Chemistry and Physics. All 
CsBsZn+2I=CsHsI+ Zn. Bromine acts explosively upon zinc- 
ethyl, with formation of similar products. In chlorine, zinc-ethy! takes 
fire, the zinc andjhydrogen burning, while carbon is set free. Dry 
flowers of sulphur gently heated with an etherial solution of zinc-ethyl 
unite with both zine and ethyl and form mercaptid of zinc, CaHsS 
ZnS. Water and zinc-ethyl instantly decompose each other, the reac- 
tion being C1HsZn-+ HO=C2Hs, nO: similar decompositions 
occur with the hydracids:—Ann. der Chemie und Pharmacie, xcv, 28, 
July, 1855. 
4. On the constitution of the ethers.—Bitcuamp has presented to the 
Academy of Sciences a memoir on the action of terchlorid of phospho- 
a hydrate, and the compound ethers as salts of oxyd of ethyl. Very 
pure and dry acetic ether boiling at 74° C. heated in a sealed tube to 
160°-180° C. during 24 hours gave a mixture of chlorid of ethyl, chlorid 
of acetyl! and phosphorous acid. The reaction is here represented by 
the equation 3CsH203, C1Hs0+2PCls=2P03+3Cs1Hs02Cl+3CaHoCl. 
Anhydrous acetic acid heated with the terchlorid of phosphorus yields 
chlorid of acetyl, the reaction being 3C1H3Os+PCls=PO3+3CsH202Cl. 
Very pure and dry ether heated with the terchlorid yields a similar re- 
action ;. we have 3C41Hs0-+-PCls—=POs+3CsHsO. Hence the decom- 
position of acetic ether is precisely that of a mixture of ether and anhy- 
i T 
by 
3HCI4+-3C1HsCl+4-2P0s. The author concludes from these experi- 
t must be confessed that the author’s reasoning is not very 
cogent, as all the reactions above mentioned are very easily explained 
by the so-called water theory, that is, by referring ether, alcohol, an- 
hydrous acids and compound ethers to the type of water with the double 
equivalent, . } Oz. We shall then have the following equations : 
oF, } O2 + 2PCls = 3HCI 4+ 2P0s + 3HC! 
H ete 
3c, 4, | O2-+2PCls = BHC! + 2POs + 3C+HCl 
Cao : 
ot ; O2 + 2PCla = 3CsHsCl + 2PO2 + 3CsHCI 
