318 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



the mixture of metallic salts with the solution of hydroxantliate of 

 potash as xanthnreis. In this reaction, the hydrogen of the acid 

 formed water with the oxygen of the metallic oxide, while the re- 

 duced metal combined with the xanthogen." 



" M. Couerbe, examining the sulphuret of carbon at a time when 

 the composition of aethers occupied much attention, considered it 

 not as a comhirant analogous to cyanogen, but as a sulphacid, re- 

 presented by two atoms of sulphur and one atom of carbon, and 

 thus corresponding to carbonic acid. He calls it sulphocarhic acid. 



"The salt of M. Zeise is not represented according to M. Zeise, 

 by sulphuret of carbon and hydrogen united to potash, but by two 

 atoms of sulphuret of carbon and one atom of aether combined with 

 an atom of potash. 



" When this salt is decomposed by a dilute acid, it is not an h}^- 

 dracid which is obtained, but, according to M. Couerbe, an acid 

 represented by two atoms of sulphuret of carbon and an atom of 

 alcohol, which is thus analogous to sulphovinic acid, represented by 

 two atoms of sulphuric acid and one atom of alcohol. 



" M. Couerbe thinks then that, when sulphuret of carbon is added 

 to potash and alcohol, an atom of potash unites to two atoms of 

 sulphocarhic acid and an atom of aether, and that the elementary 

 atoms of these two compounds constitute an acid, which he calls 

 monohydrated sulphocarbetheric acid (acide sulphocarhetJicriqiic mo- 

 il oki/dr ate) . He thinks that this acid, when it is separated from 

 potash, absorbs an atom of water and becomes a biliydrated acid. 



IIYDROSUI.PHURIC AND HYDROSELENIC AETHERS. 

 M. Lowig states that oxalic aether answers well for the prepara- 

 tion of some hydracid aethers which have been hitherto unknown, 

 such as hydrosulphuric and hydroselenic aethers ; these are pre- 

 pared by adding it to sulphuret and seleniuret of potassium : hydro- 

 cyanic and hydrosulphocyanic aethers are prepared in the same man- 

 ner. The mutual decomposition always takes place with difficulty ; 

 and even with a great excess of the compound of potassium, there 

 always distils n considerable quantity of oxalic aether undecomposed. 

 Hydrosulphuric aether is obtained in the following manner: Sulphu- 

 ret of potassium, prepared by decomposing the sulphate with char- 

 coal, is reduced in a hot mortar into a fine powder, and put while 

 yet warm into a retort, and then mixed with oxalic aether sufficient 

 to make a thin paste. After the mixture has been exposed for some 

 hours to a moderate heat, — the presence of water being carefully 

 avoided, that sulphuretted hydrogen and alcohol may not be formed, — 

 the distillation is to be commenced, and continued with an increas- 

 ing heat until the oxalate of potash formed begins to decompose. 

 The product of the distillation is the hydrosulphuric and oxalic aethers, 

 and it is to be agitated for a considerable time with a concentrated 

 solution of pure potash or sulphuret of barium, which decomposes 

 the oxalic aether. The hydrosulphuric aetlier thus purified is de- 

 canted and rectified from chloride of calcium. Its purity is known 

 by its not giving a precipitate with a solution of sulphuret of ba- 

 rium. Hydrosulphuric aether is lighter than water, and has an ex- 



