May 28, 1908] 



NA TURE 



93 



SL'lenate, acetate, formate, oxide, and hydrate, and gave 

 some of the chief reactions of the new body. 



In the course of the author's twenty years' work on 

 llie fractionation of the rare earths, he has repeatedly 

 tested his products by examining their photographed 

 spectra, using the dominant lines of the various elements 

 as tests for their presence. Scandium has an extremely 

 characteristic group of • lines in its spectrum, situated 

 Ixitween wave-lengths 3535-864 and 3651-983, the strongest 

 being at 3613-984, midway between two strong iron lines. 

 Bv using a part of the spectrum in which this occupies 

 ihe centre of the photograph, it is easy to see if scandium 

 is present. Detecting the dominant line, the presence of 

 scandium can be verified by reference to the other lines of 

 the group. 



The author found scandium in some of the fractions, but 

 only in small quantities. A few years ago he commenced 

 an examination of all the obtainable rare earth minerals 

 in order to see if any of them showed more than a trace 

 of scandium. The minerals examined were ; — jeschynite, 

 allanite, alvite, auerlite, baddeleite (Ceylon), bastnasite, 

 broggerite, cerite, cleveite, columbite, cryptolite, eudialite, 

 euxenite, fergusonite (Ceylon), fergusonite (Ytterby), fluo- 

 cerite, gadolinite, hielmite, homolite, keilhauite, knopite, 

 koppite, lanthanite, monazite, mosandrite, orangite, orthite, 

 polvcraso, pyrochlore, rhabdophane, samarskite, scheelite 

 (Bohemia), scheelite (New Zealand), schorlomitc, sipylite, 

 tantalite, thalenite, thorianite, thorite, thorogummitc, 

 tscheffkinite, tysonite, urdite, wiikite, xenotime, ytter- 

 garnet, yttrialite, yttrocerite, yttrogummite, yttrotantalite, 

 yttrotitanite, zirkelite (Ceylon, sp. gr. 5-0), zirkelite 

 (Ceylon, sp. gr. 4-42). 



Of the minerals examined, scandium was detected in 

 auerlite, cerite, keilhauite, mosandrite, orangite, orthite, 

 pyrochlore, thorianite, thorite, and wiikite. 



Wiikite is a black amorphous mineral of specific gravity 

 4-85. Its hardness is 6. It is infusible before the blow- 

 pipe. It is imperfectly attacked by strong mineral acids, 

 and breaks up easily when fused with potassium bisulphate. 

 Heated to full redness in a silica tube, it gives off helium, 

 water, and a distinct amount of sulphuretted hydrogen, 

 followed by a white sublimate. The mineral begins to 

 crack at a temperature a little below redness, and at the 

 approach of redness gas is evolved with almost explosive 

 violence, the mineral breaking up and flying about tlie 

 tube. .A fragment so treated examined under the micro- 

 scope shows the surface covered with glistening points. 

 \\'ith a high power these points are resolved into a mass 

 of minute cubes, curiously regular in form and appearance. 

 Heating drives off 5-83 per cent, of its weight ; 5.82 of 

 the loss is water and acid vapour, the difference, 001 per 

 cent., consisting chiefly of helium, with a little hydrogen, 

 carbon dioxide, and a mere trace of neon. 



After the crude earths, chiefly yttria, ytterbia, and 

 scandia, have been separated from the mineral, they are 

 " fractionated " by methods described in the paper. 

 Towards the end of the fractionation the chief impurity is 

 vtterbium. Fortunately, the very strong dominant line of 

 the ytterbium spectrum, wave-length 3694-344, occurs at a 

 vacant part of the scandium spectrum, and near the 

 characteristic group of scandium. A sample of scandia is 

 not taken as satisfactory if the least trace of this line is 

 seen on an over-exposed spectrum of scandium, and if the 

 atomic weight is higher tlian 44-1. The atomic weight 

 of vtterbium being 173, a very little of it as an impurity 

 raises the atomic weight of scandium. 



The author has prepared and analysed the following 

 compounds of scandium : — scandium hydroxide, scandium 

 carbonate, hydrated scandium chlorides, hydrated scandiuni 

 bromides, scandium chlorate, scandium perchlorate, 

 scandium bromate, scandium sulphates, anhydrous scan- 

 dium sulphate, basic scandium sulphate, scandium and 

 potassiuni double sulphate, scandium selenates, scandium 

 nitrates, scandium formate, scandium acetate, scandium 

 propionate, scandium butyrate, scandium iso-butyrate, 

 scandium iso-valerate, scandium oxalates, scandium 

 picrates, scandium pyromellitate, scandium camphorate. 



Royal Anthropological Institute. May 5. — Prof. \V. 

