March 26, 1903] 



NA TURE 



503 



volatile gases or with rays of krypton, xenon, or argon. 

 Until more exact measures of the wave-lengths are to hand 

 it is not possible to prove coincidence. The author shows 

 that theoretically there must be an interchange of atmo- 

 spheric gases between sun and planets, that the inter- 

 planetary space could not be a vacuum but must contain 

 many millions of molecules per cubic centimetre, and that 

 the interchange would not depend on the number of mole- 

 cules which would chance to acquire velocity enough to 

 carry them beyond the earth's attraction, but upon diffusion 

 with only the average kinetic energy of the molecules, which 

 takes place with extreme rapidity when the free path is 

 long.— On a synthesis of carboxy-derivatives of pyridine 

 by Mr. W. J. Sell, F.R.S., and Mr. F. W. Dootson.— 

 Experiments illustrating new reactions for the identification 

 of urea and of primary amines, by Mr. H. J. H. Fenton, 

 F.R.S. These experiments illustrated the application of 

 a certain new derivative of methyl-furfural as a reagent for 



the identification of certain organic nitrogen compounds. (i) 



A rapid method of estimating sugars ; (2) selection of seeds bv 

 chemical methods, by Mr. T. B. Wood and Mr. R. A. Berry. 

 Attention was directed to the importance of selecting for 

 seed production, mother plants of superior chemical com- 

 position, and to the great improvement brought about in 

 sugar beet, and in certain American wheats by the 

 systematic application of such methods. A description was 

 given of the first year's work in attempting to apply 

 chemical methods to the selection of mother plants of the 

 mangel, swede and kohl rabi for growing seed.— Methods 

 of preparation of osones, by Mr. R. S. iviorrell.— Note on 

 the stereochemistry of benzene, by Mr. H. O. Jones and 

 Mr. J. Kewley. The authors prepared the dextro-camphor- 

 suphonate (Reychler) and the dextro-bromo-camphor- 

 sulphonate of 1:3 : 4-methyl-chloro-amino-benzene and ex- 

 amined their rotatory powers after repeated recrystallisation 

 from non-hydroxylic solvents. Both salts were found to 

 have values for their molecular rotatory power practically 

 identical with those of salts of the respective acids with in- 

 active bases, and the base recovered from the salts was 

 quite inactive. Hence, unless both salts are partially 

 racemic, the benzene compound is incapable of showing 

 optical activity.— A method of detecting nickel and cobalt 

 in presence of each other, by Mr. F. W. Dootson. The 

 method depends upon the difference in colour of ethereal 

 solutions of the double thiocyanates of nickel or cobalt and 

 potassium.— On the Joule-Thomson effect, by Mr P V 

 r eV -i a "vr 0n a sensitive gold-leaf electrometer, by Mr! 

 C. 1. R. Wilson, F.R.S. The electrometer is sufficiently 

 sensitive to give a deflection per volt of 180 scale divisions of 

 the eye-piece micrometer of the reading microscope. The in- 

 creased sensitiveness has been secured without increasing 

 the capacity of the instrument. It is therefore specially 

 suitable for the measurement of very small quantities of 

 electricity.— A new mineral from the Binnenthal bv Mr 

 K. H. Solly. This mineral belongs to the group of sulph- 

 arsenites of lead, and is closely allied to rathite and bauni- 

 hauente. 



Manchester. 



Literary and Philosophical Society, March j.-Mr. 

 Charles Bailey, president, in the chair.— A paper entitled 



further Investigation of the Detection and Approximate 

 Estimation of Minute Quantities of Arsenic in Malt Beer 

 and Foodstuffs " was read by Mr. W. Thomson! who 

 pointed out that he had greatly improved the process which 

 he had already published, and that by this improved method 

 he had been able to obtain a very distinct mirror of arsenic 

 in beer, for instance, when it existed to the extent of 

 1/3000 part of a grain per gallon, when working on so 

 c.c. which is equivalent to less than a sherry glassful of 

 the beer. This is equivalent to the detection of about one 

 part ,n two hundred and eighty millions of beer.— Prof 



, t DiX ?"' J FR - S '. exhibited an electrolytic Marsh appal 

 ratus for the detection of arsenic, which had been approved 

 by the Government authorities, and he claimed that it was 

 sufficiently delicate for the purpose in view.— Mr Francis 

 Jones referred to the recent observations on the bendin- 



outTnt s ma , " \ Pr ° f - ^ ° f Washi "gton, and pointed 

 out that similar phenomena have long been known. Lan- 

 tern slides were shown of marble tombstones (particularly 

 NO. I743, VOL. 67] 



that of Prof. Black) in Edinburgh churchyards, which have 

 fallen to pieces in the course of sixty or seventy years, the 

 marble in each case having bent outwards. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, March 16.— M. Albert Gaudry in- 

 the chair. — On the solidification of fluorine and on the com- 

 bination at -252°'5 of solid fluorine and liquid hydrogen, 

 by MM. H. Moissan and J. Dewar (see p. 497). — The 

 heart in a pathological state, by MM. Ch. Bouchard and 

 Balthazard. Ii has been shown that the cardiac area, A, 

 is not sufficient to characterise the dimensions of the organ' 

