250 Scientific Intelligence. 



we give here his conclusions on the properties of fluorine. It is a 

 colorless gas, having an odor recalling that of hypochlorous acid. 

 It combines directly with hydrogen even in the dark and without 

 the aid of heat; being the only instance where two gases unite 

 directly without the aid of external energy. Sulphur, selenium 

 and tellurium are inflamed on contact with it. Phosphorus takes 

 fire in it, and yields a mixture of oxyfluoride and of fluorides of 

 phosphorus. Iodine burns in it with a pale flame ; arsenic and 

 antimony unite with it with incandescence. Crystallized silicon, 

 cold, burns brilliantly in it, yielding the gaseous fluoride. Ada- 

 mantine boron also burns in it, but with more difficulty. 

 Potassium and sodium become incandescent when cold, iron and 

 manganese when slightly heated. Mercury absorbs it completely, 

 but gold and platinum ai'e not attacked by it at ordinary tempe- 

 ratures. Melted potassium chloride and iodide are at once 

 attacked by it, the chlorine and iodine being set free, the latter 

 in the form of crystals. Water is decomposed by it in the cold, 

 forming hydrogen fluoride and setting free ozonized oxygen. 

 Carbon disulphide is at once inflamed by fluorine ; and when this 

 gas is received in carbon tetrachloride, it produces a continual 

 evolution of chlorine. Organic bodies containing hydrogen are 

 violently attacked by fluorine. A fragment of cork is carbonized 

 at once and ignited if placed in front of the evolution tube. 

 Alcohol, ether, benzene, turpentine, petroleum take fire on contact 

 with this gas. In a word, fluorine appears justly to occupy the 

 place hitherto assigned to it at the head of the group of halogens, 

 as a substance whose activity surpasses that of any other 

 element.— Ann. Chim. Phys.,VI, xii, 472-538, Dec, 1887. 



G. F. B. 



4. On Oxygen Carriers. — Lothar Meter has made a series of 

 experiments to test the alleged function of certain substances as 

 oxygen carriers. Oxygen and sulphur dioxide gases were 

 passed for four hours, as a rule, through solutions of the salts to 

 be tested, of known concentration, heated in flasks placed on the 

 water bath. After expelling the excess of sulphur dioxide by 

 carbon dioxide gas, the sulphuric acid which had been formed in 

 the solution by oxidation was determined by analysis. The 

 results confirmed the alleged fact. The most active salt was 

 manganous sulphate, MnS0 4 . (H„0) 6 , 2-404 grams of which dis- 

 solved in 200 c.c. of water, produced five times as much sulphuric 

 acid as the salt itself contained ; i. e., (H 2 S0 4 ) 6 for MnS0 4 . 

 Manganous chloride was also active and produced 4*3 molecules 

 H„S0 4 in the same time. The salts of copper, iron, cobalt, nickel, 

 zinc, cadmium and magnesium were also active but in a less 

 degree ; while thallium and potassium salts gave no result. 

 The author attributes this action to alternate oxidation and 

 reduction, since those metals are the most active which pass 

 most readily from one stage of oxidation to another. — Ber. 

 Berl. Chem. Ges., xx, 3058, Nov., 1887. g. f. b. 



5. On the Atomic Weight of Zinc. — Reynolds and Ramsay 

 by measuring directly the hydrogen set free by the solution of a 



