580 Chronicles of Science. [ Oct., 
drated acid there was no action in the cold, but on heating to 
150° C. the metal dissolved, and sulphurous acid was disengaged. 
With tetra- and penta- hydrated sulphuric acid, much sulphuretted 
hydrogen was evolved, and only traces of sulphurous acid. With 
acids containing seven atoms of water and upwards, only hydrogen 
was given off. We must refer our readers to the ‘Journal of the 
Chemical Society’ for the complete results of these valuable and 
interesting experiments. 
At the same meeting Dr. Debus gave a short discourse “On the 
Constitution of some Carbon Compounds.” 
An extraordinary meeting of the Society was held on July 5 
to dispose of the remaining papers, and to hear a discourse by 
Professor Williamson “On the Constitution and Representation of 
Organic Compounds.” The best idea of the author’s system will be 
given by quoting a few of his formule: Alcohol, Boe C6 i: 
3° »~uU. U. “9 
020. 
oxalic acid, 0060.8. Professor Williamson claimed for 
his system the merit of greater simplicity than those of Kekulé and 
Crum Brown; but the length to which the formule of some bodies 
written upon the system must extend, will be a great objection to 
its adoption. 
Mr. W. Thorp afterwards read a paper “On the Reduction of 
Oxides of Nitrogen by Metallic Copper in Organic Analysis,” in 
which the author showed that in determining nitrogen by volume, 
as in Dumas’ method, it is essential to maintain the heat at bright 
redness, and to pass the gas very slowly over the copper. 
A note “On the Hydrocarbons contained in Crude Benzol,” by 
Mr. ©. Schorlemmer, was also read. We referred in our last to 
the discovery by the author of a new series of hydrocarbons in coal- 
tar. The author has, in fact, obtamed by the treatment of crude 
benzol with bromine a body having the composition Cs Hiy Br:, 
from which he infers that besides the members of the olefine series 
crude benzol contaims the hydrocarbon Cg Hj, identical, he believes, 
with the hexoylene of M. Caventou. 
It is worth mentioning here, that to prepare perfectly pure 
benzol, Mr. Schorlemmer recommends treatment of the crude 
mixture of hydrocarbons with bromine, and subsequently with 
potash before rectification. In this way a product is obtained 
which gives a nearly colourless nitro-benzol, and dissolves in con- 
centrated sulphuric acid without much coloration. 
