Chemistry and Physics. 377 
SCIENTIFIC: INTELLIGENCE. 
I. CHEMISTRY AND Puysics. 
1. On the Action of Charcoal on Organic Nitrogen.—Sran- 
ForD has made a series of experiments to test the opinion of 
Stenhouse, which has since become current in science, that nitro- 
genous matters in contact with charac — xidized to nitrous 
or nitric acids, ree mixtures with ec Sab were made; of 
meat, of urine, and of excreta. Two saath prekeess and every 
succeeding month for six months, the mixture was tested; no 
appreciable loss of nitrogen could be detected, nor was any nitric 
acid formed. Subsequently, three eet charcoals, from wood, 
om seaweed, and from bone, were mixed with finely chopped 
lean beef, equal weights of the hacal | ee the meat being taken. 
of este: in pee months. No trace of nitric or nitrous aci 
slight loss of nitrogen occurred, apparentiy as ammonia. The 
author concludes: (1) Ch ands when thus applied, acts simply as 
a drier; (2) it does not favor oxidation and the production of 
farstas, (3) after a Be time sad if artificially dried, the mix- 
ture may lose a little nitrogen as ammonia; (4) this loss for all 
practical p dad cag s, is inconsiderable.—./. Chem. Soe., er xi, 4 
age 
em. Pure alladtnie wire, also wire of palladium an 
eee into a calorimeter, every Isp a being taken to guard 
against error. f the experiments the palladium was 
charged to saturation, in others only partially charged, and in still 
others it was saturated and a pa art of the charge was expelled 
h 
Sp u specific heat of palla- 
dium alone was found to be between 18° and 100°, ii a 
increasing to 0°06022 after four times charging. That of t 
