use of the binocular comparatively as easy, with the higher powers, in the hands of a novice, as now it is with the lower powers under the management of an experienced microscopist. The eye-piece works very well when applied to the telescope, but the stereoscopic effect is not equal to that produced when applied to the microscope, owing to the small angle of the object-glass. I have had very fine views of Saturn and the moon with it; there is some slight loss of light, not perceptible when looking at land objects, but noticeable upon such faint objects as the nearer satellites of Saturn. The difficulties of illumination with the higher powers of the microscope are only with transparent objects; with opaque objects there is no trouble; and as the condenser of Mr. Tolles' will no doubt remove this difficulty, the binocular eye-piece should become a part of every well equipped microscope. H. L. S. 9. On the isomorphism of silica with deutoxyd of manganese.-G. ROSE has directed attention to the constitution of the two minerals Braunite and Marceline, and has shown that in order to explain their isomorphism it is necessary to admit that SiO2 is, in combination at least, isomorphous with MnO2. Thus, we have Kn Mn = Marceline. From this appears that all the five degrees of oxydation of manganese are isomorphous with other and corresponding oxyds. Rose suggests that the deutoxyd of manganese may be called manganous acid.-Pogg. Ann., cxxi, 318. W. G. 10. On a new cobalt compound.-BRAUN has observed that when a solution of nitrite of potash is added to one cobalto-cyanid of potassium, a beautiful dark orange-red color is produced. When the cobalt solution is very concentrated, the solution appears intensely blood-red. The reaction succeeds in very dilute solutions of cobalt, but not in the presence of a very large excess of nickel. Braun suggests that a nitro-cyanid of cobalt is formed, and promises a further investigation of the subject.Journal für prakt. Chemie, No. 2, 1864, p. 107. W. G. 11. Indium.—At a recent session of the Freiberg "Miners' Union," REICH Communicated some further results in regard to this new metal, discovered by T. Richter and himself. Two hundred pounds of black blende ore from the Himmelfahrt Mine, on treatment with chlorhydric acid, and subsequent evaporation and distillation, gave about 43 pounds of impure chlorid of zinc; this, treated with water left a residue containing indium, from which a few grams of the new element were obtained. The metal can be reduced from the oxyd by fusion in a carbon (brasqued?) crucible with carbonate of soda and borax, and refusion with cyanid of potassium; by fusing alone with the cyanid the oxyd is reduced, but only to pulverulent metallic powder. The density of two specimens, weighing respectively 327 and 343 milligrams, gave 7·11 and 7·14; a rolled leaflet of 415 milligrams gave a density of 7-277 at 20-4° C. The color of the metal is between tin and silver white; it is exceedingly soft and very ductile, and retains its metallic lustre when exposed to the air This Journal, [2], xxxvii, 269. AM. JOUR. SCI.-SECOND SERIES, VOL. XXXVIII, No. 112.-JULY, 1864. or in water, even when the latter is brought to the boiling point. Hydrogen reduces the oxyd to a metallic powder, which cannot be fused in the bulb-tube. On charcoal, before the blowpipe, it fuses easily, and, while retaining a lustrous metallic surface, colors the flame blue, and covers the coal with a coating, which is dark yellow while hot, and lighter yellow on cooling; the coating is volatilized with difficulty when treated directly with the blowpipe flaine. The oxyd imparts no color to the fluxes; flamed with borax it gives a gray enamel, with salt of phosphorus and tin yields a gray pearl. The metal is slowly dissolved by chlorhydric and sulphuric acids in the cold with evolution of hydrogen; heat increases the rapidity of the solution. Dissolves rapidly in nitric acid, even when cold and dilute. The hydrated oxyd is completely precipitated from the acid solutions by ammonia and potash, is of a white color, and of a slimy consistence so that it adheres to the sides of the vessel; the presence of tartaric acid prevents this precipitation. The oxyd is white when cold; on heating it is colored dark yellow. Sulphuretted hydrogen gives no precipitate in nitric, sulphuric, and chlorhydric solutions of indium, but from an acetic solution it is completely precipitated as sulphid of indium, of a beautiful yellow color; this, on drying becomes nut-brown, and when pulverized it assumes an orange color. If sulphid of ammonium is added to a tartaric ammoniacal solution, a white precipitate of what may be hydrated sulphid of indium is thrown down; this, treated with acetic acid, as well as when dried and heated, becomes yellow. Chlorid of indium, obtained by treatment of a mixture of the oxyd with carbon in a stream of chlorine gas, forms white crystalline scales, is very volatile, attracts moisture with rapidity, and