January 26, 1893] 



NATURE 



II 



Chemical Society, December 13.— Mr. W. Crookes, Vice- 

 President, in the chair. — The Stas Memorial Lecture, by J. W. 

 Mallet, was read (see this vol. p. 248). 



December 15. — Dr. W. J. Russell, Vice-President, in the 

 chair. — The following papers were read :— The identity of 

 caffeine and theine and the interactions, of caffeine and auric 

 chloride, by W. R. Dunstan and W. F. J. Shepheard. Various 

 physiologists have concluded that differences exist between 

 theine from tea and caffeine from coffee ; the authors have com- 

 pared the products from the two sources, and consider that their 

 identity is beyond question. The differences in physiological 

 action observed by Mays, Brunton, and Cash can only mean 

 that the alkaloids employed wete either impure or administered 

 under non-comparable conditions. On heating an aqueous 

 solution of caffeine aurichloride, a yellow precipitate of auro- 

 chlorocaffeine C8H3(AuClo)N40o separates ; the production of 

 this substance is better explained by Medicus' formula for caffeine 

 than by that of E. Fischer. — Studies on isomeric change, ii. 

 Orthoxylenesulphonic acids, by G. T. Moody. 1:2:3- 

 orthoxylenesulphonic acid, when heated at 1 15-120' in a current 

 of dry air, undergoes quantitative conversion into the isomeric 

 1:2: 4 sulphonic acid. The former acid is prepared by sul- 

 phonating dibromorthoxylene and reducing the resulting dibrom- 

 orthoxylenesul phonic acid with zinc dust and sodium hydroxide. 

 A number of derivatives are described. — Studies on isomeric 

 change, iii. Phenetoilsulphonic acids, C,jH4(OEt)S03H, by G. 

 T. Moody. Bromophenetoilsulphonic acid, prepared by 

 ethylating parabromophenol and sulphonating thebromophenet- 

 oil so obtained, is readily reduced by zinc dust and sodium 

 hydroxide with formation of orthophenetoilsulphonic acid. The 

 latter is completely converted into the isomeric parasulphonic 

 acid on heating for several hours at loo'. Lagai's observations, 

 contradicting the author's previous results, are shown to be 

 erroneous. — Formation and nitration of phenyldiazoimide, by 

 W. A. TildenandJ. H. Millar. Phenyldiazoimide, N3.Ph, is 

 readily obtained by the interaction of nitrosyl chloride and 

 phenylhydrazine in glacial acetic acid solution ; on nitration it 

 yields about two-thirds of its weight of the paranitro-derivative 

 (m.p. 74^). Nitrophenyldiazoimide is a convenient source from 

 which to prepare diazoimide. — The production of naphthalene 

 derivatives from dehydracetic acid, by J. N. Collie. The 

 author concludes that the yellow substance which he has 

 previously obtained by the condensation of diacetylacetone (see 

 this vol. p. 238) is probably formed in accordance with the 

 following equation :— 



Me . e : CH . C : CH . C . Me 



CH2 . CO . CH . CO . C . CO . Me 



Me 



/\/\ 



OH OH 



Me 



CO . Me 



3H,0. 



This substance gives a diacetyl derivative which on distillation 

 with zinc dust yields a trimethylnaphthalene. The condensation 

 product closely resembles the acetonaphthols prepared by Wilt 

 and Erdmann. — A new synthesis of hydrindone, by F. S. 

 Kipping. Contrary to the statement of Hughes, hydrindone 

 may he easily prepared in large quantities by the action of 

 aluminium chloride on phenylpropionic chloride ; 50-60 per 

 cent, of the theoretical yield is obtained, the reaction being repre- 

 sented by the following equation : Ph . CH. . CH.3 . COCl = 



Ph /^q2\ch.^ -f HCl. The ketone prepared in this way is 



identical with that obtained from other sources by several 

 chemists ; its hydrazone, hydroxime and a nitro-derivative 

 are described. On heating hydrindone with mode- 

 rately concentrated sulphuric acid a condensation pro- 

 duct, CigHj40, is obtained ; it forms yellowish plates 

 melting at 141 •5-142-5^. Phosphoric anhydride converts 

 hydrindone into a yellow crystalline substance, which is 

 apparently identical with the hydrocarbon of the empirical com- 



position C3H2, which the author has previously obtained by the 

 action of phosphoric anhydride on phenylpropionic chloride. — 

 The resolution of methoxysuccinic acid into iis optically active 

 component?, by T. Purdie and W. Marshall. Synthetical methoxy- 

 succinic acid can be resolved into its optically active constituents 

 by crystallisation of ihe acid cinchonine salts.the salt of the dextro- 

 acid being less soluble in water than that of its Isevo-isomeride. 

