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  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  SCIENTIFIC 
  INTELLIGENCE. 
  

  

  I. 
  Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  

   Chemical 
  Abstracts. 
  

  

  1. 
  On 
  a 
  new 
  mode 
  of 
  preparing 
  Hydrogen 
  phosphide. 
  — 
  The 
  

   supposition 
  that 
  phosphorus 
  does 
  not 
  combine 
  with 
  hydrogen 
  

   directly, 
  founded 
  on 
  the 
  early 
  experiments 
  of 
  Fourcroy 
  and 
  Van- 
  

   quelin, 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  by 
  Retgers 
  to 
  be 
  erroneous. 
  After 
  he 
  

   had 
  established 
  the 
  great 
  readiness 
  with 
  which 
  arsenic 
  unites 
  with 
  

   moderately 
  heated 
  hydrogen, 
  he 
  inferred 
  that 
  ordinary 
  phospho- 
  

   rus 
  would 
  also 
  combine 
  with 
  this 
  gas, 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  its 
  low 
  

   fusing 
  point, 
  44°. 
  He 
  was 
  led, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  use 
  red 
  phosphorus, 
  

   whose 
  melting 
  point 
  is 
  much 
  higher. 
  And 
  he 
  found 
  that 
  when 
  

   dry 
  hydrogen 
  is 
  passed 
  over 
  red 
  phosphorus 
  contained 
  in 
  a 
  glass 
  

   tube, 
  at 
  a 
  gentle 
  heat, 
  direct 
  combination 
  readily 
  takes 
  place 
  and 
  

   the 
  issuing 
  gas 
  inflames 
  spontaneously 
  in 
  the 
  air. 
  Evidently 
  the 
  

   non-spontaneously-inflammable 
  gaseous 
  phosphide 
  of 
  hydrogen 
  

   must 
  contain 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  spontaneously-inflammable 
  liquid 
  

   phosphide 
  ; 
  and 
  by 
  conducting, 
  the 
  evolved 
  product 
  through 
  a 
  U- 
  

   tube 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  freezing 
  mixture, 
  this 
  latter 
  phosphide 
  was 
  

   obtained 
  separately. 
  In 
  addition, 
  the 
  solid 
  phosphide 
  is 
  also 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  and 
  is 
  deposited 
  as 
  a 
  yellow 
  mass 
  just 
  beyond 
  the 
  heated 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  tube. 
  On 
  removing 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  heat, 
  the 
  evolved 
  

   gas 
  soon 
  ceases 
  to 
  take 
  fire 
  on 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  air 
  and 
  is 
  almost 
  pure 
  

   hydrogen. 
  The 
  author 
  thinks 
  this 
  process 
  much 
  preferable 
  to 
  the 
  

   older 
  methods 
  of 
  preparing 
  hydrogen 
  phosphide, 
  not 
  only 
  because 
  

   of 
  the 
  ease 
  with 
  which 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  operated, 
  but 
  also 
  because 
  it 
  

   affords 
  an 
  excellent 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  hydro- 
  

   gen 
  phosphides 
  by 
  direct 
  synthesis. 
  — 
  Zeitschr. 
  anorg. 
  Chem., 
  vii, 
  

   265, 
  September, 
  1894. 
  g. 
  f. 
  b. 
  

  

  2. 
  On 
  a 
  Hydrate 
  of 
  Sodium 
  Trioxide. 
  — 
  By 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  ordinary 
  

   alcohol 
  upon 
  sodium 
  peroxide, 
  Tafel 
  has 
  obtained 
  a 
  new 
  substance 
  

   of 
  rather 
  remarkable 
  composition. 
  When 
  the 
  alcohol 
  is 
  poured 
  

   on 
  the 
  peroxide, 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  enters 
  into 
  combination 
  to 
  

   form 
  a 
  strongly 
  alkaline 
  solution, 
  while 
  the 
  rest, 
  about 
  equal 
  to 
  

   this 
  in 
  amount, 
  changes 
  its 
  color 
  from 
  pale 
  yellow 
  to 
  pure 
  white 
  

   and 
  becomes 
  a 
  fine 
  granular 
  powder, 
  totally 
  unlike 
  the 
  peroxide 
  

   in 
  appearance. 
  It 
  is 
  soluble 
  in 
  water, 
  but 
  with 
  much 
  less 
  rise 
  of 
  

   temperature. 
  While 
  the 
  peroxide 
  is 
  stable 
  even 
  at 
  high 
  tempera- 
  

   tures 
  evolving 
  no 
  oxygen 
  below 
  redness, 
  the 
  new 
  substance 
  evolves 
  

   oxygen 
  copiously 
  on 
  simple 
  warming; 
  and 
  if 
  heated 
  rapidly 
  in 
  a 
  

   test 
  tube 
  explodes 
  violently 
  with 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  flame. 
  If 
  the 
  

   dry 
  powder 
  be 
  touched 
  with 
  a 
  heated 
  rod, 
  the 
  escaping 
  oxygen 
  

   sets 
  the 
  particles 
  into 
  a 
  rapid 
  whirling 
  motion, 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  rise 
  of 
  temperature 
  ; 
  the 
  action 
  extending 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  entire 
  mass, 
  pure 
  dry 
  oxygen 
  being 
  continuously 
  evolved. 
  

   On 
  heating 
  still 
  more 
  strongly, 
  the 
  residue 
  melts 
  and 
  evolves 
  vapor 
  

   of 
  water, 
  leaving 
  ordinary 
  sodium 
  hydrate. 
  On 
  analysis 
  it 
  afforded 
  

  

  