August I, 1889] 



NATURE 



335 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 

 Chemical Society, June 20.— Dr. W. J. Russell, F.R.S., 

 President, in the chair. — The following papers were read : — 

 Observations on the melting-point of some salicylic and anisic 

 compounds, by Dr. \V. H. Perkin, F. R.S. The author, in 

 1867, described methylated and ethylated salicylaldehydes as 

 colourless liquids which do not solidify when cooled in a freezing 

 mixture, whereas Voswinckel states that methylated salicyialde- 

 hyde is a solid melting at 35° (Ber. der dent, clictn. GcsellscA., 

 1882, 2024). Further experiments show that although the 

 methylated aldehyde does not readily crystallize in a freezing 

 mixture it can be made to do so, but the crystals sp obtained 

 melt at 2°7-3°. Prismatic crystals having the melting-point 

 described by Voswinckel were once obtained on evaporating an 

 ethereal solution of the aldehyde, and it is found that if the 

 oily aldehyde is touched with one of these it immediately be- 

 comes a solid mass, having a melting-point of 35° ; when these 

 crystals are fused, and the resulting oil cooled in a freezing 

 mixture, crystals melting at 2° 7-3° are again formed. It is 

 therefore established that methylated salicylaldehyde forms 

 crystals of two kinds, having melting-points differing by about 

 32°. — The action of propionyl and butyryl chloride on phenol, 

 by the same. When phenoT is acted upon by propionyl chloride, 

 a secondary product, propionyl phenol, CsHgO . CgH4 . OH, is 

 formed in addition to phenyl propionate. A corresponding re- 

 action occurs when phenol is treated with butyryl chloride. — 

 The nature of solutions as elucidated by a study of their freezing 

 temperatures, by Mr. S. U. Pickering. By determining the 

 freezing temperatures of mixtures of sulphuric acid and water, 

 the author has obtained results which in his opinion confirm the 

 existence in solution of the majority of the hydrates of sulphuric 

 acid which have been indicated by a study of the densities, heat 

 of dissolution, heat capacity, and electric conductivity of these 

 solutions (cf. p. i66). — Note on the determination of the mole- 

 cular weight of substances in solution, especially colloids, by 

 Prof. H. E. Armstrong. — The correspondence between the 

 magnetic rotation and the refraction and dispersion of light by 

 compounds containing nitrogen, by Dr. J. H. Gladstone, F.R.S., 

 and Dr. W. H. Perkin, F. K.S. — Note on the oxidation of para- 

 diamines, by Prof. R. Meldola, F.R.S., and Mr. R. E. Evans. 

 The authors find that the amidogroups of paraphenylenediamine 

 are split off in the form of ammonia, when it is oxidized to 

 quinone by the action of potassium bichromate. — Monobenzyl- 

 derivatives of the phenylenediamines, by Prof. K. Meldola 

 and Mr. J. H. Coste. Monobenzyl meta- and para-phenylene- 

 diamines have been prepared, and their oxidation products 

 examined. The paradiamine, when oxidized with an equi- 

 molecular proportion of benzylaniline,yields an unstable greenish- 

 blue indamine, and when oxidized with two molecular propor- 

 tions of benzylaniline at the temperature of boiling water, forms 

 an azine or benzylated saffranine which is of interest as being 

 produced, in contradiction to the generally received view, from 

 one molecule of a diamine, and two molecules of a secondary 

 instead of a primary monamine. — Note on a yellow pigment in 

 butterflies, by Mr. F. G. Hopkins. The colour effects on the | 

 wings of lepidopterous insects are for the most part probably due 

 to purely physical causes, but in some cases pigments are un- 

 doubtedly present. A yellow pigment, which is found in its 

 purest form in the common English brimstone butterfly, and 

 may also be detected in the wings of a very large number of 

 day-flying Lepidoptera, can be obtained /rom the wings by 

 simple treatment with hot water, in which it is freely soluble, and 

 may be identified by its yielding a marked murexide reaction, 

 when evaporated with nitric acid, and afterwards treated with 

 ammonia or potash. The common brimstone butterfly yields 

 somewhat less than a milligram of pigment from each insect ; 

 larger foreign species, such as those belonging to the species 

 Callidryas, may yield as much as 4-5 milligrams. Examination 

 of the pigment reveals its near relationship to mycomelic acid, a 

 yellow derivative of uric acid ; and the author suggests that it 

 may possibly be a condensation product of uric and mycomelic 

 acids. — Zinc dextrosate, by Mr. A. C. Chapman. — /3-bromo- 

 naphlhalenesulphonic acids, by Mr. R. W. Sindall. It is 

 found that dichloronaphthalenes are chiefly formed when the 

 chlorides of the /3-bromonaphthalenesulphonic acids are distilled 

 with phosphorus pentachloride, the bromine atom becoming dis- 

 ))laced by chlorine. — Isomeric change in the naphthalene series. 

