550         NEW  PROPERTIES  AND  USES  OF  NAPHTHALIN. 
alkali ;  carbonate  of  ammonia,  copious  precipitate,  soluble 
in  excess  of  precipitant ;  carbonates  of  potassa  and  soda,  per- 
manent precipitates  ;  neither  the  nitrate  of  protoxide,  nor  of 
peroxide  of  mercury,  nor,  also,  neutral  chloride  of  iron,  exhibit 
any  reaction  with  the  solution  in  question  ;  solution  of  sulphate 
of  copper  gives  a  greenish  blue  precipitate.  Since  borate  of 
lime  is  less  soluble,  even  in  alcohol,  then  sulphate  of  lime,  a 
solution  of  the  former  salt  in  water  containing  only  1000th  part 
of  the  salt  is  readily  precipitated  by  alcohol  containing  60  per 
cent,  of  absolute  alcohol.  The  presence  in  solution  in  water  of 
some  salts,  especially  chloride  of  sodium  and  ammonium,  largely 
increases  the  solubility  of  borate  of  lime  in  water.  Such  acids 
as  form  with  lime  readily  soluble  salts,  do  readily  dissolve  borate 
of  lime,  both  pure  and  native ;  and  from  such  solutions,  if  con- 
centrated, boracic  acid  is  precipitated.  The  portion  of  this 
paper  relating  to  the  manufacture  of  borax  and  boracic  acid  from 
the  native  borate  of  lime  alluded  to,  is  rather  a  practical  receipt 
for  the  proper  performance  of  this  branch  of  industry,  and, 
therefore,  not  well  suited  for  abstraction,  the  less  so  as  the  price 
of  fuel,  soda,  and  other  things  necessarily  influence  the  applica- 
bility of  the  borate  of  lime  for  that  purpose. — Chem.  News, 
Sept.  3,  1869. 
NEW  PROPERTIES  AND  USES  OF  NAPHTHALIN. 
By  Dr.  Adolph  Ott. 
The  naphthalin,  discovered  in  1820  by  Garden,  is  found  to  be 
of  great  importance.  Its  derivatives  have  produced  benzoic  acid, 
benzol,  nitro-benzol,  and  aniline,  as  well  as  fine  yellow  and  red 
dyes.  The  yellow  was  described  in  a  translation  from  Dr.  Brim- 
meyer  in  the  August  number  of  this  journal. 
PREPARATION  OF  NAPHTHALIN. 
H.  Vohl  describes  t*he  following  method  for  the  preparation  of 
this  hydro-carbon  as  the  most  practical:  For  the  crude  product 
that  part  of  the  pitch  or  dead  oil  is  selected  which  solidifies  when 
cold  ;  it  is  obtained  by  fractional  distillation.  The  dead  oil  is 
put  into  suitable  vats  and  left  in  a  cool  cellar  from  six  to  eight 
days,  when  crystals  of  naphthalin  are  formed.    The  liquid  part 