 The separation effected in this way is, however, only partial, 

 the metallic salts obtained after removal of the alkaloid being a 

 mixture of the active and inactive compounds ; by taking advant- 

 age of the fact that the inactive calcium or acid potassium salt is 

 less soluble in water than its active isomeride, the optically 

 active acids may be isolated. The active acids have a specific 

 rotatory power of about 33° in 5-10 per cent, aqueous solutions 

 and melt at 88-90', whilst the inactive acid melts at 108°. The 

 rotation of the normal ammonium or potassium salt is of the 

 same sign as that of the parent acid ; the rotation of the calciiim 

 or barium salt is of opposite sign to that of the acid, but varies 

 greatly with change of concentration. The rotation of the 

 barium salt changes sign in very dilute solutions. — Optically 

 active ethoxysuccinic acid, by T. Purdie and I. W. Walker. If 

 fed with nutritive mineral salts the spores of Penicillitim glaiicum 

 flourii-h in a solution of inactive hydrogen ammonium ethoxy- 

 succinate and consume the Isevogyrate acid, leaving ihedextro- 

 acid unaltered. On crystallising the cinchonidine salt of the 

 inactive acid, a separation into the laevo- and dextro modifica- 

 tions may be effected, and the oppositely active acid ammonium 

 salts prepared in this way resemble that obtained by means of 

 Penicillium glauciun. Close parallelism exists between the 

 methoxy- and ethoxy-succinates, with respect to optical activity. 

 — The formation of benzyldihydroxypyridine from benzylglutac- 

 onic acid, by S. Ruhemann. Ethyl benzylglutaconate slowly 

 dissolves at ico° in concentrated aqueous ammonia, yielding a 

 solution, from which acids separate benzyldihydroxypyridine. 

 This substance exhibits both basic and acid properties and melts 

 at 184°. — The action of nitrous acid on i-o-amido-2-)3-naphthol ; 

 a correction, by R. Meldola. The author j^rees with the 

 statement of Grandmougin and Michel that )8-naphtha- 

 quinone results from the interaction of nitrous acid and 

 i-a amido-2-)8-naphthol.— Note on the action of phenylhydra- 

 zine on mono- and di-carboxylic acids at elevated temperatures, 

 by W. R. Hodgkinson and A. H. Coote. On distilling a mix- 

 ture of phenylhydrazine and phenylacetic acid in equivalent 

 proportion, benzene, aniline and a liquid of the composition 

 CuHjoO.j distil over ; nitrogen and ammonia are also evolved. 

 As has been previously shown, the bydrazide of the composition 

 Ph . CH2 . CO . NH . NH . Ph is the first product of the re- 

 action ; on distilling this substance, NH . NH is split off, and 

 reduces the phenylhydrazine present to aniline and benzene. 

 Somewhat similar reactions occur in the cases of orthotoluic, 

 phenylpropionic, and succinic acids, and are now under investi- 

 gation. 



Sydney. 



Royal Society of New South Wales, September 7, 1892. 

 —Prof. Warren, President, in the chair. —Paper read : The 

 effect which settlement in Australia has produced upon the 

 indigenous vegetation, by A. G. Hamilton [Part I.]. 



October 5.— Prof. Warren, President, in the chair.— The 

 second part of paper on the effect which settlement in Australia 

 has produced upon indigenous vegetation, by A. G. Hamilton, 

 was read, after which the society's bronze medal and a cheque 

 for ;^25 were presented to the author. 



November 2.— Prof. Warren, President, in the chair.— Dr. 

 William Huggins, F.R.S., was elected an honorary member of 

 the Society. The following papers were read :— Preliminary 

 note on limestone occurring near Sydney, by H. G. Smith. — 

 On a cyclonic storm near Narrabri, by H. C. Russell, F.R.S. 

 — Some folk-songs and myths from Samoa, translated by the 

 Rev. G. Pratt, with introduction and notes by Dr. John 

 Eraser. 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, January 16.— M. de Lacaze-Duthiers 

 in the chair. — Swimming movements of the ray-fish, by M. 

 Marey. These were investigated by means of chronophoto- 

 graphy, ten exposures being made per second. The fish was 

 fixed in position by the head and tail, and the views were taken 

 from the front and the side respectively, the fins being left free 



NO. 12 13, VOL. 47l 



