MISCELLANY. 
173 
over that of boiling water ; becomes electric by friction, burns with a 
bright flame, but gives out much smoke. Alcohol and ether readily dis- 
solve it with the assistance of heat ; the caustic alkalies act on it with 
difficulty, but finally dissolve it. If it be treated with a great excess of 
boiling alcohol, a resinous principle can be separated, which, on cooling, 
remains in solution in the alcohol, whilst the wax precipitates. This 
purified wax melts at a temperature below that of boiling water, and pre- 
sents all the physical and chemical characters of bees-wax. The resin is 
of a dazzling whiteness, and its structure is evidently crystalline. When 
it is melted, it has the colour and aspect of amber. It is soluble in alco- 
hol, but much more so in hot than in cold. It is also soluble in ether and 
in the essential oils. M. Boussingault gives as its composition, C.40, 
H.32, O. Journ. de Pharm. 
Size for Painting in Water Colours. — 
Isinglass, £ij. 
White soap, 9ij. 
Alum, T)iss. 
The isinglass, cut into small pieces, is to be swelled in a little tepid 
water for some time, and then dissolved with the assistance of heat in 
from four to eight ounces of water, and the alum and soap finely powder- 
ed and gradually added ; the whole is to be well stirred, aud a drachm of 
spirits of wine added by very small portions at a time. 
Journ. de Conn. Usuelles. 
Creosote. — M. Koene finding that wood tar furnished only a minute pro- 
portion of pure creosote, and that what other chemists have pretended to 
have procured from this source was nothing more than a peculiar heavy 
oil, merely impregnated with creosote, tried other sources, and by operat- 
ing in the following manner, obtained ten drachms from a quart of coal 
tar. He distilled the tar in a retort furnished with a long adapter with a 
large mouth, under which he placed a capsule. He obtained, at first, a 
light volatile oil, and at last a heavy oil; he continued the distillation, 
raising the temperature until napthaline began to concrete in the neck of 
the retort; there remained in the adapter a certain portion of heavy oil, 
united to napthaline, of a butyraceous consistence, which he disengaged 
by slightly heating the adapter. This was mixed with the last mention- 
ed oil and exposed to cold to separate the napthaline. To obtain all the 
creosote, he heated this napthaline with its own weight of pyroligneous 
acid. On cooling, the napthaline crystallized, and could be wholly sepa- 
rated from the fluid, which was saturated with carbonate of potash. The 
heavy oils were treated successively with one-fortieth of their weight of 
phosphoric acid and their own bulk of water. The water was separated, 
and the oil distilled, the light oil which comes over first being rejected. 
