Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 153 



alcohol, and more so in aether. It boils at about 185° F. ; but this 

 point is not fixed, and rises gradually. M. Bonis found this liquid, 

 cleared as much as possible from chloride of carbon, to consist of, 

 carbon 12-36— 11-57— 12-35 ; chlorine 81-80— 80-42— 81-63 ; ni- 

 trogen 4-9—5-1. M. Bouis deduces the formula [C^ N* Cl*^], which 

 appears to M. Gerhardt to be rather complicated. 



Lastly, when nitric acid is added to the liquid A, and the mixture 

 is slightly heated, it boils and emits torrents of gas, which cause the 

 apparatus to fly to pieces. Nitrogen and carbonic acid are disengaged, 

 and much nitrous vapour is formed, mixed with yellowish vapours of 

 a very strong odour. Distillation gives sesquichloride of carbon 

 C'-Cl^, and also a very volatile colourless liquid C, the odour of which 

 is more irritating than that of the preceding products. M. Bouis 

 found in the liquid C, carbon 10-26—10-9 ; chlorine 75-86—75-74 ; 

 nitrogen 8-21 — 7-85. He represents these numbers by the formula 

 [C'^N'* Cl'^ O"*], which require carbon 10*9 ; nitrogen 75-5 ; oxygen 

 4-9. 



M. Gerhardt observes that, supposing hydrogen to exist in this 

 compound, the formula would be C^ N- H CV O ; carbon 10-9 ; hy- 

 drogen 0-2 ; nitrogen 8-1 ; chlorine 75-5. 



M. Gerhardt remarks that the preceding formulae are not deducible 

 in a simple manner from the composition of cyanides and water ; 

 the substance B appears to be specially inadmissible. M. Bouis sup- 

 poses sesquichloride of carbon to pre-exist in these compounds, and 

 sets out from this hypothesis to explain the formation of it. — Journ. 

 de Pharm. et de CL, Octobre 1847. 



FRIGORIFIC MIXTURE. 



It is stated by M. B. F. Jourdan, that when a mixture is made of 

 equal weights of commercial hydrochloric acid and finely -powdered 

 sulphate of zinc, the cold produced sinks the thermometer from 50° 

 to 20° F.—Ibid. Janvier 1848. 



RESEARCHES ON PHOSPHORUS. BY M. P. THENARD. 



The author states that in the last researches which he presented 

 to the Academy, he announced that by passing hydrochlorate of me- 

 thylene over phosphuret of calcium at a high temperature, five differ- 

 ent products were obtained, all of which were new, and all phos- 

 phorized, and whicli vaporized and condensed in receivers, three in 

 a solid state and two liquid ; that the three solid products, entirely 

 formed of phosphorus, hydrogen and carbon, were especially worthy 

 of particular attention ; that one of them is a powerful alkali, the 

 properties and probable composition of which he had described ; and 

 that the most remarkable of the three, which is spontaneously in- 

 flammable, and has an odour analogous to tliatof cacodyl, is converted, 

 under the influence of acids, into a certain quantity of the two others. 



The author also added, that if it were true that the alkali was 

 rcpretecntcd in its composition by J equivalent of phosphorus, 9 of 



