166 proceedings: chemical society 



The speaker then mentioned the physical laboratories and astronomical 

 and astrophysical observatories visited in England, Scotland, Holland 

 France, Germany, Belgium and Austria, and spoke briefly of the men 

 and the instrumental equipment at these institutions and the chief 

 research work now being carried on by them. 



Mr. N. E. Dorsey spoke informally of the recent absolute measure- 

 ment of current at the Bureau of Standards and gave a few figures show- 

 ing (1) the precision (something better than 1 in 1,000,000) attained in 

 the determination of the ratio of the radii of two coils, (2) the relative 

 constancy of the radii of 6 coils over a period of one year, and (3) the 

 relative constancy of the standard cells used in that work. 



R. L. Faris, Secretary. 



THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 212th regular meeting was held at the Cosmos Club, January 

 11, 1912. President Le Clerc appointed the following committees for 

 1912: Program: Phelps, Seidell, Moore, McKelvy, Palmer. Enter- 

 tainment: Boughton, Bunzel, Custis, Lathrop, Nothstine. P. H. 

 Walker was elected local councilor. The following papers were read: 



Notes on the specific gravity of solids. J. Johnston and L. H. Adams 

 of the Geophysical Laboratory. Read by Mr. Adams. Discussion by 

 R. C. Wells, Boughton, Walker, Robinson and Byrnes. 



Pacific coast kelps. J. W. Turrentine, Bureau Soils. Discussion 

 by Dole, C. C. Moore, R. B. % Moore, Herstein, Huston. 



Chemical investigation of American spearmint oil. E. K. Nelson, 

 Bureau Chemistry. 



Note by Dr. P. A. Yoder on Marking of porcelain crucibles. 



Note by Dr. J. Johnston exhibiting the May-Nelson vacuum-pres- 

 sure ring pump. 



A special meeting was held on January 25 in the Cosmos Club. Prof. 

 Edward Hart, of Lafayette College, gave a lecture on Some early chem- 

 ists. It was illustrated by numerous reproductions from the lecturer's 

 collection of rare books on chemistry and alchemy. A smoker followed 

 the lecture. 



The 213th regular meeting was held at the Cosmos Club on February 

 8. The following papers were read: 



A modification of the volumetric determination of phosphoric acid in 

 phosphate rocks. J. G. Fairchild, Geological Survey (see this Journal, 

 2:114, 1912). 



Standardization of potassium permanganate by sodium oxalate. R. S. 

 McBride, Bureau Standards. Discussion by Foster, Johnston, Seidell, 

 Hillebrand, Phelps, Waters. 



Refractive index of beeswax. Leonard Feldstein, Bureau Chemistry. 



Quantitative oxidase studies. H. H. Bunzel, Bureau Plant Industry. 

 Discussion by Waters and R. C. Wells. 



Robert B. Sosman, Acting Secretary. 



