336 



NA TURE 



{Feb. 25, I 



working hypothesis, it seems possible that iron meteorites will be 

 associated with the metallic stars and stony meteorites with 

 metalloidal and compound stars. Of the iron group of metals 

 in the sun, iron and nickel are those which exist in greatest 

 quantity, as I have determined from the number of lines re- 

 versed. Other striking facts, such as the presence of hydrogen 

 in meteorites, miglit also be referred to. 



An interesting physical speculation connected with this work- 

 ing hypothesis is the effect on the period of duration of a star's 

 heat which would be brought about by assuming that the original 

 atoms of which a star is composed are possessed with tlie in- 

 creased potential energy of combination which this hypothesis 

 endows them with. From the earliest phase of a star's life the 

 dissipation of energy would, as it were, bring into play a new 

 supply of heat, and so prolong the star's light. 



May it not also be that if chemists take up this question which 

 has arisen from the spectroscopic evidence of what I have before 

 termed the plasticity of the molecules of the metalloids taken as 

 a whole, much of the power of variation; which is at present 

 accorded to metals may be traced home to the metalloids ? I 

 need only refer to the fact that, so far as I can learn, all 

 so-called changes of atomicity take place when metalloids are 

 involved, and not when metals alone are in question. 



As instances of these, I may refer to the triatomic com- 

 binations formed with chlorine, o.xygen, sulphur, &c. in the 

 case of tetrad or hexad metals. 



May we not from these ideas be justified in defining a metal, 

 provisionally, as a substance, the absorption-spectrum of which is 

 generally the same as the radiation-spectrum, while the metal- 

 loids are substances the absorption-spectrum of which, generally, 

 is not the sime ? In other words, in passing from a cold to a 

 comparatively hot slate, the plasticity of these latter! comes into 

 play, and we get a new molecular arrangement. Hence are 

 we not justified in asking whether the change from oxygen to 

 ozone is but a type of what takes place in all metalloids ? 



My best thanks are due to Mr. R. J. Friswell for the valuable 

 aid he has afforded me in these investigations. 



J. Norman Lockyer 



I^B 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



Poggcndorff'' s Annalen der Physik nnd Chcmie, 1874, No. 

 12. — This number completes vol. 153 of the series, and contains 

 the following papers : — On the capacity of liquids for conducting 

 heat, by A. Winkelman ; account of experiments based upon the 

 same method which Stefan employed successfully for determin- 

 ing the heat-conducting capacity ol air, and results tabulated for 

 water, alcohol, bisulphide of carbon, glycerine, and solutions of 

 chlorides of potassium and sodium. — On the elastic after-effects 

 in torsion motions, by F. Neesen.— Experimental researches on 

 the behaviour of n«n-conducting bodies under the influence of 

 electric forces, by Ludwig Boltzmann. The author starts from 

 the correct supposition that, according to the theories of 

 Clausius, Maxwell, and Helmholtz on the behaviour of dielec- 

 tric non-conductors in the electric field, the remarkable yet 

 obvious consequence results (which seems to have been overlooked 

 hitherto), that electric forces must necessarily exercise percep- 

 tible attraction upon non-conductors simply on acceuni of their 

 dielectric polarisation. The results he obtained were quite in 

 correspondence with the theories his experiments were based 

 upon. — On the action of electrophora, by P. Riess. — Critical 

 remarks on electro-dynamics, by II. Helmholtz. — On the power 

 of conducting electric currents in metallic sulphides, by Ferdi- 

 nand Braun. This paper is a supplement to another one by 

 Herr Herwig (vol. 153, No 9, of these A tiiia/s), on the beha- 

 viour of iron and steel rods in galvanic currents. — On the 

 reflection of light from the two surfaces of a lens, by 

 Dr. Krebs. It is a well-known fact, that when light passes 

 through a lens and we neglect the absorption in the interior of 

 the lens itself, a certain quantity of light is reflected by the 

 surfaces of the lens. Dr. Krebs for the first time gives a 

 mathematical account of this phenomenon. — On the apparent 

 place of a luminous point situated in a denser transparent 

 medium, or that observed through a so-called plane- parallel 

 plate, by IC. L. Bauer. The author arrives at the conclusion 

 that in most works on physics, and especially on optics, misre- 

 presentations of the point in question are contained, and quotes 

 as examples the works of Mousson, Wiillner, Criiger, Miiller, 

 Riedel, Schabus, Krebs, Frick, Banitz, Weirrhold, and Joch- 

 mann ; the only praiseworthy exception he found was Ilarting's 

 xcellent work on the microscope. — On some new sulphur salts. 



by R. Schneider (tenth paper). The new salts mentioned in 

 this paper are a compound of the formula — 



Na2S,TLS3 + T1„S,T!.,S3 

 and another one of the formula Tl^Sj. — On a new eye-piece, by 

 Dr. H. Kriiss. The author points out that the latest improve- 

 ments in optical instruments generally applied to object-glasses, 

 and that the eye-pieces remained where Huyghens and Ramsden 

 left them ; he therefore directed his attention to the improve- 

 ment of eye-pieces, which he describes. Whether these im- 

 provements will answer their purpose, practical experiments 

 only can show. — A note, by G. Wiedemann, on the diESociation 

 of salts containing water. Mr. Wiedemann claims priority with 

 regard to the investigations of M. Debray (Comjih-s KciiJiis, 

 t. 66, p. 194, 186S). — A note on the theory of electricity, by E. 

