88 Scientific Intelligence. 



50 centimeters long, having its ends closed with transparent 

 plates of fluor spar. Under these circumstances the gas appears 

 of a distinctly greenish-yellow color, less strongly pronounced 

 than that of chlorine and inclining rather more to yellow. If a 

 little water be allowed to enter this tube full of fluorine, hydro- 

 gen fluoride is at once formed and the oxygen is set free in the 

 form of ozone, in a condition of such concentration that the 

 contents of the tube become of a deep indigo-blue color. In 

 order to obtain the spectrum of fluorine, sparks were taken in an 

 atmosphere of this gas contained in a platinum tube, between 

 gold or platinum electrodes. In the red region of the spectrum, 

 the author found thirteen well-defined lines having the following 

 wave-lengths: 749, 740, 734, 714, 704, 691, 687'5, 685'5, 683-5, 677, 

 640'5, 634 and 623. By a comparison of silicon chloride and 

 fluoride Salet had already observed lines of wave-lengths 692, 

 686, 678, 640, 623, which he attributed to fluorine. — C. JR., cix, 

 937; Ber. Berl. Chem. Ges., xxiii, (Ref.) 140, Mch. 1890. 



G. F. B. 



4. On the Preparation of Hydrazine from Aldehyde- ammo- 

 nia. — Curtitxs and Jay have described a simple method of ob- 

 taining hydrazine from aldehyde-ammonia CH 3 . CH . OH. NH„. 

 By the action of sodium nitrite upon a cold saturated solution of 

 aldehyde-ammonia in water feebly acid, the nitrosoamine of a base 

 C.H n 2 . CH . NH, which the authors call paraldimine results, 

 the nitroso-paraldimine itself having the formula C 5 H u 2 . CH 

 . NNO. If a little moist hydrogen chloride gas be passed" into 

 the ethereal solution of this nitrosoamine, it yields paraldimine 

 hydrochloride C s H n 2 . CH. NH. HC1, in the form of clear color- 

 less needles. These dissolved in ether and treated with silver 

 oxide yield the free base paraldimine as a mobile colorless liquid, 

 with an odor recalling that of paraldehyde, and which solidifies 

 to a mass of crystals in a freezing mixture. By the action of 

 zinc dust and glacial acetic acid on the nitrosamine, amido-paral- 

 dimine C.H n 2 . CH. NNH„ is formed; and this when boiled 

 with dilute sulphuric acid, yields paraldehyde and hydrazine 

 sulphate : 



aH„0 : . C | ^ NHo + H 2 + H 2 S0 4 = C 5 H, ^ . C I q + N 2 H 4 . H 2 S0 4 



By distillation with alkalies hydrazine hydrate is obtained from 

 the sulphate. The nitroso-paraldimine may be converted directly 

 into hydrazine sulphate by the action of zinc dust and sulphuric 

 acid ; but the yield is small owing to the fact that the reduction 

 is liable to go too far. — Ber. Berl. Chem. Ges., xxiii, 740, Mch. 

 1890. G. F. B. 



II. Geology and Mineralogy. 



1. Post- Tertiary Deposits of Manitoba and the adjoining 

 territories of Northwestern Canada ; by J. B. Tyrrell, of the 

 Geological Survey of Canada. (Bulletin of the Geological 

 Society of America.) — The district treated of in this paper com- 



