June 25, 190SJ 



NA TURE 



191 



Jamieson. The solution is heated with dilute sulphuric 

 acid and potassium dichromate, shaken with chloroform, 

 and the chloroform layer washed with water two or three 

 times, and finally shaken with dilute potassium iodide. In 

 the presence of a bromide the chloroform is coloured violet. 

 — E.xperiments on the synthesis of !-methylcyc!ohexylidene- 

 4-acetic acid, 



,CH.,.CH, 

 CHMeC ' ' /C:CII.CO.,H, 

 'CH., CII, 



part i. : W. H. Perkin, jun., and \V. J. Pope.— A method 

 for the measurement of rate of change in solid alloys. Pre- 

 liminary note ; ti. D. Bengoush. — Viscosity determina- 

 tions at high temperatures ; C. E. Fawsitt. — Dinitro- 

 <liphenylamine-o-s.ulphonic acid. Preliminary note : S. 

 Smiles. — The study of the absorption spectra of the hydro- 

 carbons isolated from the products of the action of 

 aluminium chloride on naphthalene : Miss A. Homer and 

 J. E. Purvis. These hydrocarbons {Trans. Chem. Soc, 

 1907, .xci., 1103) have absorption curves which agree with 

 the view that Ci.H,^ is a naphthalene derivative, whilst 

 C,„H,5 has a constitution similar to that of ;30-dinaphthyl, 

 and C,,,H,,, that of an alkyl derivative of picene, and not 

 of dinaphthanthracene, as had been previously suggested. 

 — The synthesis and constitution of certain pyranol salts 

 related to brazilein and ha;matein : W. H. Perkin, jun., 

 R. Robinson, and (in part) M. R. Turner. — Brazilin, 

 Tirematoxylin, and their derivatives, part ix., on brazilin, 

 hjematin, and their derivatives : P. Engels, W. H. 

 Perkin, jun., and R. Robinson. — The effect of constitu- 

 tion on the optical activity of nitrogen compounds : R. \\'. 

 Everatt. — The electrolytic oxidation of some hydroxy- 

 benzoic acids : .'\. G. Perkin and F. M. Perkin. — Note on 

 morindin : A. G. Perkin. It is suggested that the 

 morindin of Moriiuia citrifolia obtained by Oesterle and 

 Tisza is different from that of M. uinbellata, since it 

 appears to be different in composition and to yield a 

 different sugar on hydrolysis. — Some esters of arsenious 

 acid : W. R. Lang:, |. F. Mackey, and R. A. Gortner. 

 Descriptions of a nimiiier of alkyl esters prep.'ired by heat- 

 ing alcohols and phenols in contact with arsenious o.xide, 

 using a reflux condenser with a Soxhlet attachment con- 

 taining anhydrous copper sulphate to remove water 

 formed, are given. — a-Methylcamphor and fenchone : W. H. 

 Glover. It is shown that a-methylcamphor and fenchone 

 are essentially different in type, and on this ground excep- 

 tion is taken to Wallach and Semmler's formula for 

 fenchone, which it is proposed should be represented as 

 CHoCHo.CMe 



follows 



-Ester hydrolysis and theories of 



CMe„ 

 I '■ 

 CH2.CH-CO 

 esterification : A. Lapworth. — Experiments on the forma- 

 tion and hydrolysis of esters, acetals, and allied compounds. 

 Preliminary note : E. Fitigerald and A. Lapworth. 



Linnean Society. June 4.— Dr. D. H. Scott, F.R.''., 

 president, in the chair. — Note on the spicules of Chirodota 

 gcniiiiifera, Dendy and Hindlc : Prof. A. Dendy. A 

 correction to the paper recently published in the society's 

 journal. Zoology, xxx. (1907), pp. 95-124. — The Caryo- 

 phyllaceae of Tibet : F. N. Williams. The collection was 

 made during the recent military expedition to Lhassa, and 

 it raised the known species to forty-three, from the eleven 

 reported by Messrs. Hemsley and Pearson in the society's 

 journal, Botany, xxxv. (1902), pp. 169-170. The route 

 taken by the marching column was virtually unexplored 

 previously, hence the number of novelties, namely, nineteen 

 new species. — Koonunga cursor, a remarkable new type 

 of malacostracous Crustacea': O. A. Sayce. — The Poly- 

 cha;ta of the Indian Ocean : F. .'\. Potts : and the 

 Stylasterina, from the same, elaborated by Dr. S. J. 

 Hickson and Miss Helen M. England. — A contribution 

 to the mycology of South .Africa : W. N. Cheesman ; with 

 a supplement by T, Gibbs. 



Edinburgh. 



