386 



NA TURE 



[January 27, 1910 



the statement of Eisenberg and Volk ; (2) it is impossible, 

 from the greater or smaller size of the exponent " n " 

 in the formula C = /cB", to determine whether, in the case 

 of agglutinin, we have to deal with an absorption or an 

 adsorption process, as done by Arrhenius, as in both cases 

 ■' n " may vary within nearly the same ranges; (3) the 

 formula C = fcB", proposed by Arrhenius to express the 

 absorption of agglutinin by bacteria, as being a special 

 example of the Guldberg and Waage law of chemical mass 

 action, does not hold good either in the case of the absorp- 

 tion of agglutinin by bacteria or of the neutralisation of 

 agglutinin by homologous bacterial filtrate ; (4) the com- 

 bination of agglutinin and bacteria is therefore not such a 

 simple process as anticipated by Arrhenius, but is very 

 possibly complex, and not improbably of the same nature 

 as the interaction of bacterial toxins and anti-toxins. — 

 V. H. Veley and A. D. Waller : Observations on the 

 rate of action of drugs upon muscle as a function of 

 temperature. The authors tested the problem by observa- 

 tions on the rate of action on muscle of alcohol, chloro- 

 form. Quinine, and aconitine, at temperatures between 7° 

 and 25°. They used Esson's formula, modified for their 

 purpose, for the calculation of results, 



log L,-log L, = m(log T,-log TJ 

 (where L, and L, are the lengths of time between appli- 

 cation of the drug and cessation of contraction, and T„ 

 and Ti the absolute temperatures at which the action took 

 place ; m is the experimental constant). The values of m 

 came out as follows: — alcohol = 2o-5 ; chloroform = 14.-, ; 

 quinine = 26-7. fThe values of ii; in the case of hydrogen 

 peroxide and hydrogen iodide = 2o-38, and in that of chloric 

 acid and ferrous sulphate = 26-5.) The corresponding 

 temperature-coefiicicnts per 10° are: — alcohol = 202 ; 

 chloroform = i.63 : quinine = 2-52. (In a previous rougli 

 determination the authors found ether = 2.1 The data from 

 which the value of m was calculated in the case of chloro- 

 form are as follows : — 



Mean= 14 '3 

 The action of aconitine is completely arrested at 7°, and 

 manifssts itself as soon as the temperature is raised to 17°. 

 —V. H. Veley: An examination of the physical and 

 physiological properties of tetrachlorethane and trichlor- 

 ethylene. Symmetrical tetrachlorethane, CHCIXHCI , was 

 originally prepared about forty years ago from acetylene 

 and chlorine gas in presence of antimony chloride. It is 

 now prepared on a large scale by the same reaction 

 aluminium chloride being used instead of the antimony 

 ■salt. Trichlorethylene, CHCICCI,, is obtained from 

 tetrachlorethane by heating with alkalies. Certain deter- 

 minations of the densities and refractive index na of 

 tetrachlorethane have been published, but those of trichlor- 

 ethylene have been curiously overlooked. Values are given 

 of densities at certain temperatures and refractive index 

 Md at 17° in the paper. The effects of both substances 

 on isolated muscle are compared with that of chloroform 

 It IS shown that toxicities of chloroform, trichlorethylene, 

 and tetrachlorethane are in the ratio i/i-5/4. It is further 

 noted that the action of trichlorethylene is more regular 

 than that of any other drug or aiiajsthetic examined by 

 this method. Preliminary experiments with living animal's 

 have shown that anjesthesia produced by this compound is 

 also of a very regular type.— J. D. Thomson and Prof. 

 A. R. Cushny : The action of antimony compounds in 

 trypanosomiasis in rats.— Sir David Bruce, Captains 

 K. E Hamerton and H. R. Bateman, and Captain 

 F. P. Mackie : " Amakebe " (a diso.'ise of calves in 

 Uganda).— Sir W. Crookes : Scandium. This is a con- 

 tinuation of the paper read in April, iqoS (Phil. Trans., 

 A, vol. ccix., pp. 15-46), in which, after describing the 

 mode of extracting scandia from the mineral wiikite, the 

 principal salts, twenty-three in number, were described, 

 their formulae and analytical results being given in detail. 

