670 



NATURE 



[February 18, 19 15 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 

 [The Editor does not hold himself responsible for 

 opinions expressed by his correspondents. Neither 

 can he undertake to return, or to correspond with 

 the writers of, rejected manuscripts intended for 

 this or any other part of Nature. No notice is 

 taken of anonymous communications.'] 



Fine Chemicals for Research Purposes. 



In view of the shortage of fine chemicals which are 

 used for research purposes, we thought it advisable 

 to issue a circular to the principal laboratories in the 

 kingdom asking for lists of chemicals not in immediate 

 use, so that it would be possible to put the holders of 

 such chemicals in touch with those chemists who 

 were in urgent need of them. The replies which have 

 been received so far have been in most cases to the 

 effect that the holders wish to keep their own stocks 

 in hand, but are willing to use our bureau for the 

 purpose of purchasing others. As this attitude is one 

 which entirely defeats the object with which the 

 inquiry was started, may we direct the attention of 

 chemists to the fact that it is impossible for them all 

 to hold and to purchase at the same time. .\n 

 equitable series of exchanges is all that can be 

 arranged at the present time ; and it should be remem- 

 bered that even 50 grams of some particular substance 

 may make all the difference between the carrying on 

 or the hanging up of a piece of research work. 



H. B. Baker. 



J. F. Thorpe. 



M. A. Whiteley. 

 The Imperial College of Science and Technology, 

 South Kensington. 



A Penalty on Research. 



I AM sure that the biologists of the country will 

 support Sir Wm. Ramsay's protest in Nature of 

 February 11, on the penalties incurred by men of 

 science for the use of alcohol in their investigations. 

 A few years ago I received a consignment of specimens 

 of natural history in alcohol from a foreign Govern- 

 ment expedition for scientific study ancl description. 

 After some correspondence with the Customs House 

 authorities I was allowed as a concession either to 

 pay the full duty on the alcohol, or, in the presence 

 of an officer, to pour it down the sink in theT'niver- 

 sity laboratory, and replace it by methylated spirit at 

 my own expense. Comment is unnecessary. 



Sydney J. Hicksox. 



The University of Manchester. 



The Prices of Chemicals. 



A WELL-KNOWN firm of dealers in chemicals and 

 laboratory apparatus gave a quotation some days ago 

 for the supply of an ounce each of dulcite and adonite. 

 They proposed to charge gl. los. for the former and 

 61. for the latter. In the price list of chemicals issued 

 by the same firm some months before the war the 

 prices were respectively 455. and i8s. Is there any 

 good reason (except greed) for this increase of price? 

 Presumably this firm, or some other English firm 

 with which they deal have held a stock of these 

 sugars since before the war. The substances are in- 

 dispensable in public health bacteriological work, and 

 is it not possible that some university laboratory can 

 undertake their preparation and distribution at cost 

 price? J. J. 



The University, Liverpool, February 3. 



NO. 2364, VOL. 94] 



We are in receipt of your letter of February 8 

 with regard to the price of dulcite and adonite. We 

 very much regret that your correspondent has not 

 gone more fully into the matter before making 

 charges against firms who are trying to help British 

 industries at a critical time. We should welcome a 

 visit from your correspondent as he ma\' not know 

 the difficulties which have been experienced in obtain- 

 ing the raw material for the manufacture of dulcite. 

 Dulcite originally was a bj-product, and was sold at 

 45. 6d. per oz. The price before the war rose in 

 stages from 45. 6d. to 15^"., then to 255., then to 355., 

 and finally to 45s. per oz., which was the price ruling 

 on .\ugust T. We had at that time only a small stock 

 of both dulcite and adonite consisting of about 8 oz. 

 We purchased a further supply of both these chemicals 

 on or about August 18, but at considerably advanced 

 prices, the supplies being obtained from wholesale 

 chemical merchants in this country. We thereupon 

 raised our prices to loos. per oz. in the case of dulcite 

 and 365. per oz. for adonite ; this gave us the same 

 rate of profit as we had obtained from dulcite and 

 adonite before the war. 



This supply lasted us until December, when we were 

 able to obtain a very small quantity of these two 

 chemicals from small laboratories who had gone to 

 the expense of manufacturing, and the prices being 

 considerably advanced, necessitated the selling prices 

 being raised accordingly. 



At the present moment we have no dulcite of any 

 description in stock, and have not had for some weeks. 

 The total amount which we had for sale at a higher 

 price did not exceed two ounces. 



We have made arrangements with a firm of chemi- 

 cal manufacturers to manufacture for us dulcite and 

 adonite at a price which will allow us to revert to 

 the prices ruling between .August and December last, 

 but although delivery has been promised us several 

 times we have not yet received delivery of even | oz., 

 and we shall be only too pleased to buy any quantity 

 of dulcite and adonite at the present moment, irre- 

 spective of price ; our m.ain point is to be able to 

 supply chemicals which are urgently needed, and not 

 to obtain exorbitant profits, and in the case of these 

 two chemicals we may state we have been to con- 

 siderable expense in endeavouring to obtain the neces- 

 sary raw material for the manufacture of dulcite and 

 adonite. A Firm of Dealers in Chemicals. 



February 9. 



British Supplies of Laboratory Ware. 



As chairman of the British Laboratory Ware .Asso- 

 ciation I have had my attention directed to a circular 

 letter issued by the British Science Guild, dated 

 January, 1915, to schools, colleges, universities, and 

 technical institutes, and also to circular No. 885 issued 

 by the Board of Education, dated January 11, 19 15, 

 and which I note is referred to in Nature, page 580, 

 January 21, 1915. 



These circulars have been issued under a grave mis- 

 apprehension, and are likely to give a verj^ mislead- 

 ing idea of the present situation in reference to 

 supplies of laboratory glassware, and I think that it 

 is very important that any anxiety on behalf of the 

 readers of Nature should be immediately allayed. 

 I therefore beg to place before you the following 

 information : — 



The British Laboratory Ware Association, which 



consists of about 75 per cent, of the apparatus supply 



firms in the United Kingdom, was formed a few days 



after the outbreak of the war, in order to co-operate 



• in connection with the production in this country of 



