96 



CHEMISTRY. 



tion of the sea-water with which the mud was 

 charged when taken up. Over the North-Atlantic 

 sea-bed the chalk formation is in continued progress, 

 the identity of the ooze with chalk, both chemically 

 and organically, being very apparent. The silicious 

 grains have their counterpart in the layers of flint 

 seen in the chalk-din's probably formed by the 

 aggregation of minute particles round a central nu- 

 cleus while the species of minute shells found in the 

 ooze are in many cases identical with those entombed 

 long ages ago. 



New Volatile and Saccharine Substance. 

 M. Gerard has found in the caoutchouc im- 

 ported into France from Gaboon (West Coast 

 of Africa) a substance which he calls Dambo- 

 nite. It is a white-colored solid body. Taste 

 sweet; very soluble in water; difficultly so in 

 absolute alcohol; fuses at 190; and maybe 

 sublimed at 200 to 210 without decomposi- 

 tion. In its crystalline state, its formula is 

 CsHsOo. When submitted to the action of 

 fuming hydriodic acid, it is split up into Dam- 

 lose and iodide of methyl; C 8 H 8 06 + HI= 

 CeHeOe + CaHsI. Dambose is an anhydrous 

 glucose, capable of crystallization, insoluble in 

 absolute alcohol. 



Soluble Glass. The uses of this remarkable 

 substance are extending. In Germany and 

 England it is very largely employed in the 

 manufacture of artificial building-stone, ground 

 chalk and marble being mixed with it into a 

 paste, which readily hardens. Large barracks 

 have been constructed in Vienna solely of such 

 materials, and the cathedral tower in that city 

 was thoroughly repaired by it, in the only 

 way possible, considering the great height 

 of the edifice and the extent to which it had 

 fallen into decay. Prof. Joy, in the Journal of 

 Applied Chemistry, mentions various uses for 

 soluble glass as follows : 



" Marble and dolomite immersed in a solu- 

 tion of soluble glass, and the operation re- 

 peated a number of times, take up an appre- 

 ciable quantity of silica and become so hard 

 that they are capable of taking a fine polish. 

 Attempts to employ such stones for lithog-' 

 raphy have been made, but not altogether 

 with success. Artificial stone can be prepared 

 as follows : 



"Well-washed and gently-heated sand is 

 stirred into a warm solution of soluble glass 

 until a proper consistence has been reached 

 for pouring it into a mould. After it has 'set 

 it is removed from the frame, which ought to 

 have been previously oiled, and is left to dry 

 in an airy place. To avoid too great a con- 

 ' sumption of water-glass, a stone or brick can 

 be put in the centre of the mould. It is also 

 possible to stir in pebbles and to use earthy 

 colors in imitation of marble and conglomer- 

 ate. Such artificial material becomes very 

 hard, and is adapted to pavements, hearths, 

 and building-purposes. 



" Soluble glass can be used in the manufac- 

 ture of paper-hangings, for printing on paper 

 and woven fabrics, or for attaching gold and 

 silver powder to any kind of object. 



"Hydraulic lime can be prepared by mixing 

 in fine powder 10 to 12 parts by weight of dry 

 soluble glass and 100 parts of lime this af- 

 fords a ready way of preparing a hydraulic 

 cement from ordinary lime, which is always 

 available. 



" Wood and timber and other porous sub- 

 stances, after being boiled for several hours in 

 soluble glass, then exposed in tanks containing 

 lime-water or chloride of calcium and mag- 

 nesia, and left to dry, become highly vitrified 

 and incombustible. Kailroad-ties, ship's timber, 

 house and bridge beams, have been treated in 

 this manner with entire success. 



"The silicate is also used for penetrating 

 fire-brick and clay, and for cementing the 

 walls of furnaces. 



"When stirred up with chloride of calcium 

 and used for luting down the covers of cru- 

 cibles, it answers an excellent purpose. 



"As a species of lubricator, and to preserve 

 the elasticity of leather, soluble glass lias a 

 ready application." 



Analysis of Soot. Mr. W. R. Hutton, manu- 

 facturing chemist of Glasgow, has made anal- 

 yses of London and Glasgow soots with the 

 following results : 



The genuineness of the London soot Mr. 

 Hutton was able to guarantee, but he feared 

 that the Glasgow soot which he had examined 

 had been adulterated, judging from the large 

 percentage of sand and water in it. The large 

 proportion of sulphuric acid in the latter soot 

 might be accounted for by the sulphurous 

 quality of the Scotch coal, and the great num- 

 ber of chemical works in Glasgow. A con- 

 siderable quantity of soot is shipped from 

 Great Britain to the West Indies, to be used 

 for the growth of the sugar-cane, its price 

 there being 30s. to 40s. a ton. Not more than 

 500 tons are gathered in Glasgow per annum, 

 and the value of it never exceeds 1,000. 



Taking the waste of fuel, the loss of the nitrogen 

 of the coal, the destruction of property, and the per- 

 sonal discomfort resulting from smoke and soot, he 

 found that there was no profit, but rather a great 

 loss instead. As a practical solution of the " smoke 

 nuisance," Mr. Hutton briefly sketched a plan by 

 which practically smokeless fires might be obtained, 

 while all the volatile compounds could be separately 

 collected, and be got in a form fit for utilization. He 

 would distil the coal before burning, stopping short 

 the process of distillation at such a stage as would 



