RECENT ADVANCES IN SCIENCE 27 



acid. As is well known, small quantities of this acid are 

 obtained by passing chlorine into water in the presence of 

 precipitated mercuric oxide. These investigators, however, 

 have found that a better yield is obtained by the use of other 

 salts or oxides, more particularly those of copper, and especially 

 copper oxychloride. A 2 per cent, solution of the acid can 

 easily be obtained by bubbling chlorine through agitated 

 bottles containing water and the catalyst — in the case of copper 

 oxychloride, 10 grams per if litres water. 



From this solution after precipitation of the copper, the 

 acid may be collected by distillation. Owing to the extended 

 use of hypochlorous acid in modern drug preparation, these 

 results are of distinct importance. 



References 



1. Density of Radio Lead from Pure Norwegian Cleveite (/. Amer. Chem. Soc. 



1916, 38, 1658). 



2. Atomic Weight of Lead of Radioactive Origin {ibid. 1916, 38, 2613). 



3. Atomic Weight of Lead {Compt. rend. 1916, 163, 514). 



4. (a) Combination of Carbon and Nitrogen at the Ordinary Temperature ; 



{b) Oxidation of Carbon by Air at Low Temperatures in Presence of Iron and 

 other Metals ; (c) Carbon Dioxide from Natural Limestone. Reprints from 

 the Reports, Kharkov Technol. Inst. 1916 (J. Soc. Chem. Ind. 1916,35, 1260). 



5. Preparation of Hypochlorous Acid, Eng. Patent 12912 {ibid. 1916, 35, 1059). 



List of other Important Papers 



Catalytic Oxidation of Ammonia. E. B. Andersen. {Zeitsch. Elektro. Chem. 1916, 



22, 441.) 

 Sub-Salts of Lead. H. G. Denham. {Trans. Chem. Soc. 1917, 111, 29.) 

 Sulphides of Iron. V. Rodt. {Zeitsch. angew. Chem. 1916, 29 (i), 422.) 

 Sodium Potassium Double Carbonates. J. W. Bain and C. E. Oliver. {Trans. 



Roy. Soc. Canada, 1916, iii. 10, 65.) 

 Silver Peroxynitrate. M. J. Brown. (/. Physical Chem. 1916, 20, 680.) 

 Subsidiary Valencies— Complexes with Sulphur Dioxide. F. Ephraim and I. 



Kornblum. {Ber. 1916, 49, 2007.) 

 The Corrosion of French, Bohemian, and German Glass Vessels. P. Nicolardot. 



{Compt. rend. 1916, 163, 355.) 

 Sulphides of Barium. L. Guitteau. {Ibid. 1916, 163, 390.) 

 Tautomerism of Nitrosylsulphuric Acid. J. Biehringer and W. Borsum. {Ber. 



1916, 49, 1402.) 



ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. By P. Haas, D.Sc, Ph.D., St. Mary's 

 Hospital Medical School. 



In a previous article (Science Progress, 191 5, 37, 127) atten- 

 tion was drawn to several German patents for the production 



