lines in the spectrum itself. Sufficient light may in all these cases be 

 obtained by the use of a condensing lens. The spectra of several fixed 

 stars have recently been studied by a zealous amateur astronomer in the 

 city of New York, provided with excellent instruments, and we hope soon 

 to lav his results before the public] w. g, 



4.' On (he Blue Lithium line.— Frxvklk^d, in a letter to Tyndall, 



describes a magnificent blue line in the spectrum of lithium. This line 



does not appeal- when an ordinary Bunsen's burner is employed but is 



, although faintly, when a hydrogen flanr 



■' ■■■'■ '■ ■ ' ^"-'--^'^■3 0xvdyarogei 



) bring out the 

 tention to the 

 spectrum may be greatly altered by an 

 increase of temperature, the characteristic spectrum slill remaining un- 

 chaxiged.—Journ./ur prakt. Chemie, Ixxxvi, p. 255. 



5. On the projection of the colored rays of Metallic Spectra.— Bebrat 

 has given some interesting notes on the projection of spectra by employ- 

 ing the oxyhydrogen blowpipe instead of the common Bunsen's burner. 

 The author first describes a convenient form of the lime-light suitable for 

 the projection of optical phenomena generally and then gives some de- 

 tails of apparatus and processes for the preparation of hydrogen and oxy- 

 gen gases. When the oxyhydrogen flame is employed to heat metallic 

 salts in projecting spectra, it is found that, as already remarked by Kirch- 

 hoff, Frankland and Tyndall, new brilliant rays often make their appear- 

 ance, due to the influence of the high temperature employed. In this 

 manner potash salts give four new triple rays of great distinctness, the 

 first near the line D, the others from the green to the blue, ihe red 

 potassium line is also distinctly doubled. Copper and lead are remarka- 

 ble for the number of their rays and for the intensity and extent of the 

 violet portions of their spectra. The author found the flame-spectre 

 essentially identical with those obtained by means of the electric spark. 

 This result had also been obtained by Bunsen and Kirchhoff.— Jnn. de 

 Chemie et de Physique, Ixv, 331. ^- «• 



T'uthTu7n and Strontium in a Meteorite.-l^^GELBAcn has detected 

 lithium and strontium in a meteoric stone from the Cape. The stone 

 was digested with fuming cblorhydric acid ; the liquid evaporated gave a 

 stron<-!odium reaction, showed the lines K« and Li« faintly, a cornplete 

 Calcium spectrum and, though faintly, the strontium hues «, ^ and y.- 



LVo?e.— A?'s'trong*chlorhydric acid acts directly upon glass, is it not 

 possible that the alkalies in the solution may have been derived from the 

 glass bottle in which the acid was kept ? The ^-'f.''^''-' f'^'^^rL^^r 

 spectral analysis requires the most careful examination of the purity of 



^^V.'oTtt^prt^eI^^'^^BM^^ in certain plants.-GnASV^xv has 

 discovered rubidium in the ashes of the beet, in tobacco, coffee, tea, and 

 raw tartar. The author believes that this metal is one of the more widely 

 distributed elements and that its presence is not necessarily associaiea 

 ^ith that of lithium, as might be supposed from the analyses of minerals 

 and mineral waters.— Cow;??. Rendus, liv, 1057. w. o. 



