148 Explosion of Chlorine and Hydrogen.—Linen Trade. 
with about one hundredth of its weight of muriatic acid. At the 
expiration of 24 hours, the Cinchona is to be strongly pressed, 
to be again treated with dilute muriatic acid, and the processes 
are to be repeated till the Cinchona loses its bitterness. The 
filtered infusions are to be mixed and treated with excess of pure 
magnesia, the mixture to be boiled for a short time and then 
suffered to coo]. The magnesian precipitate is to be washed with 
cold water, dried, and digested in alcohol : by distilling this so- 
lution the Quinine is obtained.—(Annales de Chimie.) 
). EXPLOSION OF CHLORINE AND HYDROGEN. 
It has been long known that a mixture of chlorine and hy- 
drogen explodes when exposed to the direct action of the sun’s 
rays. In order to try if this effect could be produced by the ra- 
diation of a common culinary fire, Professor Silliman filled -a 
common Florence oil-flask (well cleaned) half full of chlorine 
gas, atid was in the act of introducing the hydrogen in the pneu- 
matic cistern. ‘* There was not only no direct emanation from 
the sun, but even the diffuse light was rendered much feebler 
than common by a thick snow-storm, which had covered the 
skylight above with a thick mantle, and veiled the heavens in a 
singular degree for such a storm. Under these circumstances, 
the hydrogen was scarcely all introduced before the flask exploded 
with a distinct flame; portions of the glass stuck in the wood 
work of the ceiling of the room, and the face and eyes escaped 
by being cut of the direction of the explosion; nothing but the 
neck of the flask remained in hand. This occurrence then proves, 
that a mixture of chlorine and hydrogen gas may explode spon- 
taneously in a diffuse light, and even in a very dim light. —Ame- 
rican Journal of Science, Vol. 3. No. 2. p. 343.) 
LINEN TRADE. 
We understand that a very great improvement in the method 
of bleaching linen and yarn has lately been made by Mr. Crook- 
shank of Dublin.—As far as we have been able to ascertain, its 
chief merit consists in the disengaging the chlorine from the oxy- 
muriate of liine—by which ingenious process it is enabled to act 
with full force upon the cloth and yarn. Independently of a 
considerable saving in the quantity of bleaching liquor, by which 
the possibility of injuring the linen is prevented, this process 
combines some other very important advantages. It has already 
been tried on a considerable scale, and has met with the full ap- 
probation of a gentleman of chemical celebrity.—We are in- 
formed that Mr. Crookshank har submitted his discovery to the 
Linen Board, and proposed to exhibit its advantages by a course 
of experiments. We hope, therefore, that the process will 
shortly be inade public, for the benefit of the trade.—Dublin, 
Newspaper, 4th Feb. 