Royal Society, ]«ne 1. — Dr. John Home, vicepre 

 dent, in the chair. — Note on some points in the anatomy 

 of a Trilobite, Calymene bhimenbachii : Dr. Malcolm 

 Laurie. The " hypostome " in Calymene does not articu- 



r;0. 20Ii'. Vol. ioM 



late with the doublure of the carapace. The margins turn 

 back and articulate about one-third of their length from 

 the front with the inside of the glabella. Movement on 

 this joint draws the front of the hypostome away from 

 the doublure, with which it is connected only by a mem- 

 brane. There is also a plate articulated by a round joint 

 Dehind the rostral plate which seems capable of turning 

 into a horizontal position. It becomes a question whether 

 the mouth in this form was in front of or behind the 

 " hypostome." — Experiments with Heusler's magnetic 

 alloy : J. G. Gray. The points mainly investigated were 

 the magnetic properties of the alloy between 0° C. and 

 400° C, and the effects of quenching after heating to high 

 temperatures, and of cooling in liquid air. The effect of 

 the low temperature was to increase the susceptibility. 

 In this respect it resembled Hopkinson's nickel-iron alloy, 

 which begins by being non-magnetic at ordinary tempera- 

 tures, but becomes magnetic after having been cooled to 

 about —50° C. This result is the more curious inasmuch 

 as Hopkinson's alloy is composed of magnetic materials, 

 but is non-magnetic' at the start, whereas Heusler's alloy 

 is magnetic, but is composed of non-magnetic metals. — 

 Note on the electrical resistance of spark gaps : Dr. R. A.. 

 Houston. The method employed was by use of the 

 resonance curve after the manner introduced by Bjerknes. 

 The resonator was adjustable, and the maximum resonance 

 was detected by means of a galvanometer deflection pro- 

 duced bv a thermo-couple, which was heated by the dis- 

 charge. ' A deflection was also taken when the resonator 

 had "its self-induction slightly altered on each side of the 

 adjustment for the maximum effect. From these and other 

 data the logarithmic decrement of the oscillator can be 

 calculated by means of a formula due to Drude, and thence, 

 knowing the capacity and self-inductance, we can estimate 

 the resistance of the spark gap. Results were obtained 

 for different materials of the electrodes (zinc, aluminium, 

 cadmium, tin, iron, S:c.), and for various lengths of spark 

 gap. These were somewhat irregular, but in the case of 

 nickel and aluminium increase in length of spark caused 

 a striking decrease in the decrement. — Treatment of 

 aneurism by electrolysis : Dr. Dawson Turner. The many 

 attempts to utilise electrolysis in aneurisms have been 

 made in the hope that clotting might occur round the 

 pole and thus serve as a nucleus for further coagulation 

 and deposits of fibrin, with partial filling of the aneurism 

 cavity. The experiments showed that silver and platinum, 

 which have been mostly used by surgeons, had no action 

 of the kind desired, and, besides, gave off gas bubbles in 

 quantitv. There is similarly no advantage in using iron 

 or nickel, for no precipitates arc formed. Lead, copper, 

 and zinc, however, all produce precipitates, and of these 

 zinc is to be preferred, both because of the character of 

 the precipitate and because of the complete absence of gas 

 bubbles. — Dr. Dawson Turner also exhibited some of 

 Prof. Leduc's photographs of growth due to osmosis, and 

 the microscopic structure of such growth. — The " negative 

 viscosity " of aqueous solutions: Dr. W. W. Taylor and 

 T. \V. Moore. The results brought forward in this paper 

 proved the insufficiency of any of the recognised explana- 

 tions of this phenomenon. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Scien'-es, lime 16. — M. H. Becquerel in the 

 chair. — A partial differential equation relating to a closed 

 surface : Emile Picard. — Researches on the rotation and 

 lustre of the various atmospheric layers of the sun : H. 

 Deslandres. ' A description of a modification of the 

 method given in 1902 for the study of the rotation of the 

 planets, and now applied to the sun. Instead of rotating 

 the spectroscope, which becomes inconvenient with the 

 large dispersion possible for the solar rays, the image of 

 the sun upon the slit is inverted by a suitably mounted 

 prism. The results of comparisons of the iron and cobalt 

 lines (\ ^9^5-96 and \ 3qV>i2) -''"tl *e calcium line K, 

 lead to the' 'conclusion tha't the upper layers of the solar 

 atmosphere varv considerablv in the velocity of rotation, 

 and these may' be different in the two hemispheres.— The 

 organs and mode of vegetation of the Neuroptcrideas and 

 other Pteridosperms : M. Grand'Eury. — The ninth cam- 

 paign of the Princessc Alice: the Prince of Monaco. 

 This voyage in the Arctic regions lasted from June ib to 

 September 12, 1907, and was much hindered by unusual 



