﻿Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  509 
  

  

  SCIENTIFIC 
  INTELLIGENCE. 
  

  

  I. 
  Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  

  

  1. 
  On 
  Two 
  new 
  Modifications 
  of 
  Sulphur. 
  — 
  Engel 
  has 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  that 
  if 
  one 
  volume 
  of 
  solution 
  of 
  sodium 
  thiosulphate, 
  

   saturated 
  at 
  the 
  ordinary 
  temperature, 
  be 
  poured 
  with 
  continual 
  

   agitation 
  into 
  two 
  volumes 
  of 
  a 
  solution 
  of 
  hydrochloric 
  acid, 
  

   saturated 
  at 
  25°-30° 
  and 
  cooled 
  to 
  about 
  10°, 
  sodium 
  chloride 
  

   is 
  precipitated, 
  and 
  the 
  resulting 
  thiosulphuric 
  acid 
  is 
  so 
  stable 
  

   that 
  the 
  liquid 
  can 
  be 
  filtered. 
  At 
  first 
  the 
  filtrate 
  is 
  colorless, 
  

   but 
  it 
  soon 
  becomes 
  yellow, 
  the 
  intensity 
  of 
  the 
  color 
  increasing 
  

   gradually, 
  and 
  sulphurous 
  oxide 
  being 
  evolved. 
  If 
  now, 
  after 
  

   the 
  liquid 
  has 
  become 
  deep 
  yellow 
  in 
  color, 
  but 
  is 
  still 
  entirely 
  

   transparent, 
  it 
  be 
  agitated 
  with 
  its 
  own 
  volume 
  of 
  chloroform, 
  

   the 
  chloroform 
  removes 
  the 
  yellow 
  color 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  being 
  allowed 
  

   to 
  evaporate, 
  deposits 
  orange-yellow 
  crystals 
  of 
  sulphur, 
  quite 
  

   different 
  from 
  the 
  octahedral 
  variety. 
  Fried 
  el 
  describes 
  them 
  as 
  

   rhombohedral 
  showing 
  the 
  cross 
  and 
  rings 
  of 
  uniaxial 
  crystals 
  in 
  

   polarized 
  light. 
  The 
  rhombohedron 
  is 
  very 
  obtuse, 
  pp 
  (normal) 
  

   = 
  40° 
  50'. 
  These 
  crystals 
  have 
  a 
  density 
  of 
  2-135, 
  greater 
  than 
  

   that 
  of 
  octahedral 
  sulphur. 
  At 
  first 
  they 
  are 
  transparent 
  but 
  in 
  

   three 
  or 
  four 
  hours 
  they 
  pass 
  into 
  an 
  amorphous 
  insoluble 
  form. 
  

   They 
  fuse 
  below 
  100°, 
  passing 
  into 
  the 
  pasty 
  condition 
  and 
  

   becoming 
  partially 
  soluble 
  in 
  carbon 
  disulphide. 
  If, 
  however, 
  

   the 
  solution 
  of 
  thiosulphuric 
  acid 
  in 
  hydrochloric 
  acid 
  be 
  allowed 
  

   to 
  stand, 
  the 
  sulphur 
  separates 
  as 
  a 
  yellow 
  flocculent 
  precipitate, 
  

   completely 
  soluble 
  in 
  water. 
  The 
  solution 
  is 
  yellow, 
  but 
  decom- 
  

   poses 
  rapidly, 
  yielding 
  the 
  ordinary 
  pasty 
  sulphur 
  of 
  the 
  thio- 
  

   sulphates. 
  The 
  original 
  precipitate 
  also 
  agglomerates 
  and 
  passes 
  

   into 
  the 
  same 
  insoluble 
  form, 
  without 
  evolution 
  of 
  hydrogen 
  sul- 
  

   phide. 
  These 
  varieties 
  of 
  sulphur 
  are 
  probably 
  polymerized 
  

   atomic 
  forms. 
  — 
  C. 
  H., 
  cxii, 
  866 
  ; 
  J. 
  Chem. 
  JSoc, 
  lx, 
  976, 
  Sept. 
  

   1891. 
  G. 
  F. 
  B. 
  

  

  2. 
  Chemistry 
  of 
  the 
  Carbon 
  compounds 
  or 
  Organic 
  Chem- 
  

   istry; 
  by 
  Victor 
  von 
  Pichter, 
  University 
  of 
  Breslau. 
  Author- 
  

   ized 
  translation 
  by 
  Edgar 
  F. 
  Smith, 
  University 
  of 
  Pennsylvania. 
  

   Second 
  American 
  from 
  the 
  Sixth 
  German 
  edition. 
  12mo, 
  pp. 
  

   1040. 
  Philadelphia, 
  1891. 
  (P. 
  Blakiston, 
  Son 
  & 
  Co.). 
  

  

  The 
  new 
  edition 
  of 
  this 
  excellent 
  text-book 
  will 
  be 
  very 
  accept- 
  

   able 
  to 
  students 
  of 
  Organic 
  Chemistry. 
  The 
  introduction 
  con- 
  

   tains 
  much 
  new 
  and 
  valuable 
  matter 
  upon 
  the 
  later 
  physical 
  and 
  

   chemical 
  methods 
  of 
  fixing 
  the 
  mass 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  

   the 
  molecule, 
  the 
  sections 
  on 
  stereochemical 
  theories 
  and 
  the 
  tau- 
  

   tomeric 
  theory 
  being 
  noteworthy. 
  In 
  the 
  special 
  part, 
  Class 
  I 
  is 
  

   devoted 
  to 
  the 
  Fatty 
  bodies 
  or 
  the 
  Methane 
  derivatives 
  and 
  Class 
  

   II 
  to 
  the 
  Benzene 
  derivatives. 
  The 
  new 
  edition 
  shows 
  a 
  large 
  

   introduction 
  of 
  new 
  matter, 
  the 
  chapter 
  on 
  the 
  carbohydrates 
  

   having 
  been 
  re-written, 
  the 
  sections 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  tri-, 
  tetra- 
  

   and 
  penta-methylene 
  series 
  greatly 
  enlarged, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  

  

  