696 



NATURE 



[May 27, 1922 



Colston University Research Society. 



BRISTOL is peculiarly fortunate in possessing a 

 unique organisation for the encouragement of 

 research at its University. Originally founded in 

 1899 and named in honour of the famous philan- 

 thropist, Edward Colston, its funds were at first 

 appUed to the support of the then University College 

 in connection with its proposed expansion to a Uni- 

 versity. This accomplished, the Colston University 

 Research Society undertook the distinctive function 

 of supporting research work within the University, 

 and since 1910 some 3700/. have been raised and applied 

 to scientific investigations, which in most cases could 

 not otherwise have been carried out ; these include 

 contributions to medicine, engineering, and to the 

 general advancement of knowledge. 



The essential importance of scientific research, 

 realised a generation ago by Germany, was brought 

 prominently before every citizen during the Great 

 War. The serious industrial difficulties of the past 

 two years have brought home to most people the 

 fundamental interdependence of production and 

 prosperity. For cheap production we need to-day 

 increased invention in every direction. Modern 

 invention is based on scientific research, and it is to 

 the development of scientific research that all who 

 are engaged in industry must look for the permanent 

 revival of British industrial supremacy. Every 

 process we employ, every device and invention of 

 which we take daily advantage, is the result of some 

 former, maybe forgotten, research. Enlightened 

 opinion recognises that some seed corn must be 

 returned if the future is to repeat the successes of the 

 past. It is a sign of the times that men should now 

 rally to the support of the most essential function of 

 our universities. 



The Colston University Research Society consists of 

 members of the public and of industrial firms of Bristol 

 and the west of England who subscribe the necessary 

 research funds. On May 23 each year the annual 

 dinner is held, at which the City of Bristol, the Society 

 of Merchant Venturers, and the Bristol Chamber of 

 Commerce are represented. The chief guests include 

 one or more distinguished educationists or investigators. 

 This year the Minister of Education and Prof. G. Elliot 

 Smith were two of the invited guests of the evening. 



The society affords an opportunity for every citizen 

 to give direct support to research work for the ad- 

 vancement of knowledge, and similar organisations 

 might with great advantage be established in all 

 university towns. The society accepts the term 

 " Research " in the widest sense, and looks forward 

 to the time when research work in the Arts side may 

 also receive assistance through the society from the 

 community at large. 



A new departure under this year's president, Mr. 

 Ernest Walls, is the establishment of Colston research 

 fellowships, whereby it is hoped that the University 

 may render service to local industries. Industrial firms 

 are invited to endow post-graduate research fellow- 

 ships at the University, the fellow receiving 150/. p2r 

 annum. The fellowships may be earmarked to a 

 particular faculty or branch of research or to a par- 

 ticular research problem. In the last case, this is 

 subject to the approval of the professor agreeing to 

 supervise the work, and if it is an industrial problem 

 the donor bears all expense. A form of agreement 

 between the University, the donor, and the research 

 fellow may be required. 



The donor of a fellowship will have access to the 

 research work and will receive the results of the work 

 twelve months prior to publication. Five firms have 

 already undertaken to endow fellowships, three in 

 chemistry, one in engineering, and one not earmarked. 

 These fellowships should serve to link the University 

 more closely to the life of the city without sacrifice of 

 academic freedom, and, apart from the advantages 

 accruing to the firms, will undoubtedly lead to per- 

 manent industrial appointments for some of the best 

 graduates. 



It will be interesting to see whether this plan may 

 not suit the conditions of the British Universities 

 better than the well - known system of industrial 

 fellowships of the Mellon Institute in the United 

 States. 



A record annual collection announced at the Colston 

 University Research dinner at Bristol on Tuesday 

 amounted to 939/. is., the largest individual amount 

 being 25/. In addition, iioo/. were collected for 

 Colston Research Fellowships. 



Active Hydrogen. 



IN a short communication by Mr. Y. Venkataramaiah, 

 read before the Science Association, Maharajah's 

 College, Vizianagram, S. India, in January 1920, and 

 published in the Proceedings of the Association for 

 July 1 92 1, the formation of active hydrogen by pass- 

 ing hydrogen through an ozoniser is described. The 

 active form combined with sulphur and phosphorus 

 at the ordinary temperature. In a previous com- 

 munication to Nature (of September 9, 1920, p. 46) 

 the same author described an active form of hydrogen, 

 formed by the explosion of oxygen with excess of 

 hydrogen, which reduced potassium permanganate 

 solution rapidly at room temperature. These dis- 

 coveries were, apparently, made independently of those 

 of Wendt and Landauer (Journal of the American 

 Chemical Society, 1920, 42, 920), who obtained active 

 hydrogen by the action of the corona discharge on 

 hydrogen at low pressure, and by the action of a-rays 

 on hydrogen. 



The American authors now describe (Journal of the 

 American Chemical Society, March 1922) the produc- 

 tion of active hydrogen by the action of the silent 

 discharge (as previously described by Venkataramaiah), 



NO. 2743, VOL. 109] 



by the action of a high-frequency Tesla discharge, 

 and by the action of thermionic emission, on hydrogen. 

 In all cases only small amounts of active hydrogen 

 are formed, and it is rapidly decomposed. Since it 

 is formed with contraction, and is condensed in liquid 

 air, the authors consider it to be represented by the 

 formula H3, although they give no evidence for this 

 particular composition. They do not accept the sug- 

 gestion, made by E. C. C. Baly (" Annual Reports of 

 the Chemical Society," 192 1), that their product is 

 identical with the purely hypothetical " iso-hydrogen " 

 of Harkins, which, although represented by the symbol 

 H3, is supposed to consist of a single atom with an 

 atomic weight of 3 units. 



This use of chemical symbols with an unusual 

 meaning, as in the similar case of the isotopes of 

 chlorine, which are often described as CI35, etc., is, 

 in fact, most confusing, and it is very desirable that 

 some less objectionable notation should be adopted. 

 We suggest that the symbol 01(35), for example, which 

 could be adapted to formulae such as 01(35)01(37), 

 would meet the case. 



