36 proceedings: chemical society 



THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY 



The 232d meeting was held at the Cosmos Club on December 11, 

 1913. Dr. M. X. SulUvan was nominated to represent the Society as 

 a vice-presidient of the Washington Academy of Sciences. The presi- 

 dent appointed A. B. Adams, J. A. Le Clerc, and R. C. Wells as an 

 auditing committee to audit the accounts of the treasurer for the year. 



The following papers were then read : 



J. G. Fairchild, of the Bureau of Mines: First paper: Electro- 

 anahjsis of the copper alloys. The methods described were planned in 

 order to obtain more rapid results in analyzing brass, bronze, type 

 metal and other copper alloys. The paper has been published in Met. 

 and Cheni. Eng. 



Second paper: The iodometric determination of iron. This paper, 

 like the preceding, gave details of procedure for a rapid commercial 

 method. 



Discussion: Andrews pointed out that the reaction used in the 

 method for iron comes to an equilibrium, which can be displaced 

 toward ferrous iron by extracting the iodine with a solvent such as 

 carbon bisulfide. 



W. D. Collins, of the Bureau of Chemistry: Radioactivity of Vir- 

 ginia mineral ivaters. The tests were made by boiling out the gases 

 from the sample and observing their effect on an electroscope. Ac- 

 tivities of from 110 down to 0.7, in terms of the 10-" unit, were found. 

 These are of the same order of magnitude as radioactive springs in 

 other parts of the world. 



Discussion: Ross called attention to investigations published in the 

 french Comptes Rendus showing that certain Italian springs caused, 

 rather than cured, certain diseases. He showed that quantities of ra- 

 dium emanation that can be taken without effect greatly exceed the 

 amounts that can be obtained from any spring water. Custis stated 

 that experiments show that repeated small doses of the emanation pro- 

 duce effects that cannot be obtained by single large doses. I. K. Phelps 

 mentioned that practically all waters are radioactive, but Collins pointed 

 out that the activity of sea-water, for instance, is only about 0.001 of 

 that of the least active of the springs in question. 



G. A. Menge, of the Hygienic Laboratory : The Preparation of amino- 

 nitriles. The speaker described the methods for preparing nitriles, going 

 from anhydrous hydrocyanic acid thru cyanhydrin by means of liquid 

 ammonia, as the methods described in the literature did not give sat- 

 isfactory results. Amino-aceto-nitrile and a number of other mem- 

 bers of this series were prepared. The liquid ammonia method gives 

 practically the theoretical yield. 



G. B. Spencer, of the Bureau of Chemistry: Goettingen. The speaker 

 first paid a tribute to Wallach, who has recently received the Nobel 

 prize for his work on the terpenes. He then described the city and the 

 university, and spoke in particular of the many important discoveries 

 which the sciences of chemistry, physics, and mathematics owe to the 

 men of Goettingen. Robert B. Sosman, Secretary. 



