December 8, 1923] 



NATURE 



819 



men of worth. The experiences of Johns Hopkins and 

 (lark Universities, both of which were intended to be 

 institutions for original scientific research, have shown 

 the great difficulties that stand in the way of establish- 

 in lt independently of the state a university which shall 

 1 M' exclusively a school of advanced studies. 



In Canada, Queen's University of Kingston, Ontario, 

 lias a Chown science research chair (in physics or 

 ( hemistry), which was recently vacated by Dr. A. L. 

 1 1 ughes on his acceptance of a chair of physics in the 

 diversity of Washington, St. Louis ; and in con- 

 ixion with the University of Alberta two " research 

 professors " have been employed under the direction 

 of an Industrial Research Council, of which the Premier 

 of the Province was chairman, their fields of investiga- 

 tion being fuels and road materials. In Australia, the 

 University of Queensland has lately established a 

 research professorship of medical psychology. 



In deciding that for the present the income is not to 

 be used for permanent research professorships, the 

 Heckscher trustees may have been influenced by criti- 

 cisms which have been directed against the Carnegie 

 Institution of Washington on account of their heavy 

 budget for permanent establishments, which seems not 

 altogether consistent with the original idea of the 

 founder — to discover exceptionally endowed men in 

 various specialities and give them for the time being 

 the broadest facilities for accomplishing more or less 

 definite pieces of work. It is their immunity from the 

 risk of becoming overweighted with fixed establishment 

 charges that contributes so largely to the success of 

 foundations like the Mellon Institute, where research 

 is organised on a " job " or contract system, the problem 

 being set by a person or firm interested in its solu- 

 tion, the scientific worker being found and engaged, 

 ai hoc, by the Institute, and a " fellowship " being 

 assigned for a definite period fixed with reference to the 

 probable duration of the research ; in many cases the 

 fellow is promised a " bonus " (which has in some cases 

 reached io,ooo dollars) or a percentage on the industrial 

 exploitation of the process studied. 



All these research foundations differ, however, from 

 those now established by the Royal Society inasmuch 

 as they are associated with particular institutions. In 

 the Society's scheme, there is perfect freedom as to the 

 place of research, and the main intention is to give an 

 investigator of proved worth the means to continue his 

 explorations of the field of Nature undisturbed by 

 other duties, and with his eye always towards the light. 

 We welcome the generous recognition thus given to 

 research as a profession, and believe that the action 

 described by Sir Charles Sherrington marks the begin- 

 ning of an important epoch in the history of the Royal 

 Society. 



NO. 2823, VOL. 1 12] 



Electronic Theories for Chemists. 



(i) The Electron in Chemistry: being Five Lectures 

 delivered at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. By 

 Sir J. J. Thomson. Pp. v + i44- (Philadelphia: 

 The Franklin Institute, 1923.) 1.75 dollars. 



(2) Valence, and the Structure of Atoms and Molecules. 

 By Prof. G. N. Lewis. (American Chemical Society 

 Monograph Series.) Pp. 172. (New York : The 

 Chemical Catalog Co., Inc., 1923.) 3 dollars. 



(i) QIR JOSEPH THOMSON'S book contains the 

 O substance of five lectures which were de- 

 livered so recently as April of the present year. The 

 reviewer believes that it was dedicated to chemists 

 and has read it in that light, for in no other can he 

 pretend to see. 



As is well known, the author does not subscribe to 

 all the newer physical doctrines and is hopeful of 

 founding a theory of the atom with the aid of less 

 revolutionary postulates. Starting from the concep- 

 tion of the atom as a massive, positively electrified 

 centre surrounded by electrons, Sir Joseph Thomson 

 begins by admitting that the properties of the atom 

 require the introduction of some principle not recog- 

 nised in the older physics. This principle he supposes 

 to affect the law of force between the nucleus of the 

 atom and the electrons in such a way that at a certain 

 distance the force changes from attraction to repulsion. 

 The introduction of a new term into the expression of 

 the usual inverse square law gives the required result, 

 albeit somewhat indifferently well, and the correspond- 

 ing stability of various electrically neutral systems 

 composed of electrons, apparently stationary, can be 

 worked out. The now familiar octet emerges naturally 

 enough from such considerations, but the origin of the 

 pair of electrons which form the " shell " of the helium 

 atom and the K layer of heavier elements is left 

 obscure, nor is it at once evident why the octets of the 

 inert gases are relatively so extremely stable. 



If no more than an adumbration of the periodic 

 system is to be seen in the somewhat tentative theory 

 which the author here proposes, this fact should not 

 be allowed to weigh too heavily against it, lest hereafter 

 it may prove that other theories have sacrificed too 

 much in order to retain a predetermined outward form. 



In chapter ii. th(i combination of atoms by means 

 of one, two, or more electrons is considered, and it is 

 explained why lithium, beryllium, boron, and carbon 

 are solids whilst oxygen, fluorine, and neon are gases, 

 and why, for example, the study of the mode of scatter- 

 ing of polarised light by gases furnishes evidence that 

 the molecule cif oxvLjcn is more elongated than that of, 

 say, hydrdijcn. C.iiclul readers. li(i\vc\'er. will note 

 that nitrogen does not tit into the picture, and will 



