Chemistry 619 



(among other things) : " The atomic weights of bodies, the 

 proportions of the elements of various compounds; acids with 

 bases ; metals with oxygen, etc. A list of metals, with col- 

 umns containing specific gravity, elasticity, tenacity, specific 

 heat, conductive power of heat, conductive power of electric- 

 ity, melting point, refraction power, proportion of rays re- 

 flected out of 1000 at an incident of 90. List of specific 

 gravities of all bodies." Frank W. Clarke, then of Boston, 

 had for his own purpose compiled certain information of the 

 above character, and in 1873 submitted to the Smithsonian 

 Institution his results, consisting of a table, exclusive of its 

 supplement, which, in his own words, " contains the specific 

 gravities of 2263 substances and over 5000 determinations in 

 all. There are over 2000 determinations of boiling point, 

 representing 1205 different substances, and nearly 500 of 

 melting point for 326 substances. In all, the names of 2572 

 distinct bodies will be found in this table." This work, en- 

 titled "The Constants of Nature. Part i. Specific Gravities; 

 Boiling and Melting Points and Chemical Formula," was sub- 

 mitted for critical examination to Charles A. Joy, and Charles 

 F. Chandler, of Columbia College ; and on their recommen- 

 dation published in December, 1873. It consisted of 263 

 octavo pages, and was numbered 255 of the "Smithsonian 

 Miscellaneous Collections." 



In April, 1876, the Smithsonian Institution issued the 

 " First Supplement to Part i " of " The Constants of Nature " 

 as an octavo pamphlet of sixty-one pages, which contained, 

 "in addition to determinations published during the past 

 two years, some materials which were overlooked in com- 

 piling the original work." At the same time there were is- 

 sued Part ii of "The Constants of Nature," consisting of 

 "A Table of Specific Heats for Solids and Liquids" (58 

 pages), and also Part in, "Tables of Expansion by Heat 



