RECENT ADVANCES IN SCIENCE 113 



stances has not been definitely established. Salway {Trans. 

 Chem. Soc. 1916, 109, 138), who has taken up this question again 

 recently, finds that when linseed oil or the free acids isolated 

 from this substance or linolenic acid are shaken with oxygen 

 in a bulb tube heated to ioo°C. acrolein is given off. The 

 amount obtained is only small, but it confirms the observation 

 of previous workers who had noticed the odour of acrolein about 

 drying linseed oil. These authors, however, attributed its 

 presence to the action of the oxygen upon the glycerol in the 

 oil, whereas the present author has been able to obtain the 

 substance from the free acids in the absence of any glycerol 

 whatever. In order to explain its formation from linolenic 

 acid he is inclined to reject the hitherto accepted formula for 

 this acid. It is further suggested that the dry oil contains 

 polymerised acrolein and glyoxal, but further research will be 

 necessary before these points can be regarded as established. 



With a view to determining the source of fluorine in the 

 animal body, Gautier and Clausmann (Compt. Rend. 1916, 162, 

 105) have determined the percentages of fluorine and phos- 

 phorus in a number of different plants which serve as food for 

 human beings and herbivorous animals. The analyses do not 

 point to the existence of any particular group of plants in which 

 there is an abundance of fluorine. The leaves are generally 

 the part of the plant richest in fluorine and in phosphorus, and 

 the stem, wood, and bark are poorest. Although there is no 

 evidence of any definite ratio of fluorine to phosphorus in the 

 various parts of a plant, the two elements appear to increase 

 and decrease together. 



Two recent patents emanating from the firm of Meister, 

 Lucius & Briining (D.R.P. 286596 from /. Soc. Chem. Ind. 



1915.34, 1 168 and Eng. Pat. 191 5, 1288, from J. Soc. Chem. Ind. 



1 91 6. 35, 141) deal with reactions of a somewhat novel character. 

 The first one describes the preparation of aluminium ethoxide 

 which is obtained by treating dry ethyl alcohol with aluminium 

 and a very small quantity of mercuric chloride as a catalyst 

 in presence or absence of alkyl haloids or iodine ; distillation 

 under reduced pressure yields a distillate free from mercury. 

 According to the second patent an 85 per cent, yield of ethyl 

 acetate may be obtained by gradually adding 400 parts of 

 acetic aldehyde to a filtered solution of 16 to 20 parts of alu- 

 minium ethoxide in 45 parts of dry solvent naphtha or other 



8 



