Foreign Literature and Science. 1 69 



forts, actions and aim of the life of the man who has done 

 honor to his country and to humanity. The profound sen- 

 timent of a perfect agreement between his thoughts and our 

 own, will serve as an encouragement to continue to fulfil the 

 difficult task in which we are engaged, and with which he 

 had deigned sometimes to become an associate. — Idem. 



M. A. J. 



1 2. On the action of Alkaline Chlorides as the means of dis- 

 infection ; in a letter from Gaultier de Claubrv, to Gay 



Lussac. 



[extract.] 



It has appeared to me that after the publication of your 

 memoir on chlorometry, (Ann. de Ph. et de Ch. XXVI, 165,) 

 the action of the chloride of lime was perfectly understood, 

 for you say that " its solution exposed to the air, is by de- 

 grees decomposed ; a portion of the lime unites with the 

 carbonic acid contained in the air, and the chlorine, which 

 was combined with it, becomes disengaged; this decompo- 

 sition may be retarded by introducing an excess of lime." 



This observation appears to have been overlooked, since 

 M. Labarraque tries to prove that it is the miasmatic sub- 

 stance itself, which is attracted by the chloride, and which 

 becomes decomposed by action on the chlorine which it 

 contains. 



Chloride of lime, well saturated, dissolved in water, was 

 subjected to the action of a current of carbonic acid gas ; 

 after a few moments, chlorine was disengaged, and by con- 

 tinuing the operation, the whole of that gas was expelled 

 from the combination ; the liquid had no longer the power 

 of discoloration, even on the tincture of turnsol; carbonate 

 of lime was precipitated, a portion being afterwards redissol- 

 ved in the excess of carbonic acid. 



This experiment is tedious ; the decomposition of a 

 gramme of the chloride required more than three hours, 

 but it was completed at the end of that time. Air which 

 had been passed slowly through a solution of caustic potash, 

 produced no sensible effect on a solution of chloride of lime, 

 during half an hour's continuance ; it should be observed 

 however that at the beginning of the experiment a slight 

 crust of carbonate of lime was formed on the surface by 

 the action of the air which filled a part of the apparatus. 



Vol. XIII.— No. 1. 22 



