August 4, 192 1] 



NATURE 



735 



July 18. — M. Georges Lemoine in the chair. — ^The 

 president announced the death of M. Gabriel Lipp- 

 mann. — A. Haller and Mme. Ramart-Lucas : The two 

 dextrorotatory methylallylcamphocarbonates, the 

 three propanol - 2 -camphocarbonolides, and the 

 2-camphopropanol derived from them. — P. A. Dangeard : 

 The structure of the plant-cell in its relations with 

 the theory of the chondriome. iV summary of the 

 author's work on this subject since 1918, and an 

 account of his system of nomenclature. — M. Janet : 

 The characteristics of certain partial differential 

 systems comprising as many equations as unknown 

 functions. ^ — A. Denjoy : A mode of progressive in- 

 tegration and the corresponding characters of in- 

 tegrability. — J. Andrade : Possibilities of new types 

 of chronometer. — L. de Karasinski : The resistance of 

 materials. — E. Rengade and E. Desvignes : An ar- 

 rangement for testing the hardness of refractory 

 materials at a high temperature. The method em- 

 ployed is a modification of the Brinell test, in which 

 the ball is replaced by a cone of Acheson graphite. 

 The specimens were heated in an electric furnace 

 and the temperature was determined by an optical pyro- 

 meter. The results of numerous observations carried 

 out on clay and bauxite bricks at temperatures be- 

 tween 1150° C. and 1470° C. are given in a diagram. 

 The bricks show a gradual softening, as has been 

 already mentioned by MM. Le Chatelier and Bogitch. 

 Silica bricks behave differently ; up to about 1600° C. 

 they give no imprint, then the brick breaks up sud- 

 denly.— A. Dauvillier and L. de Broglie : The dis- 

 tribution of the electrons in the heavy atoms. — A. 

 Debierne : The diffraction of the X-rays by liquids.— 

 H. Pelabon : The resistance of thallium sulphide and 

 selenide. The resistance of the compounds TljSe and 

 TL.S in the solid state varies with their previous 

 thermal treatment. The specific resistance varies 

 with ^ the temperature according to a law which 

 remains the same, but the resistance is not deter- 

 mined when the temperature is known. In both 

 cases there is an abrupt change in the resistance on 

 melting. — P. Pascal : The magnetic properties of the 

 alkaline earth metals in combination. — H. Weiss and 

 P. Lafitte : The interpenetration of solids. An 

 extension of experiments already described with zinc 

 and copper to other pairs of metals. — E. Decarriire : 

 The r&le of the gaseous impurities in the catalytic 

 oxidation of ammonia gas. The results with traces 

 of sulphuretted hydrogen have been given in a 

 previous communication. Figures for acetylene are 

 now given, and it is shown that the effect of this 

 gas as impurity is more serious than that of sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen, since the lowering of the yield 

 increases with the total amount of acetylene which 

 has passed the catalyst, and is not simply dependent 

 on the proportion actually present at any given time. 

 If both sulphuretted hydrogen and acetylene are 

 present as impurities in the ammonia, as is the case 

 with ammonia prepared from commercial cyanamide, 

 the former has a protective action and the injurious 

 effect of the acetylene is in great part neutralised. — 

 L. Hackspill and E. Botolfsen : The preparation of 

 calcium carbide by calcium ammonium and acetylene. 

 Pure calcium carbide is not obtained by Moissan's 

 method, the decomposition at 150° C. of the com- 

 pound C2Ca«C2H2'4NH3. The calcium carbide formed 

 is very impure, and contains cyanamide, calcium 

 cyanide, and free carbon. — C. D. Zenghelis : A new 

 reaction of ammonia. A concentrated solution of 

 silver nitrate in formaldehyde (formol) freshly made 

 gives a mirror of metallic silver with traces of am- 

 monia. The reaction was obtained with 000034 milli- 

 gram of ammonia, and ammonia has been detected 

 in potable water in a case where no indication was 

 given by the Nessler reagent. — M. Picon : A new 



NO. 2701, VOL. IO7I 



method of preparing the sodium derivatives of the 

 true acetylene hydrocarbons. The acetylene is treated 

 with sodium amide in liquid ammonia ; the products 

 are pure and the yields are high. — A. and J. Pictet : 

 The polymerisation of the glucosanes. — A. Mailhe : 

 The nitro- and amido-derivatives of methylethyl- 

 benzene. — L. Doncieux : An ancient passage of the 

 pre-Wurmian Rhone through the plateau of Clara- 

 fond, Haute-Savoie.— J. Savornin : Extension of the 

 continental Aquitanian to Morocco. — H. Ricome : The 

 causes of the inverse orientation of the root and stem. 

