118 



CHEMISTRY. 



in the loop of a thin platinum cone, and all the 

 sodium is volatilized in the inner flame. If ti- 

 tanium is present, the coppery-red compound 

 represented by the formula is found, and may be 

 easily recognized on the platinum wire. In- 

 versely the reaction serves for the detection of 

 cyanogen in flames. 



Indigocarmine, the commercially important 

 disulphonic acid of indigo, has been synthetized 

 by Dr. Heymann at Elberfeld. The reaction 

 consists merely in acting with excess of fuming 

 sulphuric acid upon phenyl glycocoll, the ani- 

 line derivative of glycollic acid. The tints ob- 

 tained with this product are much superior in 

 beauty and clearness, because of its greater pu- 

 rity, to those obtained with even the better kinds 

 of commercial indigocarmine. Sixty per cent, of 

 the theoretical yield of the process has been ob- 

 tained in Dr. Heymann's experiments. 



The mineral daubreelite, or schreibersite. has 

 been artificially reproduced by M. Stanislas Meu- 

 nier by treating at a red heat with sulphuretted 

 hydrogen (1) a mixture in the proper propor- 

 tions of ferrous chloride and chromic chloride ; 

 (2) very finely powdered natural chrome iron 

 ore ; and (3) an alloy of iron and chromium. 

 The last method yields the best result. 



A. Baur obtains artificial musk by the nitration 

 of isobutyltoluene. It is a solid substance, crys- 

 tallizing in small white laminae, which have the 

 pure odor of musk in extraordinary intensity. 

 The process has been patented and sold to cer- 

 tain perfumers in Mulhouse. 



Assuming that methyl alcohol, H a COH, is the 

 primordial alcohol, from which the primary, sec- 

 ondary, and tertiary alcohols are derived by the 

 respective substitution of carbon radicals C n Hi 

 for one, two, or three atoms of hydrogen, Paul 

 Henry has effected the direct synthesis of the 

 primary alcohols by the reaction of the organo- 

 zinc compounds upon the simple monoclinic 

 methylic ethers. 



Agricultural Chemistry. The experiments 

 at Rothamstead since 1889 on the fixation of free 

 nitrogen by papilionaceous plants have been made 

 on annual plants and on plants of longer life. 

 In the first experiments the results at mature 

 growth, or when the plants were nearly ripe, 

 were observed. It was found that without mi- 

 crobe seeding of the soil there was neither for- 

 mation of nodules on the roots nor assimilation 

 of free nitrogen. In another series of experi- 

 ments the roots and nodules were examined at 

 different stages of growth. The general results 

 pointed to the conclusion that in the case of the 

 annual when the seed is formed and the plant 

 is more or less exhausted both the actual 

 amount of nitrogen in the nodules and its per- 

 centage in the dry substance are greatly reduced, 

 but that with-the plant of longer life, although 

 the earlier-formed nodules become exhausted, 

 others are formed, making provision for future 

 growth. The facts at command did not favor the 

 conclusion that under the influence of the sym- 

 biosis the higher plant itself was enabled to fix 

 the free nitrogen of the air by its leaves. Nor 

 did the evidence point to the conclusion that the 

 nodule-bacteria became distributed through the 

 soil and there fixed free nitrogen, the compounds 

 of nitrogen so produced being taken up by the 

 higher plant. It seemed more consistent with 



experimental results and with general ideas to 

 suppose that the nodule-bacteria fixed free ni- 

 trogen within the plant, and that the higher 

 plant absorbed the nitrogenous compounds pro- 

 duced. In other words, there was no evidence 

 that the chlorophyllous plant itself fixed free ni-* 

 trogen, or that the fixation takes place within 

 the soil, but it was more probable that the lower 

 organisms fix the free nitrogen. If this should 

 eventually be established, we have to recognize 

 a new power of living organisms that of assimi- 

 .lating an elementary substance. But this would 

 only be an extension of the fact that lower or" 

 ganisms are capable of performing assimilation, 

 a work which the higher can not accomplish; 

 while it would be a further instance of lower or- 

 ganisms serving the higher. 



According to the researches of MM. Berthelot 

 and Andre, plants take up sulphur incessantly 

 until they flower, the relative proportion of 

 the element being greater by one third during 

 the first period of vegetation. The sulphur in 

 the state of organic compounds reaches its maxi- 

 mum during inflorescence, and then declines. It 

 seems as if the sulphates derived from the soil 

 were reduced at first and then regenerated after 

 flowering in consequence of an internal oxida- 

 tion. But this supposes that the sulphur is en- 

 tirely derived from the soil in the state of sul- 

 phates, while a portion may be derived directly 

 from organic sulphur compounds that exist in 

 plenty in the soil. The latter opinion is supported 

 by the fact that organic sulphur is found in 

 quantity in the roots, except at the beginning of 

 flowering. Toward the end of flowering it 

 abounds at once in the roots and stems. 



The occasional existence of copper in cereals, 

 peas, beans, etc., as a natural constituent long 

 known, has been brought under the attention of 

 Mr. William Johnstone in a manner that necessi- 

 tated the examination of a large number of sam- 

 ples of wheat and barley. Fifteen per cent, of 

 the samples were found to contain greater or 

 less proportions of copper. The author, supposes 

 that it is derived from the sulphate of copper 

 with which the ground is dressed for the protec- 

 tion of the seed from vermin. 



For the estimation of nitrogen in such fer- 

 tilizing substances as dried blood, shoddy, flesh- 

 ings, soot, etc., Vincent Edwards recommends as 

 an accurate and reliable method, and yet not too 

 costly, a modification of Kjeldahl's process, par- 

 ticularly in the apparatus. 



Percy T. and Grace C. Frankland have been 

 engaged during the last three years in endeavor- 

 ing to isolate the nitrifying organisms. Nitri- 

 fication having been in the first instance induced 

 in a particular ammoniacal solution, was carried 

 on through 24 generations. Transferred to gel- 

 atin, the organism either failed to grow there, 

 or growing, refused to nitrify after being passed 

 through the medium. Experiments were then 

 made in isolating the organism by the dilution 

 method : and, after a large number of experi- 

 ments, the authors obtained an attenuation of 

 about one millionth of the original nitrifying 

 solution employed, which nitrified, but on inoc- 

 ulation with gelatin-peptone refused to grow, 

 and was seen under the microscope to consist of 

 numerous characteristic bacilli hardly longer 

 than broad, which may be described as bacillo- 



