RECENT WORK IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE. 



AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY— AGROTECHNY. 



Theoretical and physical chemistry, S. L. Bigelow {Netv York: The Century 

 Co., 191Jf, pp. XIII-\-oItJ^, figs. 81). — A volume intended for use in a course of 

 lectures on elementary theoretical and physical chemistry, and of general 

 interest to agricultural chemists. 



International catalogue of scientific literature. D — Chemistry (Internat. 

 Cat. Sci. Lit., 12 {1915), pp. y///+9i0).— The twelfth annual issue of this cata- 

 logue (E. S. R., 33, p. 201), which contains schedules and indexes in four lan- 

 guages and a subject and an author catalogue. The material catalogued waa 

 received between October, 1912, and September, 1913. 



A study of the chemical and physical properties of oils distilled from the 

 various parts of the plant Acorus calamus, G. A. Russell {Jour. Amer. Chem. 

 Soc., 37 {1915), No. 10, pp. 23S7-2394, fig. 1). — Acorus calamus, commonly 

 known as " calamus," when cultivated on upland soils yields less oil than when 

 grown in its natural habitat, which is low, wet, and boggy. While all parts of 

 the plant yield oil, the roots show the largest percentage yield. The oils 

 obtained by steam distillation from the various parts of the plant, viz, aerial, 

 rhizome, and roots, possess varying physical and chemical constants. Qualita- 

 tive tests showed phenols to be absent in all of the samples. Aldehydes, how- 

 ever, were found in all of the oils, and " it may be inferred that the production 

 of aldehydes is greatest in the part of the plant exposed to the action of sun 

 and air, and that this production diminishes as these factors are more or less 

 shut off." Fractionation of these oils indicates that the components of each 

 are present in varying amounts, and that the components themselves vary to 

 some extent. 



Oxidation and polymerization of soy-bean oil, N. J. A. Tavekne {Ztschr. 

 Angew. Chem., 28 {1915), No. 42, Aufsatzteil, pp. 249-251).— Oxiaation in the 

 air at room temperature was carried out by Fahriou's method, and the hydroxy 

 acids determined after 30 days' exposure were found to constitute 38.4 per cent 

 of the oil. Oxidation at 70° C. was carried out in the apparatus of Genthe'* 

 and was complete in 30 hours. 



Oxidation in air at 150° was also carried out by heating in a beaker. The 

 molecular weight rose in 10 days from 710 to 1,730. This indicated polymeriza- 

 tion or condensation along with the oxidation. The oil became solid and as- 

 sumed a reddish-brown color. It contained 31.8 per cent hydroxy acids and 63 

 per cent fatty acids soluble in petroleum ether. The iodin number decreased to 

 64.8. Heating for 14 days at 135° gave a thick oil containing 27.2 per cent 

 hydroxy acids and 65.5 per cent fatty acids with an iodin number of 65.7. These 

 figm-es indicate the possibility of using soy-bean oil in the linoleum industry. 



"Ztschr. .ingew. Chem., 19 (190G), No. 51, pp. 20S7-2099, flgs. 21. 

 28855°— No. 5—16 2 407 



