PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY AND AFFILIATED 



SOCIETIES 



WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



The 82d meeting of the Washmgton Academy of Sciences was held at 

 the Cosmos Chib, Thursday evening, Januarj^ 30, 1913. Dr. Arthur 

 L. Day gave an account of Some observations on the volcano Kilauea in 

 action. The observations in question were made during the past sum- 

 mer in connection with a successful effort to collect, in the crater of an 

 active volcano, lava gases uncontaminatecl by the atmosphere. 



W. J. Humphreys, Recording Secretary. 



THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY 



The 221st meeting was held at the Cosmos Club on January 9, 1913. 



The president . appointed committees as follows: Entertaijiment — 

 McKelvy (chairman), Crenshaw, Lathrop, Smither, and Bunzel, Com- 

 munications — Seidell (chairman), Emery (of Bureau of Chemistry), 

 Gore, Turrentine, and Schaller. 



The following papers were read: L. A. Rogers, of the Bureau of 

 Animal Industry: Drying by the freezing method. This method, used 

 for drying organic materials of all kinds, consists essentially in drying 

 the frozen material over sulfuric acid in a vacuum dessicator. The 

 ice crystals evaporate directly leaving a very porous and dry powder. 

 Numerous samples were shown and the apparatus was described. The 

 author has used the method for preserving bacterial cultures in a very 

 concentrated and active form. 



W. Salant and Clayton Smith, of the Bureau of Chemistry: Con- 

 cerning the pharmacological action of the tartrates. Read by Dr. Salant. 

 The wide differences in physiological action between optical isomers 

 has been observed for a number of compounds. Contrary to the results 

 of previous observers, the authors tlnd that laevo- and dextro-tartartic 

 acid are about equally active. The manner of introduction of the acid 

 makes a great difference in the effect. A carnivorous animal, such as 

 the cat, is much more resistant to the acid than the rabbit; the difference 

 is not explainable by oxidation alone. 



J. A. LeClerc and J. F. Brezeale, of the Bureau of Chemistry: 

 The effect of lime upo7i the alkali tolerance of wheat seedlings. Wheat 

 seedlings were grown in sand, clay and solution cultures containing the 

 alkali salts sodium chloride, sulfate, and bicarbonate. Salts of cal- 

 cium, barium, sodium, potassium, etc. were added in small amounts to 



197 



