Marcu 21,1912 | 
NATURE 
AS) 
vestigations a method originally described by 
Taylor was used for distinguishing between free 
chlorine and hypochlorous acid, and, in a mixture of | 
the two, determining their relative amounts. Bleach- 
in 
different acids, together with a considerable amount 
of water. Hydrochloric, sulphuric, and nitric acids 
act pretty much alike, giving off, with comparatively 
small amounts of acid, almost pure hypochlorous acid, 
but, with larger amounts of acid, mixtures of hypo- 
chlorous acid and chlorine, and finally nothing but 
chlorine. Acetic and phosphoric acids act in the same 
way with small amounts of acid, but the hypochlorous 
acid never entirely disappears, even with large quanti- 
‘ties of acid. When bleaching powder is distilled with 
boric acid (and a sufficient amount of water), practic- 
ally pure hypochlorous acid is produced, even when 
powder was distilled with varying amounts of | 
the boric acid is used in comparatively large quanti- | 
ties. Although at the ordinary temperature carbon 
dioxide liberates nothing but chlorine from bleaching 
powder, as the temperature is raised hypochlorous 
acid begins to be evolved, mixed with chlorine, and 
when the liquid is actively boiling practically pure 
hypochlorous acid is produced.—Dr. A. Holt, Dr. 
Edgar, and Mr. Firth: Sorption of hydrogen by 
pallidium. Experiments lead to the following con- 
clusions :—(1) Pallidium is not always in a condition 
in which it will absorb hydrogen, but it can be made 
to do so by heating to about 400° C. in either air or 
in vacuo. The power of picking up gas dies away 
with time, and cannot be restored unless the metal 
is reheated. (2) Hydrogen is first condensed on the 
surface of the metal (adsorbed layer), and then 
gradually diffuses inwards (absorption). It is possible 
to get the metal either saturated outside and with no 
gas in the interior, or saturated in the interior and 
not on the surface. (3) Diffusion of hydrogen 
through the metal begins at about 120° C., and _ in- 
creases in rate with rise of temperature. The same 
temperature does not, however, always produce the 
same rate, as it depends somewhat on the state of 
the metal. The rate does not obey any simple law 
of diffusion or effusion. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, March 4.—M. Lippmann in the 
chair.—A. Lacroix: The granular rocks intrusive in 
the basaltic breccias of Reunion. Their importance in 
the interpretation of the origin of the homogeneous 
enclosures of the volcanic rocks. The author has been 
led by a study of the massif of the Piton des Neiges 
at Reunion to modify his views on the formation of 
the enclosures, and considers that they must be re- 
garded as having been formed in the volcano itself 
and not consolidated at great depths.—MM. 
Leclainche and Vallée: The specific treatment of 
wounds. Details of the preparation of a polyvalent 
serum for the treatment of wounds, and a preliminary 
account of the results obtained by its use.—Emile 
Belot: The formation of the lunar craters with ex- 
perimental _reproduction.—Frédéric Riesz: Some 
points in the theory of summable functions.—MM. 
Papin and Rouilly:. The gyropter. A description of a 
helix for use in aérostats, driven by reaction and 
having no mechanical connection with the motor.— 
A. Grumbach; The detection of very small quantities 
of moeterial by the direct electrometric method.— 
Pierre Achalme : The function of interatomic electrons 
in electrolysis.—Georges Baume and Néoptoléme 
Georgitses: The fusibility curves of some _ volatile 
binary systems at very low temperatures. The binary 
systems investigated were hvdrogen chloride-hydrogen 
sulphide, hydrogen chloride-ethane, and hydrogen 
chloride-propionic acid. The melting points of these 
NO. 2212, VOL. 89] 
mixtures were studied down to —170° C., and the re- 
sults given as curves.—A. Faucon ; The rotatory power 
of camphor dissolved in carbon tetrachloride as a func- 
tion of the concentration. An expression has been 
deduced from the experiments giving the rotatory 
power of solutions of camphor in carbon tetrachloride. 
The influence of temperature on the rotation has also 
been studied.—A. Recoura: The complex. ferric com- 
pounds: Ferric fluoride.—A. Magnan: The weight of 
the stomach in mammals.—Mieczyslaw Oxner : Experi- 
ments on memory and its:duration in marine fishes. 
The experiments were carried out with freshly caught 
specimens of Coris julis and Serranus scriba; these 
fishes were able to remember colour, and the memory 
lasted not less than twenty-five days.—O. Dubosq 
and Ch. Lebailly: The spirochata of fishes.—M. 
Sollaud : The metamorphoses of Leander serratus.— 
Raphael Dubois: Clasmatosis of the shell and pearl: 
its function in the formation of the mollusc shell and 
of pearls. The formation of pearls cannot be traced 
to a’single cause, and the author concludes that the 
mechanism of the formation of the shell and the 
pearl is the same. The mechanism consists funda- 
mentally in the formation of two secretions. It 
results from these researches that there are two 
modes of pearl formation, one parasitic and the other 
non-parasitic.—Michel Cohendy: Experiments on life 
with pure cultures following on aseptic life. In a 
previous paper the author has described the growth 
of fowls raised under absolutely aseptic conditions. 
In some cases the bird was accidentally contaminated 
with micro-organisms, and these. cases have been 
kept under observation in order to see how they 
affected the development. The result showed that the 
sterile chicken is not abnormally sensitive to microbial 
action. It would appear, however, that a bacterium 
innocuous to the non-aseptic bird may become patho- 
genic to the aseptic bird.—Alfred Carpentier : The dis- 
covery of a Psaronius with a well-preserved structure 
in the lower Westphalian in the north of France.— 
P. E. Dubaleu: The warm springs of the department 
of the Landes. 
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