926 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[May 20, 1871. 
the fungus on the matters in solution; hut the exact 
•chemical operations of this vegetation are unknown. 
Since writing the above my attention has been called 
to some observations on this plant by Mr. Slack (vol. v. 
p. 2), and published in the ‘ Microscopical Transactions.’ 
He states, and I have no doubt of the truth of the asser¬ 
tion, that, “If some of the gelatinous portion of the 
plant be examined with high powers, it will be found to 
contain millions of minute bodies, resembling bacteria, 
some of them not exceeding y^^oyth of an inch in 
length.” 
1 have recently examined a dilute solution of alcohol, 
which is being converted into vinegar, and find these 
bacteria in abundance. They may be seen distinctly 
when magnified 250 diameters, though a high power 
must be used to resolve their structure. 
The study of these minute organisms, though very 
uninviting to the general microscopist, would richly re¬ 
ward any patient investigator ; for until we know more 
of the chemical processes which take place in and through 
them, the subject of putrefactive decomposition must 
remain a blank, as it is at present. 
The vinegar plant and yeast are said to be different 
conditions of the same vegetation ; the Brothers Tulasne 
have shown us that these low r er species of vegetation 
pass through various phases during their growth, each 
having previously been considered as a distinct plant; 
and I see no reason why these minute organisms should 
not produce different chemical combinations at the dif¬ 
ferent stages of their development, since we see, in the 
higher order of certain plants, that some of their che¬ 
mical processes are reversed at points of their existence, 
namely, during germination, flowering and the ripening 
of the fruit, when they absorb oxygen and give off car¬ 
bonic acid to the atmosphere. 
In conclusion, allow me to observe that I am fully 
aware of having written a paper with a very slender 
knowledge of the microscopic organisms, whose chemical 
operations I have discussed; therefore I hope those parts 
which I have left in darkness will now receive the light 
■of your experience and knowledge as microscopists. I 
am very anxious to obtain information concerning the 
part which those minute vibriones and bacteria play in 
nature’s economy, for there can be no doubt that those 
remarkable bodies, appearing everywhere and springing 
into active existence almost at a moment’s notice, must 
perform some important part in many of the changes 
which surround us.— Journal of the Quekett Microscopical 
Club. 
THE USE OF ANIMAL CHARCOAL FOR THE 
PURIFICATION OF SACCHARINE SOLUTIONS IN 
POLARIMETRICAL ANALYSIS. 
(From the French of Dr. Stammer.) 
A certain quantity of animal black, in powder or in 
grist, is often employed to decolour and purify saccharine 
solutions intended for polarimetrical analysis. It is 
true that some chemists avoid this use of char, in which 
they think they see a cause of error; but it is generally 
admitted that in these conditions the char does not ab¬ 
sorb the. sugar, and therefore does not affect the results. 
As this opinion does not appear to have been based on 
special experiment, M.. Scheibler, in concert with M. 
Daunal, undertook a seiies of researches on the absorp¬ 
tion of sugar in the treatment of saccharine solutions by 
means of char, which have placed beyond doubt the fact 
• of this absorption in such a way as to prevent, hence¬ 
forth, the use of this method of clarification for exact 
analysis. 
The following tables contain the results of some expe¬ 
riments, in which different sorts of sugar have been used. 
The proper quantity of these sugars was dissolved in 
50 cubic centimetres of water, and purified in the ordi¬ 
nary way by means of acetate of lead (except the samples 
marked by an asterisk in the table), and first examined 
in the polariscope. The same solution was then mixed 
with the quantity of powdered char shown in the third 
column of the table, and the action prolonged during the 
time indicated in the fourth column. The filtered solu¬ 
tion, decoloured, was polarized afresh, and the proportion 
absorbed calculated. It is needless to say that every 
possible precaution was taken to prevent any cause of 
inaccuracy; consequently, the results are entirely con¬ 
clusive. 
It will be seen that the char absorbed some sugar in 
every case, and that the quantity absorbed was propor¬ 
tionate to the quantity of char employed. 
Some hours’ contact sufficed to render the absorption 
sensible. The previous clarification by acetate of lead, 
and the degree of purity of the sugars, appear to have 
had no influence. 
Table I.— Absorption of Pure Sugar by Char. 
230° F. 
Dried to 
Sugar employed in 
experiment. 
Raw sugar, No. 
»> 
»> 
!) 
It 
tt 
it 
it 
it 
it 
Masse 
tt 
d’empli, 
1st product 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
:} 
Pure sugar. 
Sugar in crystals. 
Degree of Po¬ 
larization. 
Quantity of char em¬ 
ployed —Grammes. 
Time of contact with 
the char.—Hours. 
Proportion of sugar ab¬ 
sorbed per cent, of sugar. 
Before treat¬ 
ment by cbarin 
percentages. 
After treatment 
by char in 
percentages. J 
ioo-oo 
99-8 
5"5 
23 
0-2 
99-7 
99-3 
5*5 
24 
0-4 
91-5 
9M5 
5-5 
3 
0-35 
94-2 
93-8 
5-5 
18 
0-4 
90-8 
90-4 
5-5 
24 
0-4 
95-4 
94-65 
5-5 
20 
0-45 
93-45 
930 
5-5 
24 
0-45 
91-8 
91 -5 
5-5 
24 
0-3 
95 8 
95-45 
5-5 
16 
0-35 
82-35 
81-95 
5-5 
18 
0-4 
Table II.— Absorption of Pure Sugar by Char. 
320° F. 
Dried to 
Degree of Po- 
4 1 
Sugar employed 
in 
i larizal 
.2 
• U # 
ion. 
" ' ' “N 
-td 
a 
a> 
a 
: e * 
Ol 01 
■ «- a 
i £ s 
« 2 
tact with 
[lours. 
Vi <D 
A Oh 
to o 
3 • 
» *> 
o ® 
experiment. 
"5 2 5 
£ o to 
« a go 
1 oO 
G | 
° 
O *. 
c*_i 
O 0> 
Cu 
®-° a 
■*- « n 
VS T5 
o’ 0 
g 
A i <D 
ra 6 & 
Oi o O 
>■» Qj 
a, 
p ® 
CS 
3 O 
O’P, 
<D O 
a o; 
S5 
2 & 
* 3 
1 Pure 
sugar. 
• 
• 
100-0* 
99-55 
5-5 
16 
0-45 
Suga 
r in cry 
stals. 
99-75* 
99-3 
5-5 
16 
0-45 , 
Raw 
sugar, 
Nc 
>. 1 
97-25* 
96-75 
5'5 
16 
0-5 
11 
?? 
2 
93-1 
92-5 
5'5 
3-12 
0-6 
11 
11 
3 
931 
91-9 
11-0 
3-12 
1-2 
11 
11 
4 
91-75 
91-2 
bo 
16 
0-55 
11 
11 
5 
98-4* 
98-2 
b'b 
16 
0-2 
tt 
11 
6 
99-0* 
98-45 
bb 
16 
0'55 
11 
11 
7 
98-4 
97-8 
bb 
16 
0-6 
19 
11 
8 
92-1 
91-0 
110 
16 i 
1-1 
tt 
11 
9 
93-2 
92-2 j 
110 
16 
1-0 | 
19 
11 
10 
91-8 
90-8 
15-0 
16 j 
1-0 
19 
11 
11 i 
97-3* 
97-1 
b'b 
16 I 
0-2 
Masse d’empli, 
1st product 
>1 
83-3 
82-9 
bb ! 
! 
16 
0-4 
1 
We must conclude from these results that the use of 