 NO. 2100, VOL. 82] 



In the present paper the following salts are described, their 

 preparation, analyses, and formulae being given : — 



Scandium .Aurochloride, 3ScCl3,2.'\uClj,2iH,0. 

 Scandium aurochloride is prepared by mixing strong solu- 

 tions of the component chlorides, and allowing the mixture 

 to evaporate slowly over sulphuric acid in a vacuum 

 desiccator. The double salts separate out in a felt-like 

 mass of needle-shaped crystals of a yellow colour and very 

 deliquescent. The water of crystallisation gradually goes 

 otf when the salt is kept in a desiccator over sulphuric 

 acid, definite hydrates being formed. In this manner the 

 following hydrates have been formed : — 



8-Hydrate Scandium Aurochloride, 3ScCl„2.\uCI,,8H,0, 

 and the 



2-Hydrate Scandium .\urochloride, 3ScCl3,2AuClj,2H„0. 

 By long-continued drying at 100° all the water is driven 

 off, and the aurochloride melts to a clear orange-coloured 

 liquid, solidifying to a crystalline mass on cooling. After 

 keeping the salt for several days at 100° the liquid gradu- 

 ally becomes solid and crystalline, and in this state it is 

 anhydrous, and has the composition 3ScCl,,2.\uCl,. 

 Scandium platinocyanide, Sc,[Pt(CN)^]3-f2iH,0, is formed 

 by the metathesis in the cold of scandium sulphate and 

 barium platinocyanide. It crystallises out in large mono- 

 clinic prisms on a rhombic base, the angles of which are 

 81° 20' and 98° 40'. They are very soluble in water, and 

 are insoluble, or nearly so, in absolute alcohol, and fre- 

 quently group themselves in rosettes. They are dichroic, 

 crimson by transmitted light, and a rich metallic green by 

 reflected light. The reflected and transmitted rays are 

 oppositely polarised. Scandium iodate, Sc(IO,),4- i8H,0, 

 is prepared by the metathesis of a soluble scandium salt 

 with ammonium iodate. It forms a white crystalline 

 powder almost insoluble in water. Scandium sulphite, 

 Sc,3SOj, is a white insoluble powder formed by mixing a 

 soluble siandium salt with sodium sulphide. It is 

 anh\'drous, and gradually decomposes on exposure to dry air. 

 " CH(OH)COO. 

 Scandium Malate, | /Sc(OH),H.,0. 



CH„ COQ/ 



Malic acid and scandium hydroxide react when rubbed 

 together with a little water, and the liquid becomes clear 

 on being heated. When gradually cooled a precipitate 

 appears, and at the ordinary temperature of the laboratory 

 the solution is opaque and almost solid. Scandium malate 

 is a granular white powder, soluble in hot and difficultly 

 soluble in cold water. It is easily soluble in ammonia, and 

 is not precipitated from the ammoniacal solution by dilute 

 acetic or malic acid. 



Scandium iVfalonate, CH2/^qq^?c(OH) 



Scandium hydroxide dissolves readily in a cold aqueous 

 solu'jion of malonic acid, and on being heated the solution 

 deposits a semi-transparent granular precipit.ate, having no 

 crystalline appearance under the microscope. This pre- 

 cipitate partially dissolves on cooling. If this solution is 

 boiled for some time a dense precipitate is formed, which 

 does not re-dissolve on cooling. According to the mode of 

 preparation scandium malonate contains either one or two 

 molecules of water : — 



Mono-hydrated Scandium Malonate, CH„..^^QQ ,Sc(OH) + H.p, 



and 



Di-hydrated Scandium Malonate, CH., '™Q^Sc(OIi) + 2H„0. 



COOSdOHjo 

 ,COOSc(OH).,- 



When a large excess of scandium hydroxide is gently 

 warmed with an insufficient amount of malonic acid to 

 dissolve it, and the filtered solution is well boiled, a basic 

 salt is precipitated having the above composition. 

 CH(OH)COOy 

 Scandium Tartra'e, | /Sc(OII). 



CH(OH)COO/ 

 Scandium hydroxide is added to a strong solution of 

 tartaric acid with slight warming until the greater part 

 of the scandium hydroxide is dissolved, care being taken 

 to keep the base in slight excess. The turbid solution is 

 filtered and boiled. \ granular precipitate comes down. 



Basic Scandium Malonate, Q\\„( 



