July 17, 1890] 



NATURE 



281 



west of Haka, is undoubtedly the main stream of the Koladyne, 

 which was so familiar in connection with General Tregear's 

 movements. Captain Bythell, R.E., who was at first on the 

 Chittagong side, accompanied General Symons on his tour 

 southwards from Haka, and traced the stream to within twelve 

 miles of where he had last seen it from the Blue Mountain side. 

 It is satisfactory to have this confirmation of the statements sent 

 by correspondents with the Field Force, particularly as the 

 upper course of the Koladyne was unknown to our geographers. 

 The total area of topography, by the way, covered by the opera- 

 tions of Captain Bythell's party, is put down at about five 

 thousand square miles, while the surveyors on the Burmah 

 side must also be credited with work on a similar scale. The 

 new maps of the Chin-Lushai hills, when they come to be pub- 

 lished, will no longer show those great blank spaces which have 

 hitherto been so noticeable in the old issues. 



In Grinnell Land, at sea-level (8i° 44.' N. lat.), the mean day 

 temperature is above freezing-point from about June 13 to August 

 23, i.e. 72 days. It has been recently pointed out by Dr. Hann, 

 that on the top of the Sonnblick, at a height of about lo.cxjo 

 feet, and in 47° N. lat., the temperature returns above freezing- 

 point about the same time (viz. June 8) ; but it is not till the 

 end of September or beginning of October that it goes below 

 that point again. On the other hand, the mean summer tem- 

 perature on the Sonnblick is considerably lower than in Grinnell 

 Land at sea-level. 



S 



/\ 

 CH CH 

 BioPHENE, II II , an entirely 

 CH CH 



compound interme- 



diate between the fatty and aromatic series, and somewhat 

 resembling thiophene in properties, has been prepared by 

 Dr, Louis E. Levi, of the Massachusetts Institute of Techno- 

 logy, Boston {Technology Quarterly , May 1890). Thiophene, 

 S 

 /\ 

 CH CH, was discovered bv Prof. Victor Meyer in 1883 ; 

 II II 

 CH— CH 



the discovery attracted considerable attention at the time, and 

 has since led to the preparation of a whole series of derivatives 

 analogous in many cases to those of benzene. Dr. Levi worked 

 for some time in the laboratory of Prof. Meyer, and has sub- 

 sequently followed up ideas then discussed, which have now 

 resulted in the preparation of biophene. Just as thiophene is 

 obtained by the action of phosphorus trisulphide upon suc- 

 cinic acid, so biophene is found to be produced by the 

 action of trisulphide of phosphorus upon thio-diglycollic acid, 

 COOH— CHg— S— CH2— COOH. A mixture of five grams 

 of thio-diglycollic acid with ten grams of phosphorus trisul- 

 phide is heated, together with 15-20 c.c. of ether, in a sealed 

 tube for two hours at a temperature of 170° C. After cooling, 

 the end is opened at the blowpipe, when a great rush of accu- 

 mulated sulphuretted hydrogen gas occurs. The contents of 

 th^ tube are separated in the usual manner by means of a 

 tap funnel, and washed with caustic potash solution. After 

 withdrawing the alkali, the remaining oil is dissolved in 

 ether and dried by means of fused calcium chloride. 

 The ether is finally evaporated, and the residual oil 

 fractionally distilled. As the result of this latter process, a 

 liquid is eventually obtained boiling between 165° and 170°, 

 which on analysis yields numbers agreeing with the formula of 

 biophene, C4H4S.2. When biophene is mixed with sulphuric 

 acid and a crystal of isatine added, a beautiful violet coloration 

 NO. 108 1, VOL. 42] 



is produced, a reaction which appears to be analogous to that of 

 thiophene, which produces with sulphuric acid and isatine 2^ 

 dark blue coloration. Biophene also reacts with acid chlor- 

 ides in presence of aluminium chloride like thiophene, thus 

 with acetyl chloride aceto-bienone or bienyl acetyl ketone, 

 C4H3S2 . CO . CH3, is produced, hydrochloric acid being 

 eliminated. This ketone is a thick, heavy liquid which may be 

 distilled in steam and possesses an aromatic odour somewhat 

 resembling that of aceto-thienone. Heated alone aceto-bienone 

 boils, but with decomposition, at 300°. Sunlight rapidly turns 

 it dark brown. Aceto-bienone also reacts with phenylhy- 

 drazine with formation of a compound of the composition 



.CH3 

 C4H3S2 . C<' . The similarity of biophene in all the 



\NoHCeH, 

 above reactions to thiophene and benzene is very striking, the 

 replacement of two of the CH groups of benzene by sulphur not 

 being accompanied by any very great change in chemical be- 

 haviour. The formation of biophene from thio-diglycollic acid, 

 also affords another instance of the passage from the fatty series 

 to bodies of aromatic properties, and biophene itself will stand 

 as an additional link between the two series. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during 

 the past week include a Great Anteater {Myrmecophaga 

 jubata ? ) from British Guiana, presented by the Directors of the 

 Botanical Gardens, Demerara ; an Egyptian Gazelle {Gazella 

 dorcas) from Suakim, presented by Commander W. Crofton, 

 R.N. ; a Cape Ratel {Mellivora capensis 9 ) from Suakim, pre- 

 sented by Captain J. F. M. Prinsep ; a Jackal Buzzard {Buteo 



jacal), a Hawk Eagle {Nisaetus spilogaster) from Cape 



Colony, presented by Mr. W. H. Wormald ; a Guillemot 

 {Lomvia troile), British, presented by Mr. T. H. Nelson ; a 

 Greater Spotted Woodpecker {Dendrocopus major), British, pre- 

 sented by Mr. W. H. B. Pain ; an Australian Crow {Corvuf 

 ausiralis) from Australia, deposited ; two Chinchillas (C/«'«^^?7/a 

 lanigera) from Chili, an Indian Q.\x&STO\.^\i\{Tragulus meminna $ ) 

 from Ceylon, an Elate Hornbill [Ceratogymna elata), a White- 

 necked Crow {Corvus scapulattis) from West Africa, a Large 

 Grieved Tortoise {Podocnemis expansa) from the Amazon River, 

 purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Objects for the Spectroscope. 



Sidereal Time at Greenwich at 10 p.m. on July 17 = 

 I7h. 42m. 4IS. 



Remarks. 



(i) The spectrum of this remarkable nebula has not yet been 

 completely examined. In 1868, Captain Herschel observed 

 two lines in the spectrum, and, in addition, a decided con- 

 tinuous spectrum from the brightest point, which is '* not 

 stellar." Thete lines are stated to be ill-defined; and now 

 that it is asserted by some observers that the nebula lines are 

 always sharp, they should be re-examined with special reference 

 to this point. Seeing that the brightest point is not a star, it 

 will be well also to look for maxima of brightness in the con- 



