1869.] Chemistry. 431 



class B, and led him to seek for other analogies between hyposul- 

 phnrous and the hydracids ; and he found that hyposulphite of 

 soda restored the blue colour to litmus which had been reddened 

 with chloride of mercury ; he also found that, in common with the 

 hydracids, it very readily decomposed cyanide of mercury. Mr. E. 

 T. Chapman next read an abstract of a paper by himself and Mr. 

 Miles H. Smith, " On the Butylic Compounds derived from Alcohol 

 by Fermentation." The authors had operated on about 17 gallons 

 of London fusel-oil. After subjecting it to a series of fi-actional 

 distillations they obtained a body consisting of butylic alcohol, con- 

 taminated with small quantities of iso-butylic alcohol. From this 

 butylic alcohol the authors prepared the iodide, bromide, nitrate, 

 acetate, and nitrate of butyl, from which the iso-butyl compounds 

 are separated by fi-actional distillation. 



The anniversary meeting of the Chemical Society was held on 

 Tuesday, March 30th, 1869, when the council and ofl&cers for the 

 ensuing year were elected. The new President was A. W. Wil- 

 liamson, Ph.D., F.K.S. 



At the next meeting, Thursday, April 1st, 1859, a paper, by 

 Messrs. E. T. Chapman and Miles H. Smith, " On some Decompo- 

 sitions of the Acids of the Acetic Series," was read. Mr. W. H. 

 Perkin, F.R.S., then made some remarks in reference to a paper 

 published in the ' Chemical News,' by Fittig, " On the Constitution 

 of Coumarin and Coumaric Acid." These papers only being of 

 scientific interest need not be further alluded to here. 



At the meeting on Thursday, April 15th, 1869, Mr. Chapman 

 read a paper by himself and Mr. M. H. Smith, " On Propyl Com- 

 pounds derived fi"om the Propyhc Alcohol of Fermentation." They 

 operated on that portion of fusel-oil which remained after the 

 amylic, butylic, and ethylic alcohols had been as perfectly as 

 possible removed. Propyl alcohol is a colourless liquid of strong 

 but not oppressive odour ; it boils at 97° C, and its sp. gr. is 

 1-8120 at 16'' C, On oxidation it yields propionic acid. Mr. Chap- 

 man then read a note " On Bromide of Amyl," by himself and 

 Mr. M. H. Smith. They find that it is a mobile liquid, boiling at 

 121° C, and of sp. gr. 1-2173 at 16° C. They drew attention 

 to the fact that the intervals between the boiling points of the 

 bromides of methyl, ethyl, and propyl, are constant, viz. about 

 29° C. ; that between bromide of propyl and bromide of butyl is 

 only 22^, but that the interval between the bromides of butyl and 

 amyl is again 29°. Professor Wanklyn then made a verbal com- 

 munication touching the atomicity of sodium. He considered, 

 from researches which had occupied him during some months, that 

 sodium was an eminently polyvalent element. 



At the meeting of the Chemical Society, on May 6th, 1869, it 



