372 Decomposition of Aniline by Nitrons Acid. 



thirds of the quantity of this salt, that is found in sea- water; in 

 this respect it is quite unlike any water hitherto described. For 

 the sake of comparison, I transcribe here Dr. Schweitzer's anal- 

 ysis* of the water of the British Channel. The specific gravity 

 was 10274 



In 1000 parts were found — 



Chlorid of sodium, . 27*059 



" of potassium, . . • '766 



" of magnesium, . . . 3*666 



Bromid of do. 



029 



Sulphate of do 2-296 



11 of lime, 



1-406 



Carbonate of lime, . '033 



Traces of iodine and ammouiacal salts, 

 Water, 



964-745 



1000-000 



Amount of solid matters, 35-295 parts in 1000. 



In a subsequent paper I propose to describe some interesting 

 saline waters from the eastern part of the province, several of 

 which are strongly alkaline, while others in addition to the in- 

 gredients generally found in this class of springs, contain salts of 

 barium and strontium. 



Montreal, May 15th, 1849. 



Art. XX VII. — On the Decomposition of Aniline by Nitrous Acid; 

 by T. S. Hunt, of the Geological Commission of Canada. 



Although modern researches have shown that several azotized 

 bodies besides those formed bv the direct action of ammonia, 



may under certain circumstances be separated into that substance 

 and a non-azotized body, yet these have either been neutral 

 substances or acids,f and if we except urea, melamine. and some 

 of those amids of the cyanic series, none of the alkaloids have 

 ever yet been found susceptible of such a decomposition. They 

 combine directly with the strongest acids, and resist the action of 

 hydrate of potash, which often evolves new bases from them and 

 even from neutral substances. Piria in his fine memoir on aspar- 



* Pbilos. Mag,, July, 1839. 



f For tome considerations upon the constitution of the azotized bodies, see nrj 

 remarks on gelatine in this Journal, for January, 1848, p. 71, and September, 184 

 p. 259; also an examination into the formula of protame in the Journal, tor January, 

 1849, p. 109— in which I have attempted to show that these substances are different 

 ammonids of cellulose or dextrine. The analyses of protid and erythroprotid, pre- 

 sent also a very close approximation to the formula which I have proposed for 

 proteine. 



