MARCH 21, 1907 | 
NATURE 
1593 
years after Sibthorp’s foundation, Oxford’s new professor 
is pointing out that while sixteen of the *twenty-five uni- 
versity graduates recently appointed to the Indian. Agri- 
cultural “Department have been trained in Cambridge and 
Edinburgh, ‘*‘ Oxford has not supplied a single candidate 
for’ these Imperial posts.’’; We should like to urge re- 
consideration of the subject on other grounds. Agriculture 
needs the support of the English universities, and in the 
past it has suffered through their neglect. By her influence 
on the young landowners who pass through her colleges 
Oxford might make her teaching felt on many an English 
éstale. = 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
LONDON. . 
Chemical Society, March 7.—Prof. R. Meldola, F.R.S 
president, ‘in the chair.--The constitution of chaulmoogric 
and hydnocarpic acids: M. Barrowcliff and F. B. 
Power. A siudy of the oxidation products of thaulmoogric 
acid leads to the conclusion that it exists in a state of 
tautomerism between 1-a- -carboxy-n-dodecyl-A*-cyclope ntene 
and ~ 1-a-carboxy-n-dodecyl-1 : 4-bicyclopentane. Hydno- 
carpic acid, Cur OF is a homologue of chaulmoogric 
acid. is constitution may accordingly be represented by 
the following formula :— - 
pou i 
a } 
CH—H ..C(CII,);) . CO,H 
| | 
CH,——--CHs 
—ilydrolysis of amygdalin by acids: R. J. Caldwell and 
S. L. Courtauld. The authors have studied the action of 
acids im* comparison with that of enzymes on_ this 
‘“bioside,’? and the results show that though amygdalin 
is ultimately resolved by acids into hydrogen cyanide, 
benzaldehyde, and two molecular proportions of glucose, the 
separation of the glucose is effected in two stages. By 
carefully hydrolysing amygdalin by means of a normal 
solution of hydrogen chloride at 60°, the authors have 
prepared mandelonitrile glucoside-—Mandelonitrile gluco- 
sides, Prulaurasin: R. J. Caldwell and S.L. Courtauld. 
Fischer’s glucoside bears the same relation to prulaurasin 
as amygdalin bears to the isoamygdalin described by Dakin, 
which is to be regarded as the derivative of inactive 
mandelonitrile, amysdalin’ and Fischer’s glucoside being 
derived from i-mandclonitrile- Sambunigrin must be re- 
garded” as the £-glucoside of d-mandelonitrile—The 
hydrolysis of amygdalin by emulsin; S. J. M. Auld. The 
hydrolysis of amygdalin by emulsin may proceed in three 
ways, depending on the mode of attachment of the emulsin. 
The experiments so far carried out by the author indicate 
that benzaldehydecyanohydrin and the af-disaccharide are 
formed, and the latter then resolves into. two molecules of 
dextrose.—Electrolytic reduction, part iii.: H. D. Law. 
The products of electrolytic reduction of the aromatic 
aldehydes in alkaline solution are compounds of the hydro- 
benzoin type, but this reaction is completely altered when 
a methyl group is substituted in the ortho or meta position 
of the benzene nucleus. Compounds of a resinous nature 
are obtained in the latter case.—-New cerium salts: G. 
Morgan and I. Cahen. The aromatic sulphonates of this 
element are usually soluble, crystalline compounds re- 
sembling the thorium sulphonates previously described by 
one of the authors.—Volume changes, which accompany 
transformations in the system Na,S,O,: 5H.O: H. M. 
Dawson and C. G. ime The changes, which take 
place in the system Na,S,O,: 5H,O when subjected to 
certain temperature variations, have been investigated by 
the dilatometric method. —Depression of the freezing point 
of agueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide by potassium 
persulphate and other compounds: T..S, Price. Potassium 
persulphate causes a less molecular depression of the 
freezing point of aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide 
than it does of water, and the conclusion is drawn that 
an unstable compound is formed in solution.—The form- 
ation and reactions of imino-compounds, part iii., the 
NO. 1951, VOL. 75] 
formation of 1 
from o-toluonitrile: E. F. J. 
