Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 157 



formed. It is then proved, by these experiments, that chloride of 

 zinc acts Uke sulphuric acid itself ; in fact the analogy between these 

 substances is so perfect, that M. Masson has been recommended to 

 examine whether some product analogous to sulphovinic acid is not 

 also formed. 



The oil obtained by M. Masson was found by him to contain two 

 different products, which were separated by distillation. One of 

 them, and the most volatile, is the most hydroguretted liquid carburet 

 known ; it contains more hydrogen than defiant gas, and is repre- 

 sented by C8 H" ; it boils at about 85° to 105° Fahr. The other, 

 which is less volatile, contains less hydrogen than olefiant gas, and 

 is represented by C" H^, and boils at about 572° Fahr. 



These results, combined with those by which M. Regnault has 

 shown that the sweet oil of wine absorbs oxygen, perfectly explain 

 why some chemists have obtained in their analysis more carbon than 

 olefiant gas contains ; and why others, on the contrary, have obtained 

 the same composition as olefiant gas Itself. 



The facts thus stated would have appeared sufhcient to show that 

 the labours of M. Masson were of such a nature as to close the dis- 

 cussions relating to the sweet oil of wine. But a German chemist, 

 M. Marchand, has lately pubhshed some analyses of heavy oil of wine, 

 light oil of wine, and the crystals which it yields. His results agree 

 perfectly with those of M. SeruUas, and consequently differ from 

 those of M. Masson. 



On considering the circumstance that some chemists have ope- 

 rated on the oil obtained by sulphuric acid and alcohol, others upon 

 the oil of the sulphovlnates, and that M. Masson procured his from 

 alcohol and chloride of zinc, it may be Imagined that these oils 

 differ from each other, especially as M. Masson has never been able 

 to extract from his oil the crystals obtained by M. SeruUas and M. 

 Marchand from theirs, and on the contrary that he has obtained a 

 very volatile product unknown to the chemists who preceded him : 

 M. Marchand has however procured during the distillation of the 

 sulphovinate a very volatile product which he has not yet analysed. 

 — L'Institut, No. 261. 



ACTION OF SPONGY PLjVTINA. 



M. Kuhlmann has described several new reactions determined by 

 spongy platina. Among which are the following : 



1st. Ammonia mixed with air on passing at a temperature of about 

 572° Fahr. over spongy platina is decomposed, and the azote which 

 it contains is completely converted into nitric add by combining 

 with the oxygen of the air. 



2nd. Cyanogen and air, under similar circumstances, occasion the 

 formation of nitric acid and carbonic acid. 



3rd. Ammonia, when combined so as to form a salt, acts in the 

 same way as free ammonia. 



4th. Free azote cannot in any case be combined with free oxygen, 

 hut all the compounds of azote, under the influence of spongy pla- 

 tina, yield nitric acid. 



