Chapter 8

I have adopted is one that can be readily adapted to an ordinary coke furnace, and be as readily removed, leaving the furnace as before. The diagram conveys some idea of the method adopted. An iron frame, d, standing on legs on the floor just in front of the furnace door, carries three fire tiles on iron bearers. The top one, a, is not moved, and serves to shield the upper face of the tile, b, from the fierce heat radiated from the furnace, and also causes the air that rushes into the furnace between the tiles, a and b, to travel over the upper face of the tile, b, on which the tar flows, thereby keeping it cool, and preventing the tar from bursting into flame until it reaches the edge of the tile, b, over the whole edge of which it is made to run fairly well by a distributing arrangement. A rapid combustion takes place here, but some unconsumed tar falls on to the bed below. About one-third of the grate area is filled up by a fire tile, and on this the tar coke falls. The tile, c, is moved away from time to time, and the tar coke that accumulates in front of it is pushed back on to the fire bars, e, at the back of the furnace, to be there consumed. Air is thus admitted, by three narrow slot-like openings, to the front of the furnace between the tiles, a, b, and c, and under c and through the fire bars, e. The air openings below are about three times the area of the openings in the front of the furnace; but as the openings between the fire bars and the tiles are always more or less covered by tar coke, it is impossible to say what the effective openings are. This disposition answers admirably, and requires little attention. Three minutes per hour per fire seems to be the average, and the labor is of a very light kind, consisting of clearing the passages between the tiles, and occasionally pushing back the coke on to the fire bars. These latter are not interfered with, and will not require cleaning unless any bricks in the furnace have been melted, when a bed of slag will be found on them.

THE AMOUNT OF DRAUGHT

required for these fires is very small, and less than with coke firing. I find that 0.08 in. vacuum is sufficient with tar fires, and 0.25 in. for coke fires. The fires would require less attention with more draught and larger tar supply, as the apertures do not so easily close with a sharp draught, and the tar is better carried forward into the furnace. A regular feed of tar is required, and considerable difficulty seems to have been experienced in obtaining this. So long as we employed ordinary forms of taps or valves, so long (even with filtration) did we experience difficulties with the flow of viscous tar. But on the construction of valves specially designed for the regulation of its flow, the difficulty immediately disappeared, and there is no longer the slightest trouble on this account. The labor connected with the feeding of furnaces with coke and cleaning fires from clinker is of a very arduous and heavy nature. Eight coke fires are normally considered to be work for one man. A lad could work sixteen of these tar fires.

COMPOSITION OF FURNACE GASES.

Considerable attention has been paid to the composition of the furnace gases from the tar fires. The slightest deficiency in the air supply, of course, results in the immediate production of smoke, so that the damper must be set to provide always a sufficient air supply. Under these circumstances of damper, the following analyses of combustion gases from tar fires have been obtained:

No Smoke. CO_{2}. O. CO. 11.7 5.0 Not determined. 13.3 3.7 " 10.8 5.4 " 14.8 2.5 " 13.5 3.0 " 12.4 5.6 " 12.4 4.6 " 13.1 5.9 " 15.3 1.0 " 10.8 4.0 " 14.0 2.8 " ______ ______ Average 12.9 3.9 (11 analyses) ______ ______ 11.5 Not determined. 14.3 " 14.6 "

Damper adjusted so that a slight smoke was observable in the combustion gases.

CO_{2}. O. CO. 17.30 None. Not determined. 16.60 " " 16.50 0.1 " 15.80 0.1 " 16.20 1.8 0.7 _______ _____ _____ Average 16.48 0.4 0.7

--_Gas Engineer_.

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A NEW MERCURY PUMP.

The mercury pumps now in use, whether those of Geissler, Alvergniat, Toepler, or Sprengel, although possessed of considerable advantages, have also serious defects. For instance, Geissler's pump requires a considerable number of taps, that of Alvergniat and Toepler is very fragile in consequence of its complicated system of tubes connected together, and that of Sprengel is only suitable for certain purposes.

The new mercury pump constructed by Messrs. Greisser and Friedrichs, at Stutzerbach, is remarkable for simplicity of construction and for the ease with which it is manipulated, and also because it enables us to arrive at a perfect vacuum.

The characteristic of this pump is, according to _La Lumiere Electrique_, a tap of peculiar construction. It has two tubes placed obliquely in respect to its axis, which, when we turn this tap 90 or 180 degrees, are brought opposite one of the three openings in the body of the tap.

