180  Sulphocarbonate  of  Potassium.-  {AmA&'i87h9a.rin' 
at  I56°C.  to  i6o°C.  yield  a  nitroso-derivative  melting  at  I20,0C.,  and 
form  a  solid  crystalline  hydrous  terpene  (C10H20O2  H20) ;  and  an  orange 
group  (C15H24),  polymerides  of  the  true  terpenes,  whose  members  boil 
at  I74°C.  to  I76°C,  yield  a  nitroso-derivative  melting  at  7i°C,  and 
form  no  solid  hydrous  compound. " 
Abietene  certainly  cannot  be  ranked  in  either  of  these  classes.  Its 
boiling  point  and  its  specific  gravity  alone  show  it  to  be  distinct  and 
probably  in  the  two  additional  particulars  regarded  by  Tilden  as  char- 
acteristic it  will  be  found  to  differ.  I  hope  to  obtain  shortly  larger 
amounts  of  this  interesting  compound,  when  I  will  endeavor  to  settle 
these  points  definitely.  At  present  it  appears  to  be  a  type  of  a  new 
group  of  terpenes. 
In  conclusion,  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  acknowledge  my  obligations 
to  Miss  Anna  L.  Flanigen,  who  carried  out  in  the  laboratory  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  the  analytical  work,  and  assisted  in  several 
of  the  tests  made  in  this  short  investigation. 
ON  SULPHOCARBONATE  OF  POTASSIUM. 
By  John  M.  Maisch. 
Several  years  ago  a  solution  of  sulphocarbonate  of  potassium  was  rec- 
ommended in  France  for  the  destruction  of  the  phylloxera,  which  com- 
mitted serious  ravages  among  the  grape  vines  of  Southern  France  and  other 
European  countries.  (See  "Am.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1875,  p.  327.)  Since  then 
the  same  compound  has  also  been  used  for  destroying  the  insects  which 
infest  ornamental  plants  and  flowers,  and  even  a  certain  value  as  a  fer- 
tilizer has  been  claimed  for  it.  It  seems  to  be  attracting  some  atten- 
tion now  in  North  America,  and  it  will  doubtless  be  of  interest  to  the 
readers  of  the  "  Journal "  to  become  acquainted  with  the  mode  of 
preparation  and  the  properties  of  this  and  allied  compounds,  particu- 
larly since  they  appear  to  be  adapted  as  remedies  for  certain  skin 
diseases. 
The  sulphocarbonates  were  discovered  by  Berzelius  more  than  fifty 
years  ago,  and  the  results  of  his  investigations  remain  undisturbed  even 
at  the  present  time.  The  name  sulphocarbonate  indicates  that  these 
compounds  have  the  same  chemical  composition  as  the  corresponding 
carbonates,  except  that  the  oxygen  of  the  latter  is  completely  replaced 
