6i- Scientific Intelligence, [Jan« 



this bint Sir Humphry Davy immediately set to work, and 

 speedily succeeded in furming the supposed oil. It was volatilcj 

 and when heated on the surface of water burnt rapidly, with a 

 feeble putFor explosion. Messrs^ Davy, Children, and Warburton^ 

 agreed to repair to the laboratory of Mr. Children, and examine 

 this new substance with some care. They succeeded in form- 

 ing it, by passing a current of chlorine through solutions of 

 oxalate of ammonia, as well as nitrate of ammonia. They 

 put solutions of dirFerent ammoniacal .salts into a succession of 

 Woulfe's bottles, and passed a current of chlorine through 

 them. The substance in question was formed, and, during the 

 course of the experiment, exploded with prodigious violence, 

 and broke the bottles to atoms. They had recourse in conse- 

 quence to small tubes, and used quantities of the oil, not ex- 

 ceeding the size of a pinhead. Notwithstanding these precau- 

 tions, in one of their trials, the tube broke, and a fragment of 

 it entered Sir Humphry Davy's eye, through the cornea. This 

 untoward accident prevented him from prosecuting the experi- 

 ments any farther. But they were continued by Messrs. Children 

 and Warburton. The following are the principal facts which 

 they ascertained : 



When this substance explodes, a gas is emitted, which when 

 examined turns out to be azotic gas. Flence it seems fair to in- 

 fer, that the oily substance is a compound of chlorine and azote, 

 and the same substance as that discovered by the French chemist, 

 and alluded to in the letter received by Sir Humphry Davy, 

 above referred to. When a little of this substance is throv/n 

 upon the surface of olive oil or oil of turpentine, a dreadful ex- 

 plosion takes place. It explodes also when it comes in contact 

 with phosphorus, but not with so much violence. During all 

 these explosions considerable heat is evolved. 



IL Sugar from Starch, , 



M. Kirchofi^ a Russian chemist, has recently discovered a 

 method of converting starch into sugar. Professor Berzelius, 

 who visited London during the last summer, brought the first 

 accounts of this curious process, and some details concerning it 

 have been published by M. Waase, Member of the Imperial 

 Academy of Petersburgh. The following are the proportions of 

 the different substances used by KirchofF: 



100 parts starch. 



400 .... water. 



1 .... sulphuric acid. 



Powder of charcoal 7 a st • l ^ ^-l 

 Q^^Yk 3 sunicient quantity. 



Half of the water is to be mixed with the sulphuric acid^ and 



