244 THE AMERICAN CHEMIST. 



analyticiil, twenty three; mineral analyses and studies, forty; technical 

 subjects, nineteen; miscellaneous, eighteen. Several of these papers 

 are theoretical studies; as, "Comparison between atomic weights and 

 chemical and physical action of barium, strontium, calcium, and mag- 

 nesium, with some of their compounds ; " " Numerical relations between 

 the atomic weights, and some thoughts on the classitication of the ele- 

 ments;" "Theoretical relation of water and hydrogen;" "Apparent 

 perturbation of the law of definite ])roportions in compounds of zinc and 

 of antimony;" "Rational constitution of certain organic compounds," 

 etc. New and well-known names ai)pearing prominently were those of 

 Genth, Mallet, Cooke (J. P.), Brush, and C. M. Warren. Robert Hare's 

 name disappears. Cooke, in hisarticle, abovementioned, on the numer- 

 ical relations between the atomic weights, etc., classifies the elements 

 in six series similar to the series of homologues in organic chemistry; 

 in each series the difterence between the successive atomic weights is 

 a niultii)le of some whole nundjer, this number being different for the 

 different series. He shows that the properties of the elements in each 

 series follow a law of progression ; the numerical law for the progression 

 in the specific gravity is given; and when a sutficient number of deter- 

 minations shall have been made of such other i)roperties as are capable 

 of measurement, he predicts that numerical laws for each of these kinds 

 of variation can be ascertained. Thus he looks forward to a perfect 

 science of chemistry in which we shall be able to foretell with certainty 

 the properties, not only of undiscovered elements in any given series, 

 but also of the compounds of these elements. There are many corre- 

 spondences between his classification and that of Mendelcef, and as 

 above sIiowmi, he forshadows the idea, already realized with the aid of 

 Mendeleef's classification, of tlie possibility of locating and describing 

 hithertounknown elements. Hunt contributed seventeen of thejiajiers, 

 largely given to the analysis and constitution of minerals; indeed, the 

 examination of American minerals was a very prominent feature of the 

 chemical work of this decade, as .shown by the number of papers on 

 the subject. J. Lawrence Smith and JNIallet did the largest part of 

 their work on this line, and the former made an important contribu 

 tion to the methods of anlaysis of minerals, in his new i)rocess for the 

 se])aration of the alkalies. It was in this decade that the famous work 

 appeared of Gibbs ami Genth on tiie Animoniao Cobalt Bases, cover 

 ing 59 quarto pages of the Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge — 

 the longest single article that had, up to thattime, appeared on a chem 

 ical research. A redetermination of the atomic weight of lithium and 

 of antimony was made by Mallet, the fiist work of this kind done by 

 an American chemist. It may well be said that this is the first decade 

 of chemical research in this country which has some })rominent and 

 imi)ortant characteristics to distinguish it i'rom the others that i)re- 

 ceded it. 



In the alxtics about two hundred and fifteen papers were published, 



