222 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



Under the influence of platina-black or of the air, acetal is ver}'- 

 rapidly converted, first into aldehyd and then into concentrated acetic 

 acid ; the action is extremely rapid when the platina is moistened ; 

 oxidizing bodies in general produce the same effect ; thus diluted 

 nitric acid furnishes aldehyd at first and afterwards acetic acid ; 

 chromic acid gives acetic acid only. A solution of ammoniacal ace- 

 tate of silver has no action upon it at any temperature ; out of the 

 contact of air neither saturated solutions of potash, soda, the solid 

 alkalies, nor potashed lime, have any action upon it, either at a low 

 or high temperature ; sulphuric acid at first dissolves it, then decom- 

 poses and blackens it; chlorine acts upon it, removes its hydrogen 

 and forms chlorinated compounds, which the author has not had time 

 yet to examine. By analysis it yielded — 



C6 4500 61-01 



H7 87-5 11-85 



O- 200-0 27-14 



737-5 10000 

 According to Liebig it consists of — 



C8 611-480 59-72 



H's 112-315 10-97 



03 300-000 29-31 



1023-795 100-00 



M. Stas obser\'es, that on comparing the results of his analyses 

 with the composition of alcohol, the latter, under the influence of the 

 oxygen of the air and platina-black, has lost one-third of its oxygen, 

 and two-ninths of its hydrogen ; these quantities being equivalent to 

 one of oxygen and two of hydrogen, as is readily ascertained. Ace- 

 tal may be represented by a combination of two molecules of aether 

 ■with one molecule of aldehyd, according to M. Stas, C'^H'^O'*^ 

 2{C* H* O), C* H* 02 ; while according to Liebig its formula is 

 C* W O, Ae O + H* = C8 H's O', or one equiv. of aldehyd and one 

 equiv. of aether. — Ann. de Ch. et de Phys., Feb. 1847. 



PRESENCE OF SULPHUR IN METALLIC SUBSTANCES STRUCK BY 

 LIGHTNING. 



On Sunday, the 14th of June 1846, the parish church of Saint 

 Thibaud-de-Couz, three leagues from Chamberry, was struck by 

 lightning ; the church was filled with a dense smoke, accompanied 

 by a strong smell resembling that of gunpowder. The gilt frame of 

 a large picture was almost entirely blackened, and six gilt chande- 

 liers were all rendered as black as copper would be after long exposure 

 to sulphuretted hydrogen. 



M. Bonjean procured some powder by scraping the surface of the 

 chandeliers which had been most strongly coloured ; by treating it 

 with aqua regia he obtained a solution in which solution of nitrate 

 of barytes gave a white precipitate insoluble in nitric acid. — Journ. 

 de Pharm. et de Ch., Decembre 1846. 



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