 Edlund. — A note by F. Lippich, on an electro-dynamic experi- 

 ment of F. Zoellner, described in these Aiuials, vol. 153, p. 13S. 

 — A note by O. E. Meyer, on a paper by Dr. G. Eaumgartner, 

 on the influence of temperature upon the velocity of effluence of 

 water flowing from tubes (these Annals, vol. 153, p. 44). — A 

 note by H. Baumhauer, on a paper of Dr. K. Exner, on the 

 solution-figures upon the surfaces of crystals (these Annals, 

 vol. 153, p. 53). Mr. Baumhauer points out that these figures 

 are quite independent of the crystallographic construction of the 

 substances undergoing solution. — On the rays of light which 

 decompose the xanthophyll of plants, by J. Wiesner. Finally, A. 

 Gawalovski describes a self-acting mercury valve for shutting off 

 gases, and preventing/their passage in any but the desired 

 direction. 



The "Journal of the Chemical Society for January contains the 

 following papers : — Action of bromine in presence of water on 

 bromo-pyrogallol and on bromo-pyrocatechin, by Dr. J. Sten- 

 house. The action of bromine on pyrogallol gives rise to the 

 formation of a yellow crystalline body of the formula CisH^Bi-jjO^ 

 in accordance with the equation — 



4CeH3Br303 -t- iiBr^ -t- 6H„0 = CjsHjBruOc-feCOj-f 2oHEr. 

 The author h.is not been able to determine the constitution of 

 this body, but proposes to name it provisionally xantho^allol. 

 Alkalies act upon x.mthogallol in presence of ether in the follow- 

 ing manner : — ■ 



Ci8HiBri40s 4- sNaHO = CigH^BrnO, -t- 3NaBr. 

 The excess of alkali at the' same time reacts wth the substance 

 and forms an alkaline salt. The action of bromine and water 

 on bromo-pyrocatechin gives rise to a crimson crystalline com- 

 pound of the formula CjgHoBrjjO, which the author has named 

 provisionally crythro-pyrocatechin. This body is formed as 

 follows : — 



4C6H2Br40.2 -I- sBr^ -)- 5H2O" - Q^^Yi^x^^O + 6CO2 -1- i6HBr. 

 The next paper is by the same author, on the action of bromine 

 on protocatechuic acid, gallic acid, and tannin. When proto- 

 catechuic acid is heated with, excess of bromine in sealed tubes 

 at 100° tetrabromopyrocatechin is produced, in accordance with 

 the reaction — 



C-HgOj -H 4Br., = CoHnBrjO. -I- CO, + 4HBr. 

 The protocatechuic acid used was prepared from East Indian 

 kino. Gallic acid heated with bromine to 100° gives rise to the 

 formation of tribromopyrogallol, C5H3Br303. The reaction in 

 the case of tannin is different according as the substance is per- 

 fectly dry or contains water. The action of chlorine on proto- 

 catechuic acid and on pyrogallol has hkewise been studied. — On 

 propionic coumarin and some of its derivatives, by W. H. 

 Perkin. The author prepares this body by the action of 

 propionic aldehyde on sodium-salicyl hydride. 5-bromo- 

 piopionic coumarin has been prepared by substituting sodium- 

 bromosalicyl hydryde for sodium-salicyl hydride in the prepara- 

 tion of propionic coumarin. The same body is produced by the 

 action of bromine in excess on propionic coumarin. By the 

 further action of bromine (dissolved in CS.,) in a sealed tube 

 heated to 150", /3-dibromopropionic coumarin is produced. 

 F'uming sulphuric acid dissolves propionic coumarin with the 

 formation of a sulpho-acid of the formula CjoHjgOjSjOc- — 

 Action of the organic acids and their anhydrides on the natural 

 alkaloids. Part II. : Butyryl and benzoyl derivatives of morphine 

 and codeine, by G. II. Beckett and Dr. C. R. A. Wright. The 

 action of butyric acid on codeine gives rise to the formation of 

 dibutyryl-codeine, C35H4„(C4HjO)jN20e. Butyric aldehyde 

 yields the same body when heated with codeine. When mor- 

 phine is substituted for codeine, an analogous compound, 



