28 proceedings: chemical society 



briefly upon the work of Dr. Peale. Dr. Le Clerc moved that a com- 

 mittee of three who had been personally acquainted with Dr. Peale be 

 appointed to -draw up suitable resolutions. Messrs. F. W. Clarke, W. 

 F. Hillebrand, and F. P. Dewey were appointed. 



The following papers were read : 



F. P. Dewey, of the Bureau of the Mint: The recovery of osmiridium 

 in the electrolytic refining of gold. Practically all bullion refining in the 

 Mint service is now done by the electrolytic process. After suitable 

 selection, gold anodes containing osmiridium are specially treated. 

 By hanging a beaker under the anode the slime is collected, and from it 

 the grains of osmiridium are washed out. Details of the older and 

 newer procedures were given by the speaker. 



Discussion: Wells spoke of the need for more thorough work on 

 the chemical reactions of the platinum metals. Fitzgerald inquired 

 about the form in which the osmiridium separates, and about the per- 

 centages -of metals found therein. The iridium varies from 43 to 77 

 per cent of the alloy. Sosman compared the platinum content of the 

 Ural deposits with that of some ores discussed by Dewey, and men- 

 tioned that the recently advertised discovery of platinum in Westphalia 

 had turned out to be a fraud. Foster inquired about the settling of 

 osmiridium from a silver melt, and also about a reported discovery of 

 platinum at the Katahdin Iron Works in Maine. Dewey stated that 

 no information about this discovery had been published. 



E. H. Walters, of the Bureau of Soils: The presence of primary 

 cleavage products of protein in soils. In an investigation of a water 

 extract and a dilute alkali (2 per cent sodium hydroxide) extract of a 

 sample of Norfolk sandy loam soil from Virginia, substances were obtained 

 which responded to the characteristic reactions of proteoses and peptones. 

 The color reactions obtained and the methods employed in making 

 a partial separation of these bodies showed that a complex mixture of 

 the various proteoses and peptones was present and persisted in the 

 soil for a considerable period. The experiments described show that 

 proteins undergo hydrolytic decomposition in soil in much the same 

 way as in digestion by enzymes, acids, or alkalines in the laboratory. 

 (Author's abstract.) 



Discussion: Wells inquired about the precipitation of barium car- 

 bonate by carbon dioxide. Walteks stated that the barium is held in 

 solution by carbamino compounds. 



A. Seidell: The excretion of thymol in the urine. Thymol has been 

 widely used in the treatment of the hookworm disease. Being a proto- 

 plasmic poison, and its absorption being promoted by the presence of 

 fats and oils, its use is somewhat dangerous. In order to find ^ safer 

 substitute, experiments have been made to determine the manner of 

 action of thymol in eliminating hookworm. Methods for the elimina- 

 tion of thymol in excreta were studied, and it was found that it can be 

 recovered by two steam distillations, one acid and one alkaline, and 

 then determined in the neutral water solution. Using this method, it 

 was found that no thymol is excreted in feces. It does pass out, how- 



