2 3 8 



NATURE 



[November 21, 1918 



summer ol [916 five new research rooms were 

 equipped Oi these the most important is the new 

 coal-tar products and dyestuffs research laboratory, 

 furnished with a specially constructed electrically 

 heated oven for giving variable and positive degrees 

 of temperature. The increase in the expenditure of 

 the college has been partly met by larger Govern; 

 ment grants. In the year 1910-11 the grant received 

 amounted to 11,895!., while that received during 

 1915-16 was [6,646!., including a special war granl 

 (if [250!. Since 1002 commercial tests and investiga- 

 tions which could not be carried out elsewhere in or 

 near Manchester have been undertaken bj the colli •. 

 The financial value of this work in H114 was 

 398!. 1 4 \ . 6</., whereas in 1017 it reached 2946!. 6s. (id. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 

 Royal Society, November 14.— Sir J. J. Thomson, 

 president, in the chair.— A. Mallock : Sounds produced 

 by drops falling on water. — G. H. Hardy and S. 

 Ramanujan : The coefficients in the expansions of cer- 

 tain modular functions.— .The Hon. R. J. Strutt : The 

 light scattered by gases : its polarisation and inten- 

 sity. — Dr. F. Horton and Ann C. Davies ; An investiga- 

 tion of the ionising power of the positive ions from 

 a glowing tantalum filament in helium. The ionising 

 power of the positive ions from a glowing tantalum 

 filament in helium has been investigated by a modi- 

 fication of the method due to Lena'rd. The positive 

 ions were accelerated through a piece of platinum 

 gauze into the ionisation chamber, and were there 

 retarded by an opposing potential difference between 

 the gauze and a movable collecting electrode, this 

 retarding potential being constant during a series of 

 experiments, and always greater than the greatest 

 accelerating potential used in that series, so that none 

 of the positive ions reached the collecting electrode. 

 It was (Found that an increasing current was obtained 

 in the ionisation chamber (the electrode collecting a 

 negative charge) when the potential difference ac- 

 celerating the posilive ions was gradually raised above 

 20 volts. This result is similar to that obtained bv 

 Pawlow, and by Bahr and Franck, who concluded 

 that helium atoms are ionised by the collisions of 

 positive ions moving with 20 volts velocity. The 

 experiments described in the paper have shown that 

 the observed increasing current, with increasing 

 accelerating potentials above, about 20 volts, is mainly 

 due to the positive ions liberating electrons from the 

 walls cif the ionisation chamber which they bombard, 

 and that the positive ions do not ionise the helium 

 atoms even when they collide with velocities up to 

 2no volts. 



Physical Society, October 25.— Prof. C. H. Lees, 

 presidi nt, in the chair. Discussion on the case for the 

 ring electron. Dr. H. S. Allen discussed the argu- 

 ments in Favour of an electron in the form of a 

 current circuit capable of produring magnetic effects. 

 Thin the electron, in addition to exerting electro- 

 static forces, behaves like a small magnet. The 

 assumption of the rin electron removes many out- 

 standing difficulties: lYi There is no loss of energy 

 by radiation as in the case of a classical electron cir- 

 culating in an orbit. (2) Diamagnetic atoms must 

 have a zero resultant magnetic moment. This is 

 difficult to account for with electrons in orbital motion. 



(i) The ring electron gives a : 1 explanation of the 



farts of paramagnetism, including the experimental 

 results of K. T. Compton and Trousdale, and of 

 \. TT. Compton and O. Rognlev obtained bv X-ray 

 analysis. (4) The asymmetry of certain types of radia- 



NO. 2560, VOL. 102] 



tion can be accounted for (A. H. Compton). (5) The 

 effect of the magnetisation of iron upon its absorption 

 coefficient foi X-rays observed by Forman is ex- 

 plained, to) The small amount of ionisation "I gases 

 produced by X-rays may receive an explanation. 



(7) Grondahl claims to have found evidence for a 

 magnetic electron in certain thermo-electric effects. 



(8) Webster lias given a method of deducing Planck's 

 radiation formula bv making certain assumptions as 

 to the internal mechanism of Parson's "magneton." 

 hi) It is suggested that Bohr's theory as to tin origin of 

 series lines in spectra may be restated so as to apply 



it to tlic rim; electron. The essential points of the 

 quantum theory and Bohr's equations may be re- 

 tained, even if his atomic model be rejected. (10) If 

 radiation is due to pulsations in a ring electron, the 

 Zeeman effect may be deduced bv reasoning similar to 

 that first employed hv Lorentz. (11) The scattering of 

 streams of electrons from the sun due to electrostatic 

 forces would he to some extent diminished. (12) Par- 

 son has shown that manv of the problems of chemical 

 constitution and stereochemistry may be solved by 

 a magneton theory of the structure of the atom. 

 Stationary valence electrons are possible. (13) The 

 forces of cohesion in 'a solid are similar in nature to 

 chemical forces, both sets of forces having an electro- 

 magnetic origin. The questions of the mass and 

 magnetic moment of such a ring electron were dis- 

 cussed. It was pointed out that the adoption of this 

 hypothesis would lead naturally to the acceptance of 

 an atomic model with a magnetic core, as previously 

 suggested by the speaker. 



Mineialogical Society, November 5. — Sir William P. 

 Beale, Bart., president, in the chair. — Dr. G. F. 

 Herbert Smith and Dr. G. T. Prior : A plagionite-like 

 mineral from Dumfriesshire. Specimens of antimony- 

 lead ore collected by Lieut. Russell from Glendinning 

 Mine contained small cavities lined with tiny black 

 crystals, measuring less than 04 mm., and mostly 

 less than 0-2 mm., across. Some resembled in habit 

 the crystals of plagionite from the Hartz Mountains 

 described bv Ludecke. Measurements made on the 

 three-circle goniometer showed the crystals to belong 

 to the semseyite end of the group, and the result of a 

 chemical analysis of the compact material of which 

 the crystals form part corresponded approximately 

 with the formula 5PbS.2Sb.S3. Semseyite has not 

 previously been recorded from the British Isles. — 

 Lieut. A. Russell : The chromite deposits in the 

 Island of Unst, Shetlands. Tin bottle-shaped 

 mass of serpentine which runs through the centre of 

 the island from north to south contains chromite uni- 

 formly distributed, hut varying greatly in character, 

 being at limes massive, hut generally granular. More 

 than thirty quarries are known, hut 1 K six of them 

 have been worked to any extent. The associ 

 minerals include kammi rerite 1 ibundanl in one 

 quarrv), uvarovite, copper, hibbertite, brucite, calcite, 

 talc and magnetite. The rocks other than the ser- 

 pentine arc poor in minerals. — Dr. G. T. Prior: The 

 nickeliferous iron of the meteorites of Bluff, Chan- 

 dakanur, Chateau RenaTd. Cynthiana, Dhurmsala, 

 F.li Ehvah, Gnadenfrei, Kakowa, Lundsgard, New 

 Concord, Shelburne, and Shytal. The percentage of 

 nickeliferous iron and the ratio of iron to nickel in 

 the several instances were Found to be respectivelv 

 ?, ''' : R, - : s', 6§; 6, 6; .'. $ : o 1 ., :' : -i\ '■•' ! 

 8, 6; ^ ! . 7: 10, 8; ioj, 10; 7-!,, 6L 



Zoological Society. November -, Prof. E. YV. 

 MacBride, vice-president, in the (hair. Di. J. F. 

 (iemmill : The cause of the ciliary action in the 

 internal ravities of the CtenoDhore (Pleurobrachia 

 pileus). Dr. R. T. I.eiper : Diagnosis of helminth 



