July 6, 1905] 



NA TURE 



239 



monoxide, and will also polymerise, yielding a series of 

 complicated hydrocarbons ; the chief substances formed 

 boil at about i50°-ibo°, and apparently approximate in 

 composition to C,„Hj„. — The ultra-violet absorption spectra 

 of aromatic compounds, part i., benzene and certain mono- 

 substituted derivatives : E. C. C. Baly and J. N. Collie. 

 The ultra-violet absorption spectra of benzene and of 

 some of its mono-substituted derivatives were described. 

 It has been found that benzene presents seven separate 

 absorption bands, and it was shown how the formation of 

 these may be accounted for by attributing each one to a 

 separate and distinct process of dynamic isomerism connected 

 with the linkage changes within the benzene molecule. A 

 similar e.xplanation of the absorption spectra of benzene 

 mono-substituted derivatives was given. — The ultra-violet 

 absorption spectra of aromatic compounds, part ii., the 

 phenols : E. C. C. Baly and E. K. Ewbank. The absorption 

 band produced by the dynamic isomerism existing in solu- 

 tions of acetylacetone and similar tautomeric substances of 

 the aliphatic series occupies very nearly the same position as 

 the band given by phenol. The existence of a similar 

 type of dynamic isomerism in the case of phenol is 

 suggested as explaining the difference between the spectra 

 of phenol and its ethers. — Association in mixed solvents : 

 G. Barger. — Synthesis of substances allied to epinephrine : 

 G. Barker and H. A. D. Jowett. The authors have 

 attempted to synthesise a compound having the formula 

 OH 

 ^\ OH 



CH-OH 



I 



CHo-NHMe 

 proposed by one of them (Journ. Chem. Soc, 1904, l.xxxv. , 

 192) for epinephrine, but although the methylene and 

 dimethyl ethers were prepared, the base itself could not 

 be isolated. — The determination of melting points at low 

 temperatures : L. F. Guttmann. .\ method has been 

 worked out for readily determining melting points at low 

 temperatures (—142° to —55° is the range so far used) by 

 means of a constantan-copper couple connected to a delicate 

 galvanometer. — The action of water on diazo-salts, a pre- 

 liminary note : J. C. Cain and G. M. Norman. One of 

 the authors has shown that little or no hydroxy-compound 

 is obtained by boiling certain ortho-substituted diazo-salts 

 of the diphenyl series with dilute acids. A number of 

 similarly substituted compounds which are said not to 

 yield phenols on boiling with water or acids have now been 

 examined. — A precise method of estimating the organic 

 nitrogen in potable waters : J. C. Brown. The process 

 consists in distillation to dryness of a mixture of a 

 portion, without previous evaporation, with potassium 

 hydroxide and potassium permanganate. The ammonia 

 evolved is estimated by Nessler's solution. — Synthesis of 

 I : i-dimethvI-A^-tetrahydrobenzene : A. W. Crossley and 

 Miss N. Renouf. — Bromine in solutions of potassium 

 bro[nide : F. P. Worley. — The solubility of bromine in 

 aqueous solutions of potassium bromide has been determined 

 over a wide range of concentrations at i8°-s and 26°-s. 

 There are indications that with the higher concentration of 

 bromine, compounds more highly brominated than KBr, 

 .ire produced. — Tetramethylammonium hydroxide : J. 

 Walker and J. Johnston, A solution of tetramethyl- 

 ammonium hydroxide is readily prepared by mixing 

 alcoholic solutions of tetramethylammonium chloride and 

 potassium hydroxide. — Tetrethylsuccinic acid : J. Walker 

 and Mrs. A. P. Walker. — The ultra-violet absorption spectra 

 of aromatic compounds, part iii., disubstituted derivatives 

 of benzene : E. C. C. Baly and E. K. Ewbank. — Studies 

 in chlorination, ii., the action of chlorine on boiling 

 toluene, preliminary notice : J. B. Cohen, H. M. Dawson, 

 and P. F. Crosland. The results show that, under the 

 conditions of the experiments, electrolytic chlorine enters 

 the nucleus only, and also that the rate of chlorination 

 appears to be more rapid than with ordinary chlorine 

 evolved from pyrolusite and hydrochloric acid. — Purpuro- 

 gallin : A. G. Perkin. A description of various derivatives 

 is given. — The electrolytic oxidation of hydroxybenzoic acids : 

 A. G. Perkin and F. M. Pericin. 



NO. 1862, VOL. 72] 



Paris. 



