^"^Mayyim^^"^"}      Oxidation  of  Carbon  Compounds.  255 
No  species  of  bacteria  were  found  which  had  an  oxidizing  action ;  but 
some  micro-organisms  were  obtained  from  soil  infusion  and  from 
putrefying  urine  which  converted  the  nitrogenous  matter  of  both 
ammoniacal  and  urine  solutions,  and  of  diluted  meat-infusion  into 
nitrous  acid. 
Further,  an  examination  for  oxidizing  properties  was  made  with 
various  known  species  of  bacteria ;  namely,  the  hay  bacillus,  Micro- 
coccus  prodigiosus,  Tinkler's  bacteria  ;  also  with  the  pathogenic  ones, 
namely,  those  of  anthrax  and  typhus,  Tetragonus  and  others.  In 
solutions  containing  sugar  and  the  ash  constituents,  almost  all  of  them 
were  devoid  of  any  perceptible  growth ;  whilst  in  urine  diluted  with 
four  times  its  bulk  of  water.  Micrococcus  prodigiosus,  root-shaped 
bacteria,  the  spirillum  of  cheese,  Finkler's  bacteria,  those  of  cyphus 
and  anthrax  and  Staphylococcus  citreus,  succeeded  in  forming  nitrous 
acid.  Hay  bacillus.  Staphylococcus  aureus,  and  the  bacteria  of  green 
pus  and  of  pneumonia  produced  a  thick  turbidy  but  no  nitrous  acid: 
Brieger's  bacteria  had  a  feeble  oxidizing  action,  and  the  experiments 
with  Miller's  bacteria  gave  a  negative  result. 
KATE  OF  OXIDATION  OF  CAEBON  COMPOUNDS  BY 
POTASSIUM  PERMANGANATE.! 
By  Dreyfus. 
When  the  oxidation  of  carbon  compounds  by  potassium  permanga- 
nate reaches  its  limit,  the  quantities  of  oxygen  absorbed  by  equal 
weights  of  different  compounds  are  not  identical,  but  are  of  the  same 
order  of  magnitude.  When,  however,  the  action  is  restrained,  and  the 
rate  of  oxidation  is  measured,  the  results  vary  widely  with  different 
compounds. 
The  reagents  employed  consist  of  a  potassium  permanganate  solution 
equivalent  to  a  solution  of  0*1  gram  of  crystallized  oxalic  acid  per 
litre,  and  a  solution  of  indigocarmine,  10  cc.  of  which  was  equal  to  5 
cc.  of  the  permanganate.  A  1  per  cent,  solution  of  ethyl  alcohol  was 
used  as  a  standard  liquid,  and  all  the  other  solutions  were  compared 
with  it,  the  rate  of  oxidation  of  ethyl  alcohol  being  taken  as  unity. 
50  cc.  of  the  alcohol  solution  was  placed  in  a  cylinder,  and  an  equal 
volume  of  the  solution  to  be  examined  in  another  cylinder,  25  drops 
of  sulphuric  acid  was  added  to  each,  and  after  two  minutes  10  cc.  of 
^  Compt.  rend.,  CV,  523-525,  reprinted  from  Jour.  Chem.  Society,  1888,  p.  24. 
