May 29, 1890] 



NATURE 



II 



In the new number of the Internationales Archiv fiir Ethno- 

 graphie, Hermann Strebel continues his paper on a peculiar 

 kind of stone object, found in Mexico and Central America, 

 which is generally supposed to have been used in connection 

 vith the sacrifice of human victim?.. It is fashioned in the 

 ape of a yoke or bow, and enriched with sculpture. Herr 

 Strebel shows that it was worn as a mark of honour by persons 

 of high rank. The sculpture was, he believes, of a symbolical 

 character. Dr. L. Lewin, of Berlin, contributes an interesting 

 paper on betel-chewing, adding fresh information to that which 

 he brought together in a previous article. M. de Clercq gives 

 some notes (in Dutch) relating to New Guinea, and Herr H. 

 Vos deals with the area of anthropophagy on the Asiatic 

 continent. 



The Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society has issued 

 the third part of the second volume of its Transactions (new 

 quarterly series). Among the contents are the abstract of 

 an address, by Prof. Flower, on pygmies ; a paper on spiders, 

 by the Rev. W. Agar ; and a contribution to the pterylography 

 of birds' wings, by \V. P. Pycraft. 



We have received Part 20 of Cassell's "New Popular Edu- 

 cator." It is carefully illustrated, and contains maps of Eastern 

 Australia and New Zealand. 



Mr. John Wheldon has issued a catalogue of zoological 

 works, and papers, transactions, and journals relating chiefly to 

 anatomy and physiology. A catalogue of works on astronomy, 

 magnetism, and meteorology has been issued by Messrs. Dulau 

 and Co. 



Pyrazol, C3H4N.,, the fundamental base of a rapidly growing 



ries of compounds, has been synthesized by Prof. Balbiano, of 



-Messina, from epichlorhydrin and the recently isolated hydrazine 



hydrate {Berichte, No. 8, p. 1 103). Pyrazol is a pentagonal 



CH— CH 



closed chain compound, which may be represented CH N . 



NH 



The reaction between epichlorhydrin and hydrazine hydrate is a 

 somewhat violent one, a considerable amount of heat being 

 generated. It appeari to take place in the manner indicated 

 by the following equation : — 

 CH,. 

 I >0 

 CH / + 2N0H4 . H^O = C3H4N2 + N2H4 . HCl + 3H2O + H,. 



CHjCl 



Equal weights of epichlorhydrin and hydrazine hydrate, which 

 latter is a liquid boiling at 119" C, are cautiously mixed in a 

 flask, to which is immediately fitted a reflux condenser. The 

 reaction completes itself in 3-4 minutes without any external 

 application of heat. When the reaction is at an end, and the 

 last trace of the epichlorhydrin has disappeared, the flask and 

 contents are heated in a water-bath for 25-30 minutes. After 

 allowing to cool, a quantity of zinc chloride equal to that of 

 either of the reagents is added, in order to facilitate the splitting 

 off of water. The whole is afterwards again heated for an hour 

 over the water-bath. The yellow waxy mass so obtained is then 

 mixed with 300-400 c.c. of water for every 10 grams of either 

 reagent employed, and the mixture distilled in steam. Pyrazol 

 and ammonia distil over in the steam together, and, in order to 

 separate the pyrazol, the distillate is treated with a solution of 

 mercuric chloride, which produces a mixed precipitate of the 

 mercury compound of pyrazol and mercurammonium chloride. 

 The precipitate is suspended in water, decomposed with sul- 

 phuric acid, and the solution of pyrazol hydrochloride and sal- 

 ammoniac evaporated to the crystallizing point on the water- 

 KO. 1074, VOL. 42] 



bath. The residue is then decomposed by potash, and the 

 pyrazol extracted by ether. Upon evaporation, pyrazol is ob- 

 tained as a mass of hard colourless needles. The crystals of 

 pyrazol are readily soluble in cold water, with production of a 

 neutral solution. They possess an odour very similar to that of 

 pyridine. They melt to a colourless liquid at 69'5°-70°, and the 

 liquid boils at 1 86°- 188°. The aqueous solution gives a white 

 precipitate with mercuric chloride solution and with an ammo- 

 niacal solution of silver nitrate. In all these respects the pyrazol 

 thus prepared from epichlorhydrin and hydrazine hydrate is 

 identical with a substance of the formula C3H4N2 prepared some 

 little time ago by Buchner by heatingthe methyl ether of acetyl 

 ene-dicarboxylicdiazoacetic acid. A concentrated hydrochloric 

 acid solution of pyrazol gives, with platinum chloride, a pre- 

 cipitate of lustrous yellowish-red needles of pyrazol-platinate 

 (C3H4N0 . HCl)2PtCl4 . 2H2O. When this salt is heated to 

 205°, the colour changes to straw-yellow, and remains perma- 

 nent up to 250°. The yellow substance is a definite com- 

 pound, insoluble in water, and possessing the composition 



^*iT^^* ^PtClj. It is formed from pyrazol-platinate by loss of 



two molecules of water and four molecules of hydrochloric acid. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Beatrix Antelopes ( Oryx beatrix <J 9 ) 

 from Arabia, presented by Colonel Ross ; a North African Jackal 

 {Caiiis ant hits) from North Africa, presented by Captain Hay ; 

 a Common Paradoxure {Paradoxurtis typns) from India, pre- 

 sented by Mr. C. Armstrong King ; a Vociferous Sea Eagle 

 {Haliai'ttis vocifer), a White-crested Tiger-Bittern {Tigrisotna 

 leucolophtun) from West Africa, presented by Mr. J. B. Elliot ; 

 a Mexican 0\xzxi{Penelope ptirpurascens) from Mexico, presented 

 by Mr. J. W. Dawe ; two Common Kingfishers (Alcedo ispida), 

 British, presented by Mr. T. E. Gunn ; a Tawny Owl {Syrniuin 

 alucd), British, presented by the Hon. C. Parker ; two All-green 

 Snakes {Fhilodryas viridisstmus), twoNatterer's Snakes( 77w/««o- 

 dynastes nattereri), two Merrem's Snakes [Liophis merremi), a 

 Chequered Elaps {Elaps lemniscatus) from South America, 

 presented by Mr. A. C. Derrett ; a Barraband's Parrakeet 

 {Folytelis Imrrabandi) from New South Wales, a Brush Turkey 

 (Taiegalla lathami) from Australia, deposited ; an Eland ^Oreas 

 canna 6), bred in France, two Diademed Jays {Cyanocitta 

 diademata) from Mexico, two Temminck's Tragopans (C^w;-«« 

 temtnincki <J ? ) from China, purchased ; two Persian Gazelles 

 {Gazclla suhgutterosa tj <J ), born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Objects for the Spectroscope. 



Sidereal Time at Greenwich at 10 p.m. on May 29 

 I4h. 29m. 9s. 



Remarks. 



Mag. 



(i) G.C. 3846 "• 



(2) D.M. -f 15° 2758 



(3) o Bootis 



(4) f Boons 



(5),\Cygni 



Reddish-yellow. 



Whitish-yellow. 



White. 



Very red. 



(i) There are no very bright nebulas which come to the 

 meridian near 10 o'clock during this week, but the one given is 

 probably one of the brightest. The General Catalogue descrip- 

 tion is : " Bright, pretty large ; round ; pretty suddenly brighter 

 in the middle ; barely resolvable (mottled as if with stars) ; a 

 1 2th magnitude star in «/" quadrant." The spectrum has not 

 been recorded. 



(2) According to Vogel and Duner this star has a magnificent 



