[ 232 ] 

 XXXV. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



COMBINATION OF ARSENIC ACID WITH CERTAIN KINDS OF 

 SUGAR. 



A SOLUTION of pure arsenic acid, mixed with common sugar 

 powdered, becomes in some hours of a reddish colour, then of a 

 magnificent purple. The experiment succeeds in the cold, and with- 

 out the presence of light. The sugar of fruits and that prepared 

 from starch produce similar effects. Sugar of milk gives a reddish 

 brown colour, and sugar of manna (mannite) a brick red ; the sugar 

 of urine and oil of wine produce no colour. No similar phasnome- 

 non is observed if the arsenites or arsenious acid be substituted for 

 arsenic acid. Phosphoric acid, which has much analogy with the 

 arsenic, does not colour sugar at all ; they may by this even be di- 

 stinguished from each other. M. Eisner, the author of these expe- 

 riments, found that in the purple solution the sugar is combined with 

 arsenious acid. — Journal de Pharmac. Nov. 1828. 



ACETIC ACID FROM CINCHONA. 

 M. Robiquet has observed that the true bark of the cinchona sub- 

 mitted to dry distillation, yields very concentrated acetic acid at a 

 very moderate heat ; and according to M. Virey, many other vege- 

 table substances yield the same product. — Ibid. 



SEPARATION OF VOLATILE OILS. 

 M. Bonastre has succeeded in separating several mixtures of vo- 

 latile oils j by gradual distillation, oil of cloves is easily separated 

 from oil of turpentine. Oil of sassafras yields crystals of oxalic acid 

 by the action of nitric acid, which is not attainable from several other 

 oils. The caustic fixed alkalies retain the oil of cloves, whilst they 

 part with oil of sassafras by distillation ; the alkalies even when they 

 solidify oil of cloves or other volatile oils, do not alter them, for they 

 may be separated unchanged by the action of an acid. — Ibid. 



ACTION OF PERCHLORIDE OF CYANOGEN ON WATER. 



M. SeruUas has determined that when the perchloride of cyanogen, 

 which he discovered, is mixed with water, the latter is decomposed, 

 and muriatic and cyanic acid are obtained ; the fluid saturated with 

 potash, gives muriate and cyanate of potash, two salts which are 

 readily separable by crystallization, the cyanate being much less 

 soluble than the muriate. When also a solution of perchloride of cy- 

 anogen is evaporated to dryness to volatilize the muriatic acid, there 

 is obtained a very white and well crystallized cyanic acidj it is 

 sparingly soluble, and reddens vegetable blues. — Ibid. 



AMYLIC ACID. 

 This acid, discovered by M. Tinnermann, is thus prepared : mix 

 well and put into a retort equal parts of starch and black oxide of 

 manganese, so as to fill one-fourth of it, and then a third part of 



water 



