160 
MISCELLANY. 
On some Properties of Carbon. By M. Lazowski. — The properties of 
carbon are numerous; they have been partly studied, but every day 
produces new facts: when it is in a state of ignition, it possesses some 
very remarkable properties. 
When a piece of ignited charcoal, which is very clean and free 
from ash; is immersed in a solution of a metallic salt, it reduces the 
metallic salt which is contained in it^ and the metal itself is deposited 
with all its natural brilliancy on the piece of charcoal. Thus the saUs 
of tin, copper, platina, palladium, mercury, silver and gold, &c., furnish 
most brilliant deposits. 
M. Lazowski has remarked, he says, that when the salts are too 
acid or too much concentrated, no effect is produced. The dilute 
solutions of the salts of copper often yield, by covering the charcoal, 
the most varied shades of colour^ from the finest azure blue to that of 
metallic copper. The parts of the charcoal upon which certain me- 
tals are deposited in preference, are the extremities ; whilst other 
metals cover equally all the surface of the reducing body; at other 
times, and this occurs with the protochloride of tin, the metal appears 
in very brilliant crystals, disseminated on the periphery of the char- 
coal. — Ibid, from the Jour, de Chim. Bled. 
Action of Potash upon Amber. By. G. Retcii. — When powdered 
amber is heated to boiling in a retort with a very concentrated 
aqueous solution of caustic potash, and distilled to dryness, a strong 
odour of camphor is disengaged, and the receiver contains an aqueous 
liquid, together whh a white substance which possesses all the 
properties of camphor (stearoptene). This substance must however 
not be confounded with the succinic camphor of M. Vogel, which is 
obtained by the destructive distillation of amber, and which has 
absolutely nothing in common with camphor, as it does not dissolve 
in water nor in alcohol, and very sparingly in ether. — Ibid, from the 
Archiv. der Pharm. 
Candied Pills. — Dorvault recommends that pills be coated with 
gum, by which means they acquire a candied aspect, and present the 
same advantages as the gilt pills did formerly. After the pills are 
rolled, they are to be shaken in a spherical box with 1 or 2 drops of 
simple syiup, so as to render them moist. They are then mixed 
gradually by shaking with powdered gum. either by itself or with 
oleo-sacchariim, until they cease to take up any more, when they are 
dried. If it be required to render the coating perfectly transparent, 
some starch is added to the powdered gum. — Ibid, from Buck Rep. 
