Feb. 7, 1889] 



NATURE 



359 



— Gawalowski's method for the vohimetric estimation of sul- 

 phuric acid, by Mr. B. North. — Note on the i .-3 homo- and 

 the isomeric hetero-a-)3-dichloronaphthalenes melting at nearly 

 the same temperature, by Prof. II. E. Armstrong, F.R.S., and 

 Mr. W. P. Wynne. In their last note on the isomeric di- ; 

 chloronaphthalenes (Proc. Chem. Soc, 1888, 104), the authors | 

 brought forward evidence provina; that the dichloronaphlhalene 

 melting at 6l°'5, and characterized by yielding a sulphochloride 

 mel'.ing at 148°, is the meta- or i : 3-derivative, and pointed out 

 that the dichloronaphthalene melting at 64", and characterized 

 by yielding a sulphochloride meltjng at 118'^ is the hetero-a-3- 

 dichloronaphihalene. Erdmann and Kirchhoff recently effected 

 the synthesis cf a heteronucleal a-j8-dichloronaphthaIene from 

 parachlorobenzaldehyde, which had a melting of 6l'''5 {Aiiiialen, 

 ccxlvii. 366). The description of the compound was, however, 

 insufficient to determine its identity, so the authors have pre- ! 

 pared it by Erdmann and Kirchhoff's method, and find that it 

 forms a sulphochloride melting at 117°, which, on hydrolysis, 

 yields the pure dichloronaphthalene melting at 63°*5. The 

 authors' conclusions have also received additional confirmation 

 by the synthesis of the I : 3 dichloronaphthalene from the I : 3 

 dichlorobenzaldehyde (Erdmann, Bcr. xxi. 3446). The re- 

 mainder of the note is devoted to a reply to Erdmann, who, 

 among other matters which are dealt with in the note, calls 

 attention to the existence of two dichloronaphthalenes melting 

 at about the same temperature as if it were an original observa- I 

 tion, whereas the fact was first brought under notice by one of 

 the authors at the Manchester meeting of the British Association 

 (B.A. Report, 18S7, 231). — The constitution of )3-naphthol-a- 

 sulphonic acid (Bayer's acid), by Prof. H. E. Armstrong. The 

 author points out that Witt (Ber. xxi. 3489) altogether misrepre- 

 sents his views on the constitution of )3-naphthol-a-sulphonic 

 acid, and quotes passages from his Report to the Manchester 

 meeting of the BrUish Association (B.A. Report, 1887, 231), 

 showing that in his opinion Bayer's acid is a heteronucleal com- 

 pound, a view, moreover, which has recently found experimental 

 confirmation, inasmuch as the amido-acid corresponding in con- 

 stitution with Bayer's ;8-naphthol-a-sulphonic acid has been shown 

 to yield a heteronucleal o-/8-dichloronaphthalene (Armstrong and 

 Wynne, Proc. Chem. Soc, 1888, 104). — The sulphonation of 

 naphthalene-3-sulphonic acid, by the same. The so-called new 

 naphthalenedisulphonic acid, for the preparation of which a 

 patent has been taken out by Ewer and Pick, is identical with 

 that obtained by sulphonating potassium naphthalene -jS sulpho- 

 nate with chlorosulphonic acid (Armstrong and Wynne, Proc. 

 Chem. Soc, 1886, 230). 



Royal Microscopical Society, January 9.— Dr. C. T. 

 Hudson, President, in the chair. — ^Ir. T. F. Smith called 

 attention to his further researches on the structure of Pletirosigma 

 forniosuvi. He had found not more than three layers, the first 

 consisting of a grating with square meshes, the second had them 

 of diagonal pattern, and the third was composed of alternate 

 rings and squares. He also described P. angulatuvi as giving 

 appearance of a fine grating showing image in each alternate 

 square. — Mr. Crisp exhibited a form of spirit-lamp sent from 

 America, the reservoir of which was facetted instead of globular, 

 so that it could not be upset and -might be used in various posi- 

 tions ; also Mawson and Swan's camera arrangement for fixing 

 on the front of an ordinary camera ; also the binocular arrange- 

 ment of Messrs. Bausch and Lomb, which, although described in 

 the Journal in 1884, had not until the present time been seen in 

 this countiy ; also another arrangement for rotating a number of 

 objects so as to bring them in succession under the objective of a 

 microscope.— Mr. A. D. Michael gave an interesting remme oi 

 his paper on the internal anatomy of Uropoda krameri. He 

 finds that, although the anatomy is essentially of the Gamasid 

 type, yet the external resemblance of Uropoda to the Ori- 

 dalidte, which deceived Hermann, is accompanied by many 

 internal similarities, while many organs differ considerably from 

 those of Uropoda obscura, lately described by Winkler. He de- j 

 scribes a curious organ which he calls the "vestibule," forming [ 

 the outer chamber of the female genital sj'stem, and which it is , 

 suggested nnay serve to remove the thin egg-shell at the moment 

 of deposition, producing ovo-viviparous reproduction. The 

 female genital organs fbnii a ring with two oviducts, the trachea I 

 are unbranched ; the alimentary canal, excretory system, and male '• 

 genital system of the oesophageal ganglion are also described. 

