154 



CHEMISTRY. 



1.231=27 Baume. Incorporating glycerine 

 with clay already moist, evaporation of the 

 water later occurs, and the mass loses its plas- 

 tic property. The expense of the glycerine 

 might seem an obstacle in the way of this pro- 

 cess. The dried clay requires nearly half its 

 weight of glycerine ; but the cost becomes of 

 less importance in view of the fact that the 

 clay so preserves its plasticity that, without 

 further expense or labor of preparation, it can 

 be used over again indefinitely. The prepared 

 clay is, moreover, still much cheaper for mod- 

 elling than wax, while it can replace the latter 

 for all purposes, even to the most delicate oper- 

 ations; and it has the further advantage of 

 maintaining the same consistency and plasticity 

 from cold up to quite high temperatures. 



In a note in the Mechanics' Magazine, No- 

 vember 24, 1865, Mr. Peter Hart states that, 

 having in course of some experiments to pre- 

 pare pipe-clay repeatedly for luting, he found 

 that by mixing the clay with a solution of chlo- 

 ride of calcium (sp. gr., 1.350) the luting kept 

 good during the whole remaining course of his 

 experiments ; while a portion of it tried about 

 a year later was still plastic. As it appeared 

 impossible to dry the mass, it would probably 

 not serve for cases in which the modelled forms 

 required drying. 



Linoleum, and its Applications. The name 

 linoleum (linus, linseed, and oleum, oil) has 

 been given to a substance obtained by oxidizing 

 the linseed oil of commerce, thus converting it 

 into a semi-resinous matter, and then combin- 

 ing this at a strong heat with resinous gums 

 and other ingredients. The new product has 

 the appearance, and many of the properties, of 

 india-rubber. It can, like the latter, be made 

 into a varnish or cement ; and this can be em- 

 ployed for water-proofing clothing, for protect- 

 ing iron or wood, and for coating the bottom 

 of ships, as well as for cementing wood with 

 iron or wood with wood. It can be vulcanized 

 by heat, and that to the hardness of the hardest 

 woods; and in this condition can be worked by 

 filing, planing, or turning, and made to take a 

 high polish. It can also be moulded in heated 

 dies to any desired form ; and combined with 

 emery, it forms excellent grinding wheels. 

 Among the articles made from it or by appli- 

 cation of it, are said to be sheaves for pulleys, 

 surgical-instrument handles, picture-frames, 

 mouldings, veneers, &c. ; and also carriage- 

 aprons, sail-covers, tarpaulin, gas-pipes, paints 

 and enamels for certain purposes, &c. One of 

 its chief applications thus far has been to the 

 making of washable felt carpets or floor-cloths. 

 For producing this cloth, a face of the linoleum 

 mixed with ground or powdered cork is rolled 

 in upon one side of stout canvas, while the 

 other side is water-proofed with the varnish 

 already referred to. The fabric is printed with 

 blocks in the ordinary way. The carpeting so 

 produced is noiseless and pliable, is not affected 

 by heat, washes readily, and -is very durable. 



Aniline Slack: Printing and Qualities. 



This colored derivative of aniline may be said 

 to complete the series of brilliant colors de- 

 rived from that base ; though from the other 

 me'mbers of that series, as the red, the blue, and 

 the violet, it- differs in nearly all important re- 

 spects. Mr. John Lightfoot, of Accrington, 

 patented in January, 1863, a process of obtain- 

 ing the then new aniline black, upon cotton, by 

 printing or dyeing with the following mixture: 

 chlorate of potash, and sal-ammoniac, each. 25 

 grammes; aniline, chlorhydric acid, and per- 

 chloride of copper, each, 60 gr. ; acetic acid, 12 

 gr. ; solution of starch, 1 litre. The fabric be~ 

 ing printed with this mixture, dried, and 

 warmed in "oxidation chambers," the black is 

 then first developed; and it is afterwards fixed 

 by washing in water slightly alkaline. The 

 coloring matter is completely insoluble, and re- 

 mains intimately fixed in the fabric. The dis- 

 advantages attending this process, however, 

 among them the injury done to the strength of 

 the fibre, led to its abandonment; and the 

 same appears to be true of M. Camille Kaech- 

 lin's process, in which the copper was for the 

 first time introduced into the fabric instead of 

 the mixture, and in form of a sulphate ; and 

 of M. Cordillot's, in which the chloride of cop- 

 per is replaced by ferrocyanide [or perhaps, fer- 

 ricyanide] of ammonium. 



M. Lauth (Bulletin de la Societe Chimique 

 de Paris, December, 1864, p. 416; Le Techno- 

 logiste, April, 1865) describes a modification 

 of Lightfoot's process introduced by him, and 

 in which he prints by using with the aniline 

 and potash salts also an insoluble oxidable salt, 

 but which shall become soluble upon the tissue ; 

 for example, the sulphide of copper. By the 

 oxidizing action of the chloric acid, or of the 

 chlorine set free during reaction of chlorhy- 

 drate "of aniline up chlorate of potash, the sul- 

 phide of copper is transformed into sulphate. 

 The author states that this process is economi- 

 cal, while in it the mixture does not attack the 

 metallic rollers or other mechanism, nor does it 

 weaken the fabric no more, at all events, than 

 madder black. The color is fixed at 20 to 40 

 0., and is very permanent ; while the compo- 

 sition of the dye allows of its being printed 

 with all sorts of colors. 



The aniline black has an altogether unique 

 appearance, velvety, and very rich. The in- 

 corporated dye is completely insoluble in water, 

 even boiling and with soap ; and also, it is 

 stated, in alkalies or acids. The latter indeed 

 change the black to green; but the original 

 color is restored by alkalies. Bichromate of 

 potash deepens the shade, but in concentrated 

 solution slightly reddens it. Strong chloride 

 of lime bleaches it, but after a time the color is 

 almost perfectly restored. 



In the same number of Le Technologiste is a 

 description of a mode of preparing aniline green, 

 by previous preparation of aldehyde, and then 

 treating in the manner given a mixture of this 

 with fuchsine, sulphuric acid, and cold water. 



New Solvent for Aniline Dyes. A new sol- 