Academy of Sciences, June 26. — M. Troost in the chair. 

 — On a determination of the constant of aberration by 

 means of observations of three stars very close to the 

 pole : H. Renan and W. Ebert. Arising from researches 

 on the determination of latitude and of the absolute 

 coordinates of the circumpolar stars, a long series of 

 accurate observations has become available for the calcu- 

 lation of the constant of aberration. An advantage of this 

 method is that no correction is necessary for the variation 

 of latitude. The final value obtained is 2o"-434, with a 

 probable error of 0030s. — On isothermal surfaces : L. 

 Raffy. — The motion of the earth and the velocity of light : 

 M. Brillouin. An analysis of the method proposed by 

 M. Wien and M. Schweitzer for solving the problem as 

 to whether the ether is carried on by the earth, in which 

 the author shows that the desired result will not be 

 attained. — An apparatus for controlling actions produced 

 at a distance by means of electric waves : lidouard Branly. 

 .An account of alterations in an apparatus already de- 

 scribed, the chief improvement being the substitution of 

 an electric motor for the clockwork movement. — On the 

 specific inductive power of metals : .Andr^ Broca. In a 

 preceding note the author, with M. Turchini, has shown 

 that the experimental results are not in accord with the 

 theory for the resistance of fine metallic wires 

 for continuous currents and alternating high frequency 

 currents, the calculations being carried out according to 

 Lord Kelvin's hypothesis. In the present note it is shown 

 that the introduction of the specific inductive power, 

 neglected in the first calculations, will account for the 

 observed differences. — On the phenomena of the singing 

 arc : A. Blondcl. — An apparatus and method for 

 measuring coelTicients of magnetisation : Georges Meslin. 

 A modification of the arrangement proposed by MM. Curie 

 and Chen^veau. — The hydrolysis of very concentrated 

 solutions of ferric sulphate : A. Recoura. A concentrated 

 solution of ferric sulphate in a well closed vessel becomes 

 slowly converted into a solid basic sulphate and a soluble 

 acid sulphate. From the time required for this change 

 the author regards this action as not due to a simple 

 hydrolysis, but as due to a molecular transformation. — 

 Combinations of aluminium chloride with carbonyl 

 chloride : E. Baud. Three compounds of these substances 

 are shown to exist, containing aluminium chloride and 

 carbonyl chloride in the following molecular ratios, 1 : 5, 

 1:3, and 2:1. The last is found in commercial 

 aluminium chloride. — The constitution .ind properties of 

 steels containing tin, titanium, and cobalt : L^on Guillet. 

 These metals enter into solution in the iron, the carbon 

 being in the form of carbide. The mechanical properties 

 of these steels are such as to prevent their commercial 

 application. — On the reduction of aldoximes : A. Mailhe. 

 Aldoximes can be readily reduced to amines by the Sabatier 

 and Senderens reaction, but the primary amine is not the 

 only product. Acetaldoxime gave a mixture of the primary, 

 secondary, and tertiary amines, and oenanthaldoxime 

 behaved similarly ; owing to the decomposing action of the 

 reduced nickel on benzaldoxime the reduction of this com- 

 pound was irregular. — On the bromination of paraldehyde : 

 P. Freundler. At a low temperature bromoacetaldehyde 

 can be obtained ; under different conditions tetrabromo- 

 butyric aldehyde is produced. — On some new jQ-keto- 

 aldehydes : F. Couturier and G. Vignon. — The iodo- 

 mercurates and chloroiodomercurate of monomethylamine : 

 Maurice Franpois. — On some derivatives of butyroine and 

 capronoine : L. Bouveault and Ren^ Locquin. — On a 

 bivalent phytosterine alcohol : T. Klobb. This alcohol, 

 described in a previous paper under the name of 

 arnisterine, a neutral crystalline principle extracted from 

 Arnica montana, has now been shown by its reactions 

 with acetic anhydride, benzoyl chloride, and phenyl 

 isocyanate to be an alcohol containing two hydroxyl groups, 

 and it is proposed to revise the name to arnidiol. — A 

 method for determining the purity of cocoa butter : E. 

 Milliau. — The toxicology of mercury-phenyl : E. Louise 

 and F. Moutier. This substance proves to be only very 

 slightly to.xic in comparison with the corresponding com- 

 pounds of the fatty series. — On the combustion of sulphur 

 in the calorimetric bomb : H. Giran. In a preceding 

 paper the author has attributed the rariation of the heat 



