804 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE.—1912. TIL.s. 
solubilities of carbon monoxide and nitrogen is independent of the 
solvent. 
1910 It was observed by Findlay and Creighton **® that many 
‘ colloidal suspensions increase the solubility of gases in water, 
an example being silica, which increases the solubility of carbon 
dioxide and nitrous oxide—a fact which these authors attributed to the 
dissolution of the gas in the colloid. 
Centnerszwer *78 studied the solubility of various salts, mostly 
halides, in methylic alcohol at the critical temperature. Potassium 
iodide was found to be soluble, whilst the chloride was insoluble; 
though, contrary to the behaviour of the soluble salts, it had no effect 
in raising the critical temperature of the alcohol. Investigations of 
solubility above the critical temperature of the solvents were also 
prosecuted by Tyrer,?7° who found that although the solubility of 
sodium iodide in methylic and ethylic alcohols rapidly decreased as 
the critical temperature of the solvent was approached, yet, even after 
the liquid phase had disappeared, a considerable quantity of salt 
remained dissolved. 
The absorption of carbon dioxide in p-azoxyphenetole in its three 
physical states—namely, solid, crystalline liquid, and ordinary liquid— 
was studied by Homfray.*7! He found that the anisotropic liquid 
phase (145°5° to 166°5°) showed more absorptive power than the solid, 
but that the ordinary liquid phase, notwithstanding the higher tem- 
perature, had a much greater power oi absorption than either. 
In a paper dealing with the absorption of gases by metals, Sieverts 
and Krumbhaar **8 show that, whereas some gases are more soluble 
in the solid metal, others dissolve more readily in the liquid metal: 
for instance, sulphur dioxide dissolves in liquid copper only; hydrogen 
dissolves in solid copper, nickel, and iron, but is more soluble in these 
metals when they are in the molten state. Continuing this work, 
i911, Steverts * concluded that hydrogen gas forms a true solution 
‘ in these metals, because the solubility is independent of the 
area of the surface of the metal used. 
Ill. B.—Chemical. 
1897 In connection with the study of the solubility of solid sub- 
* stances in vapours, Benedict *® observed that the presence of a 
little ether largely increases the volatility of naphthalene ; similar results 
being obtained with camphor and also when other solvents were used. 
When repeating this work, Talmadge*’ was unable to confirm the 
above-mentioned result with regard to naphthalene, although he found 
that the equilibrium between solid and gaseous naphthalene is not 
independent of the other components of the system. 
1898 Walker and Wood*! compared the solubility of the three 
* hydroxybenzenes in water, acetone, ether and benzene. They 
found that neither the order of solubility of the three isomeric compounds 
nor their solubility ratio is independent of the solvent. 
1899 An extensive study of the properties of liquid ammonia as a 
* solvent was made by Franklin and Krauss,** who investigated 
the behaviour of 175 salts and 250 carbon compounds in this solvent ; 
