478 Royal Society : — 



in their products of decomposition, with robinhie and quercitrine, 

 it is probable that they are either identical with these, or like 

 those analogous compounds of quercetine with different kinds of 

 sugar. The authors are engaged on investigations in this direction. 



Berthelot* observed that in an alcoholic solution of baryta 

 which had been kept in a loosely-corked vessel for several years, 

 there had been formed aldehyde resin, oxalic acid, and a small 

 quantity of a peculiar volatile acid soluble in water. As far as 

 this was investigated, its properties seemed to agree most closely 

 with those of acrylic acid, C 6 H 4 O 4 . 



The formation of this acid from alcohol is readily understood, 

 knowing that it is easily oxidized to acetic and formic acids, and 

 that it thus can be conceived as being formed from ordinary 

 aldehyde and formic acid, 



C 6 H 4 4 =C 4 H 4 2 + C 2 H 2 4 -H 2 2 , 

 just as cinnamic acid is formed from benzoic aldehyde and acetic 

 acid. 



LXVIII. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



ROYAL SOCIETY. 



[Continued from p. 411.] 

 May 16, rjlHE Croonian Lecture. — "On the Relations between 

 1861. ■*■ Muscular Irritability, Cadaveric Rigidity, and Putre- 

 faction." By C. E. Brown-Sequard, M.D., F.R.S. 



May 30. — "On the Elimination of Urea and Urinary Water in 

 their relation to the Period of the Day, Season, Exertion, Food, 

 and other influences acting on the Cycle of the Year." By Dr. 

 Edward Smith. 



" On the Theory of the Polvedra." By the Rev. T. P. Kirkman, 

 M.A„ FR.S. &c. 



June 13. — Thomas Graham, Esq., Master of the Mint, Vice- 

 President, in the Chair. 



The following communications were read : — 



"Notice of Recent Scientific Researches carried on Abroad." By 

 the Foreign Secretary. 



The following notice of his researches has been furnished to the 

 Foreign Secretary by M. Schrauf. 



" On the Determination of the Optical Constants of Crystallized 

 Substances." (First and Second Series.) By Albert Schrauf 

 (Vienna.) 



In the two hitherto published series of these investigations, the 

 data concerning the refractive and dispersive powers of twenty cry- 

 stallized substances are communicated. 



* Liebig's Annalen (Supplement), June 1861. 



