CHEMISTRY — BANCROFT, BASKERVILLE. 14^ 



Bancroft, Wilder D,, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Grant No. 323. 



Systematic study of alloys. (For previous reports see Year Book No. 2, 



p. xxix, and Year Book No. 3, p. 104, and Year Book No. 4, pp. 



133-134.) ^^'°°°- 



The following papers have been published during the year : 



The alloys of antimouy and tin. F. E. Gallagher. Jour. Phys. Chem., v. 10, p. 93 



(1906). 

 Electrolytic corrosion of the bronzes. B. E. Curry. Ibid., v. 10, p. 474 (1906). 

 Electrolytic precipitation of the bronzes. B. E. Curry. Ibid., v. 10, p. 515 (1906). 



The paper on the constitution of the bronzes is in the press and will 

 appear in November. In the work on the electrolytic corrosion of the 

 bronzes Mr. Curry has shown that there is a definite relation between the 

 anode efficiencies and the constitution of the bronzes. Sudden changes in 

 current efficiency take place only at points where the crystalHne structure 

 changes, though not necessarily at every point at which such a change takes 

 place. The ' ' breaks ' ' occur at different places in different solutions, but 

 we are not able to predict the position of the "breaks." In all solutions 

 except chlorides the bronzes become passive over a greater or lesser range 

 of concentrations. It has been shown that this is due to the formation of a 

 surface film of stannic oxide. There is no relation between the corrodi- 

 bility and the electromotive force of the alloys, but the electrolytic and the 

 chemical corrosions have been shown to run parallel. 



In the electrolytic precipitation of the bronzes satisfactory deposits were 

 obtained from acid oxalate solutions, and data are given for the relation 

 between composition of solution and composition of cathode deposit. Under 

 the conditions of the experiments the electrolytically precipitated bronzes are 

 the equilibrium forms. 



Some work has been done during the year on the constitution, corrosion, 

 and tensile strength of aluminum bronze, but a report on this will have to 

 be deferred till next year. A tentative diagram for the carbon steels has 

 also been worked out, but the confirmatory data are still incomplete. 

 Baskerville, Charles, College of the City of New York, New York, N. Y. 

 Grant No. 237. Contimiation of mvestigatio7i of the rare earths. (For 

 previous reports see Year Book No. 3, p. 105, and Year Book No. 4, 

 pp. 136-148.) ^^'°°°- 



Professor Baskerville submits the following abstracts of several investiga- 

 tions carried out by himself and Dr. Fritz Zerban with the aid of grants from 

 the Carnegie Institution of Washington. 



PREPARATION OF METALLIC THORIUM. 

 It was shown by previous experiments (Fourth Year Book of the Carnegie 

 Institution of Washington, pp. 139-142) that metallic thorium of a high 

 degree of purity may be obtained by the reduction of thorium potassium 



