THE ALUMNI fOURNAL 



209 



solving only 0.7 volume of gas. There 

 were two lines in the spectra of helium 

 and argon which were identical. Per- 

 haps this points to the existence of some 

 other gas or gases in both, which might 

 allow the density of argon to be brought 

 down to 38 and come just after chlorine 

 in the periodic law. None of the miner- 

 als yielding helium re-absorbed it, and 

 the question as to whether it has com- 

 bined or not is still unsettled The spec- 

 trum of argon was then displayed. — 

 Pharm. Era. 



REACTIONS OF SOHE OF THE NEWER 

 REriEDlES. 



(Continued from June issue.) 

 Piperazine (Diethylenediamine) : Crystalline 

 masses consisting of shiny glassy tablets, freely 

 soluble in water ; aqueous solution dissolves a 

 large quantity of uric acid; platinum chloride 

 produces a characteristic double salt, occurring 

 in square leaflets ; Nessler's reagent, as also 

 mercuric nitrate, produces a white precipitate ; 

 cupric sulphate produces a voluminous, blue 

 precipitate ; silver nitrate is not precipitated ; 

 bromine water is energetically decolorized by 

 piperazine ; potassium permanganate is reduced 

 by piperazine. 



Salocoll (Phenocoll Salicylate) : White floc- 

 culent powder, consisting of velvety needles 

 having a sweetish taste ; its aqueous solution 

 produces a violet color with ferric chloride, the 

 color being discharged on the addition of hydro- 

 chloric acid ; on heating with a solution of so- 

 dium hydroxide, allowing to cool, and adding 

 a trace of chloral hydrate, the odor of carbyla- 

 mine is evolved ; if it be dissolved in diluted 

 hydrochloric acid, and, after the liberated sali- 

 cylic acid has crystallized out on cooling, the 

 solution be filtered, the filtrate yields a reddish- 

 brown precipitate on the addition of a solution 

 of iodine. 



Salophen ( Acetylparaamidosalol) : Small, 

 thin, yellowish-white, odorless, tasteless leaf- 

 lets ; on boiling o. 1 Gm. with 10 C.c. of 2 per 

 cent, solution, the latter acquires, immediately, 

 a blue coloration, which disappears upon fur- 

 ther heating, the solution subsequently assum- 

 ing a yellowish-red color; if this solution be 

 exposed to the action of the air, a sky-blue 

 coloration will be produced in its upper layers, 

 the color being gradually communicated to the 

 rest of the liquid. 



Symphorol (Sodium, Lithium and Strontium 

 Caffeinesulphonates ) : White, odorless, bitter 

 powders. Symphorol Lithium and Strontium 

 are readily soluble in water, while Symphorol 

 is difficulty so ; they are all insoluble 

 in ether, benzol, or chloroform ; their solutions, 

 upon the addition of barium chloride or silver 

 nitrate, become slightly turbid, but no precip- 

 semble those of silicon, — Merck's Report. 



Titanium Compounds have been the subject 

 of recent study by H. Moissan (Comptes Rend., 

 Vol. CXX, p. 290). He has obtained blue tita- 

 nium protoxide, titanium nitride (Ti.,N 2 ), crys- 

 talline titanium carbide (TiC), and metallic 

 titanium, by heating a mixture of titanic acid 

 and carbon in the electric furnace. Titanium 

 itself is the most refractory substance yet ob- 

 tained by this means, being more infusible even 

 than vanadium, and much more so than 

 chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, and zirco- 

 nium. It requires the most intense heat cap- 

 able of production, and even then contains at 

 least 2 per cent, of carbon. It forms friable 

 masses, having a bright white fracture. It is 

 harder than quartz or steel. Its specific gravity 

 is 4.870. Its chemical properties as a whole re- 

 semble those of silicon. — Merck's Report. 



METRIC SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS AND 

 MEASURES. 



By EDWARD L. MILHAU, Ph. G. 



Some amendments are requisite to ren- 

 der the metric system more acceptable 

 to the general public, including the il- 

 literate, and to adapt it to the people's 

 wants and customs. 



First — The system should be presented 

 simply as having been unanimously 

 adopted at an international convention 

 of scientists held in Paris at the close of 

 last century. It has since been legal- 

 ized by nearly all governments, includ- 

 ing Japan and the 28 treaty ports of 

 China, and all are provided with exact 

 copies of the standards in Paris. It has 

 not yet been made compulsory, however, 

 here, in Great Britain or Russia, but it 

 no doubt will be in time. 



Second — The polyglot titles should be 

 dropped and their respective initials sub- 

 stituted. Thus the capital letters K, L,, 

 M, A, S would serve as indeclinable 

 symbols — precisely like the symbol $. 



