CHEM!-M:V. 



earth, sad *t all artificial UoptntnfM yot attain.-,!, 

 mtt Ik* BMtaU, all tb mulluiO not rvpraMol- 

 in Mcb lUr, uwl th compound! known here 



/rut Ebetrvtyptt.Tbe substitution of iron 

 for copper in the electrotyping prooeM baa 

 been MoeeMfnlly effected by M. Eugene Kl. In. 

 of St. Petersburg. The importance of this 

 achievement it very great By replacing plates 

 of copper with those of iron, greater facilities 

 will be afforded for produciug publications 

 work* of art, and especially bank notes and 

 check*. Iron electrotype plates are almost in- 

 destructible. Not only can they be printed 

 from a great nuinl><>r >t times, but they are bet- 

 ter calculated than those of copper to withstand 

 the inevitable accident* constantly occurring in 

 printing establishments. 



The history of the experiments thus now 

 happily crowned with success is as follows: 

 X. Fenquierea sent to the Paris Exposition I'ni- 

 rerselle of 1847 some specimens of iron electro- 

 type, which presented a fair appearance as re- 

 garded their surface, but still were inferior to 

 those produced by Klein in the following year. 

 The medals produced by the latter in the early 

 part of his researches showed, on their reverse. 

 poro*itie* and deep hollows, which penetrated 

 nearly through the thickness of the deposit. 

 Tbe*c cavities were also observable in great 

 numbers in the productions of M. Fenquieres. 

 In Klein's later specimens these singular cavi- 

 ti which were probably caused by gait-bub- 

 ble* entirely disappeared, and their reverses 

 are in no way inferior to those of copper sp, ,-i- 

 mens produced under the best conditions. The 

 starting-point of M. Klein was the steeling 

 of engraved copper plates, which process was 

 effected in a bath com|>osed of the chlorate of 

 ammonia and iron, to which he added a small 

 portion of glycerine. Those who have paid 

 attention to the steeling process have re- 

 marked that, in giving the deposit of iron a 

 greater thickne**, the surface cracks and the 

 depocit detaches itself from the cathode in ex- 

 eeMively brittle flakes. It became necessary, 

 therefore, to employ baths of two different 

 ktods, composed of sulphate of iron and sulphate 

 'ilnrate of ammonia. Finally Klein em- 

 ployed three baths under the fiirrmiliD FeO, 



SO, + NH.0.8O, + 8 HO. The first but! r, 



fete of a concentrated solution of crystals of 

 the above doable salt. The second was made 

 by mixing the concentrated solution . : 

 of thrM two salts in the pro|...rti..ti of th> ir 

 ^nivalcnU. At length M. Klein obtain. 

 third h*th by taking a solution of sulphate of 

 |,r>-<-ipitnting tin- iron I ite of 



ammonia, and dissolving tin- precipitate >> sul- 

 phuric add, felting rid of all excels of acid. 

 Another method of preparing the second bath 

 i* by diswilving In a solution of sulphate of 

 Iron as much chlorate of ammonia as It will 

 wadlly abaorb at about M" Fahr. All these 

 bell* were concentrated as highly as thev 

 ooBld be. A* an anode M. Klein employed 



iron plates, giving a surface about eight times 

 that of the copper cathode. In using a Dauiell 

 battery for the decomposition, the deposit 

 was formed in twenty-four hours upon the 

 whole of the cathode ; but it was full of tinw s, 

 and easily detached and broken up into frag- 

 ment*. 



Judging that this was duo to acidification 

 of the bath, M. Klein tested it, nn<! found n 

 very decided acid reaction. This he attributed 

 to the circumstance that the amount of iron 

 deposited on the cathode was greater than that 

 dissolved by the anode. It wns. then-tore, ne- 

 cesaary to give the anode a greater degri i- of 

 solubility, and, as that could be ettVcteil only 

 by increasing its area, Klein conceived the idea 

 of placing in the bath a plate of copper, and 

 uniting it with the iron. The result a- very 

 remarkable : not only were the baths of the 

 first class rendered neutral after several hours, 

 bnt the deposits became much more uniform. 

 Their color was n dull gray ; they adhered per- 

 fectly to the cathode, without warping or crack- 

 ing. It was noted that if the energy of tin- 

 current becomes too great, cavities will be 

 formed on the under side of the deposit. But 

 by reducing this energy in the process, and 

 having only on imperceptible disengogeim nt 

 of gas, by diminishing the concentration of the 

 bath, or augmenting the resistance of the solid 

 portions of the circuit, no cavities were formed. 

 On leaving the bath the iron is as hard as tem- 

 pered steel, and very brittle. When reheated 

 to a dull-red heat, it loses much of its sharp- 

 ness and hardness. Heated to a cherry red. it 

 becomes malleable. If the deposits are pro- 

 duced in good condition, and annealed uni- 

 formly, and with the necessary precautions, 

 they are subject to neither warp nor bend. 



Xottilucine. Dr. T L. Phipson has discov- 

 ered the existence of a substance which he 

 calls noetilveint. It shines like phosphorus 

 in the dark, and is widely distributed through 

 the organic world. It causes the phospho- 

 rescence of certain animals and fish, and 

 is also secreted by glow-worms and fire-flies, 

 and probably by all animate objects whirl 

 hibit the phenomena of phosphorescence. It 

 is likewise produced by certain living plants, 

 such as Agariftit, Euphorbia, and by the de- 

 composition of vegetal matter under certain 

 conditions, such as the fermentation of pota- 

 toes, etc. Noctilncine is a nitrogenous sub- 

 stance which at common temperatures is almost 

 liquid; it is capable of dilution with water, 

 and has a faint odor, somewhat like that of 

 ciiprylic acid. It is insoluble in alcohol or 

 ether, but is readily decomposed by mineral 

 acids and alkalies; potash disengage-, ammo- 

 nia from it. When fermented in contact with 

 water, It after a time gives out the odor of de- 

 ! cheese. While damp, noctilncine ab- 

 sorbs oxygen and gives off carbonic acid, but 

 if it l>e exposed to the air it dries in thin, 

 translucent, amorphous flakes, resembling the 

 dried slime of slugs. When fresh it is strongly 