 — Dr. F. H. Bowman's paper on the frustule of Surirella \ 

 gemma was read.— Count Abbe F. Castracane's paper on the 

 reproduction and multiplication of Diatoms, was also read. \ 



Paris, 

 Academy of Sciences, January 28. — M. Des Cloizeaux, 

 President, in the chair. — Reaction of oxygenated water on 

 chromic acid, by M. Berthelot. The remarkable character of 

 the reactions of oxygenated water has induced the author to 

 undertake further researches on the phenomena which it mani- 

 fests in the presence of chromic acid. These studies show that 

 the chemical mechanism of the so-called actions in presence is 

 characterized by three fundamental conditions ; (i) the unlimited 

 nature of the decomposition under certain circumstances, here 

 deteimined, without permanent alteration of the chromic acid; 

 (2) the formation of an intermediate compound forming the 

 "pivot" of the decomposition: (3) the exothermic properties 

 of the oxygenated water and of the total transformation. — True 

 and mixed butylic ethers (continued), by M. E. Reboul. The 

 study of these compounds is here completed with the description 

 of di-isobutylic ether, [(CryjCH— CHojoQ ; and secondary 



(CH3)2CH— CH, 



isobutylic ether, 



CH3. z^- 



CH3— ch/ 



It is further shown that the ethers (7), (8), (9), (10), anticipated 

 by theory, are not produced by the method generally employed. 

 No. 7 (di-secondary ether) has been obtained by Fresnel by a 

 different process. — On M. Marignac's gadolinium, by M. Lecoq 

 de Boisbaudran. The elementary nature of the earth Yo, dis- 

 covered by M. de Marignac, and since named gadolinium, has 

 been denied by Mr. W, Crookes, who holds that this substance 

 consists of Samaria with the greenish blue of yttria, and some of 

 the other yttria bands added to it. M. de Marignac has con- 

 sequently subjected gadolinium to a fresh analysis with the results 

 here described. M. de Marignac's researches having been inter- 

 rupted by the state of his health, his papers have been placed in 

 the hands of M. de Boisbaudran, who considers that, although 

 the impurities are not yet entirely eliminated, gadolinium may 

 still be regarded as a new element. He also thinks Mr. Crookes 

 may in this case have exaggerated the difficulties and tedious 

 nature of the preliminary work of fractionation, which, instead of 

 occupying a space of time compared with which "the life of 

 man is all too brief," might perhaps be accomplished in a few- 

 weeks. However, he does not deny the extreme difficulty of 

 separating the residuums, which have so far resisted fractiona- 

 tions sufficient to get rid of nearly the whole of Yt and Za. — On 

 a chromatic circle, an aesthetic recorder and triple decimeter, by 

 M. Charles Henry. These instruments embody a practical 

 application of a theory, the principle of which was communicated 

 to the Coinptes rendus of January 7, and the chief results of 

 which are here detailed. The chromatic circle has for its 

 object the rational determination of the complements and har- 

 monies of colours ; the two other apparatus are intended to 

 facilitate the ajsthetic study and improvement of forms. — On the re- 

 lation between solubility and the point of fusion, by M. A. Etard. 

 The object of the present note, and of the diagram accompanying 

 it, is to show that solubility increases steadily with the tempera- 

 ture, and that it becomes unlimited at or close to the point of 

 fusion of the salt entering into the solution ; a given quantity 

 of water may then always dissolve a quantity of any salt. It has 

 been supposed that normally the solubility of salt increases up 

 to a certain point and then decreases. But the facts here verified 

 lead to quite a different conclusion. — New solvents of prussic 

 blue, by M. Ch. Er. Guignet. Experimenting with ordinary 

 prussic blue and with TurnbuU blue thoroughly purified, M. 

 Guignet has discovered an easy process for preparing ordinary 

 soluble blue and pure prussic blue soluble in water. — On the 

 quantitative analysis of organic nitrogen by Kjeldahl's method, 

 by M. C. Viollette. The author has subjected this new method 

 to certain tests which yield re■^ults somewhat different from 

 those recently communicated to the Academy by M. L'Hote. 

 He finds that, if applied under the conditions here described,, 

 it may prove quite as efficient as the proces-es of M. 

 Dumas and of sodaic lime, although not more expeditious 

 than either. — On the lime present in the ground in com- 

 bination with other substances, by M. Paul de Mondesir, 

 Nearly all soils, even the most acid, contain a considerable 

 quantity of lime, not as a carbonate, but in combination with the 

 other elements of the earth. It is here shown that this lime may 

 be eliminated at a low temperature by means of diluted acids.— r 

 On the precursors of the Canidoe, by M. Marcellin Boule. The 



