Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 77 



pears in very brilliant crystals, disseminated on the periphery of the 

 charcoal. — Journ. de Cfiim. Med., Decembre 1847. 



DETECTION OF FREE SULPHUKIC ACID ADDED TO WINES. 



The detection of a small proportion of sulphuric acid added to red 

 wines, cannot be eiFected by means of barytic salts, for all wines 

 contain greater or smaller quantities of the sulphates of potash and 

 lime. 



M. Lassaigne states that in an examination undertaken by him 

 and MM. Ossian Henri and Bayard, they found that it was not pos- 

 sible to separate, by the action of pure sulphuric sether, four or live 

 thousandths of sulphuric acid added to red wine, and consequently 

 that this method did not always answer in proving the existence of 

 this acid in the free state. 



After many attempts, the authors ascertained a simple reaction, 

 which allows of determining the presence of this acid, even when it 

 exists in wines, in the proportion of a thousandth and a half. 



When a piece of paper which has been touched with pure wine is 

 dried at a gentle heat, the spotted portion is unaltered ; whereas 

 paper which has been moistened with wine, to which a very small 

 quantity of sulphuric acid has been added, reddens, and Ijecomes 

 brittle and friable between the lingers when slightly rubbed, before 

 the white paper becomes at all coloured. 



Pure wine to which nothing has been added, leaves by sponta- 

 neous evaporation a violet-blue spot ; whereas wine to which a very 

 small quantity of sulphuric acid has been added (two to three thou- 

 sandths), gives by drying a rose-coloured spot. 



On examining into the sensibility of this simple process, the 

 authors found that they were able to detect by its means one thou- 

 sandth \ of sulphuric acid in red wine. 



The paper most proper for the experiment is common glazed 

 paper, containing starch or fecula. This kind of paper is well-known 

 in commerce ; and it is easy to discover it by the blue colour which it 

 assumes when moistened with an aqueous solution of iodine. — Ibid. 



ON THE COMrOSITION OF URANO-TANTALITE AND COLUMBITE. 



According to a notice published in the Comptes Rendus Mensuels 

 de rActtdemiede Berlin, Avril 1847, p. 131, by M. Henri Rose, the 

 yLtcro-ilmenite of M. Hermann is merely the urano-tantalite described 

 by M. Gustave Rose. M. Henri Rose has satisfied himself of their 

 identity, by means of some sjDecimens of yttero-ilmenite which had 

 been sent to him ; his new experiments confirm his first results ; and 

 he has found it impossible to extract any ilmenic acid from the mineral 

 in question, which he considers to be merely niobic acid, mixed with 

 a certain quantity of tungstic acid. 



As the urano-tantalite (the yttero-ilmenite of M. Hermann) con- 

 tains no columbium, M. Henri Rose proposes to give it a new name, 

 that u{ Samarskilc, in honour of M. Samarski, Director of the Mines 

 of Silieria. 



Tills mineral contains a little yttria and protoxide of manganese 



