CHEMISTRY. 393 



CHEMISTRY. 



Amorphous Phosphorus^ prepared by keeping common phosphorus for some 

 time at a temperature between 446° — 482° F. in an inert atmosphere, whereby it 

 becomes incapable of spontaneous inflammation, has lately been used largely in 

 the arts ; as thus obtained, it is always mixed with some unaltered phosphorus 

 from which it is with difficulty purified by repeated washings with sulphuret of 

 carbon, the process is attended with danger. Niekles puts a little of the sulphuret 

 into the retort, in which the conversion has been effected; heats gently to sepa- 

 rate the cake, adds a solution of chloride of calcium, of 38° — 40^ Beatune, and 

 shakes the mixture. The sulphuret of carbon floats on the surface, containing 

 nearly all the unchanged phosphorus, a second portion will remove every trace 

 and leave the amorphous substance quite pure. 



Chlorine. — C. T. Dunlop employs the residuum of the manufacture of chlorine in 

 preparing an oxide of manganese, which can be again employed for the same pur- 

 pose, being equal to about 80 per cent, of pure peroxide. The chloride is convert- 

 ed into carbonate by carbonate of ammonia, or by lime and the subsequent treat- 

 ment of the hydrated oxide with carbonic acid, or by the joint action of carbonic 

 acid and carbonate of lime. The carbonate is heated in contact with the air until 

 oxidized. 



Oxide of Cobalt. — By calcining the oxalate, the chloride, or the peroxide, with 

 sal ammoniac, in the two litter cases in a current of oxygen or atmospheric air 

 and boiling the mass with hydrochloric acid, Schwarzenberg obtained the proto- 

 peroxide in the form of octohedral crystals, insoluble in most acids, and not mag- 

 netic . 



By fusing an oxide of cobalt with hydrate of potassa, for a length of time he 

 obtained a black, micaceous, soft, sealy substance, which is not acted on by cold 

 dilute nitric acid. Oa the supposition that cobaltic acid is Co 5 O 5 the new salt 

 would be KO, 3 Cos 0- +3 HO. 



Antimony. — Schneider has determined the equivalent of this metal, by reducing 

 its native sulphide in a current of hydrogen at a low temperature; he finds a num- 

 ber much lower than that of Berzelius, viz. 1503 instead of 1013. [Is it, not pos- 

 sible that a small quantity of antimoniuretted hydrogen may have been formed? 

 Berzelius' numbers have not been generally found very incorrect. — H. C.J 



Tungsten. — A. Kiche prepares the metal by acting on tungstic acid heated with 

 hydrogen for several hours in a porcelain tube. It appears as small hard ervstal- 

 line grains, infusible in the heat of a furnace, but fusible by 200 Bunsen's elements. 

 It is not oxidized in the air unless at a very high temperature; it combines with 

 chlorine at 572° F. Xitric acid slowly converts it into tungstic acid. At a red 

 heat it rapidly decomposes water. Iodide of tungstmethyle can be obtained in the 

 usual way, and from this the oxide, which forms uncrystallizable salts. The equi- 

 valent of tungsten is 87. 



The terchloride is obtained by the action of chlorine on the metal, and the bi- 

 chloride in small quantities by the action of hydrogen on the terchloride. By 

 heating one part of tungstic acid with three parts of charcoal in a current of chlo- 

 rine, the so called chloride is obtained, which the author finds to be WC1-0 with 

 2HO it gives WG''+2IICI. The bisulphide was also obtained. 



Titanium. — Mr. Duppa has obtained the bromide by passing bromine over a 

 heated mixture of titanic acid and charcoal, and purifying by distillation over mer- 



D* 



