142 



CHEMISTRY. 



found to consist of about 88 per cent, of a ti- 

 tanium carbide, in which titanium and carbon 

 are present in very nearly the exact propor- 

 tion of their atomic weights. 



The only compounds formed by the union 

 of metallic bases with benzine-sulphonic acid, 

 prepared and analyzed previous to the experi- 

 ments of T. H. Norton and T. W. Schmidt, 

 were the barium, copper, zinc, and silver salts. 

 The authors have increased this number by 

 the addition of the cadmium, manganese, nick- 

 el, cobalt, and mercurous salts. 



New Processes. A new method of preparing 

 silicon, and recent researches respecting its al- 

 lotropic modifications are reported by H. N. 

 Warren. The element is prepared from bars 

 of silicon eisen, by dissolving away the iron 

 connected with the positive wire in dilute 

 sulphuric acid, and treating the solid residue, 

 heated to redness, with a stream of carbonic 

 anhydride, and subsequently heating in con- 

 tact with zinc. On dissolving the zinc away, 

 the silicon separated in a crystalline condition. 

 A further quantity was simultaneously con- 

 verted into graphitoid silicon by fusing at a 

 full white heat in contact with aluminum and 

 parting by means of acid. The three modifi- 

 cations of silicon may be converted by suitable 

 means from the crystalline to the graphitoid, 

 and even to the amorphous, or vice versa. 



The following means for determining the 

 quantity of morphine in opium has been 

 awarded by the Austrian Pharmaceutical So- 

 ciety the prize offered for a simple method 

 sufficiently accurate to meet the practical 

 need : Five grammes of the opium powder are 

 macerated in a small flask, with 75cc of lime- 

 water, for twelve hours, with frequent shaking. 

 This is then filtered through a plaited filter. 

 To 60cc. of the filtrate, corresponding to 4 

 grammes of opium, which is brought into a 

 weighed flask of such a size as to be nearly 

 filled by the ether and ammonia, there are 

 added 15cc. of ether and 4cc. of normal am- 

 monia. The flask is then well corked, and the 

 contents are mixed by gentle agitation. The 

 flask is then set aside for from six to eight 

 hours, the temperature being kept at from 1 C. 

 to 15 0. At the end of that time the ethereal 

 layer is removed, 5cc. of fresh ether are added, 

 and the flask is gently shaken. The ether is 

 again removed, and finally the crystals of mor- 

 phine, which have separated, are collected on a 

 small plaited filter. The crystals which remain 

 in the flask are washed with 5cc. of distilled 

 water. This wash-water is brought on the 

 filter, and finally the flask and also the filter 

 and its contents are dried at 100 C. The crys- 

 tals on the filter are transferred to the flask, 

 and this is then dried until a constant weight 

 is obtained. The morphine thus produced is 

 pure, and dissolves completely, though slowly, 

 in 100 parts of saturated lime-water. The 

 principles of treatment are the same for opium 

 extract and opium tincture. 



A method for detecting by the magnet adul- 



terations of nickel and some other metals has 

 been described by T. B. Warren. Two samples 

 of nickel tubes having been carelessly mixed 

 and the magnet applied to them, they were 

 found to be unequally attracted by the magnet, 

 and were finally re-sorted by this test and re- 

 separated into the original lots. Differences in 

 the appearances of the two lots could be de- 

 tected only on a close examination. Portions 

 of the metal were alloyed with tin, arsenic, and 

 antimony separately, and this had a decided 

 effect on their magnetic pohirity. Cobalt is 

 similarly affected when alloyed with paramag- 

 netic metals. 



A process for the determination of tannin 

 by means of diluted lead acetate, employed by 

 M. Villon, depends upon the fact that that 

 salt precipitates tannin and not gallic acid and 

 its allies. Tannin liquors and lead liquors are 

 prepared (the latter containing a proportion of 

 sodium acetate with the lead acetate) ; meas- 

 ured portions of them are left in contact for 

 five minutes and then filtered ; and the specific 

 gravities of the lead acetate, the tannin liquor, 

 and the filtered mixture, are severally taken, 

 all at the same temperature; and from these 

 the proportion of tannin is calculated. 



A method for extracting the alkaloids of 

 cinchona-bark with cold oil has been used in 

 the Government factory at Sikkim with most 

 satisfactory results. By it all the quinine is 

 separated as against only about half by the pro- 

 cess formerly used, and the quality of the 

 product is unimpaired. 



A basic process for iron described by W. 

 Hutehinson as used in South Staffordshire, 

 differs from the ordinary basic process in that 

 the converting is conducted in two stages. 1, 

 desiliconizing the metal in an acid-lined con- 

 verter ; and, 2, dephosphorizing in a converter 

 with a basic lining. 



A method is described by F. A. Gooch for 

 the separation of sodium and potassium from 

 lithium by the action of amyl alcohol on the 

 chlorides. It is also applied to the separation 

 of the same metals from magnesium and cal- 

 cium. 



In experiments made by W. II. Greene to 

 ascertain whether mercury can be purified by 

 distillation, or whether foreign metals are 

 vaporized with it, twelve distillations were 

 made of mercury which had been mixed with 

 bismuth, lead, tin, sodium, and copper. The 

 retorts contained no residue of mercury and 

 the distilled mercury was pure. 



Hasebroek proposes as a delicate test for 

 bismuth the addition of hydrogen peroxide 

 made alkaline with potassium or sodium hy- 

 drate to bismuth subnitrate, which, on heat- 

 ing, from white becomes brownish yellow 

 with the evolution of oxygen. 



The investigations of Christopher Rawson 

 of the various methods of estimating indiiiotin 

 show that indigo, when finely pulverized, is 

 completely dissolved by sulphuric acid, at from 

 90 to 95 C., in one hour. The permanga- 



