108 



CHEMISTRY. 



more definite determinations will be of interest. 

 In a course of the study of the legumes Pimm 

 sativum, Faba vulgans, and Vicia saliva, he 

 discovered cane-sugar in each of those repre- 

 sentatives. In addition to saccharose, the seeds 

 contained a white amorphous body, which was 

 distinguished chemically from dextrine by the 

 instance that upon boiling with a dilute min- 

 eral acid it yielded galactose ; and further, when 

 the body was heated with concentrated nitric 

 acid mucic acid was obtained as the product of 

 oxidation. Separate experiments were made 

 with Phaseolus vulgaris, which was proved to 

 contain soluble carbohydrates to the extent of 

 5-36 per cent. A quantitative separation of the 

 cane-sugar, galactan, and dextrine was not at- 

 tempted. A method which would render anything 

 more than qiialitative indications of those sev- 

 eral bodies does not at present exist. When it is 

 known that these soluble carbohydrates are con- 

 tained in mature seeds, the question occurs as to 

 what are the physiological uses of those bodies 

 in relation to the life of the embryo plant dur- 

 ing the stage of incipient growth f Preliminary 

 observations made with seeds of Phaseolus vul- 

 aaris indicated that 32 per cent, of the carbo- 

 hydrates were used up by the embryo plant in 

 the earliest period of its development, or dur- 

 ing the short time which was necessary for the 

 protrusion of the radicle, and before the plu- 

 mule made its appearance. 



The investigations of Prof. Frederick B. Power 

 lead him to the conclusion that the natural oil 

 of wintergreen consists of methyl salicylate, with 

 small amounts of a terpene, which is yellowish, 

 has an odor resembling that of black pepper, 

 and deviates the ray of polarized light to the left; 

 and that the oil of birch when pure consists simply 

 of methyl salicylate, and is without action on po- 

 larized light. The natural oils of wintergreen and 

 birch are therefore neither physically nor chemi- 

 cally identical, although the differences are prac- 

 tically very slight. 



In a paper summarizing our present knowl- 

 edge of the rare earths, M. E. Demarcay admits 

 that the radiant-matter test of Mr. Crookes is 

 more sensitive than the reversion process of M. 

 de Boisbaudran. He regards the red phospho- 

 rescence of aluminum as due to traces of chrome, 

 and the phosphorescence of yttria as in like man- 

 ner occasioned by traces of foreign matter rather 

 than by the presence of a number of distinct ele- 

 ments. He contests the hypothesis of meta- ele- 

 ments, and concludes that in the group of rare 

 earths we have to do not with exceptional bod- 

 ies, but with bodies which our ordinary meth- 

 ods are not able to separate. He refers to the 

 observation of Bunsen and Becquerel that salts 

 present variable absorptions according to the di- 

 rections taken by the luminous rays in a crystal. 

 The researches of MM. Kriiss and Nilson are un- 

 favorably criticised ; Mr. Crookes declares that he 

 has obtained results contradictory to theirs, and 

 M. Demarcay confirms the results of Mr. Crookes. 

 The groups of rare earths seem to the author 

 likely to be the means of an important progress 

 in our classification of the simple bodies. 



The committee of the British Association on 

 isomeric naphthalene derivatives says, in its fifth 

 report, that a complete set of reference com- 

 pounds has been prepared in the disubstituted 



series. It is found that although thirteen dichlor 

 naphthalenes have been described, only ten ex- 

 ist. Of the fourteen possible tri-derivatives, 

 thirteen are known. Light has been thrown by 

 these researches on the mode of action of rea- 

 gents on naphthalene and other hydrocarbons, 

 and it appears that in all cases the initial action 

 is the same, while the ultimate product depends 

 on secondary causes ; thus, in the case of ben- 

 zene an ortho-compound is always first obtained, 

 and meta and para compounds are produced in 

 a secondary way. The influence of structure on 

 the coloring properties of naphthalene deriva- 

 tives has also been studied in connection with 

 these researches. 



According to the theory of Van 'tHoff and 

 Wislicenus, the di-halogen additive compounds 

 of acetylene can exist in two isomeric forms. To 

 one of the classes thus indicated fumaric acid 

 appears to be related, and to the other its iso- 

 mer maleic acid. The fact suggested to E. H. 

 Keiser that it might be of interest, starting with 

 acetylene, to prepare two isomeric di-halogen 

 compounds, and then endeavor to transform 

 them into fumaric and maleic acids. The iso- 

 meric iodides of acetylene, one of which is solid 

 and the other liquid,'were accordingly prepared. 

 On experiment, fumaric acid was formed from 

 the solid di-iodide. 



Some crystalline substances found in the solid 

 matters which are deposited from freshly ex- 

 tracted oils of limes, lemons, and bergamot, 

 made by hand, are described by Prof. W. A. 

 Tilden and Mr. C. R. Beck. Limettin, obtained 

 from oil of limes, has the composition CiJIuOe, 

 crystallizes in tufts of needles, melting at be- 

 tween 121 and 132 C., and is neither an acid 

 nor a glucosite. Essence of lemons yields a sub- 

 stance, Ci4Hi 4 6 , similar to limettin in appear- 

 ance, but with more lustrous crystals, which 

 melt at 116 C. Bergamot yields a compound 

 that crystallizes in colorless prisms and melts at 

 270 -271 C. 



In communicating to the Chemical Society of 

 London their studies on the constitution of the 

 tri-derivatives of naphthalene, Prof. H. E. Arm- 

 strong and W. P. Wynne, besides the theoretical 

 importance of the studies, called attention to 

 the necessity of ascertaining the constitution of 

 those of them which are employed technically 

 in the manufacture of azo-dyes, in order that 

 the dependence of color and tinctorial properties 

 on structure may be determined ; this is especial- 

 ly the case, because all the tri-derivatives are not 

 equally valuable. 



Agricultural Chemistry. Experiments by 

 Prof. A. Petermann, of Gembloux, Belgium, 

 concerning the relation of atmospheric nitrogen 

 to plant growth, have given results of which the 

 following is a summary: In growing plants of 

 yellow lupines in sand containing bacteria of the 

 soil, but poor in nutritive elements, an impor- 

 tant gain in nitrogen was observed and ascribed 

 to the intervention of atmospheric nitrogen ; 

 this gain increased with the quantity of organic 

 substance produced. Contrary to the opinion of 

 some authors, the experiments proved that the 

 lupines absorb and assimilate (that is utilize for 

 the production of organic substance) nitrogen, 

 which is furnished in the form of a fertili/or; 

 the nodes of the roots of lupines were sensibly 



