Royal Society. 457 
On the Dispersion of different Liquids by Electrical Action. 
The siphon-electrometer enables us to determine the rate at 
which electrical charges will disperse different liquids. The 
liquid to be examined being placed in the jar A B, and the siphon 
being brought to act in the usual manner, the discharge pro- 
duced by a given number of revolutions of the machine in a 
given time is determined; and having previously found the 
amount of pure water discharged by the same number of revolu- 
tions performed in the same time, we are enabled to estimate the 
dispersiveness of the particular liquid, as compared with that of 
pure water, under the same electrical action. In this manner, 
saturated solutions of chloride of sodium, carbonate of soda, and 
other salts were examined ; and it was found that, under the same 
electrical action, the volumes of the liquid discharged were in the 
inverse ratio of their specific gravities. It will be observed that 
these liquids are all good conductors of electricity. But the case 
is very different with respect to liquids which are imperfect con- 
ductors of electricity, such as turpentine, fixed oils, and alcohol. 
In twenty revolutions per minute the discharge of pure water 
was about three-fourths of a cubic inch; whereas with the same 
electrical action only about one-fourth of a eubic inch of turpen- 
tine was discharged, and not more than one-tenth of a cubic inch 
of fixed oil. Under the same electrical action, the volume of 
alcohol discharged did not exceed one-fifth of a cubicinch. Now 
although the specific gravities of these-liquids are less than that 
of water, yet their dispersiveness, under the same electrical action, 
is considerably less than that of water. 
Hastings, May 18. 
LXIX. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 
ROYAL SOCIETY. 
[Continued from p. 393. ] 
June 14, 1860.—General Sabine, R.A., Treasurer and Vice-President, 
in the Chair. 
ee following communications were read :— 
“Notes of Researches on the Poly-Ammonias.’”’—No. VIII. 
Action of Nitrous Acid upon Nitrophenylenediamine. By A. W. 
Hofmann, LL.D., F.R.S. 
The experiments of Gottlieb have shown that dinitrophenylamine, 
when boiled with sulphide of ammonium, is converted into a remark- 
able base, crystallizing in crimson needles, generally known as nitra- 
zophenylamine, and for which, in accordance with the views I enter- 
tain regarding its constitution, I now propose the name Nitrophe- 
nylenediamine. I owe to the kindness of Dr. Vincent Hall a con- 
