THK AMERICAN CHEMIST. 247 



Transactions prior to tlie issue of the first vohime of ifs journal. Dr. 

 Chii\\i\\ev''i> American Chemist also appeared in this decade.* 



Eighty of the papers published referred to general inorganic chemis- 

 try; 47 to organic chemistry; i57 to analytical methods and ap])aratus; 

 only 13 to minerals and mineral waters, and the same to technical sub- 

 jects; 21 short papers Avere on meteorites; agricultural chemistry had 

 14 papers; physiological chemistry o; and sanitary chemistry 2. Ana- 

 lytical chemistry was very much more prominent in the work of this 

 decade, and iu fact than at any time before it; methods of agricultural 

 chemical analysis, as well as of annlysis|)ertaining to the mining engi- 

 neering interests, especiali^^ ofirou and steel, received special attention. 

 The promiuent contributors were M. C. Lea, J. Lawrence Smith, Gibbs, 

 Remsen, and Clarke; there were 130 writers in all, of whom only 14 

 contributed 5 or more i)a[)ers, and only 2, Lea and J. Lawrence Smith, 

 contributed over 10 papers; but many of these papers were short. Iu 

 mass and importance of material published, Gibbs, Clarke, Mallet, and 

 Remsen ranked as high as the more frequent contributors, especially 

 if they receive the credit due them for work done in their laboratories, 

 although published in the names of their assistants or students. The 

 beginning of Chittenden's extended work in physiological chemistry 

 ajipeared in this decade. Remsen, C. L. .Jackson, and A. Michael also 

 became prominent as leaders in research inorganic chemistry. Gooch, 

 besides giving us his crucible for filtration, published a valuable work 

 on the determination of ]>hosphorus pentoxide. Gibbs began his long 

 and difficult researcli on complex inorganic acids, of tungsten, and 

 molybdenum. Clarke traced out some new relations l)etween the 

 atomic volumes of the eleuients. Hilgard began his work on the 

 methods of analysis of soils, in which he is now the universally recog- 

 nized authority. J. W. Draper showed that the diagram given in so 

 many works at that time, and occasionally even now, exhibiting une- 

 qual distribution of heat and actinism in the solar spectrum is mis- 

 leading — that, on the contrary, the heat and chemical power are as great 

 at one end of the spectrum as at the other, the diffraction sijectrum 

 showing no such inequality as the diagram represents. Lea continued 

 his research on the action of light on silver salts and also made new 

 determinations of the atomic weights of nickel and cobalt. J. Law- 

 rence Smitli established the presence of a solid hydro-carbon and free 

 sulphur in meteorites. Cooke made new determinations of the atomic 

 weight of antimony. 



While there are single researches in the preceding decade of higher 

 importance than any that appear in this, a careful comparison of the 

 whole amount of work done luight show that there was little difference 

 in the real advance made in the two decades. 



* This journal was begun iu July, 1870, and completed seven volumes, ending in 

 1876. It had been preceded by an Anicricau reprint of the English Chemical Xeivs, 

 with an American supplement. 



