July 28, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



113 



reaction was unsuccessful. Attempts to prepare 

 dehydrotliio-p-toluidine by fusion of nitro-toluene 

 or of p-nitrobenzal-p-toluidine with sulfur gave 

 very poor yields of the product sought. 2-p-tolyl- 

 benzothianole was prepared by the Jacobsen meth- 

 od from thio-p-tolauilide and some of its deriva- 

 tives investigated. 



Uses of p. toluenesulfonyl chlorine in the manu- 

 facture of dyes and intermediates: Jules Bebie. 

 p. Toluenesulfonyl chloride is a by-product in the 

 manufacture of saccharin. A great amount of 

 chemical work has been devoted to the utilization 

 of this material and one of its derivatives, chlo- 

 raminte-T, is generally known as an excellent 

 germicide. Other derivatives have found applica- 

 tion in the dye industry. The p. toluenesulfonyl 

 chloride itself can be used in various ways in the 

 manufacture of dyes and intermediates, particu- 

 larly as a component or a part of a component 

 for the production of various classes of azo dyes 

 and in the combination with azo dyes containing 

 hydroxyl groups with the purpose of making the 

 resulting dyes fast for alkali and soap. 



The method of determining the class to which 

 each dye belongs: Andrew J. Leddt. 



The function of assistants used in dyeing 

 cotton: Andrew J. Leddy. 



The application of the direct dyes in coloring 

 paper: Walter C. Holmes. 



The functions of the dye testing laboratory: 

 E. E. KosE. 



The analysis of B. naphthylamine : Henry E. 

 Lee and D. O. Jones. Methods are presented for 

 the analysis of B. naphthylamine in the presence 

 of its common impurities, namely, B. naphthol, 

 a-naphthylamine and B B dinaphthylamine. By 

 sulfonation of B. naphthylamine the nitrate titra- 

 tion can be applied in the presence of B. naphthol. 

 A separation of T). naphthylamine from B. naph- 

 thol and B B dinaphthylamine is made by pre- 

 cipitation of the former as the hydrochloride from 

 benzol solution. The hydrochloride is dissolved 

 in water and titrated with N/2 nitrite at 0-5° C. 

 The benzol solution is evaporated to dryness and 

 the B. naphthol determined by titration with 

 diazo p-nitro-benzene. The Kjeldahl Gunning 

 method has been modified by sulfonation of the 

 sample with 25 per cent, oleum in the cold and 

 the use of a glass wool plug in the neck of the 

 flask during digestion. B. naphthylamine, a-naph- 

 thj'lamuie, B. naphthol and B B dinaphthylamine 

 were prepared in the pure state and some of their 

 physical constants determined. Melting point 

 curves are given for B. naphthylamine with each 

 of these impurities up to 10 per cent. 



DIVISION OF biological CHEMISTRY 



Howard B. Lewis, chairman 

 J. S. Hughes, secretary 



Higher alcohols formed in the fermentation of 

 sugar: J. C. Swenarton and E. Emmet Eeid. 

 Crude fusel oil, from the large scale fermentation 

 of molasses with pure culture yeast, contains sub- 

 stances boiling above isoaniyl alcohol even up to 

 270°. A quantity of the high boiling portion has 

 been repeatedly fractioned in vacuum and the 

 alcohol part of each fraction extracted by treat- 

 ment with phthalic anhydride. The alcohols ob- 

 tained by saponification of the mono-alkyl 

 phthalates boil up to 110° at 8 mm. and vary in 

 density at 25° from 0.8007 to 0.9067. Some are 

 optically active. They are being studied further 

 with the hope of identifying the individual alco- 

 hols. The non-alcohol portions of the fractions 

 boil up to 155° at 10 mm. and have densities at 

 25° from 0.80 to 0.90. Some are optically active. 



The toxic constituent of greasewood (Sarcobatus 

 vermiculatus) : James F. Couch. Greasewood is 

 an important forage plant for sheep on the winter 

 ranges in the west. It is common in the semi- 

 arid alkali valleys of the far western states, and, 

 while it is extensively grazed, it has been found 

 by Marsh, Clawson and Couch to be poisonous. 

 Chemical examination of the edible portions of the 

 plant showed that they contain a large proportion 

 of oxalic acid and unusually large amounts of 

 sodium and potassium salts. Toxic alkaloids, 

 glucosides and saponins were absent, and it was 

 shown by experiments upon sheep that the poison- 

 ing is due to sodium and potassium oxalates. The 

 leaves of the plant contain the largest proportion 

 both of ash and of oxalic acid; in the stems most 

 of the oxalic acid is combined as calcium oxalate. 



Influence of breeding upon oil and protein con- 

 tent of cotton seed: C. L. Hare. 



The iodine absorption of urine: Jack Mont- 

 gomery. 



Influence of sodium chloride upon animal excre- 

 tion: E. E. Miller. 



Further experiments on. the isolation of vitamin: 

 Atheeton Seidell. The method as now used for 

 the preparation of highly active vitamin fractions 

 consists in heating fresh brewer's yeast mixed 

 with water to about 90° C. ; adsorbing the vitamin 

 present in the filtered solution by means of Eng- 

 lish f uUer 's earth ; extracting this latter with sat- 

 urated barium hydroxide solution; and concen- 

 trating the extract, after acidifying with sulfuric 

 acid and filtering, by rapid vacuum distillation. 

 More detailed experiments on the precipitation of 

 the vitamin in these concentrated extracts by 