Thus the striæ that are formed between the hollowed-out parts of the tap do not affect its tightness; and, besides, the turns of the tap have for their principal positions 90 and 180 degrees, instead of 45 and 90 degrees, as in Geissler's pump.

The working of the apparatus, which only requires the manipulation of a single tap, is very simple. When the mercury is raised, the tap is turned in such a manner that the surplus of the liquid can pass into the enlarged appendage, a, placed above the tap, and communication is then cut off by turning the tap to 90 degrees.

The mercury reservoir having descended, the bulb empties itself, and then the tap is turned on again, in order to establish communication with the exhausting tube. The tap is then closed, the mercury ascends again, and this action keeps on repeating.

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NO ELECTRICITY FROM THE CONDENSATION OF VAPOR.--It has been maintained by Palmieri and others that the condensation of vapor results in the production of an electrical charge. Herr S. Kalischer has renewed his investigations upon this point, and believes that he has proved that no electricity results from such condensation. Atmospheric vapor was condensed upon a vessel coated with tin foil, filled with ice, carefully insulated, and connected with a very sensitive electrometer. No evidence could be obtained of electricity.--_Ann. der Physik und Chemie_.

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THE ELECTRO-MAGNETIC TELEPHONE TRANSMITTER.

An interesting contribution was made by M. Mercadier in a recent number of the _Comptes Rendus de l'Academie Francaise_. On the ground of some novel and some already accepted experimental evidence, M. Mercadier holds that the mechanism by virtue of which the telephonic diaphragms execute their movements is analogous to, if not identical with, that by which solid bodies of any form, a wall for instance, transmit to one of their surfaces all the vibratory movements of any kind which are produced in the air in contact with the other surface. It is a phenomenon or resonance. Movements corresponding to particular sounds may be superposed in slender diaphragms, but this superposition must necessarily be disturbing under all but exceptional circumstances. In proof of this view, it is cited that diaphragms much too rigid, or charged with irregularly distributed masses over the surface, or pierced with holes, or otherwise evidently unfitted for the purpose, are available for transmission. They will likewise serve when feathers, wool, wood, metals, mica, and other substances to the thickness of four inches are placed between the diaphragm and the source of vibratory movement. The magnetic field does not alter these relations in any way. The real diaphragm may be removed altogether. It is sufficient to replace it by a few grains of iron filings thrown on the pole covered with a piece of pasteboard or paper. Such a telephone works distinctly although feebly; but any slender flexible disk, metallic or not, spread over across the opening of the cover of the instrument, with one or two tenths of a gramme (three grains) of iron filings, will yield results of increased and even ordinary intensity. This is the iron filing telephone, which is reversible; for a given magnetic field there is a certain weight of iron filings for maximum intensity. It appears thus that the advantage of the iron diaphragm over iron filings reduces itself to presenting in a certain volume a much more considerable number of magnetic molecules to the action of the field. The iron diaphragm increases the telephonic intensity, but it is by no means indispensable.

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ON ELECTRO-DISSOLUTION, AND ITS USE AS REGARDS ANALYSIS.

By H.N. WARREN, Research Analyst.

On the same principle that electro-dissolution is used for the estimation of combined carbon in steel, etc., I have lately varied the experiment by introducing, instead of steel, iron containing a certain percentage of boron, and, having connected the respective boride with the positive pole of a powerful battery, and to the negative a plate of platinum, using as a solvent dilute sulphuric acid, I observed, after the lapse of about twelve hours, the iron had entirely passed into solution, and a considerable amount of brownish precipitate had collected at the bottom of the vessel, intercepted by flakes of graphite and carbon; the precipitate, having been collected on a filter paper, washed, and dried, on examination proved to be amorphous boron, containing graphite and other impurities, which had become chemically introduced during the preparation of the boron compound. The boron was next introduced into a small clay crucible, and intensely heated in a current of hydrogen gas, for the purpose of rendering it more dense and destroying its pyrophoric properties, and was lastly introduced into a combustion tubing, heated to bright redness, and a stream of dry carbonic anhydride passed over it, in order to separate the carbon, finally pure boron being obtained.

In like manner silicon-eisen, containing 9 per cent. of silicon, was treated, but not giving so satisfactory a result. A small quantity only of silicon separates in the uncombined form, the greater quantity separating in the form of silica, SiO_{2}, the amorphous silicon so obtained apparently being more prone to oxidation than the boron so obtained.

Ferrous sulphide was next similarly treated, and gave, after the lapse of a few hours, a copious blackish precipitation of sulphur, and possessing properties similar to the sulphur obtained by dissolving sulphides such as cupric sulphide in dilute nitric acid, in all other respects resembling common sulphur.

