Miscellanies. 181" 



second.) The anhydrous acetates ought necessarily to furnish the 

 same result as the acetate of lead. — Idem. 



8. Asparagin. — Chevreul and Serullas made a report on the mon- 

 ography of the asparagin of Plisson and Henri, pharmaceutists. The 

 authors obtained asparagin from the roots of the marsh-mallow by the 

 following process. Having stripped the dry root of its epidermis, 

 they subjected it to repeated infusions in warm v/ater, and obtained, 

 by boiling and concentration, large octohedral crystals, which they 

 purified by a second crystallization. A kilogramme of the root of 

 marsh-mallow gives 20 grammes of pure asparagin. This substance 

 is colorless, inodorous, and as transparent as diamonds. The crystals 

 have the taste of aspartic acid, (acidity apart.) Asparagin is soluble 

 in water, insoluble in alcohol and ether ; calcined to redness in con- 

 tact with air, it disappears entirely and gives all the products of ani- 

 mal matter. Hence, according to the results of Plisson and Henri, 

 asparagin contains much azote. Its composition may be represented 

 by 2 proportion of ammonia, 1 of cyanogen, 3 of bi-carbonated hy- 

 drogen, and 4 of carbonic acid. 



The action of water, of alkalies, and of acids upon asparagin is 

 very remarkable. It occasions, in every instance, the same phenom- 

 enon of transformation, namely, ammonia and aspartic acid, variously 

 combined with the reagents employed. The acids, especially the sul- 

 phuric, very readily produces aspartic acid. The authors impute 

 these changes to electro-chemical forces, the nature of which is deter- 

 mined by these various agents, and this suggested the idea of making 

 experiments with other animal matters, such as gelatine, albumen, &c. 

 The results confirmed their prepossessions, and they think that a 

 great number of neutral azotized animal matters may be arranged, in 

 this respect, under the same law. The employment of lime in pre- 

 venting the exhalation of gases depends on the same principle, by 

 changing into non-deleterious bodies those which result from dead 

 carcases left to themselves. The authors conclude also that the pro- 

 ducts of putrid fermentation are much more numerous than is com- 

 monly thought. — Rev. Encyc. Oct. 1830. 



9. Decomposition of metallic salts, by Carlo Matteiici. — Having 

 charged an electric column of thirty pairs, the author plunged the pla- 

 tina wires, which were in coijnection with the poles, into a solution of 

 marine salt, and immediately from both extremities there was an evo- 

 lution of gas. But when the wires were transferred to a solution of 

 sulphate of copper, he was surprised to find that no hydrogen was 

 disengaged from the negative wire, which became covered neverthe- 



