140 



CHEMISTRY. 



have been prepared by Dr. Neumann. The 

 general formula of the system is 4RC1 MsCle-l- 

 2U 3 O, where R may represent any member of 

 the group of alkali metals, and M either iron, 

 chromium, or aluminum. Magnesium and be- 

 ryllium are also included in the series. 2MgCl 3 

 or 2BeCl 2 replacing 4RC1. They all crystallize 

 in forms belonging most probably to the regu- 

 lar system, generally in octahedrons or rhombic 

 dodecahedrons, with the exhibition of charac- 

 teristic and brilliant colors. 



Pure trichloride of nitrogen has been pre- 

 pared by Dr. Gattermann, of Gottingen. As 

 usually made, the substance is rather a varying 

 mixture of several chlorides than homogeneous. 

 The author's process consisted in washing the 

 crude product, which was as richly chlorinated 

 as possible, with water till all the sal-ammoniac 

 was removed, draining it, and leading it over a 

 rapid stream of chlorine. The success of the 

 operations, which were performed without ac- 

 cident, was ascribed to the fact that they were 

 performed on dull wintry days, when the sun's 

 actinism was very low. But at last, in about 

 the thirtieth preparation, the oil exploded with 

 its usual detonation. At the same moment, Dr. 

 Gattermann noticed that the sun had broken 

 through the clouds, and was shining upon his 

 apparatus. The apparently spontaneous ex- 

 plosions seem, therefore, to be due to the vio- 

 lent dissociation of the chloride by the wave- 

 motion of light. It was found that the burn- 

 ing of a piece of magnesium ribbon near the 

 oil was as effective as sunlight in producing 

 the explosion. The temperature of dissocia- 

 tion of the compound was determined to be 

 about 95 0. 



The allotropic amorphous modification of 

 antimony, signalized by M. Gore, and result- 

 ing from the decomposition of antimony chlo- 

 ride, bromide, or iodide by the battery, has 

 been obtained by P. Herard. The author 

 heated antimony to dull redness in a current 

 of nitrogen, and observed a development of 

 grayish vapors which condensed in a gray 

 powder on the sides of the glass tube in which 

 the apparatus terminates. This powder con- 

 sists of minute globules united like the amor- 

 phous arsenic of Bettendorff ; it contains 98*7 

 per cent, of antimony . Its specific gravity at 

 is 6-22, while that of crystalline antimony 

 varies, according to Isidore Pierre, from 6'725 

 to 6-737. Amorphous antimony melts at 6 14 C., 

 while crystalline antimony melts at 440 C. 



Three new chlorine compounds of titanium 

 have been obtained by Drs. Koenig and Van 

 der Pfordten, of Munich. They may be con- 

 sidered as chlorine derivatives of titanic acid, 

 Ti(OH)4, and form the only complete series of 

 such compounds with which we are as yet ac- 

 quainted in inorganic chemistry. 



E. A. Schneider has obtained a compound of 

 manganese sesquioxide with cupric oxide, and 

 has thereby formed a new illustration of the 

 properties which indicate an analogy on the 

 one hand between the manganese oxide and 



the sesquioxides of iron, chromium, and alumi- 

 num, and on the other hand, between the ox- 

 ides of copper, silver, and mercury, and those 

 of the alkali metals. The experiment also 

 confirms the arrangement in Mendelejeffs clas- 

 sification of the elements by which manganese 

 occupies the place between chromium and 

 iron. 



Four new zinc titanates have been obtained 

 by Lucien Levy by melting titanic acid with 

 mixtures of zinc and potassium sulphates. At 

 dull redness the product is always the sesqui- 

 basic titanate. At bright redness it is one of 

 the three others, according to the proportion 

 of flux. 



Three new sulpho-chlorides of mercury have 

 been isolated by Drs. Poleck and Goercki, of 

 Breslau. The peculiar changes of color which 

 occur when a solution of mercuric chloride is 

 precipitated by sulphureted hydrogen gas 

 from white to yellow, orange, brownish red, 

 and black, are produced by different degrees 

 of combination of the chloride and sulphur, 

 forming different substances, of which the first 

 had been already shown by Rose to be 2HgS, 

 HgClj. The present authors have, by careful 

 manipulation, succeeded in securing other com- 

 pounds 3HgS, HgCl 2 , 4HgS, HgCl a , and 5HgS, 

 HgCln, while the final product is the sulphide 

 of mercury, HgS, itself. In each case the fil- 

 trate was found to be free from quicksilver 

 and chlorine, proving that the extra molecule 

 of the chloride had in each case combined. 

 These sulpho-chlorides are very stable, per- 

 fectly insoluble in water, insoluble in hydro- 

 chloric and nitric acids, but soluble in aqua re- 

 gie- 



A tetrasulphide of benzine has been pre- 

 pared pure, by Dr. Otto, of Brunswick. It 

 appears when phenyl-disulpliide, prepared by 

 passing sulphureted hydrogen gas through an 

 alcoholic solution of benzine-sulphuric acid, 

 is allowed to stand, when the liquid separates 

 into monoclinic crystals of sulphur and a yel- 

 low oil. The yellow oil consists of a phenyl- 

 tetrasulphide (CH 6 )2S a , which at the ordinary 

 temperature is a very viscid, heavy, highly re- 

 fracting oil with an unpleasant odor. It is a 

 comparatively stable compound, but on warm- 

 ing with colorless ammonium sulphide is re- 

 duced to disulphide. According to Klason, 

 phenyl-tetrasulpbide is also the product of the 

 action of dichloride of sulphur, S 2 Cl a , upon 

 thiophenol, CeHs.SH, the mercaptan of the 

 benzine series, and Otto shows that this is 

 really the case. 



A new gas, of the composition PSF 3 , and 

 possessing some remarkable properties, has 

 been discovered by Prof. Thorpe and Mr. J. W. 

 Rodger. It is called thiophosphoryl fluoride. 

 Various methods of preparing it are given. It 

 is spontaneously inflammable, and burns with 

 a greenish-yellow flame tipped at the apex with 

 blue. It is readily decomposed by the electric 

 spark with deposition of sulphur ; is slowly 

 dissolved by water ; and is somewhat soluble 



