120 CHEMISTRY. (MISCELLANEOUS.) 



CHILI. 



brought into a coherent mass. Soluble salts are 

 also necessary in forming gluten, as in distilled 

 water gliadin is readily soluble. In water con- 

 taining suits it forms a very viscid, semifluid 

 mass, which has great power to bind together 

 the particles of flour. The mineral constituents 

 of the seeds are sufficient to accomplish this 

 purpose, for gluten can be obtained by washing 

 a dough with distilled water. No ferment action 

 occurs in the formation of gluten, for its con- 

 stituents are found in the flour having the same 

 composition and properties as in the gluten even 

 under those conditions which would be supposed 

 completely to remove antecedent proteids or to 

 prevent ferment action. All the phenomena 

 which have been attributed to ferment action 

 are explained by the properties of the proteids 

 as they exist in the seed and in the gluten. 



It has been generally assumed that the deficient 

 yield of tar that usually accompanies the use of 

 a high carbonizing temperature is fully made up 

 by increased production of gas. In the experi- 

 ence of Mr. C. Hunt, however, the highest pro- 

 duction of gas has been accompanied by the 

 largest yield both of tar and ammoniated liquor. 

 Experiments have shown that a falling off of il- 

 luminating value occurs when very high yields 

 of gas are obtained. While the best general 

 results may be obtained from carbonizing at a 

 fairly high temperature, it is essential that the 

 gaseous products should be enabled to pass freely 

 ;i\vay and without encountering in the ascension 

 pipe any absorbent of hydrocarbons such as thick 

 tar. Mr. Hunt has also tested the lime and air 

 process for eliminating sulphur compounds from 

 gas. Daily tests were made of the amount of 

 oxygen in the gas from certain gas works, and it 

 was found that when the oxygen went up the 

 sulphur compounds followed. From this experi- 

 ence it was concluded : (1) That oxygen, so far 

 from assisting in the removal of sulphur com- 

 pounds, was actually prejudicial, at least when 

 present in any appreciable quantity ; (2) that it 

 was of use mainly for oxidation of the sulphu- 

 reted hydrogen by which economy of lime was 

 effected, and the spent lime, being chiefly in the 

 form of carbonate, with a large percentage of 

 free sulphur, was rendered practically inodor- 

 ous ; (8) that the quantity of oxygen which 

 might be safely employed, having regard to re- 

 duction of sulphur compounds, varied with the 

 carbonic acid present that is, the less carbonic 

 acid the more oxygen. It further appeared that 

 unless air could be almost completely excluded, 

 th lime and air process was less suitable for the 

 removal of sulphur compounds than one in which 

 each impurity was separately attacked. 



The committee of the British Association on 

 the action of light upon dyed colors reported 

 that the colors experimented upon by them dur- 

 ing the past year were chiefly yellows. Of these, 

 by far the largest number, ranging from ''mod- 

 erately fast " to " very fast," were to be found 

 among the azo colors. The azoxy colors give good 

 fast tints upon silk and cotton/ The fastness of 

 alizarin orange is probably greater than that ex- 

 hibited by most other colors of the alizarin 

 group. Very few fast yellows are derived from 

 the natural coloring matters. The cultivation 

 of weld, which yields the only fast and at the 

 same time bright natural yellows, is being grad- 



ually given up. It is fortunate, then, that effi- 

 cient substitutes can be obtained from coal tar, 

 which, contrary to popular opinion, is the source 

 from which the greatest number of colors fast to 

 light are at present derived. 



A method of purifying water from the lime salts 

 which form crystalline incrustations on boilers 

 and steam pipes, described by C. A. Dorernus, 

 depends upon the use of sodium fluoride. When 

 this substance is added to water containing even 

 a very moderate proportion of lime or magnesium 

 salts a precipitate forms at once. When added 

 in quantities sufficient to unite with all the cal- 

 cium and magnesium to form fluorides with 

 these metals, and the water is then boiled down, 

 the precipitate retains its amorphous character. 

 Viewed through the microscope, it has always 

 been found powdery and rounded. The con- 

 version of the sulphate of calcium and all 

 magnesium salts to pulverulent fluorides has 

 proved practicable. Calcium fluoride has a mo- 

 lecular weight about 25 per cent, less than either 

 calcium carbonate or sulphate or an equivalent 

 quantity of phosphate, and therefore the precipi- 

 tate or sludge formed through its use is much 

 more manageable and removable by blowing 

 down the boilers. The method is in successful 

 operation in nearly all parts of the United States. 



It appears to be generally understood that a 

 large percentage of fuel is lost in the smoke 

 which issues from chimneys. It is argued, how- 

 ever, by R. R. Tatlock, that the loss of any large 

 percentage of combustible matter, and conse- 

 quently of heating power, is out of the question. 

 This may be proved by calculation of the two 

 sources of heating power as shown by actual 

 analysis of coal or dross used for steam heating 

 and by actual analysis of the furnace gases lor 

 combustible solids and gases. From his analy- 

 ses the author computes that the solid combusti- 

 ble matter of the smoke can account for only 

 the very small percentage of 0*74 of the total 

 heating power that can be obtained from the 

 coal. Hence it is evident that this loss of com- 

 bustible matters in smoke is very small indeed. 



CHILI, a republic in South America. The 

 Congress consists of a Chamber of Deputies 

 elected for three years, in the proportion of 1 to 

 30,000 of population, and a Senate, of one third 

 the number of members, elected for six years. 

 Every male citizen of full age who can read 

 and write and possesses a certain amount of 

 property or a certain income determined by law 

 is qualified to vote, about 1 in 18 of the popula- 

 tion domestic servants and a large proportion 

 of the laboring men being disqualified. The 

 President is elected by an electoral college for 

 five years. The term of Jorge Montt will end 

 Dec. 26, 1896. The Cabinet, in the beginning of 

 1894, was composed as follows : Minister of the 

 Interior, P. Montt ; Minister of Foreign Affairs, 

 Worship, and Colonization, V. B. Vie! ; Minister 

 of Justice and Education, F. Pinto ; Minister of 

 Finance, A. Vial ; Minister of War and Marine, 

 J. Orrego; Minister of Industry and Public 

 Works, V. Da vila Larrain. 



Area and Population. The area of Chili is 

 293,970 square miles. The population was esti- 

 mated in 1892 at 3,317,264. The population of 

 Santiago, the capital, is about 250,000; that of 

 Valparaiso, the principal seaport, about 150,000. 



