June 18, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



949 



fices to preserve milk, soup and similar 

 articles for a considerable time. The aque- 

 ous solution, when exposed in dishes, has a 

 tendency to polj'merize, its disinfecting 

 qualities becoming by this much impaired. 

 It is as a gas that formaldehyde exercises 

 its valuable properties most efficiently. A 

 comparative trial was made with sulfur 

 dioxid and formaldehyde in two rooms in 

 which various bacilli were exposed. The 

 growth of the typhoid bacillus and the an- 

 thrax bacillus were not prevented by sulfur 

 dioxid, but were by formaldehyde. The 

 fumes of formaldehyde are very irritating to 

 the eyes, but in general are far less disa- 

 greeable than those of burning sulfur. In 

 conclusion, Dr. Blythe considers that form- 

 aldehyde is superior to sulfur dioxid as a 

 disinfectant, and recommends its adoption 

 by the vestry of the parish. 



Obseevations appear to show that the pro- 

 portion of argon in exhaled air is slightly 

 less than that in inhaled (1.21% as against 

 1.186%). It had been suggested as possible 

 that argon formed a compound with the 

 hemoglobin of the blood. This seemed the 

 more probable from the fact that when an- 

 alyzed by the Kjeldahl method, where the 

 nitrogen is converted into ammonia, the 

 amount of nitrogen obtained from hemin is 

 less than that by the Dumas method, where 

 the nitrogen is measured absolutely. In the 

 last Berichte J. Zaleski, of St. Petersburg, de- 

 scribes careful examination of preparations 

 of the coloring matter of the blood for 

 argon, but in no case was a trace of argon 

 found, so that some other explanation 

 must be sought for the analytical differ- 

 ences. 



The constitution of phosphorous acid has 

 been a matter of doubt, for though much 

 evidence points toOPH.(OH)2 its formation 

 by the action of water on PClj points to 

 PCOH),. The ester P(OC,H. ), is known, be- 

 ing formed, however, not from the acid, but 



byactionof ]N"a(OC2H-)3 on PCI,. Michaelis 

 and Becker describe in the last Berichte the 

 formation of an isomeric ethyl ester directly 

 from phosphorous acid by the successive 

 action of lead acetate, giving lead phos- 

 phite ; ethyl iodid, giving diethyl phos- 

 phorous ester; metallic sodium, replacing 

 the hydrogen atom, and ethyl iodid, giving 

 OPC,H,.(OC,H,),, the diethyl ester of ethyl 

 phosphinic acid, a compound differing ma- 

 terially from its above mentioned isomer 

 P (002115)3. From this it appears very 

 probable that the true constitution of phos- 

 phorous acid is OPH. (OH)^ with quintiva- 

 lent phosphorus, and not P(0H)3, with the 

 phosphorus atom trivalent. Keasoning 

 from analogy the constitution of hypophos- 

 phorous acid would be OPH^-OH, which has 

 long seemed probable. 



Discussion has been carried on in the 

 Berichte between Dr. Emmerling, of Char- 

 lottenburg, and Dr. Gosio, of Eome, as to 

 the cause of poisoning from fabrics, as 

 carpets and wall papers, containing arsenic. 

 Several moulds are known to flourish on 

 media containing solid compounds of arse- 

 nic, among them TOMCor??iMcecZo and aspergilliis 

 glaucus. In penicillimn brevicaule Dr. Gosio 

 finds a mould which, grown on a medium 

 containing arsenic, evolves a volatile sub- 

 stance with the characteristic garlic odor 

 of volatile arsenic compounds, and which 

 was instantly fatal to a mouse. The nature 

 of this compound is, however, undetermined, 

 and Dr. Emmerling doubts its existence. 

 His doubts are based on the fact that he 

 has obtained no evidence of its existence, 

 using the mucor and the aspergillus, though 

 he has not experimented with the penicil- 

 lium. It is to be hoped that others will 

 succeed in obtaining the volatile arsenic 

 compound if it really exists, and settle finally 

 this long controverted point in toxicol- 

 ogy- 



J. L. H. 



