550 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 19. 



quantity of potassic bichromate required to furnish 

 two atoms of oxygen, R. Bindsehedler found that 

 the following reaction took place: — 



C„H4j^™3+ CoHsNggs + 0, = CioHioNs + 2H.0. 



Dimethylphenyleu green. 

 Tetramethylphenylsafranine (C22HisN'^) resulted 

 when aniline was substituted for dimethylaniline. 

 With two molecules of aniline, dimethylpara- 

 phenylendiamiue gave dimethylphenylensafranine 

 (CjoHisN+l.' Pheuylensafranine was formed in the 

 reaction, — 



C„H4(NII.).+ 2C„HbN-H, + Oi= Cj8HulSr4+ 4H,0. 

 — (Berichte deutscli. chem. gesellsch., xvi. 864.) 



C. F. M. [1073 



A new synthesis of anthracene. — By means of 

 the alnmiiium chloride reaction, using benzol and 

 tetrabromethan, R. Anschutz and F. Eltsbacher ob- 

 tained anthracene, — 



— Berichte deutsch. chem. gesellsch., xvi. 623.) c. f. m. 



[1074 

 Derivatives of meconic acid. — In Kolbe's lab- 

 oratory a series of compounds lias been obtained by 

 Ost, which he regards as derivatives of the hypo- 

 thetical body pyridon (C5H5NO). Pyromekazonic 



acid (CgHjNOQTrj was made by the action of hydri- 



odic acid upon oxypyromekazonic acid. It resembles 

 the bydrochinones in that by careful oxidation pyro- 

 mekazonfCijHaNO. O-,), a substanceanalogous to the 

 chinones, is formed. When treated with ammonia, 

 comenic acid was converted into coraenaminic, 

 ,0H 



CeHo + CHB.-j - CHBi-o = CoH^: 



;CoH4 + 4HBr. 



(CsHaNOppTf-.TTJ . Oxycoraenic acid gave o.xy- 

 comenaminic (C,,H2N0^Q'jf) , which, by further 

 oxidation, was converted into azoncarboxylic acid 



(CiHjNOp^QTr) . All the oxygen in comenaminic 



acid was replaced by chlorine when the acid was 

 heated to 10U° with phosphoric pentachloride, with 

 the formation of pentachlorpicoline (CsHsCliNCCl;;) 

 and hexachlorpicoline (C5HCI3NCCI3). Monochlor- 

 picoline (C|,Hr,ClN) was the chief product of the 

 reduction of the acid by sodium amalgam. The de- 

 composition products of comenic acid, when treated 

 with phosphoric pentachloride, were perchlorineky- 

 len ((;s01|i) and hexachlorethan (CjCl,;). — (Journ. 

 l)rakt. chem., xxvii. 257.) c. F. M. [1075 



Spontaneous decomposition of oxalic acid. 

 — On allowing a dilute solution of oxalic acid con- 

 taining .4 to .6 grm. to the litre to stand for several 

 years in a closed vessel, G. Fleury found that the 

 solutiim lost its acid reaction. Large clusters of a 

 vegetable growth bad developed, similar to that often 

 observed in tartaric acid. In a more concentrated 

 solution (6.3 grms. to the litre) there was no appre- 

 ciable change at the end of four years. — (Jimrn. 

 phimn. chilli., 18S3, 388.) c. F. M. [1076 



Ne'w bodies from coal-tar. — In fractioning a 

 sample of cnal-tar, H. Schwarz obtained a distillate 

 between 320° and 330° which solidified. By fractional 

 crystallization he separated three j^roducls which 

 melted respectively at O-i", 104°, and 124°. Analy.^is 

 showed the same percentage of carbon and hydrogen 

 which corre.sponded to the formula Cj^H.^ijOj. 

 Oxiiles of the composition C,4H,,0.; were formed 

 by oxidation ; and by nitration they gave heptanitro- 

 products. The three substances were therefore des- 



ignated as a-, /3-, and y-pyrocresols. The name pyro- 

 cresol was adopted provisionally, since further study 

 is necessary to establish their constitution. The 

 author thinks they may be forms of a ditolylditol- 

 ylenoxide, — 



CH3 OH,, 



/\-o-o-/' . 



— {Silzungsberichte kais. akad. Wien, Ixxxvi. 83.5.) 



c. F. M. [1077 



METALLURGY. 



Lead-smelting at Altenaii, Upper Hartz. — 



The low grade of the available lead ores, and the 

 failure of the iron-rich copper slags from Oker, have 

 necessitated a change in the process of smelting. 

 The method now used is as follows : the ores are 

 roasted in a single hearth reverberatory furnace 

 until changed to oxide and silicate of lead, then 

 smelted in a blast-furnace with the addition of 20% 

 of raw ore to make a matte of all the copper. The 

 ore must be crushed quite fine, namely, not over 

 2 mm. in size, and should contain about 15% of silica 

 to 60 % of lead, to give the best results in roasting. 

 The charge for the blast-furnace is planned for a 

 lime-iron slag. The lime-slag, which was at first 

 tried, failed on account of the amount of zinc pres- 

 ent. The cost of this process is not much less than 

 the old method ; but the Oker residues are at present 

 used elsewhere, and are consequently not available, 

 and, besides this, the furnace smoke is avoided. The 

 process yields 98.5% of the lead, and the yield of 

 silver is larger than the fire assay indicates. — 

 {Zeitschr. berg-, hiitt.- sal. wesen, xxxi. ; Eng. min. 

 journ., March 24.) jr. h. r. [1078 



GEOLOGY. 



The coal and mineral fields of Indo-China. — 



E. Fuchs, ingenieur en chef des mines, gives a long 

 account, with maps and sketches, of his mission to 

 Cocbin-Cliina, assisted by E. Saladin. The following 

 formations are figured on the -general map; granitic 

 rocks, porphyritic rocks, volcanic rocks, ancient 

 rocks, carboniferous or Devonian limestone, coal- 

 basins, variegated sandstones and clays. The an- 

 cient rocks referred to the Silurian are unfossilife- 

 rous. The overlying schists and sandstones are 

 referred to the Devonian ; they contain fragments 

 of a large crinoid, and imperfect impressions of 

 a bivalve, probably an Orthis ; and they are fre- 

 quently cut by veins of quartz, whicli are some- 

 times aui'iferous. The carboniferous limestone plays 

 an important part in the geology of Indo-China : it 

 is five hundred or six hundred metres thick, and con- 

 tains fragments of Zaphrentis ; it is a fine-grained, 

 compact, crystalline limestone, and might be utilized 

 as a marble. Resting in discordance of stratification 

 on this, is the thick clay and sandstone formation, 

 which at its base contains the coal-beds whose 

 study has been the chief object of the investigation. 

 The base of the system is characterized by the fel- 

 spathic nature of iis sandstones, and their prevail- 

 ing gray color. The principal coal-basins actually 

 found are those of Tong-Iting, of Yun-Nan, of the 

 province of Tinh-Hoa, of >fong-Sun (Annam), and of 

 Laos; notably, that of Bas>ac, on the Me Kong. 

 Above the coal-beds come the series of variegated 

 sandstones and clays: their thickness is estiniated 

 at a thousand metres; they contain no fossils, but 

 beds of salt-bearing clays, and sandstones impreg- 

 nated with copper. The upper mesozoic and ter- 

 tiary beds have not yet been found in Indu-Ohina. 



