424 Scientific Intelligence. 



and not sufficient to effect the fusion of the mass. The cruclhle must 

 therefore he kept at a red heat until the scoria is completely fused* The 

 heat must not be high enough to vaporize the zinc or the operation would 

 be lost. After slow cooling, the crucible is to be broken, when a button 

 of zinc will be found, penetrated through its whole mass, and especially 

 on its upper surface, by long needles of silicon. These are groups of reg- 

 ular octahedrons imbedded in each other parallel to the axis which unites 

 the summits of two opposite angles. To extract these crystals, it is only 

 necessary to dissolve the zinc in chlorhydric acid, and then boil the silicon 

 with nitric acid* In this way, crystallized silicon can be obtained in more 

 beautiful crystals, and in larger quantity, than by any other method. 

 The only portion of silicon lost in this process, is that disengaged in the 

 form of siliciuret of hydrogen at the moment of the solution of the zinc. 

 If the alloy of zinc and silicon be heated beyond the point at which the >^ 



metal volatilizes, the silicon remains in the state of a fused mass which is 

 entirely free from zinc. Pure silicon may be fused and run into moulds. 

 In this manner the authors prepared ingots which were presented to the 

 Academy. The authors are now engaged in studying the alloys of sili- 

 con which appear to be of much interest. The alloys with iron are very 

 fusible and in their physical properties resemble cast iron and steel. A 

 very hard, brittle and white alloy of silicon and copper containing twelve 

 per cent of silicon is prepared by fusing together three parts of fluosilicate 

 of potash, one part of sodium, and one part of copper turnings, till a 

 very liquid scoria is obtained. An alloy of copper and silicon containing 

 4'8 per cent of silicon possesses a beautiful clear bronze color. It is a 

 little less Ijard than iron and may be filed, sawed, or turned, like that 

 metal. It is perfectly ductile, and wires drawn from it arc as tenacious 

 as those of iron. The hardness of the siliciurets increases with the quan- 

 tity of silicon, but at the same time their ductility diminishes. They are 

 all characterized by the fact that silicon is uniformly distributed through- 

 out the mass so that the alloys are homogeneous and not susceptible of 

 liquation. The authors presented to the Academy two small cannon 

 made of alloys of copper and silicon. They furnish examples of what 

 may be done in the arts by the application of the alkaline metals, and of 

 the progress which is every day making in the manufticture of sodium. 

 1 he authoi-s have not limited their experiments to silicon, but expect by 

 similar methods io prepare other simple or compound bodies in a crystal- 

 lized state. — Comptes Rendus, xlv, 1G3, Aug. 1857. 



6. On the oil of the Dutch chemists, — Wcrtz has communicated to 

 the Academy a note upon this often studied substance, showing it to be 

 the chlorid of the glycol radical, 04114, which exists in glycolic alcohol, 

 and which is diatomic. T^te chlorid is easily prepared by tJiC action of 

 perchlorid of phosphorus upon glycohalcohol, the reaction being repre- 

 sented by the equation 



C4ll604+2rCl5=2HCl+2P02Cl3-[-C4lLCl2. 



The Dutch liquid bears therefore the same relation to the gljcol-radical 

 which chlorid of ethyl does to ethyl, the former being diatomic and re- 

 ferable to the type of four equivalents of hydrogen, so that we have 



