406 Progress in S dense. [July, 



lisable quinoidin. The platino-chloride is almost insoluble in water or in cold 

 hydrochloric acid ; it forms a crystalline powder by precipitation, and well- 

 defined crystals by solution in acid. It is isomeric with the platino-chloride of 

 quinine, but anhydrous. The author has investigated the sulphate, tartrate, 

 citrate, hydrochlorate, phosphate, and sulphocyanide of the new base. He 

 has, however, not yet found out whether this alkaloid is contained in all 

 the species of cinchona, or, if not, in which of them. 



Dr. H. Fleck has published the account of a series of experiments made 

 with the view to ascertain how far it is possible to substitute for the ordinary 

 process of malting the method of steeping the grain (barley or any other) 

 in weak acids, to obtain thereby the same effect as produced by germination, 

 but in a far shorter period of time. It appears that, provisionally, the author 

 has succeeded in his attempt, but is engaged in further experiments. Dilute 

 nitric acid, containing i per cent of acid, yields excellent results. 



It is well known that, when glycerine, subjected to the ordinary atmo- 

 spheric pressure, is heated so much as to cause ebullition, it is more or 

 less rapidly decomposed by repeated distillations. This decomposition may 

 be, however, entirely prevented by a reduction of the pressure in the apparatus 

 employed to 12*50 m.m. Mr. T. Bolas, who has worked for some time on this 

 subject, has determined the boiling-point of glycerine, by effecting the distilla- 

 tion in a long-necked flask, having a supplementary neck attached at right 

 angles to the principal one. In the principal neck the thermometer was 

 fixed by the aid of a caoutchouc cork, while the smaller neck was connected in 

 a similar manner with a two-necked receiver. The glycerine, together with a 

 few fragments of tobacco-pipe (this latter being required to prevent the 

 bumping which would otherwise occur), being placed in the retort-flask, 

 the receiver was connected with a Sprengel's mercurial pump and a mano- 

 meter, the caoutchouc joints being made air-tight with glycerine in the 

 usual way. Unless the glycerine distilled had been dehydrated by previous 

 distillation in a vacuum, the first portion of the distillate consisted principally 

 of water ; afterwards, when the glycerine in a pure state came over, the tem- 

 perature indicated by the thermometer was iyg'5 C, the pressure on the 

 liquid being 12*5 m.m. Under a pressure of 50 m.m., glycerine distils without 

 change at about 210 C. Glycerine, dehydrated by distillation, absorbs water 

 from the atmosphere to the extent of about 50 per cent of its weight. 



It is a striking lecture experiment in illustration of the fact that the terms 

 combustible and supporter of combustion are only conventional, to show that 

 in an atmosphere of hydrogen, oxygen burns with a flame, just as hydrogen 

 does in air or oxygen. Professor Thomsen, of Copenhagen, has refined upon 

 this experiment by making oxygen burn with a sooty flame. Take a long- 

 necked flask ; pour into it some benzol or oil of turpentine ; close the flask 

 with a doubly-perforated cork through which two short glass tubes are passed, 

 one of which should be of about 1 centimetre internal diameter, the other 

 narrower and somewhat bent sidewards. Let the liquid in the flask be boiled, 

 and, as soon as the vapours issue from the wider tube, ignite them ; and, this 

 having been done, there is passed through that tube another narrower glass 

 tube connected with a suitable gas-holder containing oxygen. This tube 

 should be provided with a platinum burner bent upwards and fitted with 

 a cork, which closes the opening of the wider tube. This oxygen-carrying 

 tube is made to pass deep into the flask; and immediately after the closing of 

 the 1 centimetre wide tube, the oxygen begins to burn with a sooty flame, 

 while the excess of the vapours of the boiling liquid are discharged by 

 the narrower glass tube above alluded to. 



Dr. E. von Gorup-Besanez has given an account of the very serious effects of 

 the explosion of only 10 drops of nitroglycerine, which were put into a small 

 cast-iron saucepan by one of the pupils of the author, in his laboratory, and 

 heated with a Bunsen gas-flame. The effect of the explosion was that forty- 

 six panes of glass of the windows of the laboratory were smashed to atoms, the 

 saucepan was hurled through a brick wall, the stout iron stand on which the 

 vessel had been placed was partly split, partly spirally twisted, and the tube 