 — M. St. Jonesco : The existence of anthocyanidines 

 in the free state in the fruits of Ruscus aculeatus and 

 Solarium dulcamara. — P. Benoit : The female gono- 

 phores of Tubularia mesembryanthemum,. — P. Wintre- 

 bert : The existence of a transitory nervous dualism 

 at the commencement of the neuro-muscular connec- 

 tion in Selacians.— G. Bertrand and R. Vladesco : The 

 probable intervention of zinc in the phenomena of 

 fertilisation in the animal vertebrates. In man the 

 prostate gland is richer in zinc than the testicles, and 

 its proportion of zinc exceeds that found in any of the 

 other organs of the body. Similar ratios were found 

 for the ox, but in the pig the seminal vesicles pos- 

 sess the maximum zinc content. It would appear 

 that zinc plays an important part in the phenomena 

 of reproduction in vertebrates. — E. Aubel : The action 

 of the pyocyanic bacillus on asparagin. Among the 

 reaction products malic, formic, fumaric, and propionic 

 acids were identified. — P. Courmont, A. Rochain, and 

 F. Laupin : The disappearance of pathogenic germs 

 in the course of the purification of sewage by activated 

 sludge. After six hours' treatment pathogenic 

 organisms of the typhoid-paratyphoid group are 

 nearly always present in the effluent ; the cholera 

 vibrion disappears. — F. DIenert : Concerning activated 

 sludge. A study of the influence exercised by car- 

 bolic acid on the fermentations caused by activated 

 sludge. — MM. Desgrez, Guiilemard, and Hemmer- 

 dinger : The fixation of carbon monoxide diluted 

 and carried by an air-current. An attempt to find 

 a reagent suitable for the absorption of small pro- 

 portions of carbon monoxide in a gas-mask. The 

 best results were obtained by using pumice (27) 

 saturated with a mixture of iodic anhydride (9) and 

 sulphuric acid (2-5). 



Ott.awa. 

 Royal Society of Canada, May 18-20. — Presidential 

 address. Prof. J. C. Fields : Division in relation to the 

 algebraic numbers. — Prof. A. S. Eve : lonisation poten- 

 tial and the size of the atom. — Prof. A. S. Eve and 

 E. S. Biehler : Detection of variation in electric earth- 

 currents by coil and g-alvanometer. — Miss V. Douglas 

 and Dr. J. A. Gray : The effective range of /3-rays.— 

 Dr. J. A. Gray : The velocity of sound in air and soil. 

 Properties of X-rays excited by ^S-rays. The absorp- 

 tion of Y-rays. A note on the examination of 

 materials by X-rays. — Dr. A N. Shaw and L. S. 

 Smith : The transmission of heat through the thin 

 boundarv^ films of air or of water at the surface of 

 e^lass.— Dr. E. H. Archibald, C. E. Stone, and E. M. 

 White : The viscosity of ether at low temperatures, and 

 solution of acetic acid in liquid hydrog'en bromide.— 

 Dr. W. F. Seyer : Preliminary report on the lubricat- 

 ing" properties of the different series of hydrocarbons. 

 — Dr. D. F. Steadman : An automatic mercury pump. 

 — W. A. Hardy : Some results of the destructive dis- 

 tillation of British Columbia alder and Douglas fir. — 

 Dr. J. H. L. Johnstone : The variation of the "emanat 

 ing power " of certain uranium minerals with tem- 

 perature, and a new secondary radium emanation 

 standard. — C. A. Mackay : The effect of thermo- 

 luminescence on electrical conductivitv. — J. Patterson : 

 The anemometer factor. Pilot-balloon methods in 



