RECENT ADVANCES IN SCIENCE 377 



silicate, sodium tungstate, etc. Pauli has examined electro- 

 metrically the combination of albumen with each ion of hydro- 

 chloric acid, and shows that the maximum difference in the 

 amounts of hydrion and chlorine ion taken up by i per cent, 

 albumen occurs at about 0-02 N HCl. This maximum coin- 

 cides with maximum viscosity and maximum osmotic pres- 

 sure in an osmometer. Further addition of hydrochloric acid 

 drives back the ionisation with great rapidity. The authors 

 give an explanation from the laws of mass action, and point 

 out that this law will probably apply in only quahtative form 

 to such a colloidal system. 

 If the equation 



H„A''+ + nCl-^A-H„-Cl, 



holds, then the dissociation of the colloidal complex should 

 depend on the nth power of the chlorine ion concentration, 

 and this would explain the great effect observed by Pauli. 



ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. By P. Haas, D.Sc, Ph.D.. University 

 College, London. 



The production of fatty acids by the oxidation of paraffin hydro- 

 carbons has recently occupied the attention of more than one 

 chemist. According to Fischer and Schneider {Berichte, 1920, 

 63, [B], 922), pure or crude paraffin may be oxidised by heating 

 with dilute sodium carbonate solution in a steel autoclave at 

 170°, compressed air being forced through the mixture. Under 

 these conditions a yield of fatty acids amounting to 90 per cent. 

 of the paraffin used may be obtained. The acids formed 

 mostly contain an odd number of carbon atoms ; those definitely 

 identified correspond to the following formulae : C13H26O2, 

 C15H30O2, Ci7H3402, and CigHssOo. If air is blown through the 

 paraffin at i35°-i45° in the absence of water, a mixture of acid 

 anhyrides is obtained, which may be separated from the 

 unchanged paraffin by extraction with acetone, in which the 

 paraffin is insoluble. According to Franck {Chemiker Zeit., 

 1920, 44, 309), paraffin oils may be oxidised to fatty acids by 

 heating them with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst con- 

 sisting of a compound of lead, mercury, manganese, vanadium, 

 or chromium, or even alkalis or alkaline earths. With a tem- 

 perature of 150° and from 0-5 to 5 per cent, of catalyst, about 

 50 per cent, of fatty acids of low molecular weight and 40 per cent, 

 of acids of high molecular weight are obtained, together with a 

 small quantity of a mixture of ketones. An edible fat re- 

 sembling coconut oil was produced by esterifying the mixed 

 fatty acids with glycol. 



Two patents have recently been taken for the elimination 



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