164 



NA TURE 



[December 18, 1902 



difficulty. Sodium vapour attacks all silicates. Sodium distils 

 neanhe temperature of fuse i salt. If not volatilised, it forms a 

 conducting bridge from the kathode. It attacks iron, though 

 slowly. Hot porcelain and earthenware conduct electrolytically 

 — as, by the way, the maker of electric frying-pans knows — hot 

 chlorine attacks metals, even when dry, and hot carbon cannot 

 be exposed to the air. In addition, sodium and perhaps chlorine 

 are soluble in hot salt, and traces of sulphate in the salt act as 

 carriers. I could a tale unfold if I read out laboratory notes of 

 sodium experiments on a fairly large scale. The difficulties 

 are all incidental, though, and I have little doubt electrolytic 

 sodium at a few pounds per ton will be in the market soon, 

 and will affect profoundly many chemical and metallurgical 

 industries. 



In metallurgy, electrolytic solution processes are in use or on 

 trial for the more valuable metals, such as copper and nickel. 

 The reaction between chlorine and metallic sulphides at high 

 temperatures brings the whole domain of sulphide ores under 

 <>ui sway. Thus a sulphide, say galena, is treated with chlorine, 

 which gives off the sulphur as sulphur, which is condensed and 

 sold, making chloride of lead. The silver is extracted by stir- 

 ring with a little lead, and the fused salt is then electrolysed, 

 yielding pure desilverised lead and chlorine. The process is 

 •thus self-contained, yielding sulphur, lead and silver. It is 

 specially applicable to mixed refractory ores which are now 

 nearly valueless and very plentiful, and contain much metal con- 

 tent, such as the mixed lead-zinc sulphides of America or 

 Australia. These reactions have been proved on the large or 

 ton scale, and there is no technical difficulty. Unfortunately, 

 mine people are somewhat ignorant of electrical matters, and it 

 is exceedingly difficult to get them to understand or appreciate 

 a process like this, capable though it may be of paying good 

 dividends on very large capitals indeed. 



Our limit in electrolysis in this country is almost entirely 

 human inertia. Commercial and financial people do not under- 

 stand it, and fight shy of it. But our technical people are nearly 

 as bad. The pure physicist, as a rule, takes no interest in 

 electrolysis or physical chemistry, and thinks it belongs to the 

 chemical classroom on the other side of the passage. The 

 chemist thinks it is higher mathematics and will have none of 

 it, the mathematician thinks it may bean exercise in differential 

 equations; but they are all agreed that it is a sort of continental 

 fungus which flourishes with no roots, and that it is beneath the 

 attention of a scientific man to know enough about it to give a 

 reason for the broad statement that it is all nonsense. 



DUTY-FREE ALCOHOL FOR SCIENTIFIC 

 PURPOSES. 

 ""TEACHERS of organic chemistry have often expressed the 

 ■^ opinion that alcohol used for purposes of education and 

 research should be relieved of the heavy duty levied upon it. 

 Two years ago, attention was directed to the need for action in 

 the matter, and at the Glasgow meeting of the British Associa- 

 tion in 1901, a committee was appointed, with instructions to 

 approach the Board of Inland Revenue, with the object of 

 endeavouring to secure the removal of this tax upon scientific 

 work. As the result, the following regulations have been issued 

 by the Board and published in the dady l'ress : — 



Regulations for the Use of Duty-free Spirit at Universities, 

 Colleges, £fc. 



(1) An application must be made by the governing body or 

 their representatives, stating the situation of the particular 

 university, college, or public institution for research or teaching, 

 the number of the laboratories therein, the purpose or purposes 

 to which the spirits are to be applied, the bulk qnantity likely 

 to be required in the course of a year, and, if it amounts to fifty 

 gallons or upwards, the name or names of one or more sureties, 

 or a guarantee society to join in a bond that the spirits will be 

 used solely for the purpose requested and at the place specified. 



(2) The spirits received at any one institution must only be 

 used in the laboratories of Lhat institution, and must not be 

 distributed for use in the laboratories of any other institution, 

 or used for any other purpose than those authorised. 



