CHEMISTRY — AGREE. 20/ 



nature and prevention of some particular disease. An example may be found 

 in the Tuberculosis Congress which met in this city last autumn. The litera- 

 ture of such congresses forms a valuable addition to the Index Medicus. 



It may be added that twenty languages are represented in the Index Medi- 

 cus ; of those less generally known the titles of articles are given in English. 



CHEMISTRY. 



Acree, S. F., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Grant No. 

 555. Continuation of study of tautomerism and catalysis. (For previ- 

 ous reports see Year Books Nos. 4, 6, and 7.) $1,300. 



Our work on tautomerism and catalysis has been continued with the 

 cooperation of Dr. E. E. Reid, Carnegie Research Assistant for 1908-09, 

 Dr. Sidney Nirdlinger, Dr. E. A. Slagle, and Dr. L. J. Desha. Some papers 

 by Dr. Sidney Nirdlinger and Dr. L. J. Desha are awaiting publication. The 

 five following articles have appeared during the year. 



Studies in Catalysis: On the Formation of Esters from Amides and Alco- 

 hols. By S. F. Acree. (American Chemical Journal, 41, p. 457-) — In this 

 article are discussed (i) "The rearrangement of acetylhalogenaminobenzene 

 derivatives," (2) "The hydrolysis and esterification of amides," (3) "Salt 

 catalysis." The new experimental and mathematical evidence obtained by 

 Dr. J. M. Johnson and Dr. E. E. Reid strongly support the deductions drawn 

 from our previous researches in these fields. 



The Alcoholysis or Bsterification of Acid Amides. By B. B. Reid. (Amer- 

 ican Chemical Journal, 41, p. 483.) — Dr. Reid's experimental results fully 

 confirm our predictions of the course of the reactions involved in the hy- 

 drolysis and esterification of amides. As no water is formed in the esterifi- 

 cation of amides, this reaction is regarded as more suitable for the study of 

 catalytic esterification than the esterification of organic acids. This research 

 is being continued. 



CH^CONH.+ROH+HCl ^^ CH3C00R+NH,C1 



On the Theory of Indicators and the Reactions of Phthaleins and their 

 Salts. By S. F. Acree and B. A. Slagle. (American Chemical Journal, 42, 

 p. 115.) — In this paper are presented the results of a quantitative investiga- 

 tion of our theory of indicators by the use of reaction velocities and the 

 dilatometer. The conclusions amply justify our theory that the color of the 

 salts of phenolphthalein is due not so much to the carboxyl salts, or carboxyl 

 and phenol salts, as assumed by others, as to another tautomeric salt, a 

 quinone-phenolate salt analogous to certain tautomeric urazole salts, made 

 by Acree and Nirdlinger, and to quinone-phenolates, made by Jackson and 

 Oenslager. 



