380 Nezu Alkali. — Alkaline Vrujjlat. — New 'Earth. 



during the preceding four weeks had been accumulating irt 

 the atmofphere in a diflblved ftate. The lofs, in a certain, 

 fpace of atmofphere, of fo great a quantity of elaftic fluid, 

 and the operation of its difengaged caloric on the remainder, 

 will at once account for the efte£t to thofe who are acquainted 

 with pneumatics. 



THE NEW ALKALI. 



In our laft (p. 291) we mentioned that a Mr. Hahnemann 

 ofAltona, had announced the difcovery of a new alkali, to 

 which he gave the name of pnetim, from its property of 

 fwelling by heat to twenty times its original volume. Both- 

 Klaproth and Hermbftadt have lately examined this alkali, 

 and found it to confift of nothing but borax. 



ALKALINE PRUSSfAT. 



Dr. A. N. Scherer has (in his journal) recommended to 

 chemifts to take up the idea fuggefted by Scheele, and to 

 endeavour, by following the hint given by that author, to 

 produce a perfectly pure alkaline pruffiat. Scheele ftates 

 that pruffiat of mercury is perfectly free from iron, and that, 

 were a combination of that kind decompofed by an alkali, 

 the refult would certainly be pruffiat of alkali entirely free 

 from iron. 



A NEW EARTH. 



The particular properties of a new fpecies of earth called 

 Yttria, of which an account was given by Ekeberg in the 

 third volume of Scherer's journal, have been confirmed by 

 Klaproth, who lately read a paper on this fubjecl: at the 

 Royal Academy of Berlin. Vauquelin has alfo analyfed the 

 ftone which produces this earth. — See his Memoir on this 

 fubftance in the prefent number, p. 366. 



CHEMICAL EXPERIMENTS ON THE MATTER OP 

 BLACK VOMIT. 



A memoir on the analyfis of black vomit, by Dr. Cathrall, 

 was read before the American Philofophical Society at Phila- 

 delphia, on June 2o, 1800. This is a very interefting and 

 inftructive paper. The experienced and intrepid author has 

 given a defcription of the black vomit, has analyfed the fluids 

 ejected a few hours before the commencement of black vo- 

 3 miting, 



