Chemistry and Physics. 



107 



author considers the fusion of this body as the limit beyond which pro- 

 cesses do not go. — Ann. der Chimie et de Physique, xlvi, 182, February, 

 1856. 



2. On a new mode of forming ether and its homologues. — Wurtz finds 

 that oxyd of silver and iodid of ethyl heated together yield iodid of sil- 

 ver and oxyd of ethyl A mixture of one equivalent of iodid of ethyl 

 with one of iodid of methyl, heated with oxyd of silver, gives the double 



oxyd of ethyl and methyl C4H5O-I-C2H3O or j- O2. Iodid of 



amyl also acts on oxyd of silver, but in this case amylene and fusel oil 

 are formed, since 2(CioHi2 02) = C10H12O2-I-C10H10. The true amy lie 



ether, C10H11O or g^g" j- O2, is formed at the same time and in part 



escapes the decomposition. The author considers these experiments as 

 furnishing strong evidence that the true formulas of all anhydrous pro- 

 toxyds are comprised under the general formula R2 O2. — Ann. de Chimie 

 et de Physique, xlvi, 222. 



3. On the equivalent of Antimony. — Schneider has made a new deter- 

 mination of the equivalent of this element, and finds the number ob- 

 tained by Berzelius much too high. The author employed in his investi- 

 gation a native sulphid of antimony which contained no other impurity 

 than a little quartz, the quantity of which could easily be determined. 

 The antimony and sulphur in this compound were determined by slow 

 ignition in a current of hydrogen, corrections being applied for a very 

 small quantity of sulphur remaining in the reduced antimony and for a 

 minute proportion of the sulphid carried over mechanically. In six 

 experiments the quantity of antimony in 100 parts was found to be 

 1 1*4 27 — 7T519. From this it follows that the equivalent of the metal 

 is 1503 (0=100) or 120-25 (H=l). Berzelius determined it to be 

 1613. — Pogg. Ann. xcvii, 483. 



4. On the detection of phosphorus in cases of poisoning. — Mitscherlich 

 has published a very simple and satisfactory method of detecting phos- 

 phorus in forensic investigations. The matter to be tested for phospho- 

 rus is to be distilled in a flask with water and sulphuric acid and the 

 vapors conveyed through a glass tube into a vertical glass condenser. 

 This condenser is simply a glass tube which passes through the bottom 

 of a wide glass cylinder filled with cold water, which is constantly re- 

 newed by a funnel. A vessel to receive the distillate is placed under 

 the end of the condensing tube. (The arrangement resembles Liebig's 

 condenser placed vertically). If there be phosphorus in the substance 

 in the flask, its vapor passes over with the stream into the condenser 

 and a distinct light is seen in the dark where the vapors meet the cooled 

 portion of the tube. This light lasts for a very long time, and a lumin- 

 ous ring is usually observed. More than three ounces of fluid could be 

 distilled from substances which contained only the -nruwTyxr of phospho- 

 rus without a cessation of the light. Even after fourteen days the effect 

 was observable. An addition of oil of turpentine prevents the light, but 

 alcohol and ether distill over and then the light appears. In the dis- 

 tillate, globules of phosphorus may be detected and are easily recog- 

 nized. These were observed even in a mass which contained but -J of a 



