76 Litelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



ON THE ACTION OF IODINE ON ORGANIC SALIFIABLE BASES, 



M. Pelletier in a paper on the action of iodine upon strychnia, 

 brucia, cinchonia, quina, and morphia, remarks that being unac- 

 quainted with the action that the halogenous bodies, and chiefly iodine, 

 bromine, and chlorine, exert upon the saUfiable organic bases, we 

 do not know whether these bodies can combine with the vegetable 

 alkalies without decomposing them or not. 



In endeavouring to elucidate this point he has arrived at the fol- 

 lowing conclusions. That iodine combines with most of the organic 

 bases in atomic proportion : thus, strychnia aifords a crystalline and 

 coloured iodide composed of 2 eqs. of iodine and 1 eq. of strychnia j 

 brucia forms two iodides, one composed of 2 eqs, of iodine and 1 eq. 

 of brucia, the other of 4 of iodine, to 1 of base ; whilst cinchonia and 

 quina each combine with iodine in the proportion of 1 eq. of iodine 

 to one of base. 



That iodic acid combines with the organic bases, forming neutral 

 and acid salts, in which the acid and base exist in the same proportion 

 as their respective iodides. 



That hydriodic acid unites with the organic bases, forming salts 

 which have a tendency to an excess of base ; thus, the hydriodates 

 of brucia and strychnia are (sesquibasic) subsesquisalts without 

 •water of crystallization. The organic hydriodates are decomposed by 

 iodic acid, iodine being liberated, whilst the hydriodate is converted 

 into an iodide. 



The action of iodine upon morphia forms a very singular exception 

 to the above, for one part of the iodine combines with hydrogen from 

 the morphia to form hydriodic acid, whilst the other portion of iodine 

 unites with the substance resulting from the morphia. When morphia 

 is acted on by iodic acid, the acid loses its oxygen, which unites with 

 one portion of the morphia, forming a red substance like that resulting 

 from the action of nitric acid on morphia, whilst the iodine evolved 

 acts on the other portion of morphia as it does by direct contact ; but 

 the resulting combination is decomposed by a fresh portion of iodic 

 acid, and entirely converted into iodine and the red substance. — Vln- 

 stitut, 2nd March. 



ON A NEW MODE OF ANALYSIS OF CLOSELY AGGREGATED 

 MINERALS. 



Dr. Abich states that when carbonate of barytes is heated to white- 

 ness, it fuses and is deprived of the whole of its carbonic acid ; and 

 this property he has very advantageously employed in the analysis of 

 minerals, its caustic power being so great that it quickly and com- 

 pletely decomposes the aluminates and corundum, bodies which are 

 with the greatest difficulty acted on by pure potash ; and cyanite, stau- 

 rolite, andalusite, cymophane, zircon, and the felspars are also acted 

 upon in the most complete manner. To conduct the analysis success- 

 fully, the following precautions are necessary. A furnace by which 

 an extremely high and well-regulated temperature can be obtained 

 in a short time. The mineral reduced to powder, which need not be 



