222 



CHEMISTRY. 



CHILI. 



gen produced no chemical change in it, though 

 retained for nearly a year ; the acidity of the 

 wine was not increased, nor its taste changed. 

 Such wine is more sparkling, and opened dis- 

 engages oxygen in such quantity as to rekindle 

 an extinguished taper. The wine, however, a 

 little while after being drunk, produces a very 

 sensible heat, and a general and peculiar 

 agreeable sensation. Even ozonized oxygen 

 did not acidify wine. Maumene' has also 

 charged wine with protoxide of nitrogen 

 (laughing gas), and the beverage possessed in 

 high degree the exhilarating property of that 

 gas when inhaled. He has even caused water, 

 under 8 atmospheres, to take up oxygen suf- 

 ficient to render it strongly effervescent ; and 

 he was led to conclude that the drinking of 

 such water improved the functions of respira- 

 tion and digestion. 



Preservation of Meats. In the Cosmos is 

 found an account of the process of M. Peligot 

 for preserving meats, by introducing into an 

 opening made with a trocar into some suitable 

 part of each piece, a small metallic tube which 

 terminates a longer flexible tube reaching down 

 from a reservoir some 25 to 35 feet above, and 

 which contains the prepared solution of pre-. 

 servative salts : the liquid pressure due to such 

 a height forces the solution into and uniformly 

 through the meat the pieces meanwhile lying 

 in another solution or pickle bath, which by 

 external pressure prevents the escape of the 

 liquid infiltrated. After a few days, the pieces 

 are removed from the bath, dried in a moder- 

 ately warm current of air, and then smoked: 

 the whole loss of weight is about 18 to 20 per 

 cent. A ham is in this process perforated to 

 the bone, near the small end ; and pork is more 

 improved by the preparation than beef. The 

 process preserves much better the juices and 

 aroma of the meat, than does the ordinary 

 method of pickling, while it can be so regulated 

 as to prevent the entrance of too much salt, and 

 it does not harden the fibres and reduce their 

 nutritive value to near the extent that occurs 

 in ordinary salted meats. 



Rendering Fairies Non-inflammable. The 

 many painful instances of death by burning, 

 which have occurred since the incoming in la- 

 dies' dress of the present style of expanded 

 skirts, have resulted in calling the public atten- 

 tion strongly to a consideration of the means 

 of rendering the fabrics of ladies' and of course 

 children's dresses non-inflammable. By this is 

 implied the saturation of the material with 

 some chemical which shall retard its burning, 

 and at least prevent its being rapidly consumed 

 in a blaze or flame ; since to render such fabrics 

 "incombustible," or totally incapable of burn- 

 ing, is as yet a thing wholly impracticable. 

 Among the means which have been proposed 

 for the former purpose, are the steeping of the 

 fabric just before its final drying preparatory 

 to ironing, in a solution of chloride of zinc, or 

 of sulphate of ammonia, or of tungstate of soda, 

 or of common salt. By one writer it is stated 



that the common salt, while not so liable to in- 

 jure certain colors as are the other articles, is 

 equally efficacious for the purpose intended. 



In manufacturing starch from rice, Mr. T. 

 Kedwood, of London, adds to the starch liquor 

 an acid solution of chloride of zinc ; the starch 

 compound being then dried and reduced to 

 powder, is ready for use. The clothes starched 

 with this compound are said to be rendered in 

 a high degree non-inflammable, while their 

 surface also takes in ironing a superior polish. 

 For further applications of chemistry, tee ILLU- 

 MINATION: 



Awards at the Exhibition of '1862 for Ameri- 

 can Chemical and Allied Products. The fol- 

 lowing are the awards made by the juries hav- 

 ing in charge, according to the division made 

 in the articles exhibited, the subjects of the 

 first three classes or departments : 



CLASS No. 1 : Mining, Metallurgy, and Mine- 

 rals. J. Mosheimer received the Council medal 

 for his collection illustrating the newly explored 

 mineral wealth of the Territory of Nevada. T. 

 Meads, honorable mention for fine collection of 

 native copper and silver, from Lake Superior ; 

 New Jersey Zinc Company, honorable mention 

 for fine spiegel iron, produced from franklinite. 



CLASS No. 2 : Chemical Products. Medals 

 to Glen Cove Starch Company, samples of 

 starch ; for the excellent quality of products ; 

 H. G. Hotchkiss, wintergreen oil; Kingsford, 

 silver-gloss starch ; F. S. Pease, for petroleum, 

 benzole from petroleum, coal-tar oil for illumi- 

 nation and lubrication. In a subdivision of the 

 same class, the Philadelphia College of Phar- 

 macy received a Council medal for a fine col- 

 lection of Nortli American vegetable drugs, 

 and preparations made from them. 



CLASS No. 3 : Substances Used for Food. 

 Glen Cove Starch Company, medal for maizena 

 or corn starch used for food ; exceedingly ex- 

 cellent for food. Hecker Brothers, medal for 

 flour ; excellence of quality. Stebbins and Co. 

 receive honorable mention for good flour, and 

 J. Waddell, honorable mention for good quali- 

 ty of Indian corn. 



CHILI, a republic of South America, situated 

 between lat. 25 22' and 43 30' south, and be- 

 tween long. Y0 and 74 west. It is bounded on 

 the north by Bolivia, on the east by Patagonia 

 and the territory of the Argentine Republic, on 

 the south and west by the Pacific Ocean. It 

 has a length from north to south of about 1,150 

 miles, while its breadth varies from about 80 

 to 130 miles. The last official census, which 

 was taken in 1854, gave the following results 

 as to area and population : 



