482 proceedings: chemical society 



from the sap of palm trees; 97 per cent of this is used for beverages and 

 3 per cen{. for industrial purposes or export. While several varieties 

 of palm trees are the source of alcohol in the tropics, the Nipa palm 

 overshadows all for this purpose in the Philippines and may be regarded 

 as the cheapest source of alcohol in the world, the cost of raw materials 

 being about two cents per liter. The sap has at present no value as a 

 source of sugar, as it rapidly becomes impure. When fresh it contains 

 15 per cent sucrose. Inversion may be prevented by the addition of 

 milk of lime, and enzyme action inhibited by means of SO2. Sugar 

 obtained in this way on a small experimental scale showed this source 

 to be cheaper than the use of beets or cane; 150 kg. were obtained 

 from 1000 I of sap. The lecture was illustrated by slides showing the 

 various palm trees and the mills used in the experimental work. 



There was some discussion as to the nature of the changes in the sap 

 and their cause. 



C. S. Hudson, of the Bureau of Chemistry, spoke on The acetyl 

 derivatives of the sugars. A brief review was given showing the various 

 new sugars and types of sugars obtained by acetylation. This re- 

 action is easily carried out except where the sugar is easily hydrolysed. 

 In general the new compounds were crystalline with sharp physical 

 properties. Oxyacetate were also prepared. The preparation of these 

 compounds is important from the standpoint of the constitution of 

 cellulose. More detailed information regarding these compounds 

 and the latest developments are given in papers published in the 

 Journal of the American Chemical Society, 37: 1264, 1270, 1276, 1280, 

 1283, 1589, 1591 (1915). 



Under the head of informal communications, Mr. J. B. Tuttle, 

 of the Bureau of Standards, spoke on The requirements and purchase of 

 rubber tubing for laboratory purposes. The difficulties incurred at the 

 Bureau of Standards in obtaining rubber tubing with a reasonable 

 life and satisfactory rubber content were outlined. Former sources 

 of supply have been cut off by the war and an effort is being made to 

 have American manufacturers take up the manufacture of a good grade 

 of laboratory tubing at a reasonable price. Such samples are now 

 being tried out at the Bureau of Standards. 



The 249th meeting (special) was held at the Cosmos Club, April 21, 

 1915. Prof. A. A. Noyes, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 

 gave a lecture on A system of qualitative analysis including nearly all 

 the elements. The speaker reviewed briefly and gave the present 

 status of the work on this subject that has been under way at the 

 Institute for some twenty years. This lecture was also delivered on 

 the occasion of the acceptance by the author of the Fifth Willard 

 Gibbs Medal at Chicago, April 16, 1915; a brief abstract of it will be 

 found in the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 7 : 450 

 (1915). 



While the work is not finished in all its details, the fundamentals 

 have been well established and we may expect soon a system of qualita- 



