Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 2S1 



ANALYSIS OF SPATHOSE IRON. 



M. Lassaigne lias analysed a variety of this ore from Tenzen in 

 the Grisons ; the results are : 



Carbonate of lime 4'7'46 



magnesia lOv' 3 



Protocarbonate of iron 11 "08 



Water 22-13 



100-00 

 M. Lassaigne considers this as equivalent to I atom of protocarbo- 

 nate of iron, 3 atoms of carbonate of magnesia, ,5 ofcarbonateof lime, 

 and ] 3atoms of water : but adopting the atomic numbers employed in 

 England, we must substitute 5 atoms for 3 of carbonate of magnesia. 

 This mineral is white, with a shade of yellow; it is crystallized in 

 rhomboids. When heated by the blowpipe it decrepitates, becomes 

 more opake, yellow, and afterwards colourless : if the calcination 

 be performed in a glass tube closed at one end, the upper part of 

 it is moistened with a large quantity of water. The specific gravity 

 of this mineral is 2-927; it therefore differs in this respect from 

 carbonate of iron, the specific gravity of which, according to Kir- 

 wan, is 3-640 to 3-810. — Annales de Chimie et de Physique. 



SALT OBTAINED FROM OPIUM. 



M. Dupuis lately presented to the Societe Philomathique a salt 

 obtained from opium, which he considers as a natural compound of 

 morphia, and such as it exists in the vegetable;— analysis induces 

 him to believe that it is sulphate of morphia. The salt in question 

 is obtained in the following manner: He exposes extract of opium, 

 nearly of the consistence of thin honey, to the air for five or six 

 months ; this extract gradually becomes a crystalline mass : he 

 mixes it with a small quantity of water, and the crystals precipitate ; 

 he decants the fluid, and thus separates a part of the crystals, which 

 he purifies by washing them with a .«mall quantity of water and 

 then with cold alcohol. 



M. Dupuis concludes from his experiments that opium contains 

 narcotine, and more of the sulphates of morphia, lime and potash. 

 — Journal de Pharmacie, June 1827. 



ARSENIC AND CADMIUM. 



M. BiscliofF proposes a simple method of distinguishing arsenic 

 and cadmium from each other. It is well known that both are pre- 

 cipitated of a yellowish colour by sulphuretted hydrogen ; but ac- 

 cording to M. Bischoff, hydrosulphuret of ammonia {hijdromlfaic 

 d'ammonincjue) gives no precipitate with arsenious acid, but forms 

 with cadmium. — Ibid. July. 



QUANTITY OF CHARCOAL OBTAINED FROM DIFFERENT KINDS 

 OF WOOD. 

 M. Karsten has made numerous experiments on this subject. 

 One hundred parts of the wood were reduced to the state of shavings 



and 