:3-naphthylenediamine and its derivatives 
Atkinson, H. Ingham, and 
J. F. Tnorpe.—The action’ of ethylene dibromide: and of 
propylene dibromide on the disodium’ derivative - of 
diacetylacetone : A. W. Bain, * f : 
Mathematical Socicty, March 14.—Sir W. D. Niven, 
vice-president, in the chair.—Mr. GW, Evans-Cross 
exhibited his calculating machine, , the myriometer. The 
instrument has several different forms, Which 4re all,” in 
principle, modifications of the slide-rule, In the form’ in 
which the instrument can be used for multiplies ation, the 
rule consists of a number, .equal to that of the digits in 
one factor, of slips placed diagonally in a frame, and the 
slide carries as many cursors as there are digits in the 
other factor. ‘The instrument will give exact results for 
numbers of six or eight digits. In other forms the ifstru- 
ment can be used for various calculations relating to com- 
merce, such as the reduction of thé interest on’ a stated 
sum from one percentage to another. “In another form 
slides can be set so as to give the cale endar of any year, 
B.C. or A.p., and all the new moons of the year.—Invariants 
of the general quadratic form modulo , 2 rot. Dea ob 
Dickson. Complete sets of indépendent’ jAvariants, and 
also of linearly independent invariants, 'aré ob{ained for 
quadratic forms of not more than five ‘variables in the 
field of order two, and those invariants of quadfatic’ ‘forms 
of six variables which can be de duced. are also. given. It 
is shown that the complete classification _of quadratic forms 
can be accomplished by means of invariant ‘functions. — 
Linear partial differential ‘equations of , the’ first order : 
J. Brill. The paper is occupied with a ge neral review of 
the theory and an endeavour to ascertain, ‘the relations of 
exceptional solutions to the solutions of ¢lassified types. — 
The reduction of the factorisation of binary séptans and 
octans to the solution of an indeterminate, requi ation’: Dr. 
Stuart.—An informal communication on the ,represeptation 
of functions by means of series of a special type Wag made 
by Prof. A. E. H. Love. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences. Maren 1reeM.' TMerri_Becquevel 
in the chair.—Some details of thé Spéctrfoléliograph : H. 
Deslandres. Remarks on: a recent paper by M: Millo- 
chau in the Comptes rendus.° Many of the: dévails described 
by M. Millochau as new have been’ uséd%by ‘thé author for 
years, and further details of*working aré now “added.-—A 
new contribution to the study of ‘the stinging -fliés’ of inter- 
tropical Africa: A. Laveran. A detailed’ account of the 
various speciés found in ‘the districts of Senegal, Mauri- 
tania, the Upper Senegal and Niger? -Frénéti Guinea, the 
Congo Free State, and Mozambique.—Thet direct ‘déhydra- 
tion of dimethylisopropyl carbinol: Louis Henry. The 
dehydration of this alcohol might be expected to give rise 
to pure tetramethylethylene, and it Was. with this object 
in view that the experiments were’ carrikd out. . Phe ‘re- 
action proved to be not quite so simple, the bechononanen 
of the hydrocarbons obtained by the action “Of acétic anhy- 
dride upon the alcohol * giving tetraniethyleth¥lene and 
methyl-isopropylethylene, the former ‘hydrocarbon — being 
about three-quarters of the total -product:—Some. new 
results obtained in the detection and* estimation of methane : 
Nestor Gréhant. An improvement / of. an * apparatus 
previously described.—The perpetual “Secretary ’ announced 
the death of Francois Joseph Herrgott,\correspondant for 
the section of medicine ‘and surgery.—A+:snew comet : 
M. Giacobini (see p.° 4098).—The ‘elastic: «deform- 
ations which leave invariable the “ lengths‘ of “a, ‘triple 
infinity of right lines: G. Keenigs.—Waves: of hook ‘and 
combustion. The stability of the expldSive “wave: MM. 
Crussard and Jouguet. It is assunied thati.thé ¢ombus- 
tion is ineomplete in the. wave, but’ is ‘completed behind 
adiabatically and reversibly» according to-the law of dis- 
sociation, and the consequences of: 'this*assumption are 
worked out.—The conditions of forniation of electrified 
centres of feeble mobility in gases: Maurice de Bregilic. 
Experiments on carbon monoxide flames and flames con- 
taining hydrogen lead to the conclusion that the presence 
of centres of feeble mobility in the gases issuing from 
flames appears to be related to the production in the flame 
of solid or liquid products, or to the..presence. of some 
centres previously existing in the normal state ‘in the atmo- 
