154 Intelligence and Miscellaneons Articles. 



wholly of two new hydrocarburets. These are hquid at ordinary 

 temperatures; their composition is the same, but the density of 

 tlieir vapours' differ, one boiling at 131° Fahr., the other at 226° 

 Fahr. The first he has named oleene, the second elaene. Oleene 

 is a white limpid fluid, burns with a vivid flame, and is composed 

 of carbon 85-95, hydrogen 14-05, or CH-. Thus this hydrocar- 

 buret appears to be isomeric with carbohydrogen, &c. &c. 



Elaene is white, less fluid than oleene, boils at 226° Fahr.: its 

 odour is more penetrating than that of oleene, but its elementary 

 composition is the same. It is insoluble in water, but dissolves in 

 alcohol and aether. It combines with chlorine in the proportion of 

 4. vols, of chlorine to 4 of elaene. 



Hydroleic acid treated with concentrated sulphuric acid forms sul- 

 pholieic acid, which is soluble both in water and alcohol, and of a 

 slightly acid, and very bitter taste. The sulpholeates of the alkalies 

 are soluble, but have not been crystallized. Sulpholeate of lime is 

 composed of 2 eqs. of hydroleic acid, 1 eq. of sulphuric acid, 1 eq. of 

 lime, and 1 eq. of water. From these experiments it appears that sul- 

 phuric acid exerts a kind of saponifying influence on oil ; forming 

 wlycerine, which combines in its nascent state with sulphuric acid ; 

 and fatty acids, which form similar combinations. From the know- 

 ledo-e that fat substances under such different actions always give 

 rise' to glycerine and fatty acids, M. Fremy argues that they are 

 educts and not products preexisting in fatty bodies. — L'Jnstitut, 

 May 11th. 



ON ETHAL. 



MM. Dumas and Peligot have analysed ethal with results similar 

 to those of M. Chevreul J they find its composition to be 



Carbon 79-2 = C^"- 



Hydrogen 14-2 = H^* 



Oxygen 6'6 = O 



which when compared to alcohol by doubling the equivalents gives 

 the formula 



C64 HM + H^ O^. 

 When ethal is distilled with anhydrous phosphoric acid it affords 

 a product composed of 



Carbon 86-2 = Ce* 



Hydrogen 14-2 = H^* 



which is isomeric with olefiant gas, but exists in a different state of 

 combination ; this substance they have named Cetene. 



They were not successful in obtaining a compound of cetene 

 corresponding to aether, but have procured a substance analogous 

 to sulphovinic acid. By heating ethal with sulphuric acid and fre- 

 quently stirring the mixture they combine, forming sulphocetic 

 acid. Sulphocetate of potash is a perfectly white salt, and occurs 

 in pearly spangles ; it contains 



Sulphate of potash .. . 24-0 = 1 eq. 



Sulphuric acid 1 1 -7 = 1 eq. 



Carbon 535 = 64 eqs. 



Hydrogen 9-1 = 66 eqs. 



Oxygen 2'1 = 1 eq. 



