JuLY 11, 1912] 
NATURE 
495 
used to detect the critical points.—Dr. J..H. Pollok ; 
The vacuum tube spectra of some non-metallic 
elements and compounds. The spectra were taken 
with the new form of quartz vacuum tube devised by 
the author. Photographs were shown af the spectra 
of sulphur, selenium, tellurium, chlorine, bromine, 
iodine, and phosphorus, the chlorides and fluorides 
.of boron and silicon, and of boron trioxide. In each 
case photographs were taken both with and without 
a Leyden jar, and extended from Azo00 to 42000. An 
examination of these photographs showed that the 
general conclusions arrived at by the author in regard 
to metals and their compounds, hold also with the 
non-metals. When no Leyden jar is used, bands are 
seen due to the molecules of either the elements or 
their compounds, and.a larger or smaller number of 
lines may also be seen, according to the facility with 
which the molecules are decomposed at a high tem- 
perature. When a Leyden jar is introduced the bands 
either wholly or partially disappear, and a strong line 
spectrum is obtained of the element, or of each of the 
constituent elements of the compound, under observa- 
tion.—Miss Genevieve V. Morrow: The influence of 
self-induction on the spark spectra of the non-metallic 
elements. The spark spectra of ten non-metallic 
elements were examined by sparking carbon or gold 
electrodes in an atmosphere of each of the elements 
or their compounds under ordinary conditions of pres- 
sure. It was shown that the effect caused by self- 
induction was in some cases rather remarkable. In 
the case of carbon and nitrogen two of the bands 
usually attributed to cyanogen disappeared when no 
self-induction was present, one alone remaining, which 
would tend to show that this band is due to carbon 
and not due to cyanogen. With hydrogen and gold 
electrodes the effect was very remarkable, the gold 
spectrum practically disappearing, and only that of 
hydrogen showing when self-induction was introduced, 
and exactly the opposite effect is produced when the 
atmosphere is composed of an electro negative element. 
All compounds when sparked, either with or without 
self-induction, show only the lines of the line spectra 
of their components, and no bands due to the com- 
pounds are seen. 
Paris. 
Academy of Sciences, July 1.—M. Lippmann in the 
chair.—J. Boussinesq : The reason why the differential 
equations of mechanics are of the second order rather 
than of the first; in other words, why the accelera- 
tions of material points and not their velocities are 
determined.—Georges Lemoine: The velocity of de- 
composition of hydrogen peroxide under the influence 
of heat. For dilute solutions the reaction is mono- 
molecular. This is not the case for concentrated solu- 
tions, and these solutions have been investigated in 
detail, experimentally and theoretically.—A. Chauveau : 
Investigations on stereoscopic images.—M. Gouy : The 
continuous spectrum of metallic vapours and the solar 
photosphere. From the experiment described the 
author concludes that the parts of the sun from which 
we receive radiations contain metallic vapours in an 
extremely rarefied condition.—C. E. Guillaume: Study 
of the vertical movements of the Eiffel Tower. <A 
stretched invar wire was arranged to give a record of 
the variation in height of the second storey (116 
metres).—W. H. Young: The generalisation of Par- 
seval’s theorem.—A. Leduc: The expansion of 
saturated water vapour.—R. Ledoux: The electrical 
properties of the copper-tin alloys. Curves are given 
showing the resistivity and thermo-electric power of 
alloys containing various percentages of copper and 
tin.—G. Reboul: Photo-electric phenomena and _ the 
absorption of light.——Mme. Ramart-Lucas: The 
synthesis of a-phenyl-«8-dimethylhydrocinnamic acid. 
NO. 2228, vot. 89] 
' and mercury. 
—J. Frezouls: The catalytic addition of hydrogen to 
benzylidene-acetophenone : symmetrical diphenyl- 
propane and dicyclohexylpropane.—V. Grignard and 
f. Bellet: The synthesis of nitriles in the cyclanic 
series. _Bromocyclohexane is converted into the 
magnesium compound C,H,,.Mg.Br, and this in 
ethereal solution reacts with cyanogen, giving the 
nitrile C,H,,.CN. The generality of the method is 
shown by several examples.—E. E. Blaise ; Syntheses 
by means of mixed organo-metallic derivatives of 
zinc: a-halogen derivatives of ketones. The method 
of preparing ketones of the type R.CHCI1.CO.R is 
based upon the interactions of a chloracetal and zine 
allkyl iodide.—A. Wahl and M. Boll: Ortho- and para- 
methoxybenzoylglyoxylic esters.—Emile André: The 
action of hydrazine upon the B-substituted ethylenic 
amino-ketones.—Jacques de Lapparent: The basic 
eruptive rocks associated with the granite of Haya. 
—C. Gerber: The latex of the fig, a vegetable pan- 
creatic juice with a predominating proteolytic 
diastase.—Jean Daniel: A case of xenia in the bean. 
—L. Blanc: The influence of sudden variations of 
temperature on the respiration of plants. Sudden 
changes of temperature do not cause a stimulation of 
the plant respiration.—Francois Kévessi: The electro- 
lytic effect of the continuous current on the cells of 
living plants. A continuous electric current exerts a 
direct influence upon living plants, and this is trace- 
able to electrolytic phenomena.—Paul Godin: Un- 
equal growth at the time of puberty and the patho- 
logical states which determine it—A. Quidor: A new 
stereoscopic microscope with a single objective. The 
light bundle furnished by the objective is divided into 
two symmetrical portions by reflecting prisms. 
Much higher magnification is possible by this 
arrangement than with the usual double objective 
binocular.—Louis Lapicque: Excitability of the itera- 
tive nerves and the theory of their working.—E. 
Vasticar : Corti’s fibres and their connections with the 
sensorial epithelium.—L. Camus: Passive vaccinal 
immunisation and serotherapy.—F. Mesnil and J. 
Ringenbach: The action of serums from Primates on 
the human trypanosomes from Africa.—M. Laveran : 
Remarks on the preceding communication.—Gabriel 
Bertrand and F. Medigreceanu: The presence of 
manganese in the animal kingdom. From fifty-one 
determinations on forty species, it is found that 
manganese is always present in the animal organism, 
the Mammalia containing this element in the 
smallest proportions.—A. Fernbach and M. Schoen: 
The biochemical production of levulose. The author 
has discovered an anaérobic bacillus which converts 
saccharose into a levulane, the latter giving levulose 
nearly quantitatively on hydrolysis.—Em. Bourquelot 
and M. Bridel: Synthesis of the glucosides of alcohols 
by means of emulsin: §8-methylglucoside, 8-ethyl- 
glucoside, and 8-propylglucoside.—Charles Jacob and 
Paul Fallot: The Portland, Neocomian, and Meso- 
cretacian Rhynconella of the south-east of France.— 
R. Anthony ; The encephalus of the fossil man of La 
Ouina. The type approaches the anthropoids more 
closely than the existing human type. 
Asiatic Society of Bengal, June 5 
Banerjee : An investigation into the Ayurvedic method 
of purifying mercury by Allium sativum , or garlic- 
juice. A previous paper (Proc. Chem. Soc., 27, 398) 
describes the action of garlic-juice on metallic lead 
The present paper gives the results 
of detailed investigations, showing that oil of garlic, 
while not acting on pure mercury, readily attacks 
lead and other impurities, forming with them a 
grevish-blue amorphous mass cf sulphides which may 
CALCUTTA. 
5.—Hanindra Nath 
