112 



NATURE 



[April 5, 19 17 



Army have received the recognition both of Lord 

 French and of Sir Douglas Haig. A large number of 

 chemists have been engaged to work in the labora- 

 tories and works of Government and controlled estab- 

 lishments ma.cing munitions of war. The chemical 

 staff's of Woolwich Arsenal and of the Government 

 Laboratory have been largely increased, whilst uni- 

 versity and college laboratories have in many cases 

 become small factories for the preparation of drugs, 

 antiseptics, etc Finally, and perhaps most important 

 of all, the Government has accepted the guidance of 

 our most able and experienced chemists in the investi- 

 gation of such problems — become acute by reason of 

 the war — ds merit their special attention. At last the 

 chemist seems to be coming into his heritage. 



An interesting paper on the subject of sulphur in 

 petroleum oils was read by Dr. F, M. Perkin at a 

 recent meeting of the Institution of Petroleum 

 Technologists. Nearly all naturally occurring p>etrol- 

 eum oils contain sulphur, some having only a very 

 small proportion, others large amounts. Oils ob- 

 tained by the distillation of shales also contain sulphur, 

 the profKJrtion depending partly upon the quantity 

 present in the material distilled, and partly upon the 

 form in which the sulphur exists in that material. 

 The paper illustrates the numerous forms in which 

 sulphur may occur in the oils by reference to the 

 homologous thiophenes, thiophanes, and alkyl sul- 

 phides ; the probable origin of the sulphur in petroleum 

 is also discussed. Be the origin what it may, as a 

 constituent of petroleum oils sulphur is very objec- 

 tionable. In petrol it gives rise to a disagreeable 

 exhaust; in lamp-oils it causes an unpleasant odour, 

 decreases the luminosity, and tarnishes domestic orna- 

 ments; in oil fuel it vitiates the atmosphere of the 

 stokeholds and corrodes boiler-plates and tubes. Hence 

 the question of desulphurising the oils is one of much 

 importance. We have in the Kimmeridge shales a 

 considerable source of shale oil, but, unfortunately, the 

 sulphur content is very high. If a practicable method 

 of removing the sulphur could be found, the Kim- 

 meridge shale oil would be of immense value to this 

 country. Many attempts have been made, but so far 

 without success. Dr. Perkin describes various methods 

 of desulphurising which have been employed or pro- 

 posed, and also outlines a new process, which consists 

 in the treatment of the oil at high temperatures with 

 gaseous ammonia L these circumstances sulphur is 

 eliminated from the oli in the form of hydrogen sul- 

 phide. At present, however, the process is only in its 

 initial stages, and not much information could be 

 given as to its practical application. 



The eighty-third annual report of the Royal Corn- 

 wall Polytechnic Society (vol. iii., part ii., 1916), just 

 issued, is of more than local interest, because of the 

 important scientific and industrial research papers 

 included in it. A paper on "The Physical Condition 

 of Cassiterite (Tin Ore) in Cornish Mill Products," 

 by the late Mr. J. J. Baringer, contains a new theory 

 to account for the loss of the tin mineral which 

 present appliances fail to recover. It is explained 

 by a thoughtful introduction by Mr. W. H. Trewartha- 

 James, who collated and revised the author's notes 

 just before he died. This paper attracted wide atten- 

 tion, and nearly all the mine managers in Cornwall 

 were present at the society's meeting at Falmouth 

 in 1915 to discuss the important conclusions. 'l"he 

 discussion ultimately resulted in the decision of the 

 Government Department of Scientific and Industrial 

 Research to subsidise and establish a scheme of re- 

 search in tin and tungsten minerals at the suggestion 

 of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy in co- 

 operation with the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic 

 Society. Other papers in the report are : " Tin and 



NO. 2475, VOL. 99] 



I Tungsten Minerals in the West of England," by the 

 late Mr. J. H. Collins; "The Prospects of Tin in the 

 United States," by Mr. H. Foster Bain, presenting 

 important facts with regard to the international posi- 

 tion of the tin industry; "The Development of Me- 

 chanical Appliances in China Clay Works," by Mr. 

 J. M. Coon; " Piskies," a Cornish folk-lore study, by 

 the president, Mr. H. Jenner; and a lecture on the 

 fly problem by Mr. F. Balfour Brown. The report 

 can be obtained from the society, or from William 

 Brendon and Sons, Ltd., printers, Plymouth, price 5s. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Comet 1917a (Mellish). — The discovery of a new 

 comet by Mr. Mellish, on March 20, has been an- 

 nounced by Prof. Stromgren. It was observed at 

 Copenhagen on March 22 in R.A. 2 h. 9 m., decl. 

 15° i' N., and was rated at mag. 7-5. The comet is 

 situated in the constellation Aries, and is conse- 

 quently only visible for a short time after sunset. 



D 'Arrest's Periodic Comet. — On the basis of cor- 

 rected elements for this comet, which has a period of 

 six and a half years and returns to perihelion this 

 year, the following ephemeris has been given by 

 J. Braae (Ast. Nach., 4874): — 



1917 



R.A. 



h. m. s. 



March 29 22 41 59 



April 2 22 56 29 



6 23 10 52 



10 25 8 



14 39 14 



18 23 53 II 



22 o 6 58 



26 20 34 



30 33 57 



May 4 o 47 9 



Log r 



Log A 



— 6 25-3 0103 1 0-3101 

 5 34-9 01027 03092 

 4 43 8 01030 03086 

 3 52- 1 0-1039 03084 

 3 04 0-1054 03086 

 2 8-9 0-1076 0-3088 

 I 17-9 0-1103 0-3094 



— o 27-8 0-1136 03102 



-fO 21-2 0-1175 O-3II3 



I 8-8 0-1218 0-3125 

 109 -f I 54-7 0-1266 0-3138 



The date of perihelion passage is April 2. During the 

 above period the comet will be about two hours west 

 of the sun. 



Bright Meteors in March. — Mr. Denning writes : 

 On March 14 at 10 h. a meteor equal to Jupiter was 

 observed at Totteridge and Stowmarket. It fell over 

 the south-east coast from a height of 71 to 17 miles. 

 On March 15 at 11 h. 30 m. a meteor as bright as 

 Venus was observed by Miss G. Lewis from Droit- 

 wich, and by several other persons in various parts 

 of the country. The records of its flight are not, 

 however, in good agreement, though the radiant point 

 was probably in the Lynx, and the position of the 

 object nearly over Cheltenham at its disappearance. 

 On March 19 at 7 h. 32 m., a fine meteor was seen 

 through clouds at Bristol, as it sailed almost vertically 

 down the northern sky. On March 27 at 10 h. 17 m. 

 and 10 h. 43 m. a pair of brilliant meteors were 

 seen by Mrs. Wilson at Totteridge, and by Miss T. E. 

 Gall at Hornsey, N. They were directed from a 

 radiant low in the east near fi Librae, and pursued 

 nearly horizontal flights at heights of about 54 miles, 

 and velocity 15 miles per sec. 



Photographs of Jupiter. — Photographs of the 

 planet Jupiter showing a large amount of interesting 

 detail were obtained du'ing the recent apparition by 

 Mr. J. H. Reynolds with a 28-in. reflector at his 

 observatory near Birrrmgham (Journ. B.A.A., vol. 

 xxvii., p. 151). The telescope was adapted as a 

 Cassegrain with an equivalent focal length of 55 ft., ; 

 and the image was further magn fieu from three to , 

 six times by a Barlow lens. At the opposition of 1916, 

 the N. temperate belt, which was absent in 1915, re- ' 

 appeared with strength and size comparable with that j 



