1 821.] Prof. Berzeliuson the Composition of Prussia tes. 7 



have had many children in rapid succession occasionally become 

 xickety, and are affected with a species of mollifies ossium; the 

 foetus derives its whole supply of ossific matter from the mother 

 and if she be exhausted, sick, or ill fed, this would appear to be 

 done at an expense which her own bones cannot bear without 

 injury. I shall terminate this subject by observing that the deer 

 are incapable of procreating their species, if their horns be 

 broken at the rutting- season. 



Article II. 



Researches on the Composition of the Prussiates, or ferruginous 

 Hydrocyanates. By J. Berzelius. 



{Concluded from p. 449, vol. i. New Series.) 



I think that the following conclusions may be drawn from 

 the experiments already detailed, viz. 



(a.) That the cyanurets of the alkalifiable metals preserve 

 their cyanogen at a very high temperature, but that the cyanuret 

 of iron combined with them suffers decomposition, and gives 

 azotic gas, and leaves quadricarburet of iron. 



(b.) The cyanurets of other irreducible metals are decomposed 

 at a high temperature. Those which can be entirely deprived 

 of water, as the cyanuret of iron, give azotic gas, and are con- 

 verted into a double quadricarburet. Those, on the contrary, 

 which preserve their state of hydrocyanate until decomposition 

 commences, lose a certain quantity of their carbon, and the 

 carburet which remains contains the iron in the form of quadri- 

 carburet ; but the other metal is carburetted in a less de°ree, 

 being either a tricarburet or bicarburet. 



(c.) Reducible metals lose the cyanogen with retaining the 

 carbon ; but it is probable that some among them may, at a 

 higher temperature, divide the carbon with the carburet of iron. 

 The compounds of carbon with the metals have hitherto but 

 very little attracted the attention of chemists. Jt has been 

 indeed found that the metals reduced by carbon always retain a 

 small portion of this body, by which their properties are more or 

 less altered. But the carbon thus absorbed by the metals is 

 mostly in so small a quantity that its relation to chemical propor- 

 tions cannot be determined. We were ignorant until now of 

 metallic carburets, which were proportional in composition to 

 the sulphurets, the arseniurets, &c. and also to that of the car- 

 bonates. It is evident that those which have been now described 

 belong to this latter class of compounds ; for the decomposition 



she was able to walk about the room. There are also three cases in Hildanus of frac. 

 tures which took place in pregnant women, where a union could not be procured by 

 continuity of bony callus. In Heister's Surgery, the reader will find several othi 



a 

 IT 