Phosphides of iron, zinc, etc., were next introduced, and gave, besides carbon and other impurities, a residue containing a large percentage of phosphorus, which differed from ordinary phosphorus with respect to its insolubility in carbon disulphide, and which resembled the reaction in the case with silicon-eisen rather than that of the boron compound, insomuch that a large quantity of the phosphorus had passed into solution.

A rod of impure copper, containing arsenic, iron, zinc, and other impurities, was next substituted, using hydrochloric acid as a solvent in place of sulphuric acid. In the course of a day the copper had entirely dissolved and precipitated itself on the negative electrode, the impurities remaining in solution. The copper, after having been washed, dried, and weighed, gave identical results with regard to percentage with a careful gravimetric estimation. I have lately used this method, and obtained excellent results with respect to the analysis of commercial copper, especially in the estimation of small quantities of arsenic, thus enabling the experimenter to perform his investigation on a much larger quantity than when precipitation is resorted to, at the same time avoiding the precipitated copper carrying down with it the arsenic. I have in this manner detected arsenic in commercial copper when all other methods have totally failed. I have also found the above method especially applicable with respect to the analysis of brass.

With respect to ammoniacal dissolution, which I will briefly mention, a rod composed of an alloy of copper and silver was experimented upon, the copper becoming entirely dissolved and precipitating itself on the platinum electrode, the whole of the silver remaining suspended to the positive electrode in an aborescent form. Arsenide of zinc was similarly treated, the arsenic becoming precipitated in like manner on the platinum electrode. Various other alloys, being experimented upon, gave similar results.

I may also, in the last instance, mention that I have found the above methods of electro-dissolution peculiarly adapted for the preparation of unstable compounds such as stannic nitrate, potassic ferrate, ferric acetate, which are decomposed on the application of heat, and in some instances have succeeded by the following means of crystallizing the resulting compound obtained.--_Chem. News_.

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A NEWLY DISCOVERED SUBSTANCE IN URINE.

Dr. Leo's researches on sugar in urine are interesting, and tend to correct the commonly accepted views on the subject. Professor Scheibler, a chemist well known for his researches on sugar, has observed that the determination of the quantity of that substance contained in a liquid gives different results, according as it is done by Trommer's method or with the polariscope. As sugar nowadays is exclusively dealt with according to the degree of polarization, this fact is of enormous value in trade. Scheibler has isolated a substance that is more powerful in that respect than grape sugar. Dr. Leo's researches yield analogous results, though in a different field. He has examined a great quantity of diabetic urine after three different methods, namely, Trommer's (alkaline solution of copper); by fermentation; and with the polarization apparatus. In many cases the results agreed, while in others there was a considerable difference.

He succeeded in isolating a substance corresponding in its chemical composition to grape sugar, and also a carbo-hydrate differing considerably from grape sugar, and turning the plane of polarization to the left. The power of reduction of this newly discovered substance is to that of grape sugar as 1:2.48. Dr. Leo found this substance in three specimens of diabetic urine, but it was absent in normal urine, although a great amount was examined for that purpose. From this it may be concluded that the substance does not originate outside the organism, and that it is a pathological product. The theory of Dr. Jaques Meyer, of Carlsbad, that it may be connected with obesity, is negatived by the fact that of the three persons in whom this substance was found, only one was corpulent.

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FURNACE FOR DECOMPOSING CHLORIDE OF MAGNESIUM.

The problem of decomposing chloride of magnesium is one which has attracted the attention of technical chemists for many years. The solution of this problem would be of great importance to the alkali trade, and, consequently, to nearly every industry. The late Mr. Weldon made many experiments on this subject, but without any particular success. Of late a furnace has been patented in Germany, by A. Vogt, which is worked on a principle similar to that applied to salt cake furnaces; but with this difference, that in place of the pot it has a revolving drum, and instead of the roaster a furnace with a number of shelves. The heating gases are furnished by a producer, and pass from below upward over the shelves, S, then through the channel, C, into the drum, D, which contains the concentrated chloride of magnesium. When the latter has solidified, but before being to any extent decomposed, it is removed from the drum and placed on the top shelf of the furnace. It is then gradually removed one shelf lower as the decomposition increases, until it arrives at the bottom shelf, where it is completely decomposed in the state of magnesia, which is emptied through, E. The drum, D, after being emptied, is again filled with concentrated solution of chloride of magnesium. The hydrochloric acid leaves through F and G. If, instead of hydrochloric acid, chlorine is to be evolved, it is necessary to heat the furnace by means of hot air, as otherwise the carbonic acid in the gases from the generator would prevent the formation of bleaching powder. The air is heated in two regenerating chambers, which are placed below the furnace.--_Industries_.

