Chemistry and Physics. 155 



faces. This stone is eminently chondritic. There is a fine- 

 grained paste, and through it are distributed little rounded 

 grains. Both the matrix and the grains are of the same mate- 

 rial, — the minerals olivene and enstatite. This is all that is 

 visible to the naked eye. But an ordinary low power lens 

 shows many bright, metallic points. Also glossy, waxy pim- 

 ples of red color, perhaps an effusion of chloride of iron. 

 Some larger blotches of iron rust occur here and there. In 

 determining the metallic portion of the meteorite (which has 

 beeli done by Mr. John M. Davison of the Reynolds Labora- 

 tory of the University of Rochester), pieces of the mass were 

 finely crushed and the metal separated by the magnet, washed 

 in alcohol and dried rapidly. Its weight having been taken, it 

 was dissolved in nitric acid, and a little insoluble stony matter 

 was separated, weighed and deducted from it. A mean of 

 two determinations made in this way gave the metallic propor- 

 tion about 16 per cent of the whole mass. This is an unusual 

 per cent of metal, — much more than in the Waconda, which 

 stone resembles in some respects the Kesen, — which we now 

 name this new meteorite from Japan. 



We are expecting to soon receive some other pieces, which 

 may give new facts ; and also a fuller examination of the 

 mineral constituents — metallic and non -metallic, — will be made 

 ere long. 



SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 



I. Chemistry and Physics. 



1. On the Re-conversion of Heat into Chemical Energy in the 

 production of Gas. — As is well known, the reaction H„0 (liquid) 

 + C = H 2 + CO is endothermic, the production of water gas from 

 steam and ignited coke absorbing SSYYO calories. On the other 

 hand, the reaction 0+0 = CO is exothermic, the production of 

 generator gas by passing air over excess of ignited coke evolving 

 29690 calories ; the nitrogen being left in the gas. This amount 

 of heat would raise the temperature of the carbon monoxide to 

 2169°; so that if used at once, the 29690 calories would be util- 

 ized. But in general the gas is stored in a holder before use and 

 so is cooled to 15°; thus losing the heat of formation, which is 

 30*4 per cent of the total heat of combustion of the coke. In 

 order to avoid this loss of energy, Naumann has suggested com- 

 bining an exothermic with an endothermic reaction and thus stor- 

 ing up the heat energy in the gas itself in the form of chemical 

 energy. This may be done (1) by mixing air and water-vapor 

 together in such proportion that by their mutual action upon 



