ON THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SOLUTION. 261 



Sixth Report of the Comiinittee, consisting of Professor W. A. 

 TiLDEN, Professor H. McLeod, Mr. S. U. Pickering, Professor 

 W. Eamsay and S. Young, and Dr. A. E. Leeds, and Dr. W. W. 

 J. NicoL {Secretary), appointed for the purpose of reporting 

 on the Bibliography of Solution. 



The Committee report that considerable progress has been made during 

 the past year. One new journal has been completely searched, and the 

 others have been brought up to date. The work has so far advanced 

 that the question of publication will soon have to be considered. The 

 titles already collected now number over 1,200, including cross references, 

 and are drawn from the leading scientific journals at home and abroad. 

 It will perhaps be desirable to publish a first instalment, as the subject of 

 Solution is now attracting so much attention that such a bibliography 

 would be of great use. The Committee desire reappointment. 



Sixth Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor W. A. 

 TiLDEN, Professor W. Eamsay, and Dr. W. W. J. Nicol (Secre- 

 tary), appointed for the purpose of investigating the Nature of 

 Solution. (Draiun up by Dr. NicoL.) 



I. The Atomic Volumes of Carbon and Hydrogen in Organic Substances 



when in Dilute Solution. 



In 1883 it was observed that the molecular volumes of the sodium 

 salts of formic, acetic, and butyric acid showed in dilute solution au 

 approximately constant difference, giving 14'3 as the volume of the 

 group CHj (Nicol, ' Phil. Mag.,' August, 1883, p. 131). 



This point appeared wortliy of further examination, inasmuch as, if 

 dissolved substances are under comparable conditions when the solution 

 is sufficiently dilute, as seems most probable from a consideration of the 

 physical properties of such dilute solutions, then the apparent molecular 

 volumes in dilute solution could be compared in the same way as the 

 molecular volumes at the boiling-point, and thus the atomic volumes 

 of the various elements could be determined with greater ease and 

 certainty than at the boiling-point. 



A series of preliminary experiments with the commoner compound 

 •ethers have been completed, the x'Psults of which will shortly be published, 

 and these are so encouraging that the Committee have decided to go fully 

 into the subject, and as the preparation, purification, and analysis of a 

 sufficiently large number of compounds for the purpose of this research 

 is necessarily long and tedious, the Committee will be glad to receive the 

 assistance of members of Section B. who have suitable compounds, the 

 composition of which is guaranteed by analysis. Such substances must 

 be soluble in water, alcohol, benzol, xylol, ether, or chloroform. The 

 secretary will gratefully acknowledge the receipt of specimens (three to 

 five grams) sent to him at Mason College, Birmingham. 