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THE FILTRATION AND THE SECRETION THEORY.

At a recent meeting of the Physiological Society, Dr. J. Munk reported on experiments instituted by him in the course of the last two years with a view of arriving at an experimental decision between the two theories of the secretion of urine--the filtration theory of Ludwig and the secretion theory of Heidenhain. According to the first theory, the blood pressure prescribed the measure for the urine secretion; according to the second theory, the urine got secreted from the secretory epithelial cells of the kidneys, and the quantity of the matter secreted was dependent on the rate of movement of the circulation of the blood. The speaker had instituted his experiments on excided but living kidneys, through which he conducted defibrinized blood of the same animals, under pressures which he was able to vary at pleasure between 80 mm. and 190 mm. Fifty experiments on dogs whose blood and kidneys were, during the experiment, kept at 40° C., yielded the result that the blood of starving animals induced no secretion of urine, which on the other hand showed itself in copious quantities where normal blood was conducted through the kidney. If to the famished blood was added one of the substances contained as ultimate products of digestion in the blood, such, for example, as urea, then did the secretion ensue.

The fluid dropping from the ureter contained more urea than did the blood. That fluid was therefore no filtrate, but a secretion. An enhancement of the pressure of the blood flowing through the kidney had no influence on the quantity of the secretion passing away. An increased rate of movement on the part of the blood, on the other hand, increased in equal degree the quantity of urine. On a solution of common salt or of mere serum sanguinis being poured through the kidney, no secretion followed. All these facts, involving the exclusion of the possibility of a central influence being exercised from, the heart or from the nervous system on the kidneys, were deemed by the speaker arguments proving that the urine was secreted by the renal epithelial cells. A series of diuretics was next tried, in order to establish whether they operated in the way of stimulus centrally on the heart or peripherally on the renal cells. Digitalis was a central diuretic. Common salt, on the other hand, was a peripheral diuretic. Added in the portion of 2 per cent. to the blood, it increased the quantity of urine eight to fifteen fold. Even in much less doses, it was a powerful diuretic. In a similar manner, if yet not so intensely, operated saltpeter and coffeine, as also urea and pilocarpine. On the introduction, however, of the last substance into the blood, the rate of circulation was accelerated in an equal measure as was the quantity of urine increased, so that in this case the increase in the quantity of urine was, perhaps, exclusively conditioned by the greater speed in the movement of the blood. On the other hand, the quantity of secreted urine was reduced when morphine or strychine was administered to the blood. In the case of the application of strychnine, the rate in the current of the blood was retarded in a proportion equal to the reduction in the secretion of the urine.

The speaker had, finally, demonstrated the synthesis of hippuric acid and sulphate of phenol in the excided kidney as a function of its cells, by adding to the blood pouring through the kidney, in the first place, benzoic acid and glycol; in the second place, phenol and sulphate of soda. In order that these syntheses might make their appearance in the excided kidney, the presence of the blood corpuscles was not necessary, though, indeed, the presence of oxygen in the blood was indispensable.

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VARYING CYLINDRICAL LENS.

By TEMPEST ANDERSON, M.D., B. Sc.

The author has had constructed a cylindrical lens in which the axis remains constant in direction and amount of refraction, while the refraction in the meridian at right angles to this varies continuously.

A cone may be regarded as a succession of cylinders of different diameters graduating into one another by exceedingly small steps, so that if a short enough portion be considered, its curvature at any point may be regarded as cylindrical. A lens with one side plane and the other ground on a conical tool is therefore a concave cylindrical lens varying in concavity at different parts according to the diameter of the cone at the corresponding part. Two such lenses mounted with axes parallel and with curvatures varying in opposite directions produce a compound cylindrical lens, whose refraction in the direction of the axes is zero, and whose refraction in the meridian at right angles to this is at any point the sum of the refractions of the two lenses. This sum is nearly constant for a considerable distance along the axis so long as the same position of the lenses is maintained. If the lenses be slid one over the other in the direction of their axes, this sum changes, and we have a varying cylindrical lens. The lens is graduated by marking on the frame the relative position of the lenses when cylindrical lenses of known power are neutralized.

Lenses were exhibited to the Royal Society, London, varying from to -6 DCy, and from to +6 DCy.

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THE LAWS OF THE ABSORPTION OF LIGHT IN CRYSTALS.

By H. BECQUEREL.