 Ridge\\-;i\', president, in the chair. — Rp]>ort on the Hyl'ne 

 crania ; F. G. Parsons. An account was given of nearly 

 4000 measurements which the author made on 575 of the 



NO. 2013, VOL. 78] 



skulls under Hythe Church, Kent. The author reviewed 

 the various historical facts in connection with them, as 

 well as the numerous traditions and explanations which 

 had from time to time been put forward to account for 

 the presence of the crania. He declined to believe any of 

 the numerous battle theories, and pointed out that skulls 

 of women and children were plentiful, that earth was pre- 

 sent in many of the crania, and that the injuries which 

 have so often been referred to battle-axe and spear wounds 

 were certainly inflicted many years after death, and were 

 made probably by spades and pickaxes in digging up the 

 skulls. From numerous details of collateral evidence the 

 author argued that the bones probably must have come 

 to their present place before the Reformation, and, as there 

 were femurs of about 4000 people in the stack, must have 

 represented the burials of more than a century. Mr. 

 Parsons believed that the bones were of the thirteenth, 

 fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries. The chief point of 

 interest in the measurements was the shortness of the 

 skulls, which averaged 17-9 cm. for the males. This is 

 I cm. shorter than the two large London series lately re- 

 corded by Dr. Macdonnell, and goes far to disprove that 

 observer's suggestion that the English head is gradually 

 growing shorter and broader. The teeth were remarkable 

 for their freedom from caries and for the wearing down 

 of the crowns, pointing to hard, coarse fare. Many patho- 

 logical specimens of bones were exhibited showing that 

 osteo-arthritis and syphilis were very rife. The various 

 abnormalities in the skull bones and sutures were classified, 

 and their frequency recorded for future anatomical 

 comparison. 



Chemical Society, May 7.— Prof. E. Divers, F.R.S., in 

 the chair. — The refraction and dispersion of triazo-com- 

 pounds : J. C. Philip. A study of these constants shows 

 that the contribution which the N^-group normally makes 

 to the molecular refraction is 8-91 units, and that to the 

 molecular dispersion 0-36-0-37, but ethyl triazoformate, 

 phenylazoimide, and o-naphthylazoimide show refractive 

 and dispersive powers above the normal values. The bear- 

 ing of these results on the formulation of the Nj-group 

 is discussed. — The dissociation constants of triazoacetic 

 and o-triazopropionic acids : J. C. Philip. The values 

 found show that the introduction of the Nj-group into 

 the molecule of acetic or propionic acid increases the 

 strength of the acid nearly as much as the introduction of 

 a bromine atom. — The fermentation of mannose and 

 laevulose by yeast-juice (preliminary note) : A. Harden 

 and W. J. Young. Mannose is fermented by yeast-juice 

 at almost the same rate as dextrose, whilst la;vulose is 

 fermented somewhat more rapidly. The peculiar influence 

 of phosphates on the fermentation of these sugars by yeast- 

 juice is described in detail. — The constituents of olive 

 leaves : F. B. Power and F. Tutin. The following sub- 

 stances were isolated : — (i) a new monocarboxylic acid, 

 C..H,j.CO,H; (2) a mixture of fatty acids containing oleic 

 acid ; ' (3) 'hentriacontane, C,,H,, ;' (4) pentatriacontane, 

 C„H-„ ; (5) oleasterol, C,„H.,,,0, a new crystalline alcohol 

 related to the phytosterols ; (6) a new crystalline alcohol, 

 olestranol, C,,H,,',0,, which appears to be a hydroxy- 

 phytosterol; (7) homo-olestranol, C,,H,„0,, a compound 

 similar to olestranol; (.S) d-mannitol ; (9) a sugar which 

 yields d-phenylglucosazone ; (10) a trace of an essential oil ; 

 (11) oleanol, C3,H„0(0H),,N,0, which contains one 

 alcoholic and one phenolic hydroxyl group. — The con- 

 stituents of olive bark : F. B. Power and F. Tutin. The 

 following crystalline compounds were obtained, together 

 with some amorphous products : — (i) a new monocarboxylic 

 acid, C,,H,,.CO,H ; (2) a new monocarboxylic acid, 

 C„,H,,3.CO,H ; (3) a new monocarboxylic acid, 



C,,H„,.CO,H; 

 (4) a new monocarboxylic acid, C,,H,,.CO,H ; (5) a sub- 

 stance, probably a tertiary alcohol, C^H^O ; (6) penta- 

 triacontane, CjsH,, ; (7) a phytosterol, C,,H„0 ; (8) a 

 substance idenliicaf with ipuranol, recently isolated by 

 Power and Rogerson from Ipoinoea purpurea ; (9) a new 

 phenolic substance, olenitol, C,,H,„0,, ; (10) d-mannitol ; 

 (11) a sugar which yields d-phenylglucosazone. — The re- 

 action of diazonium sa'lts with mono- and di-hydric phenols 

 and with naphthols : K. J. P. Orton and R. W. 

 Everatt. All diazonium salts couple quantitatively with 