 No. 5 ; j8-iodonaphthalenesulphonic acids, by Prof. H. E. Arm- 

 strong and Mr.^W. P. Uynne. A further contribution to the 



study of isomeric change in the naphthalene series, in which 

 additional evidence, derived from the investigation of the acids- 

 obtained on sulphonating j3 iodonaphthalene under varied condi- 

 tions, is adduced in favour of the view that the /8-derivatives- 

 of naphthalene are formed by isomeric change from a-derivatives 

 and not by direct substitution. — The formation of sulphones on 

 sulphonating naphthalene-derivatives by means of chlorosul- 

 phonic acid, by Mr. W. M. Heller. — Note on the hydration of 

 cyanides, by Prof. H. E. Armstrong. Unlike the o-derivative, 

 )3-cyanonaphthalene cannot be sulphonated ; if, however, it i& 

 dissolved in fuming sulphuric acid, and the solution poured inta 

 water, it is completely converted into the amide of naphthoic 

 acid. In like manner trichloracetonitril, CCI3 . CN, slowly com- 

 bines with sulphuric anhydride, forming a crystalline compound 

 which en treatment with water undergoes immediate and com- 

 plete conversion into trichloracetamide. These cases appear to 

 afibrd striking evidence in favour of the view that hyd rating 

 and hydrolytic agents act by forming compounds directly attack- 

 able by water ; they serve, in fact, to support the integration 

 rather than the dissociation hypothesis of chemical change. — 

 The existence of salicylic acid in certain genera of the Liltaceo'y 

 by Dr. A. B. Griffiths. The author states that he has isolated 

 salicylic acid from the leaves, stems, &c. , of Ttdipa, Yucca, 

 TiwA Hyacmthiis. — On the oxidation products of acenaphthene, 

 by Mr. T. Ewan and Dr. J. B. Cohen. — Schiitzenberger's pro- 

 cess for the estimation of the oxygen dissolved in water, by Sir 

 H. E. Roscoe, F.R.S. , and Mr. J. Lunt. — Isomeric change in 

 the phenol series (third notice), by Mr. A. R. Ling. 



Edinburgh. 



Royal Society, July i. — Dr. John Murray, Vice-President, 

 in the chair. — Prof. Tait communicated a paper, by Dr. G. Plarr, 

 on thedetermination of the curve, on one of the co-ordinate planes, 

 which forms the outer limit of the positions of the point of 

 contact of an ellipsoid of revolution which touches all three 

 planes of reference. By considering an ellipsoid of revolution 

 the number of the equations to be finally solved is reduced to 

 two. — Mr. A. Crichton Mitchell read a paper on the thermal 

 conductivity, and the specific heat, of manganese steel. The ther- 

 mal conductivity is one-seventh of that of iron, and increases with 

 rise of temperature, but only at half the rate at which the conduc- 

 tivity of iron increases. The specific heat is i 'ooS times that of 

 iron — both increasing at the same rate with rise of tempera- 

 ture. — Sir W. Turner described the placentation (zonary) of the 

 halicore dugong. — Dr. W. Peddie diicussed the question Does 

 the co-efficient of absorption depend upon the intensity of light? 

 So far as his experiments have gone the answer is (as has hitherto 

 been assumed) in the negative. He used a diverging beam of 

 light, the intensity varying from i to 50. — A paper, by Dr. A. B. 

 Griffiths, on the renal organs of the Nematoidea, was submitted. 



July 15. — Prof. Chrystal, Vice-President, in the chair. — Prof. 

 Tait read a paper, by Captain P. Weir, on an azimuth diagram, 

 and also read a note by himself on the same. — Two papers, by 

 Sir W. Thomson, on molecular arrangement, and on electrifica- 

 tion by flame, respectively, were submitted. — Dr. R. W. Felkin 

 discussed the geographical distribution of some tropical diseases, 

 — Prof. Tait read a note on the compressibility of solutions of 

 sugar. Sugar in solution increases the internal pressure, but not 

 to the same extent as common salt does. — Prof. Berry Haycraft 

 read a paper written by himself in conjunction with Dr. C. W. 

 Duggan, on the coagulation of serum albumen, serum globulin, 

 egg albumen, and vitellin. — Dr. Alex. James discussed a new 

 point in connection with the latent period of muscle contraction. 

 — Prof. Tait read a paper on the time of impact as depending 

 on the masses of the impinging bodies. In the substances ex- 

 perimented on the distortion is proportional to a power of the 

 kinetic energy. — Dr. Alex. Bruce communica'.ed a paper on the 

 segmentation of the nucleus of the oculc-motor nerve, and he 

 also read another on the upward continuation of the spinal cord. 

 — Dr. P. J. White read a description of the skull and visceral 

 arches of Tamargus viicrocepliahis. — Prof. Tait submitted a 

 paper, by the Rev. M. M. U. Wilkinson, on the scalar equations 

 which represent the relations connecting n points. He also read 

 a paper by himself on some novel quaternion formulas. — Prof. 

 Crum Brown communicated a paper by Prof. Letts and Mr. R. F. 

 Blake on benzyl phosphines and the action of alcohols upon a 

 mixture of phosphorus and pho-^^phorus iodide. — Prof, Tait com- 

 municated a paper, by Prof. C. N. Little, on the non-alternate 

 ± knots of the eighth and ninth orders. — The Chairman gave a 

 review of the session. 



