PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



Camtritrge |^{rcl0S0pjrkaJ Staktjr, 



February 1, 1886. 

 Prof. Foster, President, in the Chair. 



The following were elected Fellows of the Society : 



M. M. Pattison Muir, M.A., Caius College. 



A. B. Basset, M.A., Trinity College. 



A. H. Evans, M.A, Clare College. 



T. Brill, M.A, St John's College. 



F. G. Heathcote, M.A., Trinity College. 



Dr C. Olearski was elected an associate. 



The following communications were made to the Society : 



(1) On a fall of temperature resulting from an increase in the 

 supply of heat. By G. D. Liveing, M.A. 



In the course of some experiments on the formation of ethyl 

 iso-cyanide by the action of potassium cyanide on oxalic ether my 

 assistant, Mr Robinson, observed that when the gas flame employed 

 to heat the oil-bath in which the mixture was digesting was 

 turned out the temperature of the mixture rose while that of the 

 bath fell. On again heating up the bath the temperature of the 

 mixture fell to rise again when the bath cooled. 



The apparatus used was simple. The mixture was placed in a 

 flask to the mouth of which was fitted, by means of a cork, a 

 reversed condenser, so that any distillate could flow back into the 

 flask. Through the cork two thermometers were passed, one dipping 

 into the mixture in the flask, the other giving the temperature of 

 the vapour above the mixture. The flask was placed in a bath of 

 oil, or in later experiments of paraffin, and was held in such a 

 position that the level of the oil, or paraffin, outside was the same 

 as that of the mixture inside the flask. A third thermometer was 



VOL. v. pt. VI. 26 



