6 C. U. C. P. ALUMNI JOURNAL January, 1918 



these caused too much" injury to the plant foHao^e to render their use possible or 

 desirable. It required abovit 0.1595 niilligrammes of arsenic pentoxide to destroy 

 1000 small tent caterpillars, and about 1.84 milligrammes of the san.e substance 

 to destroy 1000 nearly mature caterpillars. 



Iodide of Starch 



A. Lumiere, in Comptcs rend., 191 7, 165, discusses the use of iodide of 

 starch in the treatment of infected wounds. He comments upon the desirability 

 of using- an agent in the treatment of infected wounds, which will not be destroyed 

 in quick order by the tissues and which will retain its activity for a period of at 

 least several days. His experiments showed that 10 grammes of muscle tissue 

 showing traces of beginning- decomposition, completely decolorized 25 milli- 

 grammes of iodine contained in 100 mils of solution, in about one-haif hour, pu- 

 trefactive changes then taking place rapidly. Under like conditions he found that 

 a quantity of iodide of starch containing" the same weig-ht of iodine (25 milli- 

 g'rammes), still retained some of its blue color after the lapse of one month. The 

 author further reports that iodide of starch, containing one part of iodine in 50,000 

 parts, was capable 'of destroying- Streptococci, B. coli, and B. pyocyaneus, in 24 

 hours at a temperature of 37° C. .\ much weaker solution was effective against 

 Staphylococci. In dressing wounds obtained in battle, it was found that iodide 

 of starch, containing- one per cent, of iodine would prove very effective, causing 

 such wounds to remain practically sterile for three dressings. The author also 

 states that a solution of iodide of starch containing 0.50 grammes of iodine in 

 each liter, can be employed in the treatment of wounds by the irrigation method, 

 and that it is quite as effective as Dakin's solution, and entirely nou-irritant to 

 tissues. 



Decomposition of Amines 



P. Sabatier and G. Gaudion, in Comptes rend. 1917, 165, report the results 

 obtained by treating amines with finely divided nickel, and resulting in the forma- 

 tion of anilin from various substituted anilins. Finely divided nickel was ob- 

 tained by reducing nickel oxide at a temperature below 700° C. At a temperature 

 of 350° C. nickel thus obtained converts cyclohexylamine into anilin, while at a 

 temperature below 180° C. the reverse reaction takes place. Under like conditions 

 piperidine yields pyridin, and primary amines are converted into nitrils. Methyl- 

 o-toluidin yielded indol. In a considerable number of the reactioub, ammonia 

 splits off, thus ethylamine is converted into ethylene and ammonia, the ethylene 

 in turn being further decomposed into carbon, hydrogen, methane and ethane. 

 IJenzylamine formed ammonia and toluene, and methylanilin and dimethylanilin 

 yielded benzene, anilin, ammonia and a number of other products. 



Ammonia Formation in Soils 



This subject was made a study by G. B. Koch, who reports his findings in 

 /. Biol. Cheiii., 1917, 31 • Soil was mixed with dried blood together with the sul- 

 ])hates of magnesium and potassium and calcium dihydrogen phosphate, in vary- 

 ing proportions, the soil solution being made up to an osmotic pressure of 2 



