268 
NATURE 
[May 6, 1915 

ish” or ‘“‘yellowish-green” colour so frequently 
described, which undoubtedly points to chlorine. 
Chlorine gas is 2°45 times heavier than air, and 
if discharged “down wind” would only slowly 
rise, so that at a distance of one hundred yards 
from its point of disengagement the bank of fume 
might be expected to be six or seven feet deep, 
but with bromine vapour, which is more than five 
times the weight of air, the thickness of the layer 
of vapour would, under the same conditions, be 
much less. Liquid chlorine has, for many years, 
been a commercial article: the gas is liquefied by 
a pressure of six atmospheres at o°C., and is 
stored in lead-lined steel cylinders, being largely 
exported for use in the extraction of gold in 
localities where, from difficulties of transport, 
plant and materials for making the gas in situ 
would be more expensive. 
It is said that such cylinders, 4 ft. 6 in. long, 
were sunk in the German trenches and were con- 
nected to pipes six feet long pointing towards the 
Allies’ lines: under these conditions, intense cold 
would be produced at the point where the cylinders 
discharged into the delivery pipes by gasification 
of the liquid and expansion; this would soon check 
the rapid production of gas, and the white smoke 
seen behind the greenish cloud of gas may well 
have been caused by brushwood fires lighted above 
the delivery pipes to warm them and prevent 
stoppage. 
Although all the evidence and the symptoms 
found in the unfortunate victims overcome at this 
particular section of the line point to chlorine as 
the gas employed, there seems every probability 
that liquid bromine has also been used in shells 
or grenades, which, bursting in the air, would 
scatter the liquid under conditions that would 
rapidly gasify it, when the weight of the vapour 
would cause it to descend on the troops below. 
Both chlorine gas and bromine vapour, when 
present to the extent of 5 per cent. in air, rapidly 
cause death by suffocation, by acting on the 
mucous linings of the nose, throat, and lungs, so 
causing acute inflammation; but bromine poison- 
ing is generally distinguishable by the skin of the 
victim being stained yellow, and the intense action 
on the eyes, which is much greater than with 
chlorine. 
The Germans have an unfailing source of brom- 
ine in the crude carnallite, worked at Stassfurt 
for the production of potassium chloride, but when 
full particulars are available it will probably be 
found that, besides such obvious asphyxiants as 
chlorine, bromine, and sulphur dioxide, they have 
also employed compounds of a more complex 
character. 

CHEMICAL STANDARDS FOR WHISKY. 
T may be remembered that the Royal Commis- 
sion on Whisky, which in 1908-9 gave a 
lengthy consideration to the matter, did not find 
a very satisfactory answer to the query “ What 
is whisky?” The Government of Western Aus- 


tralia has also been debating this question, and } 
NOul23755. VOL. Omi 

some years ago it issued regulations under which 
certain chemical standards for “pure pot-still 
whisky ”’ were proposed for adoption. The pro- 
posals met with some criticism. It was alleged, 
in fact, that many pot-stills employed in Great 
Britain could not produce whisky which would 
comply with the requirements. 
In order to investigate the matter further the 
Government analyst for Western Australia was 
deputed last summer to visit this country. Here, 
conjointly with an analyst representing the dis- 
tillers, he inspected some forty Scotch distilleries 
and analysed a large number of samples of the 
whisky produced. In addition, twelve distilleries 
in Ireland were visited alone by the official 
analyst. The papers now issued ! give an account 
of the investigation. They are prefaced by the 
statement that the proposals, as now modified, 
have been approved by the Governor in Executive 
Council and gazetted accordingly. 
Briefly, the stipulations are that, as regards 
Scotch whisky, it shall have been distilled at a 
strength not more than 35 degrees above proof 
and matured in wood for not less than two years; 
and that ‘standard pot-still whisky” shall con- 
tain at least 45 grams of esters, 3°5 of furfural, 
and 180 of higher alcohols per too litres of abso- 
lute alcohol, as estimated by methods prescribed. 
For Irish whisky no furfural standard is proposed 
at present, but the proportion of esters is required 
to be not less than 35 grams, and of higher 
alcohols 200 grams, per too litres of absolute 
alcohol. 
Whisky other than “standard pot-still,” whether 
Scotch or Irish, is required to be sold as 
“blended” whisky. Of this there are three classes, 
containing respectively at least 75 per cent., at 
least 50 per cent., and less than 50 per cent. of 
standard pot-still whisky. For the first and second 
classes minimum limits are fixed for the propor- 
tions of esters, furfural, and higher alcohols— 
omitting the furfural, however, in the case of 
Irish whiskies. The third class includes all whisky 
which does not comply with the requirements for 
any of the other classes. The respective kinds 
are to be labelled with the appropriate designa- 
tions. 
A good deal of the criticism to which the ori- 
ginal proposals were subjected has been turned 
aside by the change of a single word in the regu- 
lations. “Pure”? has become “standard” pot- 
still whisky. There was just cause of complaint 
when specifications for the “pure” pot-still pro- 
duct were drawn up, because in certain cases these 
requirements could not be satisfied by whisky dis- 
tilled in an apparatus which had certainly hitherto 
been regarded as a “pot ’’-still, even if somewhat 
modified from the simple form. To stigmatise 
by inference such products as adulterated because 
they did not comply with the stipulations for 
“pure”’ pot-still whisky was indefensible. But, 
obviously, a community has the right to say what 
it will regard as a “standard” whisky, and this 
has now been done. 
1 ‘* Papers in Connection with the Establishment of Standards for Whisky 
im Western Australia.’’ (Perth: The Government Printer.) 