deliquesces. The hydrated chlorid is, for the most part, decomposed by evaporation, leaving a residue of oxyd of indium or basic chlorid. The sulphate of indium crystallizes with difficulty in indistinct scales. Carbonate of soda throws down from acid solutions a crystalline granular carbonate of indium of a white color. Solutions of the neutral salts of indium give with ferrocyanid of potassium a white precipitate, with ferridcyanid no precipitate. The most striking property of the new metal, and the one which led to its discovery, is the indigo-blue line which it shows under spectroscopic examination. This is given by the metal, as well as by all the compounds thus far investigated. The chlorid gives the most brilliant effect, the sulphid is, however, the most lasting. The flame of an ordinary Bunsenburner is colored blue when an indium-compound is brought into it.Berg. u. Hüttenmännische Zeitung, xxiii, 142. G. J. B. 12. Note on the formation of Aldehyds; by M. CAREY LEA. (Communicated for this Journal.)-M. Carstanjeu describes as new a mode of formation of aldehyds hy the oxydation of substituted ammonias.' This mode of formation is, however, not new. In the pages of this Journal I have already indicated it. I have shown that when triethylamin is acted upon by chlorid of gold, the gold is reduced and aldehyd given off. 1 Rep. de Ch. Pure, 1863, p. 616, quoted from Journal für praktische Chemie. II. MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY. 1. Pollux, a silicate containing a large amount of Casium.-PISANI has made an analysis of this rare mineral species, and finds it to contain 34.07 per cent of cæsia, with but traces of potash. The specimens examined were obtained from the locality in the island of Elba, through Mr. L. Sæmann, of Paris. One crystal of 20 grams weight had distinct cubic faces, with trapezohedral planes like analcime, thus confirming Des Cloizeaux's optical examination, which determined the species to belong to the monometric system. The surfaces of the crystal were rough, resembling carious quartz. Lustre vitreous on the fracture, but dull and gum-like on the natural surfaces of the crystals. Colorless. H. 6·5, G. 2901. In the closed tube, becomes opaque, and gives off water. In the forceps, whitens and fuses with difficulty, coloring the flame yellow. Small particles of the mineral heated with fluorid of ammonium on a platinum wire, and subsequently moistened with chlorhydric acid, give the characteristic blue lines of cæsium with the spectroscope. Slowly decomposes in chlorhydric acid with separation of pulverulent silica. The filtrate from the silica gives an abundant precipitate of the platin-chlorid of cæsium when treated with bichlorid of platinum. Analysis gave: Ča C's Na* 立 Si Al Fe 44.03 15.97 068 0.68 Oxygen, 28.48 7.43 0.20 0.19 34.07 ⚫ With a little lithia. The platin-chlorid of cæstum obtained in the analysis showed traces of potash when submitted to spectroscopic examination. It was reduced by hydrogen, and subsequently the quantities of chlorine, platinum and cæsium were determined, and found to accord with theory, thus showing it to be a pure cæsium salt.- Comptes Rendus, lviii. [This mineral species was previously analyzed by Plattner, who obtained: Si Al 46.20 16.39 Fe K Na* 0.86 16.51 10:47 · With a little lithia. 2.3292-751 Pisani refers to this as an incomplete analysis, and remarks that as cæsium was unknown at the time when Plattner's investigation was made, that the platin-chlorid of cæsium obtained in the analyses was considered as platin-chlorid of potassium, and the amount and character of the alkalies are thus erroneously stated in the result. Calculating the amount of chlorid of potassium corresponding to 16.51 potash, we have 26.13 KC; and converting the 10:47 soda into chlorid, we obtain 19-74 NaCl, or 45.87 alkali chlorids. Now, if we convert the 26.13 KCl into platin-chlorid of potassium, it amounts to 85-65 KCl+PtCl 2, and considering this to be a cæsium salt, instead of a potassium salt, it would be equal to 42.65 CsCl. As the soda in the analysis was probably calculated by ascertaining the difference between the supposed chlorid of potassium, and the total weight of alkali-chlorids, this amount is materially lessened when the chlorid of cæsium found (42.65) is subtracted from the total amount of chlorids (45-87), giving but 3-22 NaCl, 1 Pogg. Ann., lxix, 443. 1 or 1.72 per cent of soda, while we have 35 69 per cent of cæsia in the mineral. Plattner's analysis would then read: corresponding in all, except the soda, very closely with the results obtained by Pisani. The excess in both Pisani's and Plattner's analyses would seem to indicate that a portion of the alkalies in the mineral were lithia and potash, although Pisani established the absence of anything more than traces of potash in the cæsium salt obtained in his analysis. Plattner proved by experiment that neither chlorine nor fluorine was contained in the mineral.