284 Notices of the Lahmirs of Continental Chemists. 



have now three famihes in which it is found, viz. Rubiaceae, 

 Theaceee and Sapindaceae. {Annalen der Chemie und Phar- 

 macie, xxxvi. p. 90.) 



Action of Chlorine on Marsh Gas. 



By the action of chlorine on natural marsh gas, M. Mel- 

 sens has obtained the chloride of carbon, C- CI"; hence marsh 

 gas and the gas obtained from the acetates are perfectly 

 identical. 



Magnus's and Gros's Salts of Platinum. 



Ifprotochloride of platinum or Magnus's salt, PtCl-, N- H% 

 be boiled with ammonia, the green compound is dissolved, 

 and the evaporated fluid deposits acicular crystals ; these are 

 soluble in water and ammonia, precipitated by addition of 

 alcohol ; when heated evolves sal-ammoniac, and at last free 

 hydrochloric acid ; the residue is metallic platinum ; by long 

 boiling with potassa ammonia is also evolved. M. Reiset 

 finds the formula Pt C1-, N^ H'-, consequently it is the radi- 

 cal in the salts of M. Gros. These sails have the general for- 

 mula Pt CI'-, N+ H'- + O + AT. When Reiset's salt is treated 

 with nitric acid red vapours are evolved, and Gros's nitric 

 salt is formed. When the aqueous solution of Pt C1-, N* H>- 

 is treated with chlorine, Gros's chlorine salt is produced, viz. 

 Pt CI' N* H'- CI'-. {Aimalcn der Chemie und Pharmaciey 

 xxxvi. p. 3.) * 



Gros's Platina Salts. 



In the 19th Arsherattelse, p. 261, when speaking of Gros's 

 platina salts, Berzelius protests against the introduction of so 

 many improved theories, and says that a much simpler for- 

 mula for these salts would be Pt CI + (2 N H^ + CI), if in- 

 deed this latter compound had been prepared in a separate 

 state. Hemoreoversays,— IftheformulaN_H*S+ PtClNH^ 

 does not explain why the salt is not precipitated by chloride 

 of barium or nitrate of baryta, is the pheenomenon any better 

 explained, when we throw ammonia, water, chloride of pla- 

 tinum and amidogen together into one base? Hydrochloric 

 and nitric acids also have an affinity for this base, and there- 

 fore the sulphate compound ought to be decomposed by the 

 baryta salts, &c. * 



Prussian Blue. 



Leopold Gmelin has remarked, that the Prussian blue ob- 

 tained from a protosalt of iron by means of the ferrosesqui- 



* See Dr. Kane's paper " On a New Class of Platina Salts," in the present 

 Number. — Edit. 



