120 Scientific Intelligence. 
science and illustrating the products of Tuscany. It is known that at 
certain places between Volterra and Siena there are springs or lagoons 
of hot water issuing from natural or artificially made craters, which 
coniain a id proportion of boracic acid compounds. These Soffioni 
or Bulika en, as the exhalations are called, sometimes change their 
place of coon i making another at some point of easier outbreak. 
The rock about some of the older openings has yan iaggay ee alters 
pecim 
of this kind from an old lagoon of the peiaoan. pepe was ob- 
poe by Professor Savi and is now in the Museum at Pisa. It affords 
on different parts three distinct mineral species. One of them is a 
borate of soda, and has the following constitution : 
Boracic acid. Soda. Water. pat sapped eevee 
43°559 19254 = 87187 trace = NaB?+6H 
The formula differs from that of borax, in having 6H in ge of 10H. 
The second species is borate of lime, which afforded m 
Bor. acid. Water. Si, Al, Na Mg 
51°135 20'850 26'250 1750 trace = Oa 8? + 4h 
It is poveny: hydroborocalcite, which cael only in containing 6H. 
cic acid compounds, the fh pe da and hydroboro- 
calcite, are ae similar in physical character and chemical relations, 
and may be varieties of the same spec : 
The third species, finally, afforded a e above mentioned specimen, 
has an ochre-yellow color and is rare Heated it loses water an 
becomes black. B.B. fuses with diffict ity. In chemical characters, 
it is a borate of iron mixed with hydroborocalcite and hydroboracite. 
e existence of borate of iron in concretions at the Tuscan lagoons 
was remarked by Beudant in 1882. Both Dufrenoy and Dana, in their 
mineralogical works have mentioned these concretions under the name 
Lagonite, without giving an analysis or formula. 
the collections of Tuscan minerals of John Targioni, I detected an 
fers yellow mineral, which gave the tests of the iron borate; an 
afforded on analysis— 
Boracic acid. — ofiron. Water. Si, - ~ Mg 
47-955 36°260 14016 “l 
The Lagonite therefore is no longer a hypothetical cole but one 
well characterised, and having the composition Fe B HH. 
Sometime since Signor Larderell in an old lagoon, found a druse 
which was peculiar in its physical and chemical characters. The min- 
eral was in yellowish-white rhombic tables of 110° 6’, and by polarised 
ss tube, a strong ammoniacal odor is given.off: B.B. fuses easily 7a 
a ea glass, which on treating with alcohol, gives a green CO olor 
thi 
ci chade characters I concluded that it was a borate of ammonia 
a species hitherto unnoticed, except that Erdmann in the analys!s ° 
Sassoli e presence of some ammonia. Careful analysis 
“Boracie acid, d of Water. 
“69-244 se 8or  .sgaso == NHK 44H 
