















a. 4 
A £ fag . 
-Fepruary 10, 1923] 
Coster and Prof. Hevesey, in Nature of January 20, 
p. 79, it has been announced that Dr. Alexander 
Scott detected and separated the oxide several years 
ago. It appears that while examining in 1913 a 
specimen of titaniferous iron sand (75 per cent. 
Fe,0,, 25 per cent. TiO,) from near Maketu in the 
North Island, New Zealand, Dr. Scott noticed that 
in the titanium dioxide separated.in the ordinary 
_ methods of analysis there was always a small residue 
which resisted all‘attempts to get it into solution, 
either as sulphate, chloride, or nitrate. Neither 
would it go into solution after prolonged fusion 
' with caustic soda. No trace of the many “rare 
_earths”” was found in the sand. The insoluble 
‘residue remaining after repeated and alternated 
fusions with sodium bisulphate and caustic soda 
was labelled “‘ New Oxide” in 1918. Its properties 
and mode of occurrence indicated that it was an 
= cide of the titanium-zirconium group, and that it 
was the oxide of the missing element, of which the 
atomic number is 72. Some of its properties showed 
be a resemblance to tantalum, its next neighbour, with 
_ the atomic number 73; but all traces of this element 
would be removed by the repeated fusions with 
_ caustic soda. As none of the ordinary salts were 
_ available for the purpose of determining the atomic 
weight, recourse was had to the double fluoride with 
_ potassium, which closely resembles those of titanium 
and zirconium. The rough determinations with 
_ material imperfectly purified for such a purpose 
indicated that the atomic weight of the element 
was between 1} and 2 times that of zirconium (90-6). 
_ The oxide resulting from these determinations was of 
_ a cinnamon-brown colour, not white as was expected. 
We understand that Dr. Scott wrote on January 28 
to Drs. Coster and Hevesey offering to send them 
specimens of his separated material to compare with 
__ their own, and received a reply from them on Saturday 
night last (February 3) saying they would be very 
glad to do so. On Monday Dr. Scott sent to them 
practically all his purified material, and not only 
he, but also all scientific men, must await with keen 
_ interest the result of the searching examination by 
means of the powerful appliances in their hands 
for spectral analysis by X-rays. In view of the 
_ source of his oxide and its association with much 
titanium oxide, Dr. Scott has suggested, as Oceanus 
__was one of the Titans, that ‘‘ Oceanium ” would be 
a suitable name for the element. This name would 
also recall that the sand came from Oceania, of which 
New Zealand is one of the component parts. 
Tue Bakerian lecture of the Royal Society will be 
_ delivered on February 22 by G. I. Taylor and C. F. 
Elam on “ The Distortion of an Aluminium Crystal 
during a Tensile Test.”’ 
. Tue Duke of Devonshire will open the new Botany 
(Plant Technology) Building of the Imperial College 
of Science and Technology, South Kensington, on 
Friday, February 16, at 3 o'clock. 
NO. 2780, VOL. 111] 
NATURE 
195 

Current Topics and Events. 
At the meeting of the Chemical Society to be held 
at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (Storey’s 
Gate), on Thursday, February 22, at 8 p.m., Principal 
J. C. Irvine will deliver a lecture entitled ‘‘ Some 
Constitutional Problems of Carbohydrate Chemistry.’’ 
Tue Murdoch Trust, Edinburgh, grants donations 
or pensions to indigent bachelors and widowers of 
upwards of fifty-five years of age who have done 
something to promote or help some branch of science. 
Particulars are obtainable from Messrs. J. and J. 
Turnbull, 58 Frederick Street, Edinburgh. 
A sOcIAL evening of the Royal Society of Medicine 
will be held on Wednesday, February 28, beginning 
at 8.30. It will be devoted to the celebration of the 
centenary of Pasteur. At 9 o'clock the president, 
Sir William Hale-White, will deliver an address on 
“The Life and Work of Pasteur.”” This will be fol- 
lowed by an illustrated lecture by Dr. G. Monod on 
“ Pasteur as an‘Artist.” 
On Tuesday next, February 13, at 3 o’clock, Prof. 
A. C. Pearson will deliver the first of two lectures at 
the Royal Institution on Greek civilisation and to-day 
—(1) The beginnings of science, (2) Progress in the 
arts; on Thursday, February 15, Prof. B. Melvill 
Jones will begin a course of two lectures on recent 
experiments in aerial surveying; and on Saturday, 
February 17, Sir Ernest Rutherford will commence a 
course of six lectures on atomic projectiles and their 
properties. The Friday evening discourse on Feb- 
ruary 16 will be delivered by Prof. A. V. Hill on 
muscular exercise; and on February 23, by Prof. 
A. S. Eddington on the interior of a star, 
Notice is given by the Royal Society of Medicine 
that the William Gibson research scholarship for 
medical women will{be awarded in June next. The 
scholarship is of the value of 250/. for two years and 
is not necessarily for research, the selected scholar 
being free to travel. Full particulars will be sent on 
application to the Secretary of the Society, 1 Wimpole 
Street, W.1. 
DurRING the making of the new road between Dover 
and London numerous sarsen stones were found among 
the remains of the Lower Tertiary formations over- 
lying the chalk near Maidstone. Two of these, 
selected by Mr. G. E. Dibley, were sent to the British 
Museum (Natural History), where they are now ex- 
hibited in the geological department close to the 
stratigraphical collection. They are remarkable for 
their botryoidal concretionary form, 
A meeEtTING of national importance has been 
arranged by the British Science Guild to be held at 
the Mansion House, London, on Tuesday, February 
27, at 3.30 P.M., to direct public attention to the 
importance of promoting efficiency and economy in 
industry, commerce and all Imperial affairs by the 
progressive use of science and scientific’ method. 
The Right Hon. the Lord Mayor will preside, and will 
be supported by the Right Hon. Lord Askwith, 