(3) Only plain British spirits or unsweetened foreign spirits of 

 not less strength than 50 degrees over proof (i.e. containing 

 not less than 80 per cent, by weight of absolute alcohol) may 

 be received duty free, and the differential duty must be paid 

 on the foreign spirits. 



NO. 1729, VOL. 67] 



I 



(4) The spirits must be received under bond either from a 

 distillery or from an Excise or Customs general warehouse and 

 (except with special permission) in quantities of not less than 

 nine bulk gallons at a time. They will be obtainable only on 

 presentation of a requisition signed by the proper supervisor. 



(5) On the arrival of the spirits at the institution, the proper 

 Revenue officer should be informed , and the vessels, casks or 

 packages containing them are not to be opened until he has 

 taken an account of the spirits. 



(6) The stock of spirits in each institution must be kept 

 under lock in a special compartment under the control of a 

 professor or some responsible officer of the university, college or 

 institution. 



(7) The spirits received by the responsible officer of the in- 

 stitution may be distributed by him undiluted to any of the 

 laboratories on the same premises. 



(8) No distribution of spirits may be made from the receiv- 

 ing laboratory to other laboratories which are not within the 

 same premises. 



(9) A stock book must be provided and kept at the receiving 

 laboratory in which is to be entered on the debit side an account 

 of the bulk and proof gallons of spirits received with the date 

 of receipt, and on the credit side an account of the bulk and 

 proof gallons distributed to other laboratories. A stock book 

 must also be kept at each other laboratory, in which must be 

 entered on the day of receipt an account of the bulk and proof 

 gallons of spirits received from the receiving laboratory. 



These books must be open at all times to the inspection of 

 the Revenue officer, and he will be at liberty to make any ex- 

 tract from them which he may consider necessary. 



(10) The quantity of spirits in stock at anyone time must not 

 exceed half the estimated quantity required in a year where that 

 quantity amounts to twenty gallons or upwards. 



(11) Any contravention of the regulations may involve the 

 withdrawal of the Board's authority to use duty-free spirits. 



(12) It must be understood that the Board of Inland Revenue 

 reserve to themselves full discretion to withhold permission for 

 the use of duty-free spirit in any case in which the circum- 

 stances may not seem to them to be such as to warrant the 

 grant of it. J. B. Meers, 



Secretary. 

 Inland Revenue, Somerset House, W.C. , November 17. 



Note. — "Proof Spirit " is defined bylaw to be such spirit 

 as at the temperature of 51 Fahrenheit shall weigh l^ths of an 

 equal measure of distilled water. 



Taking water at 51 Fahrenheit as unity, the specific gravity 

 of "proof spirit "at 51' Fahrenheit is 092308. When such 

 spirit is raised to the more usual temperature of 6o° Fahren- 

 heit, the specific gravity is 091984. 



To calculate the quantity of spirits at proof in a given quan- 

 tity of spirit over or under proof strength : — Multiply the 

 quantity of spirit by the number of degrees of strength of the 

 spirit, and divide the product by 100. The number of degrees 

 of strength of any spirit is 100 plus the number of degrees over- 

 proof, or minus the number of degrees underproof. 



Example : — 19S gallons of spirits at 64 '5 overproof 

 100 + 64^5 = i64'5 proof strength. 

 164-5 x J9'8 t 100 = 32571 

 taken as 325 gallons at proof. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Oxford. — In connection with the School of Geography, Mr. 

 Mackinder will lecture weekly during Hilary term on the 

 historical geography of Europe, Mr. Dickson will lecture on 

 surveying and mapping and on the climatic regions of the globe ; 

 he will also give, in conjunction with Mr. Darbishire, practical 

 instruction in military topography ; Mr. Herbertson will lecture 

 on the British Isles, the regional geography of continental 

 Europe, and on types of land forms, mountains and coasts ; 

 Dr. Grundy will lecture on the historical topography of Greece, 

 and Mr. Beazley on the period of the great discoveries, 1480- 

 1650. 



Sir William Collins has accepted the invitation to stand as 

 the Liberal candidate for London University at the ensuing 

 Parliamentary by-election. 



