* 
Chemistry. 259 
149—of arsenous acid, 1283—of sulphate of copper, 45—tartar emetic, 
29—sulphate of silver, 24; and so with many other salts. 
With very dilute muriatic acid, (1 to 40 of water,) the action is as 
follows: for bichloride of platinum, 48—arsenous acid, 38—tartar 
emetic, 
A solution of oxalic acid has no action on zinc, even when heated ; 
but with a few drops of bichloride of platinum, the whole is soon con- 
verted into oxalate. The action of acetic acid is hastened by the same 
chloride, and also of tartaric and citric acids, diluted with four or five 
times their weight of water. : 
This addition of a salt, sometimes changes the result. Nitric acid, 
with 43 equivalents of water, and diluted with two or three times its 
volume of water, poured on iron filings, causes a solution of the iron and 
the evolution of nitrous acid. But if only one drop of bichloride of 
platinum be added, hydrogen is evolved in place of nitrous acid, and 
protonitrate of iron with nitrate of ammonia are formed. 
Bismuth, silver and mercury do not decompose water under any cir- 
cumstances. Copper, im contact with bichloride of platinum and dilute 
hydrochloric acid, heated, gives off hydrogen freely ; but the same 
chloride arrests at once the action of nitric acid. 
These experiments were extended to other metals with equally im- 
portant results. J. LS. 
8. Action ce the Alkalies on the Protosalts of Mercury; (Jour. de 
Pharm., July, 1845.)—M. J. Lerort confirms the announcement of M. 
Githane; that the protonitrate and protochloride of mercury, mixed 
with caustic potash and soda, yield metallic mercury and the binoxide, 
in place of the protoxyd. The same is true of the carbonate, oxalate, 
iodate and acetate. 
9. Preparation of Iodic Acid ; (Chemist, July, 1845, fro Liebig’ 6 
Jahresb., April, 1845.)—M. Mitton prepares iodic acid by mixing 
iodine aid chlorate of potash, and heating, with water and a little nitric 
acid, until a rapid disengagement of chlorine takes place. In a short 
time the iodine is completely oxidized. The acid formed is precip- 
itated by baryta, and separated again by sulphuric acid. 
iL. Bs 
10. Oxidation by means of Cyanogen; by M. P. C. Bounautr, 
(Jour. de Pharm. et de Chim., June, 1845.)—Cyanogen, from its simi- 
larity to chlorine, bromine and iodine, might be supposed to possess the 
indirect oxidizing power of these agents. This M. Boupautr has 
found to be the case, but owing to.the instability of free cyanogen when 
dissolved in water, the experiments were made with one of the cyan-: 
ogen compounds, in which the cyanogen was not in a strong state of 
combination, as is the case with the ferricyanide of potassium, or red 