 It is necessary to determine the ratio of this area to a 

 quantity which characterises the individual examined • the 

 magnitude of the ratio S/A, where S is the albumin 

 normally fixed in the tissue, gives figures which are com- 

 parable between themselves. This ratio has been deter- 

 mined in seventy-four cases, and the results obtained are 

 tabulated. It was found that in certain pathological states 

 the heart may have its normal dimensions, in others 

 tuberculous cases being left out of consideration, the ratio 

 may be above the normal, but never below it. — On bacilli- 

 form bovine piroplasmosis, by M. A. Laveran.— On the 

 effect of temperature on electrocapillary phenomena, by M. 

 Gouy. In general, the maximum height observed decreases 

 I with a rise of temperature, and for water and certain in- 

 organic salts the temperature coefficient is practically the 

 I same. The coefficient is smaller for the organic substances 

 examined.— On the present state of the Soufriere of Guade- 

 loupe, by M. A. Lacroix. The volcanic manifestations of 

 Guadeloupe have not changed their nature; the present 

 observations, like all those which have been made since the 

 last eruption .in 1837, shows that the aclivity of the 

 fumerolles undergoes variations in intensity, and also that 

 they are not fixed in position.— On the existence of derived 

 functions, by M. H. Lebesgue.— On geodesies of three 

 dimensions, by M. A. Boulanger.-On the theory of the 

 tempering of steel, by M. Andre Le Chatelier.— Propaga- 

 tion in conducting media, by M. Marcel Brillouin.— On the 

 dielectric cohesion of mixture of gases, by M. Bouty. The 

 critical field for a gaseous mixture is intermediate between 

 that of either of the constituent gases, and for gases which 

 do not act chemically on each other the critical field is 

 exactly the mean of the critical fields of the two gases con- 

 sidered separately at the pressure of the mixture —On the 

 production of induced radio-activity by actinium by M A 

 Dob, erne. The experiments with actinium' described 

 show that there exists a new radiation characterised 

 essentially by the property of rendering radio-active in a 

 temporary manner, the bodies which it strikes —On the 

 heat given off spontaneously bv radium salts by MM P 

 Curie and A. Laborde (see p. 49 i).-On the combination 

 of plumbic acid with organic acids, by M. Albert Colson. 

 1 he author has prepared lead tetra-acetate, tetrapropionate 

 and tetrabutyrate by the action of red lead on the correspond- 

 ing acids.— On the heat of transformation of yellow into red 

 phosphorus, by M. H. Oiran. The value currently held for 

 his transformation, 19.2 calories, is too great. The applica- 

 tion of the Clapyron formula gives a much lower result 

 about 4 calories, and this has been confirmed experimentally 

 in two ways, by the combustion of the two varieties of 

 phosphorus in the Berthelot bomb, and by the action of 

 bromine.-On collargol, by M. H. Hanriot. An examin- 

 ation of the substance sold commercially as collargol showed 

 that it contained S7 per cent, of metallic silver traces of 

 ammonia and nitric acid, together with an albuminoid 

 material. From the reactions of this substance, the con- 

 clusion is drawn that collargol is the soluble salt of an acid 

 colargolic acid, which is sufficiently strong to displace 

 carbonic acd from carbonates. The fact that silver or 

 rather a deposit containing silver, is deposited during 

 electrolysis at the positive pole is in accordance with this 

 view.— ihe action of hot metals on the fatty acids by M \] 

 Hebert. The fatty acids, by the action of ' the more 

 oxidisable metals at a high temperature, are first trans- 

 formed into ketones, which are then decomposed g-ivin°- 

 rise chiefly to carbonic acid, hydrogen and ethvlenic hydrcf- 

 bvMM'7 « P . r ° per ' le | of a solution °f sodium sulphate, 

 I *u u ^ ar 'f and K - Ma «>"'-s. In order to determine 

 whether hydrated sodium sulphate undergoes dehydration 

 in solution on warming, measurements were made of the 



