.354 
MISCELLANY. 
4.5, or per cent. 72 
0.75 " « 12 
1 " » 16 
G.25 100 
being isomeric with Brazil wax, which does not, according to Mr. 
Brande. form a soap with potash. — lb. 
On Diabetic Sugar, by T. Thomson, M. D. — This sugar has been con- 
sidered as isomeric with starch sugar, though no accurate analysis of it 
has hitherto been made. Taste sweet ; color snow white ; melts at 239°; 
specific gravity after fusion, 1.56 at 65°; 100 parts of water dissolves 
108 parts of this sugar. Boiling water dissolves any quantity whatever. 
Soluble in alcohol. It crystallizes, but so irregularly, that the shape of 
the crystals has not been ascertained. After being dried in vacuo over 
sulphuric acid, it loses an additional atom of water if it be exposed to the 
temperature of 212°, without losing weight. Its constituents were 
found, by analysis, to be — 
Carbon 37.23 
Hydrogen 7.07 
Oxygen 55.70 
100. 
These proportions lead to the following formula : 
12 atoms Carbon = 9. or per cent 
13 atoms Hydrogen = 1.625 " " 
13 atoms Oxygen = 13, " " 
23.625 100. 
By Dr. Prout's analysis, starch sugar is C 12 H 14 O 14 , or it contains an 
atom of water more than diabetic sugar. When diabetic sugar is 
digested with oxide of lead, an insoluble tasteless brown powder is ob- 
tained, composed of 
Sugar .577 or 20.17 
Oxide of Lead 12.01 or 14x3 = 42 
17.78 
Tt was obviously a compound of 1 atom of sugar with three atoms of 
oxide of lead. The sugar had lost 3 atoms of water, and had been con- 
verted into C 12 H 10 O 10 , which is the formula for common sugar: ihus 
the 3 atoms of water had been replaced by 3 atoms of oxide of lead. — lb. 
6 atoms carbon = 
6 " hydrogen = 
1 " oxygen = 
. 38.09 
6.88 
55.03 
Observations on some of the Products of the Action of Nitric Jlcid on 
Alcohol, by Golding Bird, M. D In this paper the author wished chiefly 
