SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
93 
of mosandriim can be redissolved in an excess of potassium sulphate. It is 
less soluble than yttria and erbia are ; and this i3, in fact, a characteristic of 
terbia, as pointed out long since by Delafontaine. 
A New Organic Base in Animal Organisms . — During the last twenty-five 
years many observers have described some peculiar crystals which are to be 
met with in certain organs of the animal body as well as in such fluids as 
blood, saliva, pus, &c., both in health and disease. Charcot, in 1853, was 
the first to draw attention to them, and by many writers they are spoken of 
as “ Charcot’s crystals.” Some have supposed them to be tyrosine, others 
phosphate of lime, and others again a compound allied to albumen. 
Schreiner has now shown (“ Annalen der Chemie,” 1878, c. xciv., 68) that 
they are the phosphate of a new base. The pure substance has marked 
alkaline properties, and forms little groups of crystals resembling wavellite. 
It dissolves in absolute alcohol, and is only slightly soluble in ether ; when 
heated with a solution of potash or soda it evolves ammonia, and gives a 
flocculent white precipitate with zinc chloride. The hydrochlorate forms a 
double salt with platinum chloride, which separates in large prismatic 
crystals ; the double salt of gold is also a crystallised body. An analysis of 
the hydrochlorate of the base gave numbers which point to C 2 H 5 N,HC1 as 
the formula of this salt. A second paper by the author will shortly appear. 
Iron Phosphide . — Percy observed that iron will not take up more than 8*4 
per cent, of phosphorus when those substances are heated together. J. E. 
Stead, in a paper recently read before the Cleveland Institution of Engineers 
(“ The Chemical News,” 1878, xxxviii., 14), states that he has succeeded in 
obtaining combinations of phosphorus, varying between 6 and 27 per cent. 
The point of fusion of the compound is lowered with each addition of the 
metalloid until a substance containing from 10 to 12 per cent, of phosphorus 
is produced, after which each addition makes the compound less and less 
fusible. Iron phosphide containing 11 per cent, of phosphorus is quite 
fluid at a bright red heat ; the compound with 25 per cent, is infusible at 
that temperature. If a partially-fused pig of Cleveland iron be broken across, 
the fractured surface “ presents throughout glistening, apparently fluid, 
portions, thoroughly interspersed with particles of metal which have not 
become fluid.” Stead poured one cwt. of Cleveland iron into a mould and, 
when on cooling it had become viscous, he applied great pressure to it by 
means of a hydraulic ram. Below are given the composition of the iron 
itself (I) and that of the last portions of fluid metal expressed from 
it (II) : — 
Iron . 
I. 
. 93*125 
n. 
. 90-122 
Carbon 
3-000 
1-750 
Manganese 
0-355 
0-288 
Silicium 
1-630 
0-790 
Sulphur 
0120 
0-060 
Phosphorus 
1-530 
6-840 
Titanium . 
0-240 
0-150 
100-000 
100-000 
The latter may be regarded as a mixture of iron phosphide, and unaltered 
pig ; and a calculation of the amount of the last-named constituent, based on 
