Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1880-01-01
POPULAR SCIENCE.

NJ. Nlaudeta chloride OF lime battery
consl - Of a positive clectrode Of zinc In
solution Of chloride Of sodium, and
negative OF carbon and chloride Of lime
In a porous vessel.
In paper on actions OF life without
air, Pasteur maintains that in the animal
economy phenomena take place OF the
same order rs in fermentation. Oxygen
acts not only by @ffecting combustions,
but by giving an activity to the cellules,
from which they derive the power Of
action beyond the influence Of free oxy-
gen, in the manner of the ferment
cells
The wood Quebracho Colorado which,
as new material for tanning, excited
great interea in Europe, contains, be-
! sides peculiar tannin, about 2S per
cent. Of another astrngInent, acting IKE
gallic acid with reagents. IL Yields also,
a beautiful yellow dye. The wood IL said
J 10 equal Sumac in the manufacture of
morocco leather.
II is intended tokeep dead bodies in
| the morgue ut Peris in frozen condi-
| tion, so that longer time may be given for
their identification. As yet, however,
the municipal council has not determin-
| cd what Kind of ice-making machine
! viii be adopted The choice viii de-
pend ON a report by a commissioner now
engaged in examining the several kinds
Of apparatus for the manufacture of ice
Bone-dust for manure, Prof Krocker
says, should contain from 20 10 % per
cent. Of phosphoriC acid, and at least 3 to
3 . per cent. of nitrogen due to gelatin. To
ascertain the presence of other matter
than bone, which may have been intro
dnced to raise the percentage of nitro
gen, he shakes up the bone-dust with
chloroform, and then horn, blood, and
rather-waste, etc, rise TO the surface, but
the bone-,lust, with its natural gelatinous
matter and the pure phosphates remains
al the bottom. The microscope will
reveal the presence of vegetable ivory
among the bone-dust deposit.
quantative test for traces of mercury
whereby even one ten-thousandth of y
grain may be indicated, has been des-
cribed by NJ. +. Teuber. A dry and
powered sample Of the material is mix
ed with ignited iron-filings and little
red lead. 1t Is then placed in q crucible
upon laver of red lead, and covered
; with ir0n-iilings. The fumes given of
! in heating pass through the lid of the
! crucible and strike the bottom Of small
I gold capsule containing cold water
a very good test for examining the
. stability OF explosives that are not in
/ tended to be stored for great length oi
time is given in Dingler's journal. Sub
ject small quantities of the material in
} a close vessel 10 temperature of 40 de-
grees Tor about eight days. IL hypo'
nitric acid does not appear, or any ex'
! ( plosion occur in the mean time
the composition may be regarded as sta
!, Bile.
Regarding the adaptability Of steel as
: a material for the construction of bridges
: The Scientific American remarks thaI
1.-the attitude OF engineers on the subject
appears to be one of expectency
They seem inclined to put the burden o.
proof on the manufacturers, and to re
d qure them to furnish evidence of its suit
P ableness and economy before eonsentinl
Y to use it.
Q NJ Wolfe has submitted paper oil
% the specific heats and points of fusion o
various refractory metals to the Frencl
> Academy of Sciences. He finds tina
the specific heat of iridium increase
4 regularly with the temperature, and tn
=. formula gives 1850 degrees of the al
? thermometer as the point of fusion
The specific heat of gold varies UP to go
l., degrees, and then gradually increase
y toward the point of fusion, l035 dc
G, grees.