May 1 8, 1876J 



NATURE 



63 



graduating its duration. In this way it was found that, in 

 respect of voltaic stimuli of very short duration, the sensitiveness 

 to the kathodic make is much more increased by cutting than is 

 that to the anodic break. 



Mr. Romanci further observed that when a frog's gastrocnemius 

 is subjected to a weak galvanic current, a part or parts of it will 

 sometimes pulsate in a strictly rhythmical manner. This was 

 proved to be a nervous effect by observing that it ceased when 

 the attached sciatic was thrown into anelectrotonus. 



With minimal stimulation of curarised muscle, the author 

 found that considerably more effect is produced by first laying 

 on the anode and then the kathode, than is produced if this 

 order is inverted. This fact is just the converse of what Hitzig 

 found to be true of cerebral stimulation, and as such it may be 

 taken as confirmatory of his views concerning the reversed rela- 

 tions that subsist between central and peripheral voltaic ex cita- 

 tion. 



ISIay II. — "On some Thallophytes parasitic within recent 

 Madreporaria." By P. M. Duncan, M.B. F.R.S., President of 

 the Geological Society. 



"Condensation of Vapour of Mercury on Selenium in the 

 Sprengel Vacuum." By R. J. Moss, F.C.S., Chemical Labora- 

 tory, Royal Dublin Society. Communicated by G. Johnstone 

 Stoney, F.R.S. 



Royal Microscopical Society, May 3. — Mr. H. C. Sorby, 

 F.R. S., president, in the chair. — Mr. Chas. Brooke, F. R.S., 

 proposed a special vote of thanks to the president for the con- 

 versazione given by him on the 21st inst. — A paper was read by 

 Mr. Blake on the occurrence of what appeared to be Foramini- 

 fera in the coralline oolite, and specimens in illustration were 

 exhibited under microscopes in the room. — Mr. J. Glaisher com- 

 municated a paper by Dr. Gayer, describing the apparatus em- 

 ployed and the process adopted by him in India for the purpose 

 of taking photo-micrographs with high powers. — A paper by 

 Dr. J. J. Woodward on the markings of the body-scale of the 

 English gnat and the American mosquito was read by the Secre- 

 tary.— Some notes upon the same subject by Dr. Anthony were 

 also communicated. — A short paper by Mr. Stodder on the 

 identity of Frustulia saxonica, Navicula rhomboides, and N. 

 crassmervis was read by the Secretary. — Mr. Chas. Stewart 

 called attention to a curious living organism exhibited by Mr. 

 Badcock, and which the Fellows present were requested to 

 examine with a view to its identification. 



Victoria (Philosophical) Institute, May 8. — After the 

 election of new members, of whom fifty were announced as 

 having been admitted during the past four months, it was stated 

 that Prof. Birks would deliver the Annual Address for 1876. — A 

 paper on the metaphysics of Scripture was then read by Prof. 

 Challis, F.R.S. 



Berlin 



German Chemical Society, March 27. — A. W\ Hofmann, 

 president, in the chair. — A. Fliickiger has proved the presence 

 o{ carvacrol'iw the oils of mentha viridis and of anethum graveolens 

 by producing its characteristic combination with sulphuretted 

 hydrogen. — O. Fischer described nitroso-acetanilide, NCgHg . 

 C2H3O . NO, an unstable compound from which acetaniline is 

 easily reproduced. — ^J. Diimmer, by the action of amidophenol, 

 CgH40HNIl2, on sulphuret of carbon, has obtained an oxysul- 

 phocyanide of phenyl, C^HgNSO. — W. Smith has observed, that 

 by passing through a led-hot tube naphthaline-vapour together 

 with terchloride of antimony or tetrachloride of tin, a good yield 

 of dinaphthyle is formed — 



6C10H8 + 2SbCl3 = Sb^ + 6HC1 + 3C20H14. 

 W. Tlioerner has studied the action of hydrogen and of chlorine 

 01 tolylphenyl ketone. The latter gives rise to three crystallised 

 substitution compounds : — 



CgHg . CO . CeH^ . CH2CI, CgHs . CO . CjH^ . C i\<Z\, 

 and CgHj . CO . CgH^CCla. 



The latter with water yields the acid <Z^\\; . CO . CgH^COOH. 

 With zinc and hydrochloric acid the ketone yields a piaacoline, 



^^h\c' '^'^ "^ as well as an i<;nmprii1*» H 



CfiHg/ \CO.C6H4.CH3' ^^ ^" ^^ ^^ isomeriue.— n. 

 Eimpricht described a number of substitution-compounds of 

 meta-amido-benzosulphuric acid with bromine. — C. Councler 

 has obtained borate of allyl, Bo(OC3H5)3, a liquid boiling at 

 170°, by the action of boric anhydride on allylic alcohoL — 

 Lothar Meyer, after decomposing sulphate of copper by metallic 

 zinc, fovmd in solution nothing but neutral sulphate of zinc, 



while metallic copper and basic sulphate of zinc were deposited 

 on the metal. Evolution of hydrogen gas takes place durinS 

 this process. 



