﻿68 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  5. 
  On 
  the 
  Detection 
  of 
  metallic 
  Mercury 
  in 
  cases 
  of 
  Poisoning. 
  

   — 
  It 
  is 
  generally 
  assumed 
  that 
  metallic 
  mercury 
  when 
  treated 
  

   with 
  hydrochloric 
  acid 
  and 
  potassium 
  chlorate 
  goes 
  readily 
  into 
  

   solution. 
  But 
  Lecco 
  has 
  observed 
  that 
  in 
  destroying 
  the 
  organic 
  

   matter 
  in 
  toxicological 
  cases 
  with 
  these 
  reagents, 
  metallic 
  mercury 
  

   if 
  present 
  is 
  only 
  very 
  slowly 
  attacked. 
  A 
  human 
  stomach 
  in 
  

   which 
  minute 
  globules 
  of 
  mercury 
  could 
  be 
  distinctly 
  seen 
  was 
  

   treated 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  until 
  the 
  organic 
  matter 
  was 
  destroyed 
  and 
  

   then 
  examined 
  as 
  usual. 
  Scarcely 
  a 
  trace 
  of 
  mercury 
  could 
  be 
  

   detected 
  in 
  the 
  solution, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  residue 
  minute 
  globules 
  of 
  

   the 
  metal 
  were 
  visible. 
  Direct 
  experiment 
  showed 
  that 
  mercury 
  

   itself 
  is 
  soluble 
  with 
  extreme 
  difficulty 
  under 
  these 
  conditions; 
  

   and 
  hence 
  the 
  author 
  believes 
  that 
  in 
  examination 
  lor 
  poisons 
  this 
  

   fact 
  should 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind. 
  He 
  recommends 
  that 
  the 
  process 
  

   of 
  treating 
  with 
  hydrochloric 
  acid 
  and 
  potassium 
  chlorate 
  should 
  

   be 
  continued 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  after 
  the 
  organic 
  matter 
  disappears. 
  — 
  

   Ber. 
  Berl. 
  Chew. 
  Ges., 
  xxiv, 
  928, 
  April, 
  1891. 
  g. 
  f. 
  b. 
  

  

  6. 
  On 
  Tetr 
  azotic, 
  acid 
  and 
  its 
  Oxy- 
  and 
  Di-oxy 
  derivatives. 
  — 
  

   In 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  observation 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  acids 
  up- 
  

   on 
  benzenyl-amidine 
  nitrite, 
  an 
  acid 
  is 
  produced 
  having 
  the 
  for- 
  

   mula 
  C 
  7 
  H 
  6 
  N 
  4 
  2 
  and 
  therefore 
  of 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  a 
  di-nitroso- 
  

   benzenyl-amidine, 
  W. 
  Lossen 
  undertook 
  further 
  researches 
  in 
  

   this 
  direction 
  and 
  has 
  obtained 
  some 
  noteworthy 
  results. 
  He 
  

   finds 
  (1) 
  that 
  similar 
  compound 
  acids 
  are 
  yielded 
  by 
  other 
  ami- 
  

   dines 
  provided 
  that 
  in 
  them 
  the 
  hydrogen 
  in 
  the 
  group 
  C/^rr 
  

  

  is 
  not 
  replaced 
  by 
  alkyl 
  radicals 
  ; 
  (2) 
  that 
  the 
  acids 
  thus 
  obtained 
  

   X 
  . 
  CN 
  4 
  0. 
  2 
  H, 
  called 
  dioxy-tetrazotic 
  acids 
  and 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  above 
  

   benzenyl-dioxytetrazotic 
  acid 
  C 
  6 
  H 
  5 
  . 
  ON 
  4 
  2 
  H 
  is 
  an 
  example, 
  are 
  

   reduced 
  by 
  sodium 
  amalgam 
  to 
  oxy-tetrazotic 
  acids, 
  X 
  . 
  CN 
  4 
  OH, 
  

   such 
  as 
  benzenyl-oxytetrazotic 
  acid 
  C 
  6 
  H 
  5 
  . 
  CN 
  4 
  OH, 
  and 
  to 
  tetra- 
  

   zotic 
  acids 
  X 
  . 
  CN 
  4 
  H, 
  as 
  for 
  example 
  C 
  6 
  H 
  5 
  . 
  CN 
  4 
  H 
  benzenyl-tetra- 
  

   zotic 
  acid 
  ; 
  (3) 
  the 
  dioxytetrazotic 
  acids 
  decompose 
  spontaneously 
  

   when 
  set 
  free 
  from 
  their 
  salts, 
  and 
  their 
  metallic 
  salts 
  when 
  dry 
  are 
  

   extraordinarily 
  explosive 
  ; 
  (4) 
  theoxytetrazotic 
  acids, 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  

   their 
  permanence 
  are 
  intermediate 
  between 
  the 
  unstable 
  dioxyte- 
  

   trazotic 
  acids 
  and 
  the 
  quiet 
  permanent 
  tetrazotic 
  acids, 
  although 
  

   the 
  latter 
  and 
  also 
  its 
  salts 
  are 
  explosive 
  ; 
  (5) 
  by 
  Raoult's 
  method 
  

   the 
  molecular 
  formulas 
  of 
  benzenyl-tetrazotic 
  and 
  benzenyl- 
  

   oxytetrazotic 
  acids 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  C 
  7 
  H 
  6 
  N 
  4 
  and 
  C 
  7 
  H 
  6 
  N 
  4 
  respect- 
  

   ively 
  ; 
  (6) 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  constitution 
  of 
  these 
  acids, 
  the 
  

   author 
  states 
  (a) 
  that 
  the 
  hypothetical 
  free 
  benzenvl-dioxvtetra- 
  

  

  -^N 
  NO 
  

   zotic 
  acid 
  has 
  apparently 
  the 
  formula 
  C 
  6 
  H 
  5 
  . 
  C^-*r 
  '^qu, 
  since 
  it 
  

  

  gives 
  Liebermann's 
  nitroso-reaction 
  and 
  decomposes 
  into 
  benzoni- 
  

   trile, 
  nitrogen 
  and 
  nitrogen 
  dioxide 
  ; 
  (b) 
  that 
  benzenyl-tetrazotic 
  

   acid, 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  concentrated 
  hydrochloric 
  acid, 
  decomposes 
  

   according 
  to 
  the 
  equation 
  

  

  C 
  7 
  H 
  C 
  N 
  4 
  + 
  (H 
  a 
  O) 
  a 
  =C 
  6 
  H 
  B 
  . 
  NH 
  S 
  + 
  CO 
  a 
  + 
  N 
  a 
  + 
  NH, 
  

  

  