i6o 



NA TURE 



[December 14, 1905 



the molecule, whilst a consideration of the chemical proper- 

 ties leads to the conclusion that the two atoms of hydrogen 

 are functionally different, and that in reality water has a 

 disymmetric formula. 



A very interesting paper by M. T. Godlewski on 

 certain radio-active properties of uranium is contained in 

 No. 5 of the Bulletin International of the Cracow Academy 

 of Sciences. A re-investigation has been made of the 

 anomalous phenomena encountered by Meyer and 

 s \\\\ ' idler in studying the activity of uranium X. These 

 authors had concluded that the decay curve of uranium X 

 is not complementary to the recovery curve of uranium, 

 but M. Godlewski considers that this only holds when the 

 uranium nitrate containing the UrX is separated from 

 its solution by crystallisation; when it is separated by 

 evaporation to dryness at a temperature sufficiently high 

 to remove the water of crystallisation, an abnormally high 

 ee. hi i!r,.n 1 nut observed. In fractionally crystallising 

 uranium nitrate, uranium X, which is easily soluble in 

 water, accumulates in the mother liquor- ; several crystal- 

 lisations will completely deprive uranium nitrate of UrX. 

 The author explains the increase of activity observed in 

 the crystallisation of uranium nitrate as being due to an 

 accumulation of UrX in the upper surfaces of the crystals; 

 this appears to be confirmed by the observation that the 

 activity of a crystal when turned over was found to be 

 only one-third of the activity measured from the upper 

 side. Experiments are brought forward to show that the 

 first rapid decay of activity after crystallisation, which 

 causes an uneven distribution of UrX throughout the plate, 

 is due to the diffusion of UrX from the upper layers of 

 the crystal, where it is more concentrated, to the lower, 

 where the concentration is smaller. The view is held that 

 the uranium X is dissolved in the crystals and the total 

 mass of uranium in the form of a solid solution. 



A second and revised edition of the section of the report 

 issued by the Engineering Standards Committee dealing 

 with standard locomotives for Indian Railways has been 

 published by Messrs. Crosby Lockwood and Son at ios. 6d. 



net. 



We have received from Messrs. John J. Griffin and 

 Sons, Ltd., a copy of their " H " list dealing with 

 apparatus for use in the teaching of hydrostatics and 

 pneumatics. The excellence of the illustrations and the 

 lucidity of the brief descriptions make the catalogue a 

 very servii eable one. 



A CIRCULAR from the bio-chemical department of (he 

 University of Liverpool announces that the first number 

 of a new periodical— the Bio-Chemical Journal — will be 

 issued in January. Contributions are invited, dealing with 

 all portions of the subject of bio-chemistry in its widest 

 sense. The journal will be issued monthly, in so far as 

 material is available. 



The University of Chicago Tress has published a si id 



edition of Dr. C. J. Chamberlain's " Methods in Tlant 

 Histology." The first edition of the book was reviewed 

 in our issue for November 28, 190 1 (vol. lxv. p. 75). The 

 new issur contains both alterations and additions; and some 

 of the improvements suggested in tin- review referred to 

 have been made. 



In noticing the illustrated catalogues of makers of 

 scientific apparatus in this country from time to time, we 

 have directed attention to the excellence of the illustrations 

 accompanying the descriptions of the different instruments, 

 A revised price-list of microscopes and accessories which 

 NO. 1885, VOL. J$] 



has been received from the Bausch and Lomb Optical Co., 

 Rochester, N.Y., is another instance of a carefully arranged 

 and admirably illustrated catalogue. The catalogue pro- 

 vides information concerning microscopes made by this 

 firm suitable for general laboratory work, advanced work, 

 bacteriology, photomicrography, and a physician's needs. 



iln necessary accessories are detailed fully, and clear de- 

 scriptions make their spei ial characteristics easily under- 

 stood. The sole representatives of the company in this 

 country and the colonics are Messrs. A. E. Staley and Co., 



.1 fhavies Inn, Holborn Cirrus, E.C. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



\ other New Comet, 10051-.— A telegram from the Kill 

 Centralstelle announces the discovery of a new comet, 

 by Prof. Giacobini, of the Nice Observatory, on 

 1 ). 1 ember 6-080. 



At i6h. 53 7m. (Nice M.T.) the comet's position was 

 R.A. = i4h. 21111. 394s., dec. = +20° 59' 29", 

 and subsequent observations showed that its daily move- 

 ment in R.A. amounted to + i° oS' ( = + 4111. 32s.) and 

 in dec. to — o° 26'. 



From the above it is seen that, when discovered, the 

 comet was about 10m. east and i° 15' north of Arcturus, 

 and that it is apparently travelling slowly towards the con- 

 stellation Serpens. 



A second telegram from Kiel announces that the comet 

 was observed at the Lick Observatory on December 8. 

 The position at 17I1. 16-3111. (Lick M.T.) was determined 

 as R.A. = 1411. 32m. 58s., dec. = + 19° 55' 3b". 



Circular No. 82 from Kiel states that the following 

 elements and ephemeris have been computed by Mr. 

 Morgan (Glasgow, Mo.) from observations made on 

 December 6, 7, and s. and communicated to the Central- 

 stelli bj Prof. E. C. Pickering:— 



Elements. 



T= 1906 January 16-20 (G.M.T.). 



00 =213 56 1 



a = 93 21 ^1905-0 



i = 44 23 J 



q = O-092S 



Epkeme 



Dec. 14 



The computed brightness for December 10 was 1 00, the 

 brightness at time of discover) being taken as i-o. 



Comet 1903b. — A number of observations of comet 1905b 

 (Schaer's) are recorded in No. 4057 of the Astronomische 

 Nachrichten. 



Using the Bruce telescope, and exposing for fifty-five 

 minutes, Prof. Wolf photographed the comet on 

 November 21, and obtained an image which showed the 

 object to be unsymmetrical. A fine, faint tail was seen 

 to issue from the coma in a position angle of 92 , reckon- 

 ing from the direction of the comet's path. This tail was 

 curved, with the concave side preceding, and at a distance 

 of 22' from the nucleus it was broken, the second part 

 having a slightly different direction to the first. 



On November 20 Prof. Wolf was able to see the comet 

 with the naked eye, and estimated its magnitude to be 

 about 5-5. On November 21 he found it to be about 

 63m., and on November 24 observed that it had decreased 

 to 7-0. 



The ephemeris calculated by Herr M. Ebell gives the 

 position of this comet on December 15 as 



= 2311. 32m. 16s., S= — 10° 3o'-5, 



and its brightness as about 0-04 of that at the time of 

 discovery. 



