598 



NATURE 



[OcTOnEK 2 2, 1896 



From a short article in the Chemical News, we learn that in 

 the coui'se of researches on monazite sand, M. P. Uarriere 

 ^jipears to have come upon a new elementary body, to which he 

 has given the name Luciiini, and which he purposes using for 

 the production of an incandescent gas light similar to that of 

 Auer von Welsbach. Careful investigation has been made of 

 the new and independent character of lucium, in order to prove 

 that its use was not anticipated by the Welsbach jiatents. The 

 ■examination showed that while the salts of cerium, lanthanum, 

 iind didymium form with sodium sulphate insoluble double salts, 

 lucium does not. Tlioriuni and zirconium form insoluble double 

 ■salts with potassium sulphate ; this is not the case with lucium. 

 Yttrium, ytterbium, and erbium are not precipitable by sodium 

 <hiosulphate, whilst lucium chloride is precipitable. From 

 glucinium lucium differs, as its salts are precipitable by oxalic 

 acid. The lines in the spectrum of lucium are special, and only 

 approximate slightly to those of erbium. Erbium oxide, on 

 ignition, appears of a very pure rose-colour, and its nitrate is 



red. On the contrary, lucium oxide is white, slightly greyish, 

 ;ind its nitrate is white. The aqueous solutions of the erbium 

 ■salts are red or rose-colour ; those of lucium, even if containing 



15 or 20 per cent, of the salt, are almost colourless. These and 

 other reasons seem to show that lucium is a new distinct 

 ■elementary body. Its atomic weight has been calculated as 



= 104. 



The last number of Modern Medicine and Bacteriological 

 Kevieiu contains a notice of some elaborate investigations which 

 .have been carried out by Drs. Chittenden and Mendel, of the 

 Physiological Department of Yale University, on the influence 

 ■of alcoholic drinks upon the chemical processes of digestion. 

 The report in question was prepared by request, and presented 

 to the Committee for the investigation of the liquor problem in 

 New York. The investigations were made by means of artificial 

 ■digestive experiments, in which the digestive fluids were allowed 

 to act upon various food substances under definite and constant 

 ■conditions. Absolute alcohol in four cases appeared to actually 

 stimulate digestive action by a fraction of i per cent., but the 

 amount of alcohol present did not exceed I or 2 per cent. 

 Whenever alcohol was added in quantities over 2 per cent., 

 ■digestive activity was markedly checked ; in one instance, 3 per 

 •cent, ot alcohol reduced the digestive activity by 17 '6 per cent. 

 Pure rye whisky containing 50 to 51 per cent, of alcohol yielded 

 practically the same results ; even an addition of i per cent, of 

 this spirit was found, taking the average of the experiments, to 

 .reduce digestive activity by over 6 per cent. In three cases, 

 however, an increase in digestive activity of from 3 to 5 per 

 cent, was recorded when additions of whisky in the proportion 

 of from I to 3 per cent, were made. Brandy, rum, and gin gave 

 practically the same results. Messrs. Chittenden and Mendel 

 ■consider that their experiments, as far as they go, justify them 

 in concluding that " whisky can be considered to impede the 

 solvent action of the gastric juice only when taken immoderately 

 and in into.xicaling quantities." 



Several successful experiments of scientific kite-flying, for 

 the purpose of exploring the upper air, have been made during 

 •the past summer at Mr. Rotch's observatory at Blue Hill, near 

 Boston, and the results of some of these are noticed in Science 

 ■of October 2. The kites used are of the tailless and the box 

 patterns, provided with registering instruments specially made 

 by M. Richard, of Paris. The altitudes reached are determined 

 in three ways — by theodolites, by the angle and length of the 

 kite-line, and by the barometric pressure recorded. The height 

 ■of one mile was exceeded on six occasions ; on July 20, at a 

 short distance above the earth, the kite entered a cloud in which 

 the humidity reached saturation, while after a further ascent of 

 .about 2500 feet, the air was found to be mvich dryer. On 

 NO. 1408, VOL. 54] 



August I, the recording instrument reached an altitude of 7333 

 feet above sea-level. The temperature at the maximum altitude 

 was 20° less than at the observatory (640 feet above sea-level), 

 while the relative humidity showed variations of 30 to 80 per 

 cent. The results obtained from these investigations at Blue 

 Hill are attracting much attention. 



I.N the current number of the Annates de Chintie el de 

 Pliysii/tie, M. Moissan continues the account of his researches 

 with the electric furnace. He gives the preparation and 

 properties of titanium, molybdenum, uranium, and the borides 

 of iron and of carbon, the preparation of manganese, and an 

 historical account of the researches already made on the 

 crystallised carbides of the alkaline earths. In the latter paper 

 he lays claim to the discovery of crystallised carbide of calcium, 

 while assigning to Mr. Wilson the credit of having introduced 

 its manufacture in the United States. With regard to titanium, 

 M. Moissan has found that with a current of 50 amperes and 

 50 volts, titanic acid is converted into crystallised oxide of 

 titanium. With 350 amperes and 70 volts, the bronze-yellow 

 nitride, Ti^Nj, is obtained. When 1200 amperes and 70 volts 

 are used, the temperature rises above the point of decomposi- 

 tion of this substance, and the carbide TiC, is formed, free from 

 nitrogen ; and if this is heated with an excess of titanic acid, 

 titanium containing only 2 per cent, of carbon is obtained. 

 These successive actions, says M. Moissan, give a decisive proof 

 of the increase of temperature of the electric arc dependent on 

 an increase of the current, and form the starting-point of 

 another long series of experiments. The preparation of the 

 crystallised compound of iron and boron containing over 15 

 per cent, of boron, and nearly corresponding to the formula 

 FeB, effectually disposes of the assertion of some workers on 

 iron that it is impossible to alloy these two elements. 



The Australian Museum, Sydney, like many other colonial 

 museums, suffers from lack of funds to acquire specimens by 

 purchase. In the report of the Trustees of the Museum, lost 

 opportunities due to this deficiency are lamented. To an 

 enthusiastic curator nothing is more heartrending than to see 

 objects urgently needed in the collection under his charge, and 

 to be unable to acquire them ; a woman coveting a pretty bonnet 

 which she cannot buy, may be able to understand his feelings, 

 but no one else could adequately sympathise with him. Owing 

 to this want of funds, it has only been possible for a few isolated 

 purchases to be made during the year 1895. The same difficulty 

 applies to collecting, and consequently the Trustees have been 

 unable to continue systematic exchanges with other institutions 

 from which they have been accustomed to receive specimens. 

 Notwithstanding these limitations, 11,499 specimens were 

 acquired during the year. The more important acquisitions 

 were : — A fine collection of mounted sheep, goats, and dogs 

 from the museum at Florence, a large native drum from the 

 Bismarck Archipelago, and one of Captain Cook's original MS. 

 Journals, or Log of H.M.S. Endeavour, which was kept by him 

 in triplicate. It is satisfactory to know that a sum of ;^6ooo 

 has been voted by Parliament for the further extension of the 

 Museum buildings. The assistance came none too soon, for an 

 accident to the plaster revealed the astounding fact that the 

 woodwork of the entire roof over the central part of the main 

 building had been destroyed by white ants. The destruction 

 was so complete that it is surprising that the portion affected 

 did not collapse. The building had to be temporarily supported 

 in order to make it safe until funds became available for the 

 erection of a new roof. In spite of these little tribulations, Mr. 

 R. Etheridge, jun. , and his assistants accomplished a large 

 amount of work during the year covered by the report. Man)' of 

 the collections have been thoroughly overhauled and rearranged, 

 while the condition of all of them appears to have been improved. 



