554 



NATURE 



[January i6, 19 13 



In the experiments on mixtures with a coal 

 dust the ignition-temperature of wl.ieh was 1005° C. 

 when pure (passed through a 2;o mesh sieve and 

 heated to 107° C. for an hour), it was found that with 

 80 per cent, coal dust and 20 per cent, shale dust the 

 ignition-temperature was 1095° C. ; with 80 per cent, 

 coal dust and 20 per cent, calcium carbonate, 1095° C. ; 

 and with 96 per cent, coal dust and 4 per cent, sodium 

 bicarbonate, 1095"- C, and similarly with smaller per- 

 centages of th'^ inert substances. 



M Tafl'auers apparatus, experiments, and conclu- 

 sions are described in the "Cinquifeme s6rie d'Essais 

 sur les Inflammations de Poussi^res," published in 

 .'\ugust, 191 1, but space fails us to do more than 

 mention them in this place. 



Appendix I. is an abridgment of two papers — by 

 Dr. Wheeler and M. J. Burgess — contained in 

 vol. xcvii. and vol. xcix. of the Transactions of the 

 Chemical Society, which deal with the destructive 

 distillation of coal and the products evolved from it 

 at different temperatures. .-Xppendix II. is a descrip- 

 tion of the method of extracting those matters con- 

 tained in coal that are soluble in pyridine, by means 



THE BONAPARTE FUND OF THE PARIS 

 ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



THE committee of the Paris Academy of Sciences 

 appointed to deal with the distribution of the 

 Bonaparte Fund for the year 1912 has made the 

 following recommendations, which have been accepted 

 by the academy : — 3000 francs eacli to MM. Louis 

 Gentil, Pallary, J. Pitard, and Bougui!, members of 

 the scientific expedition to Morocco. This expedition 

 will undertake geological, zoological, botanical, and 

 agronomical researches with a view to the future 

 development of the country. 3000 francs to Prof, de 

 Martonne and his fellow-workers, Jean Brunhes and 

 Emile Chaix, for assisting the publication of a collec- 

 tion of morphological documents, entitled "Atlas 

 Photographique des Formes du Relief Terrestre." 

 3000 francs to Louis Dunoyer for the construction of 

 apparatus for the complete study of absorption and 

 fluorescence spectra of the alliali metals. 3000 francs 

 to M. Hamet, for collection of material for his work 

 on the CrassulacesE. 2500 francs to M. Bosler for 

 the nurchase of a prism of large dispersion for stud\-- 



aphs of th; flames prodiic;J 



of a Soxlet fat-e.\traction apparatus, of which an illus- 

 tration is given. ,'Vppendix III. is a table of analyses 

 (ultimate and pro.ximate) of forty-six different samples 

 of coal. It also contains the percentage (on ash-free 

 dry coal) extracted by pyridine, and the relative 

 ignition-temperature of each. 



The members of the Committee are to be congratu- 

 lated on the ingenuity displayed in the construction 

 of the apparatus for ascertaining the ignition-tempera- 

 ture of more or less combustible dusts. The 

 results of their experiments, as well as those of M. 

 Taffanel in the same direction, are, in themselves, ex- 

 ceedingly interesting, and may, in some as yet occult 

 manner, tend towards the prevention of colliery 

 explosions. They would undoubtedly be of service if 

 an attempt were made, at any time, to classify mines 

 according to the more or less inflammable nature of 

 the coal dust produced in them. But as the attempt 

 to do this in Germany led to disastrous results in the 

 case of at least one mine - in which the coal dust was 

 supposed to be innocuous, the experiment is obviously 

 a highly dangerous one. \V. Gallovv.^v. 



- Carolin^ngliick, Februarv 17, i8q8 : 116 killfd. 



ing planetary spectra. 2500 francs to M. Baldit, for 

 the purchase of self-recording instruments for study- 

 ing the electrical phenomena of the atmosphere. 

 2500 francs to Paul Pascal for apparatus required for 

 the study of absorption in the ultra-violet by sub- 

 stances the magnetic properties of which have been 

 previously studied. 2500 francs to M. Schlegel, for 

 assistance in his work on some Crustacea. 2000 

 francs to M. Sauvageau, for assistance in his studies 

 on the distribution of the Cystoseira. 2000 francs to 

 M. Welsch, to assist him in the continuation of his 

 geological work. 2000 francs to M. Bicrry, to defray 

 the expenses of his proposed work on the metabolism 

 of the carbohydrates. 2000 francs to Dr. Mawas, to 

 allow him to continue his experiments on the 

 mechanism of the accommodation of the eye. 2000 

 francs to M. Gruvel, to assist him in his exploration 

 of the bay of L(ivrier from the zoological, oceano- 

 graphical, and geographical points of view. 



.\wards from this fund are not given as prizes for 

 completed work, but are given to workers of proved 

 competence for assistance in carrying out definite 

 researches. 



NO. 2255, VOL. 90] 



