548 Ttbyal Society. 



ammonia and of potass were found by the author not to correspond 

 with any of the preceding. Although agreeing perfectly with one 

 another in their action upon the heart and systemic capillaries, they 

 differ extremely in their effects on the nervous tissue ; ammonia 

 being particularly distinguished from all inorganic compounds in 

 this respect, and being very analogous to poisons derived from or- 

 ganic products, which it also resembles in its chemical properties. 



The general conclusion which the author is led to draw from these 

 researches is, that there exists a close relation between the chemical 

 properties of the substances experimented upon, and their physiolo- 

 gical effects; his experiments tending to prove, that, when introduced 

 into the blood, substances which are isomorphous exert similar ac- 

 tions on the living tissues. He notices, however, two exceptions 

 to this law ; namely, the similarity of the actions exerted on the pul- 

 monary tissue by the salts of lead with those of silver, although these 

 salts are not isomorphous ; and also the action on the nervous tissue 

 of the salts of ammonia being different from that of the salts of potass. 

 But he remarks that the oxide of lead bears a close analogy to the 

 oxide of silver in its relation to organic compounds. The general 

 fact previously announced by the author in his memoir read to the 

 Academy of Sciences at Paris, namely, that salts with the same base 

 have analogous actions, may be considered as a corollary of the 

 above law. 



February 4. — A paper was read, entitled, " On some Electro- 

 Nitrogurets." By Wm. Robert Grove, Esq., M.A., F.R.S. 



The author states that he has made many attempts to render per- 

 manent the ammoniacal amalgam, and that he has succeeded in 

 freezing it by means of solid carbonic acid, during which solidification, 

 and also while in its solid state, it underwent no chemical change. 

 He subsequently attempted to procure a permanent compound by 

 electrolyzing a solution of hydrochlorate of ammonia with an ex- 

 tremely fusible alloy at the cathode ; but this attempt was unsuc- 

 cessful. It then occurred to him, that bj'^ using an oxidable metal 

 at the anode, which could be revived in conjunction with nascent 

 hydrogen and nitrogen at the cathode, one or both of these elements 

 might be combined with the solid metal, and so form permanent 

 compounds. 



The experiment made in this manner with tlie metals zinc, cad- 

 mium, and copper, was perfectly successful. A spongy mass col- 

 lected at the cathode, which floated upon the liquid, and which, 

 when washed and dried, was analysed by heating in a tube retort ; 

 five grains of the zinc compound gave 0"73 of a cubic inch of perma- 

 nent gas, which on examination proved to be nitrogen witli one- 

 fourth liydrogen. The same quantity of the cadmium compound 

 gave 0"207 cubic inch of nitrogen with no admixture of hydrogen. 

 A like weight of the copper compound gave 0*107 of nitrogen. 

 No anmionia was evolved from either ; and the author is inclined to 

 think that the hydrogen yielded by the zinc compound resulted from 

 the reaction of the metal upon combined water. The specific gra- 

 vity of specimens of these substances which the author tried were 

 respectively 4C, 4'8, and Gf). A mi.xed solution of chloride of 



