CHEMISTRY— AGREE. 2I3 



CHEMISTRY. 



Acree, S. F., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Grant No. 

 690. Continuation of the study of tautomerism and catalysis. (For 

 previous reports see Year Books Nos. 4-9.) $i,5*^ 



Work on tautomerism and catalysis has been continued with the coopera- 

 tion of Dr. B. B. Turner, Dr. H. C. Robertson, jr., Dr. E. K. Marshall, jr.. 

 Dr. N. E. Loomis, Dr. E. P. Doetsch, Miss J. P. Harrison, Mr. E. W. 

 Esslinger, and Mr. J. Chandler. 



During the year the work on catalysis has been greatly benefited by the 

 work of Dr. Robertson, Dr. Marshall, and Miss Harrison. They have meas- 

 ured accurately the ionization of various ethylates and phenolates and deter- 

 mined the corresponding reaction velocities of these salts with alkyl halides. 

 In all cases the reaction velocity has been found proportional to the product 

 of the concentration of the ions and the Kion increased by the product of 

 the concentration of the molecules and Kmoi. Dr. IMarshall has further 

 found that sodium ethylate catalyzes the reversible reaction involving the 

 addition of alcohols to nitriles. Here again the reaction velocity is a function 

 of the concentration of the ethylate ions and sodium ethylate molecules as 

 expressed above, the values of Kion and Kmoi varying in different reac- 

 tions, but remaining constant for all dilutions in the same reaction. 



Messrs. Doetsch, Chandler, and Esslinger have presented very valuable 

 conclusions as a result of their studies of the tautomeric relations of the 

 urazoles. 



Dr. N. E. Loomis has made a very exact study of the hydrogen electrode, 

 the calomel electrode, and of contact potential. He finds that 4.12 N potas- 

 sium chloride solutions nearly completely annul the contact potential of sys- 

 tems containing hydrochloric acid and potassium chloride. He has defined 

 the value of the hydrogen-calomel cell and found a method for measuring 

 the percentage of hydrolysis of solutions of aniline hydrochloride. This 

 work is being continued by Dr. C. N. Myers. 



The following papers have appeared during the year or are now in press : 



On the reaction of iodoacetonitrile with silver nitrate. By S. K. Loy and S. F. Acree. 

 American Chemical Journal, 45, pp. 224-239. 



In this article Dr. Loy has shown by conductivity methods that silver 

 nitrate does not combine in water or alcohol with iodoacetonitrile to any 

 appreciable extent. Although this double compound, AgNOg . ICH^CN, pre- 

 cipitates out when concentrated solutions of the two components are brought 

 together, this is true because of its insolubility and not on account of any 

 great concentration of the substance in the solution at any moment. 



The hydrolysis of acid amides. By E. Emmet Reid. American Chemical Journal, 45, 

 pp. 327-343- 



Dr. Reid has made some very accurate measurements of the rate of hy- 

 drolysis of amides by alkalies which harmonize with our theory that the 

 alkali forms a salt with the amide. 