April 10. — H. Eimpricht described new derivatives of salpho- 

 benzolic acid. — H. W. Vogel reported on the spectroscopic 

 reactions of blood. — Robert Schiff described the action of 

 isosulphocyanide of phenyl with aldehyde-ammonia. The body 

 expected C=S— NHCeHj— NH. CH . OH, or CaHigNsOaS 



CH3 

 loses water and ammonia, and yields a well crystallised sib- 

 stance, CjgHgiNgOjSjj, thus :— 



2C11H19N3 O 2S— 2HjO— NHa^C^jHjiNgOjSa. 



The new body with acetic anhydride yields a phenylated and 

 acetylated sulpho-urea : C=S— NH . C5H5— NH . C2H3O.— 

 G. Schultz has treated isoiinitrodiphenyl with tin and hydro- 

 chloric acid, thus transforming it into an isomeride of benzidine, 

 called by the author diphenyline, Cj.jHg (NH2).2, crystallising 

 in colourless scales, and fusing at 53''. — W. Staedel and L. 

 Riigheimer have studied the action of alcoholic ammonia on 

 chloroacetyl-benzol CgHj— CO— CHjCl. The results ara 

 two bodies. One insoluble in ether, but soluble in boiling alcohol, 

 from which it crystallises in silky needles, fusing at 194^, proved 

 to be isomeric with indol, having the formula CgHg — C— CHj. 



%/ 



N 

 — The other substance soluble in ether appears to correspond to 

 the formula CgHg— CO— CH2NH2 — E. Demole, studying the 

 action of bromine on clorhydrine of glycol, has found the fol- 

 lowing products of reaction : bromide of ethylene, bromo- 

 chloride of ethylene, bromhydrine of glycol and bromo-acetic 

 ether. — F. Beilstein and A. KurbatofF have prepared two tetra- 

 chlorobenzols in which the four atoms of chlorine are situated at 

 1.2.3.5 ^'^'i 2.3.5.6 respectively ; by starting from corre- 

 sponding trichloranilines. The latter when oxydised yields 

 chloranil, from which the authors conclude that in chinone the 

 two atoms of oxygen occupy the positio.is i : 4. — E. Ullrich and 

 H. von Perger described the differences between iso-anthra- 

 flavinic and anthroxanthinic acids. — F. Kessler described spectral 

 apparatus for lecture purposes, the novelty of which consists in 

 retransmitting the spectrum tiirough the prism that engendered it, 

 so as to obtain a dispersion of double magnitude. — H. Tollens de- 

 scribed a shortened mstnod of obtaining levulinic acid, C5H3O.0, 

 from fruit sugar. — V. Meyer and F. Forster have repeated M. 

 Einnemann's experience of decomposing; normal propylamine with 

 nitrous acid, and they arrive at the result that not only isopro- 

 pylic alcohol but also normal propylic alcohol and propylene are 

 thus engendered. The latter, combining with water, yields the 

 isopropylic alcohol, the formation of which was hitherto unex- 

 plained. — O. Wallach and Th. Heymer have succeeded in com- 

 bining directly chloral and trichlorolactic acid, thus forming 

 chloralid, and proving that chloralid is the ether of trichlorethy- 

 lidene with trichlorolactic acid. Lactic acid also combines with 

 chloral. — A. Michielis and E. Benzinger have reduced nitro- 

 phosphenylic acid to amidophosphenylic acid, 

 C6H4(NH2) . P0{0H)2, 

 white brilliant needles soluble in water. With soda-lime they 

 yield aniline and phosphates. Nitrous acid transforms it into 

 nitrate of diazophospheny ic acid : PO3H2 . C6H4N = N. NO3. 

 Phosphenylic acid and soda-lime yields benzol, while nitro- 

 phosphmilic acid and soda lime yields nitro-benzol. The 

 same chemists have produced phosphenyl-bromide, C^tlgPBrj, 

 a colourless liquid, by passing hydrobromic acid gas into 

 the corresponding chloride. With brom ne it forms two solids 

 of the formula C5H5PBr4 and CgHgPBu respectively. — H. 

 Lecco has obtained from sodium-mtromettiane, CHjNaNO,, 

 an anhydride, C2H3N2O3. — W. Michler, from an acid lately 

 described dimethylamidobenzoic acid, CeH4.N(CH3)2 . COOH, 

 has obtained a basic ketone, 



CgH4 . N(CH3)a-CO-C6H4 . N(CH3),. 



A tliird rest, C6H4N(CH3)2— can replace an atom of hydrogen 

 in this ketone, thus producing a complicated non-basic ketone. — 

 H. Zincke has obtained, by the action of H on /8 benzoyl-benzoic 



O— CO 

 acid, an anhydride, | | ; and from it, by chloride 



CellgCH-CeHi 

 of phosphorus, anthrachinone. — C. Liebermann and H. Palm 

 described ^ bromonaphthaline, CioH^Br, obtained from /3 naph- 



