Memoirs of the late P. Nieuivland. 69 



is in ebullition becomes brown, and grows black at the end 

 of the operation. It may thence be concluded that this 

 acid contains carbon. I have not been able to collect the 

 other principles which are difengaged during the decom- 

 pofition. 



The zoonic acid has an odour like that of meat when 

 Frying, and is indeed formed during that procefs. It has an 

 auftere tafte. I have been able, as yet, to make on this acid 

 only a fmall number of experiments, which exhibited no 

 remarkable property. It gives a ftrong red colour to paper 

 tinged with turnfol, and produces an effervefcence with al- 

 kaline carbonates. It did not appear to me to produce with 

 alkaline and earthy bafes falts which cryftallize. It forms a 

 white precipitate in a folution of acetite of mercury in wa- 

 ter, and in that of the nitrate of lead ; fo that it has more 

 affinity with the oxyde of mercury than the acetous acid, 

 and with the oxyde of lead than the nitric acid. It acts 

 on the nitrate of fdver only by complex affinity ; and the pre- 

 cipitate it then forms grows brown with time, which (hews 

 that this precipitate contains hydrogen. The zoonate of 

 potafli calcined did not form pruffiate of iron with a folution 

 of that metal. A liquid, which had all the indications of 

 acidity, feparated from flefh which I kept a long time in a 

 ftate of putrefaction, but it was an ammoniacal fait with 

 excefs of acid: this acid combined with lime appeared to me 

 like zoonate of lime j but I had too little of it to eftablifh 

 exactly its identity with the zoonic acid. 



XVI. Biographical Memoirs of the late PETER NlEVWLAND. 

 From his Eloge read at dmflerdam, Nov. 24, 1 794, in the 

 Society Felix Mentis. 



Jl eter Nieuwland, profeflbr of mathematics and natural 

 philofophyin the univerfity of Ley den, was born at Diemer- 

 F 3 mcer, 



