578 REPORT— 1902. 



entity must be left to the discretion of the trained chemist, and that the imposi- 

 tion on him of a standard method is undesirable, and in practice unattainable. 



The agitation for standard methods has arisen in great measure from the 

 occurrence of discrepancies in analysis which are inconvenient to the trader and 

 injui'ious to the chemist. These discrepancies are due to bad sampling and 

 unskilful work, and will not be remedied by standardisation. The remedj' 

 consists in more careful sampling, and in more accurate and skilful analysis. 

 Uniformity of results will thus be obtained irrespective of uniformity of method. 



The situation of the works' chemist was considered, and the conclusion 

 reached that he must be better trained and better paid. The extra cost to the 

 manufacturer will be recouped by the greater help afforded by the chemist. 



While desirous of confining standardisation to the chemical examination of 

 substances for which arbitrarj^ processes alone are available, and while condemning 

 all attempts to standardise analysis properly so called, the author is of opinion 

 that something more than a policy of laisser faire can be usefully imdertaken. 

 He advocates conferences of specialists in different branches of analysis for the 

 description of methods and their critical discussion. These conferences should be 

 purely for the advancement of knowledge, and not for the promulgation of rules. 

 By their influence the standard of accuracy in analysis would be raised, and 

 concordance of results secured without recourse to the use of arbitrary and 

 conventional methods. 



3. The Decomposition of Urea} By Charles E. Fawsitt, Ph.D. 



The author has studied the decomposition of urea into ammonia and carbonic 

 anhydride in aqueous solution at 09° C. as a problem in reaction velocity. The 

 reaction in presence of either acid or alkali would be expected theoretically to be 

 bi- or tri-molecular, but the experimental results show that in these cases, and 

 also when pure water is used as the solvent, decomposition proceeds in accord- 

 ance with the formula of a monomolecular reaction. This apparent anomaly is 

 explained by assuming the formation of an intermediate product — namely, of 

 ammonium cyanate ; further, the presence of this salt in the solution, as an 

 intermediate product and not as a by-product, has been proved. The hydrolysis 

 of urea is therefore not a case of direct saponification. 



4. Repoi't on the Relation hettceen the Ahsorjytion Spectra and Chemical 

 Constitution of Organic Substances. — See Reports, p. 99. 



5. Recent Synthetical Researches in the Glucoside Group. 

 By Dr. E. Frankland Armstrong. 



If anhydrous hydrogen chloride or bi-omide be allowed to act at ordinary 

 temperatures on eitlier of the two isomeric peutacetyl-derivatives of glucose, the 

 acetyl radicle attached to the aldehyde group is quantitatively displaced by 

 haloo-en, giving rise to isomeric aceto-halogen-glucoses, which are well-defined 

 crystalline substances. These compounds are of considerable value as synthetical 

 agents. One of them was made use of by Michael some twenty years ago, iu the 

 form of a syrup, in effecting the synthesis of helicin and some other gluco.sides 

 derived from the phenols. In practice the interaction between the halhydride 

 and the acetyl-derivative is carried out in sealed tubes, the gases being liquefied 

 by the aid of liquid air. When the interaction is at an end the tubes are again 

 immersed in liquid air in order to allow of their being safely opened. The aceto- 

 halogen-glucoses are completely converted into the alkylglucosides by treatment 

 with alcohols, giving rise, when methyl alcohol is used, to the known a- and 

 ^-methylglucosides. 



' Zeitschrift fiir physikalisclie Chemie,x[i. 601. 



