CHEMISTRY. 



175 



presence of ozone in the air. The coloration 

 of this ozonometric paper, which is still, as a 

 very general rule, regarded as indicating the 

 presence of ozone, may, it appears from the 

 principle just stated, show in fact only the 

 presence of the nitrite of ammonia which 

 arises during evaporation of water, and in in- 

 creased quantity (it is said) when the water 

 contains calcareous substances. (See also Ni- 

 trification, further on.) 



Dr. Wilhelm Heldt, in a pamphlet upon the 

 "Fundamental Properties of Oxygen and Hy- 

 drogen," controverts the views of Schonbein 

 in reference to the allotropic modification of 

 oxygen. Among his conclusions are the fol- 

 lowing : 



1. There are no such modifications of oxygen 

 as ozone and antozone. Phosphorus, with wa- 

 ter and oxygen, yields the ordinary and also, 

 a gaseous peroxide of hydrogen ; and the 

 latter, which has powerfully oxidizing proper- 

 ties, is mixed in variable proportions with air 

 or oxygen. The presence of hydrogen in this 

 compound can be proved by the deliquescence 

 of anhydrous phosphoric acid beyond the heat- 

 ed part of a tube through which the gas is 

 passed. The so-called antozone, from peroxide 

 of barium, gives the same result. 



2. Pure uncombined oxygen never possesses 

 the properties of the gas spoken of. 



3. Various liquid or gaseous organic com- 

 pounds, as oil of turpentine, &c., when satur- 

 ated with oxygen, become like the inorganic 

 Buperoxides powerfully oxidizing bodies. 



4. Oxygen never passes, previous to oxida- 

 tion of bodies, into a new or active state. The 

 author proved that the air [sic] employed to 

 oxidize a solution of sulphate of iron, had un- 

 dergone no change whatever. 



5. The only method of communicating to 

 perfectly dry oxygen a higher activity, is by 

 electrization. And oxygen is never, otherwise, 

 capable of setting free iodine from iodide of 

 potassium. 



6. Atmospheric air almost always gives a 

 more or less distinct reaction with iodide of 

 potassium paper. This is to be ex-plained by 

 the fact that the atmosphere is a reservoir for 

 all the gaseous substances formed at the earth's 

 surface. In the reaction there are always two 

 opposing agencies one setting the iodine free, 

 another combining with the iodine or bleaching 

 the blue paper. In the former class stands ni- 

 trous acid ; in the latter, various hydrogen com- 

 pounds, as IIS, PH 3 , &c. 



7. Peroxide of hydrogen (of Thenard) is not, 

 as Schonbein assumes, oxidized water, that is, 

 HO + (+ O); but is a carrier of oxygen, and 

 of which all the oxygen may be transferred. 

 When the peroxide is brought in contact with 

 another substance which has an attraction for 

 oxygen or hydrogen, the whole quantity is re- 

 solved with oxygen or with hydrogen, either 

 of which may combine with the body in ques- 

 tion ; that is, the peroxide may act as a reducing 

 or as an oxidizing agent. Finally, *he author so 



explains certain instances urged by Schonbein, 

 as apparently to show that, in relation to them, 

 the assumption of the polarity of oxygen is un- 

 necessary. 



[These views, it may be remarked, tend to 

 unsettle only the question as to the precise na- 

 ture of the agency concerned in constituting a 

 certain physical condition of the atmosphere, 

 and in producing certain specific results of a 

 chemical or of a physiological character. The 

 new views cannot assume to deny that peculi- 

 arity of atmospheric condition, or those special 

 manifestations of chemical and of physiological 

 activity, which have come latterly to be as- 

 cribed to ozone. If no such thing as ozone ex- 

 ists, still the so-called " ozonized atmosphere," 

 and " ozone action " in chemical affinity and 

 upon living bodies, are facts ; and as such they 

 remain to be accounted for.] 



Sulphur (New Modification of.} M. Dietzen- 

 bacher (Comptes Rendus, Jan. 5th, 1863) ob- 

 serves that by action of chlorine, bromine, or 

 iodine, the properties of sulphur may be modi- 

 fied to a remarkable extent. A mixture of 400 

 parts of sulphur and 1 of iodine being heated 

 to about 180 C., upon cooling, a sulphur is ob- 

 tained which remains a long time elastic, and 

 which, poured on a glass or porcelain plate, 

 forms flexible sheets. The like change is pro- 

 duced by iodide of potassium, and even by a 

 less amount of sulphur. The sulphur thus pre- 

 pared is insoluble in bisulphide of carbon. 



The action of 1 per cent, of bromine at 200 

 0. is similar; but the sulphur, instead of being 

 then black and having a metallic lustre, has the 

 color of yellow wax ; and this variety is much 

 softer than that before described. Of it 75 to 

 80 per cent, is insoluble in bisulphide of car- 

 bon. Chlorine being passed through sulphur at 

 240 C., changes it into a sort of soft sulphur, 

 which can readily be drawn out, and the parts 

 again stuck together. Of this, rather more than 

 of the last is soluble in bisulphide of carbon. 

 After this modification of sulphur has been 

 worked up for an hour or two, it suddenly 

 hardens ; and it then becomes quite insoluble 

 in the bisulphide. 



III. INORGANIC COMPOUNDS. Supposed New 

 Series of Metallic Oxides. M. H. Rose is led to 

 believe that he has detected the existence of a 

 new class of metallic oxides, at least one of 

 which he appears also to have succeeded in 

 forming. Reasoning both from the law of the 

 relation of the specific heats of elements to 

 their atomic weights, and also from that of 

 isomorphism, it is inferred that the atomic 

 weight of silver should be reduced to one-half 

 that usually admitted. Rose finds the sulphide 

 of copper (Cu-j S) isomorphous with that of sil- 

 ver (Ag 3 S). But now, if in what has been 

 called protoxide of silver there are 2 atoms of 

 Ag to 1 of 0, then the suboxide of the same 

 metal must have the composition Ag 4 O. This 

 last consequence would necessarily be doubted, 

 until analogous compounds are shown to exist. 

 Rose has accordingly experimented with very 



