160 Scientific Intelligence. 



pbenyl-hydraxone from mannose fused at 188°, while that from 

 seminose fused at 185°-186°. It seems probable, therefore, that 

 seminose is identical with mannose, thus confirming the view of 

 the authors that mannose exists in the vegetable kingdom in the 

 form of its anhydride. — Ber. Berl. Chem. Ges., xxii, 1155, May, 

 1889. G. F. B. 



5. On the Synthesis of Uric acid. — The determination of the 

 constitution of uric acid analytically has promptly been followed 

 by its synthesis. Although Horbaczewski first produced this 

 substance artificially by fusing together urea and glycocine, yet 

 the reaction was complicated, the yield small, and the stages 

 could not be traced. Behrend and Roosen have now succeeded 

 in building up this substance by a series of simple steps all clear 

 and distinct as to their results. As the starting point, isobarbi- 

 turic acid was employed ; a substance already synthesized by 

 Behrend as follows: (1) by the action of aceto-acetic ether upon 

 urea, an ether of /3-urarnidocrotonic acid is produced ; (2) by 

 saponification with potash, the potassium salt of the correspond- 

 ing acid is obtained, the acid itself splitting into its anhydride 

 and water ; (3) this anhydride called methyl-uracil, when treated 

 with fuming nitric acid, yields nitro-uracil-carbonic acid ; (4) this, 

 on boiling with water, loses a molecule of carbon dioxide and 

 produces nitro-uracil ; and (5) nitro-uracil by reduction with tin 

 and hydrogen chloride, gives partly amido-uracil and partly iso- 

 barbituric acid. By the action of bromine water, isobarbituric 

 acid is oxidized to iso-dialuric acid, the ureide of dioxy-pyrora- 



NH-CHOH 

 i i OH 



comic acid, CO ^<CoTT ' i ^" nc ^ ^Y heating the isodialuric acid 



NH-C 



with an equal weight of urea and six times its weight of sulphuric 

 acid on a water bath for five minutes, the uric acid falls as a 

 reddish crystalline powder, which becomes white after washing, 

 dissolving in potash solution and reprecipitating. The yield is 

 about 30 to 32 per cent of the theoretical. The artificial uric 

 acid is identical in its properties with the natural product. This 

 synthesis therefore confirms the constitution of uric acid given 



NH-C-NH 

 by Fischer and Medicus Xq n_^jrj /CO. — Liebig 's Anna- 



NH-CO 



ten, ccli, 235, April, 1889. G. F. b. 



6. Crystallized Tungsten; by Robert N. Riddle. (Communi- 

 cated). — In an attempt made in May, 1888, to investigate tung- 

 sten alloys of iron, a mixture of powdered Lake Superior hema- 

 tite and tungsten trioxide in proportion to yield when reduced 

 75 per cent iron and 25 per cent tungsten, with enough carbon 

 to reduce them both to metal, was put into a graphite crucible, 

 together with sufficient borax to flux the mass, and was intensely 

 heated in a coke fire for several hours. The fire was then banked, 



