40 Proceedings. 



•due to the presence of aqueous vapour are most abundant, 

 and with regard to these lines it must be noted that 

 Janssen's observations on the Grands Mulets were made 

 under exceptionally favourable conditions, the air being 

 remarkably dry and the sky unusually clear. For all these 

 reasons Mr. Faraday suggested that it would be interesting 

 to test the spectroscopic evidence of the existence of oxygen 

 in the sun hitherto advanced, by means of the photographs 

 •of what might be spoken of as the purified solar spectrum 

 which M. Janssen stated that he had obtained at the Grands 

 Mulets. 



Ordinary Meeting, December ii, 1888. 



Professor OSBORNE REYNOLDS, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., 

 President, in the Chair. 



Dr. James Bottomley read the following "Note on 

 the behaviour of Iodine in the presence of Borax" : — 



In the journal of the Chemical Society for this month 

 there is an abstract of a paper on Boric acid by P. Georgievic 

 (/• for Chem. [2], 38, 11 8- 120). The paper treats of the 

 position of boron in the classification of the elements. In 

 reference to the acid character of boracic acid it is stated 

 in the abstract that boric acid will not liberate iodine from 

 a mixture of potassium iodide and iodate or nitrite. Also 

 that boric acid is liberated from borax by the action of 

 iodine, sodium iodide and iodate being formed. Some 

 years since I read before this Society a Note entitled "On 

 a case of reversed chemical action" {Proceedings Lit. and 

 Phil. Soc., Vol. XIV., p. 65), treating of the action of 

 iodine on a solution of borax ; my experience was as fol- 

 lows : A solution of borax dissolved iodine, formine: sodic 



