submitted to ultimate analysis 
RY 
“gave exactly the same result. 
EQ? 
“ 
