344 Scientific Intelligence. 
this fact it is argued that in hydrogen peroxide the oxygen has 
lost less of its properties than in water, and this, in the author’s 
opinion, confirms the view that the constitution is expressed as a 
feebly united compound of the group O, with H, rather than as a 
union of two hydroxyl groups, HO-OH. The blue color of the 
sky the author regards as explained primarily by the color belong- 
ing to the oxygen, ozone, water and hydrogen peroxide present 
in it; it is not due, however, to transmission simply but to reflec- 
tion from the earth and refraction, as a mirage of diffused light, 
through extensive layers of the atmosphere. The author prom- 
ises to discuss this latter subject more fully later.—Bull. Acad. - 
Roy. Belgique, UI, xxix, 363-384. 
8. Indirect Hlectrolysis of a liquid.—E. ANDREOLI has recently 
described a modified method for the electrical decomposition of a 
liquid which he calls indirect or secondary electrolysis. He em- 
ploys a bath divided by plates of porous porcelain into three com- 
partments ; the end ones he fills with some conducting liquid, 
while the middle one contains the liquid to be decomposed; the 
anode and cathode are immersed in the first and last compart- 
ments, respectively. If the arrangement is simply as thus far 
described the passage of the electrical current results only in the 
decomposition of the first mentioned liquid :—thus, if it is water 
containing salt, chlorine is liberated at the anode and sodium 
hydrate formed at the cathode while the other liquid, e. g. gold 
cyanide, is unaffected. If, however, a metallic plate, or better, 
several plates are immersed in the liquid of the central compart- 
ment, but not connected with either pole, this liquid is now 
decomposed and in the case given gold is deposited on the 
metallic surface. Thus a lead plate opposite the diaphragm 
near the negative pole becomes peroxydized, while the other 
side is coated with gold. Metallic piates placed vertically 
or horizontally in the layer of liquid near the positive compart- 
ment are coated with gold. If the liquid in the end compart- 
ments is gold cyanide, no change is found in it if tested after a 
considerable time, while the same liquid in the central compart- 
ment has been decomposed even to the point of exhaustion. This 
method has also been employed to transform bisulphite of sodium 
into the hyposulphite; this liquid is placed in the center with 
two metallic plates on the positive and negative sides respectively, 
while any convenient conducting liquid fills the ends. The latter 
~ liquid is unaffected by the passage of the current, while the other 
is decomposed with the liberation of gas and a piece of linen 
immersed in the bath is rapidly bleached.—Le Génie civil, xxvil, 
June 29, 1895. 
4, On the Constituents of Cleveite gas.—A paper upon this sub- 
ject by C. Runez and F. PascueEn is printed in the September 
number of the Philosophical Magazine (p. 297) translated from 
the Proceedings of the Berlin Academy (July 11). 
