Miscellaneous Notices by Prof. J, F. Dana. 165 



ny air bubbles escape ; but in a few minutes the phials ap- 

 pear filled with the euchlorine, which is readily known by 

 its colour and odour. The gas thus prepared is of course 

 impure, but is doubtless as pure as most gases used for 

 chemical demonstrations ; it explodes violently by heat and 

 on the contact of phosphorus; it is absorbed by water, to 

 which it communicates its peculiar colour. Since I have 

 employed this method, only one accident has happened to 

 me from this gas, it then exploded spontaneously and threw 

 the phial with great force against my forehead, and the mer- 

 cury in the vessel over which it was inverted was dashed 

 around in all directions. 



Memorandum. — The remarks of Professor Dana, induce 

 me to add, that, for several years, I have obtained euchlo- 

 rine gas, without accident, by the following process. Chlo- 

 rate of potash and muriatic acid diluted with an equal vol- 

 ume of water, are placed in a small glass flask, furnished with 

 a glass tube, bent twice at right angles, and passing to the 

 bottom of any clean dry phial, flask or tube, rather deep 

 and with a narrow neck ; a spirit lamp, a water bath, or any 

 mild heat, applied beneath the flask, soon disengages the 

 euchlorine gas, which, by its great weight, displaces the 

 common air, from the recipient, and occupies its place. By 

 using tongs, of a peculiar form, furnished with correspond- 

 ing curvatures on their opposite sides, so as to embrace tubes, 

 or the necks of vessels securely, the glasses filled with the 

 euchlorine gas may be so managed that the operator can 

 perform all the experiments, without touching them with 

 the hands, by which means the danger of premature explo- 

 sion is avoided. — Editor. Dec. 19, 1822. 



3. Concretion from the Tonsil. 



Mr. Bancroft, a medical student, was afflicted with a severe 

 inflammation of the tonsils ; it separated and a small concre- 

 tion was discharged from it. The concretion was of an ir- 

 regular form, and weighed less than half a grain. Its col- 

 our, light brown ; surface smooth, and through a lens ap- 

 pears composed of smooth rounded grains, exhibiting a 

 hotryoidal appearance. Before the blowpipe it blackens and 

 then becomes white, and is infusible. Soluble in muriatic 



