272 Scientific Intelligence. 



author states, however, that crude carbonate of potash may be freed 

 from sulphur by fusing in the finely divided iron. 



With zinc, sulphate of potash produces sulphuret of potassium and 

 oxyd of zinc. With sulphate of soda, the reaction of zinc and iron 

 is similar to that stated above. 



Sulphate of baryta is decomposed into sulphuret of barium and more 

 readily than by charcoal ; the whole cannot, however, be extracted by 

 hot water. 



The following process is said to furnish very good chlorid of bari- 

 um. Heat to redness two parts sulphate of baryta, two of iron, and one 

 of chlorid of calcium — reduce the mass when cold to powder — and ex- 

 haust by boiling water, add a few drops of muriatic acid and evaporate. 

 Too high a temperature is injurious. 



Zinc treated with sulphate of baryta furnishes a compound not easily 

 acted on by hot water. 



The decomposition of sulphate of strontia requires a much higher 

 heat, but is otherwise similar to that of the baryta salt. G. C. S. 



13. Hijdrated Valerianate of Zinc. — Wittstein has found that this 

 salt when prepared from carbonate of zinc, poured into a part of the 

 water into which the requisite quantity of acid is stirred — is no longer 

 anhydrous, but contains 12 equivalents of water or 44-5 per cent., which 

 it loses at 212°. This observation is important, as this valuable med- 

 icine may be given in but half the quantity intended. The two salts 

 are moreover said to be identical in appearance. G. C S. 



14. On the Passage of Hydrogen gas through solid bodies ; by M. 

 Louyet. — This author, in a communication to the Brussels Academy, 

 has shown that hydrogen gas passes with facility through paper and 

 also gold and silver leaf. On directing a stream of the gas against one 

 side of the leaf it may be lighted on the other. 



15. On Emulsine; by B. W. Bull. — In the memoir by Mr. Bull in 

 this volume, the formula is given, page 86, as C 36 H 35 N 4 (0-f-S) 24 . 

 After the manuscript was sent from Giessen, as the author writes, he 

 was led by the advice of Liebig to change it to C 9 H 9 N (0-{-S) 6 , 



which is one-fourth the above with a slight change in the hydrogen 

 and it is thus printed in Liebig's Annalen. This formula gives the 

 calculated percentage, # 



H 9 



N 

 s 



+0 



43-20 

 7-20 

 11-20 

 38-40=: 100 



From a calculation by Strecker the proportion of sulphur is expressed 

 by the formula 10 (C 9 H 9 N0 6 )+S. 



IT. Mineralogy and Geology - . 



1. On Chloriloid and Masonite ; by J. D. Whitney, (Proc. Host. 

 Soc. Nat. Hist., Jan., 1849, p. 100.)— The true chemical composition 

 of the substance called chloritoid is a matter of some uncertainty. 

 Bonsdorff, who, according to G. Rose, undoubtedly analyzed the real 



