Decembeb 17, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



sn 



resources of the United States, calendar year 

 1908." Mr. Hess gives also details of the in- 

 dustry by states, notes on the occurrence and 

 uses of tungsten, and a partial bibliography. 

 Tungsten is of wide occurrence, but the indi- 

 vidual deposits can hardly be said to be large. 

 As a rule they are " pockety " — that is, they oc- 

 cur in lenticular masses or small shoots. 

 Many of those at the surface are quickly and 

 easily mined, but it may then take all the 

 profits derived from the first ore body to locate 

 another one. The tungsten minerals used as 

 ores are hiibnerite, a tungstate of manganese; 

 wolframite, a tungstate of manganese and 

 iron; ferberite, a tungstate of iron; and 

 scheelite, a tungsten of calcium. They gener- 

 ally occur in veins cutting igneous rocks that 

 contain much silica, such as granite and 

 granodiorite. Some simple tests for identifj'- 

 ing these minerals are described by Mr. Hess. 

 The most important use of tungsten is as an 

 alloy for tool steel, to which it imparts the 

 property of holding temper at a much higher 

 temperature than high-carbon steels. When 

 lathe tools are made of tungsten steel the 

 lathe may be speeded up until the chips leav- 

 ing the tool are so hot that they turn blue. It 

 is said that about five times as much work can 

 be done by a lathe built for such speeds and 

 work and fitted with tungsten-steel tools as can 

 be done by the same lathe with carbon-steel 

 tools. From 16 to 20 per cent, of tungsten is 

 ordinarily used in lathe tools. 



The Journal of the American Medical Asso- 

 ciation states that the production of radium 

 has been carried on in Johannistal to such a 

 degree that at present there is available a 

 quantity equivalent to 1 gm. (15 grains) of 

 the pure substance. Several tons of the ore 

 had to be worked up before an appreciable 

 amount was obtained. It is intended now to 

 put the available quantity on the market solely 

 for scientific purposes and for charitable insti- 

 tutions. It will be sold in quantities of 1 mg. 

 (about %o grain) of the 5 per cent, and the 

 10 per cent. salt. Bromid of radium has been 

 chosen. The price of the 5 per cent, salt will 

 be 1,080 crowns ($2-14) per portion (i/;f, grain). 

 The sale will take place in the radium insti- 

 tute just now in course of erection. A gift 



by an anonymous benefactor, who gave $100,- 

 000 for this purpose on the understanding that 

 an equal sum should be provided by the state, 

 enabled the Vienna University to obtain its 

 radium research institute, the first in the 

 world as regards equipment for investigators. 

 The necessary appropriation having been voted, 

 the building is now almost ready for use. 



UXITERfilTY AXD EDUCATIOyAL NEWS 



The Chicago Record-Herald says: "Plans 

 are in contemplation for giving the Univer- 

 sity of Chicago the finest physical laboratory 

 in the United States, if not in the world. It 

 is said that before all the plans are consum- 

 mated the plant will have cost $1,000,000. All 

 of the money is to be furnished by Martin 

 Eyerson, president of the board of trustees of 

 the university, who also was the donor of the 

 present Eyerson laboratory at the university." 



Mr. Samuel Mather, of Cleveland, and his 

 children, have offered to erect for the College 

 for Women of Western Eeserve University, a 

 building for class and lecture rooms, in 

 memory of Mrs. Florence Stone Mather. 



The contract for the new chemistry build- 

 ing of Eutgers College has been awarded. 

 The building will be located about 100 feet 

 north of the engineering building which was 

 completed last year. It will be built of brick 

 with terra cotta trim and will conform archi- 

 tecturally to the engineering building. On 

 the first floor will be a large lecture room 

 seating about 200, and three class rooms, two 

 seating about 50 students and one for 30 stu- 

 dents. On the second floor will be the 

 qualitative laboratory for 96 students, the 

 quantitative laboratory for 64 students, a 

 laboratory for work in electrochemistry and 

 one for water analysis, professors' private 

 offices and laboratories and a supply room. 

 In the basement is the laboratory for the ele- 

 mentary work of freshman year which will ac- 

 commodate 162 men, a laboratory for organic 

 chemistry accommodating 24 men and the 

 necessary heating and ventilating apparatus 

 and a stock room. 



The annual meeting of the Association of 

 American Universities will be held at the Uni- 

 versity of Wisconsin, January 4 and 5. 



