C. U. C. p. ALUMNI JOURNAL 



233 



adrenaline likewise exert some influence, 

 while glycerin, alanine, leucine and as- 

 paragine, if present, are negative in 

 action. 



Colloidal Carbon. 



S. Tarczynski, in Z. f. Elektrochem., 

 1916, 22, 252-254, reports on the decom- 

 position of organic liquids by the electric 

 arc. The passage of the electric arc be- 

 tween carbon electrodes immersed in 

 various organic liquids, such as carbon 

 tetrachloride, chloroform, benzene, etc., 

 contained in an ice-cooled flask, resulted 

 always in the formation of both precipi- 

 tated and colloidal carbon. After filtra- 

 tion the latter gave an olive-green or 

 reddish-brown solution, which was ex- 

 tremely stable, showing the Tyndall 

 effect, and gave, upon heating, a black 

 amorphous precipitate of carbon. That 

 the carbon was actually produced from 

 the organic compounds was shown by the 

 fact that an experiment with platinum 

 electrodes gave the same result. In ad- 

 dition to these products, chlorine, tetra- 

 chloroethylene, hexachloroethane and 

 hexachlorobenzene were formed in the 

 decomposition of carbon tetrachloride, 

 and all these substances, together with 

 hydrogen chloride and tetra — and penta- 

 chloro-ethane, from chloroform. The 

 final products of the decomposition are 

 carbon, chlorine, and hexachlorobenzene, 

 which are always formed in the largest 

 amount; the others are all intermediate 

 products (/. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1916). 



Mercury Hydrosols. 

 C. Amberger, in KoUoid. Zeitsch., 

 1916, no, 97-101 reports as follows: 

 Therapeutically active and stable col- 

 loidal mercury can be obtained by the 



use of albumins or their products of de- 

 composition as protective agents. Solid 

 hydrosols containing up to 80 per cent, 

 of mercury have been prepared by the 

 addition of a solution of mercuric chlor- 

 ide to mixtures of glutin or dextrin with 

 pyrogallol, cathecol, or certain amino- 

 phenols, whereby a yellowish-w^hite pre- 

 cipitate is obtained. On the addition 

 of alkali reduction takes place, and 

 colloidal mercury is obtained. If glutin 

 or dextrin is mixed with a solution of an 

 alkali and a mercuric salt added, colloidal 

 mercuric oxide is obtained. By the re- 

 action between colloidal mercury and col- 

 loidal mercuric oxide, prepared as above, 

 stable preparations of colloidal mercur- 

 ous oxide are obtained (/. Soc. Chem. 

 Ind., 1916). 



Chemical Changes in Cotton Seed in 

 Storage. 



J. B. Rather, in /. Ind. Eng. Chem., 

 ■ 19 16, 604-607, reports on some very in- 

 teresting observations as follows: A 

 5,000 pound lot of dry-harvested cotton 

 seed was stored in a pile measuring 12 

 feet by 12 feet by 6 feet. The mass was 

 kept in this manner for yy days. During 

 intervals samples taken from different 

 parts of the mass were analyzed and the 

 temperature in different parts of the 

 mass observed. It was found that the 

 moisture content fell from 13.77 to 10.94 

 per cent., and that the mass became 

 heated, the highest temperature noted 

 being 43° C. (109° F.). Perhaps the 

 most important changes noted are the 

 increase in free fatty acids and total 

 acidity. In order to make certain that 

 these latter changes were due to the in- 

 creased temperature, experiments were 

 made with cotton seed heated and stored 