-G. J. B.] 2. Composition of Tourmaline, Mica, Hornblende and Staurotide.A. MITSCHERLICH has found that when a gram of finely pulverized tourmaline is heated for six hours with a mixture of 9 cubic centimetres of sulphuric acid, and 6 c. c. of water in a closed tube of Bohemian glass, at a temperature of 220°-240° C., it is completely decomposed. In this manner he has been enabled to determine with accuracy the amount of protoxyd of iron contained in tourmaline and other minerals. Six specimens of tourmaline, the same as analyzed by Rammelsberg, were found to contain no sesquioxyd of iron, although at the time when Rammelsberg's investigations were made, the methods for the determination of the state of the oxydation of iron in silicates were so imperfect, that this chemist found from 4.63 to 9.33 per cent of sesquioxyd of iron in them. It was also demonstrated by Mitscherlich that there can be no sesquioxyd of manganese in tourmaline, otherwise in passing into solution a portion of sesquioxyd of iron would have been formed. He further observes, that the specimens examined were entirely free from carbonic acid, and as the method used admitted of the detection of the minutest trace of this substance, Hermann's supposition that carbonic acid is one of the constituents of tourmaline, is incorrect. Mitscherlich also decomposed several specimens of mica and hornblende by this method, and obtained results, in regard to the relative proportion of the oxyds of iron, differing very_materially from those obtained by earlier analysts. Other interesting observations made in the same manner prove that the staurotides of St. Gotthardt, Airolo and Brittany contain no sesquioxyd of iron, although Rammelsberg's recent results gave from 2:40 to 5.21 per cent.-Jour. prakt. Chem., lxxxvi, 1. G. J. B. 3. Contributions to the chemical knowledge of several minerals; by C. F. RAMMELSBERG.-I. Kobellite. This species occurs at Hvena, in Sweden, associated with actinolite, chalcopyrite, and small reddish white crystals of a cobaltiferous mispickel (Kobaltarsenikkies). Kobellite resembles antimony-glance in general appearance; G.-6.145. The analysis was made by decomposing the mineral with chlorine. It was impossible to get the mineral entirely free from the associated arsenical and copper pyrites. Composition: Sulphur combined, S Bi Sb As Pb Fe Cu Co 18-22 18.60 9.46 2.56 44.25 3.81 1.27 0.68 98.85 4:30 3.79 1.64 6.85 2.18 0.32 0.36 19:44 Especial care was taken to ascertain the absolute purity of the bismuth and lead given in the analysis, as considerably more of lead and less of bismuth were found than obtained in the previous analysis by Setterberg. The cobalt was considered as due to the cobaltiferous mispickel, which with the formula (CoS2+CoAs)+4(FeS2+FeAs) would correspond to 5.61 per cent. In the same manner, the copper calculated as chalcopyrite equals 3.67 per cent. These amounts subtracted from the analysis, and the remainder averaged up, gives for the composition of pure kobellite: Rammelsberg writes the formula, (PbS)3 BiS3+(PbS) 3SbS3S 16·82, Bi 18-23, Sb 10·54, Pb 54·41= 100. II. Siegenite.-A new analysis of the so-called siegenite (Kobaltnickelkies) from Müsen shows that the earlier analyses of this mineral are erroneous. This is due to the fact that at the time they were made no sufficiently accurate method was known for the separation of cobalt and nickel. The separation of these metals was effected by means of nitrite of cobalt. Analysis of the crystals, selected as pure as possible from associated chalcopyrite, gave: S 42.76, Co 39.35, Ni 14·09, Cu 1·67, Fe 1·06 98.93. Considering the iron as combined with 1.21 sulphur and 120 copper, forming chalcopyrite, and subtracting these from the analysis, the composition of the pure mineral is as follows: giving the established formula RS+R2S,. The amount of cobalt found in former analyses was 22.09 and 11.00 per cent, while the nickel varied from 33.64 to 42 64. This difference is due chiefly to the imperfect method previously used in the separation of the nickel and cobalt, and not to varying composition of the mineral, although another specimen gave on analysis, 36 82 cobalt and 17-72 nickel. A specimen of cobaltine from Tunaberg was found to contain 0.64 per cent of nickel, and another specimen of the same species from Skutterud contained 0.48 per cent, showing that the present method of separating these metals is far more delicate than that formerly employed. [Plattner has previously shown that cobaltine contained traces of nickel.—Löthrohr-Probirkunst, p. 318. —G. J. B.] III. Vivianite.-An analysis of the vivianite from Allentown, Monmouth, Co., New Jersey, gave: The mineral occurred in concentric radiated crystals of a light bluishgreen color. IV. Analyses of Tremolite and Diopside from Gulsjö.-In confirmation of Rammelsberg's view in regard to the composition of those varieties of pyroxene and hornblende which are free from alumina, he now gives further analyses, one of tremolite and another of diopside, from Gulsjö: |