688 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 957 



Edward C. Franklin: Some New Ammonia Salts. 

 Herbert N. McCoy: The Alpha-ray Activity of 

 a Layer of Badioactive Solid as a Function of 

 its Thickness. 

 Herbert N. McCoy: The Periods of Transforma- 

 tion of Uranium and Thorium. 

 Arden R. Johnson: A Theory of the Origin and 

 Continuance of Optical Activity in Nature with- 

 out the Assumption of an Asymmetric Form of 

 Energy or ' ' Vital Force. ' ' 

 James E. Egan and Clarence W. Balke: Atomic 



Weight of yttrium. 

 W. E. Euder: The Intergranular Cement in 

 Metals. 



An investigation is made of the ' ' cement ' ' 

 material between the grains of an iron-silicon 

 alloy of about 4 per cent. Si content. It waa 

 found that this material gave exceedingly large 

 grains under the proper conditions of anneal. 

 These grains were separated in two ways: (1) by 

 heating to near the melting point in H and (2) 

 by electrolysis in a solution of KoCr.O, (as anode). 

 The first process merely weakens the grain boun- 

 daries, which are again reverted to their original 

 strength by firing in a diluted hydrocarbon at- 

 mosphere; the second process causes the grain to 

 actually fall apart. From these experiments it is 

 held that the great strength of the intergranular 

 boundaries is due to the presence of certain for- 

 eign materials, and not alone to the grain sub- 

 stance in the amorphous phase. 



William D. Haekins, H. M. Paine and K. D. 

 Mdllinix: Th^ Intermediate Ion Hypotheses 

 and the Solubility of Salts of Higher Types. 

 (Lantern.) 



Stuart J. Bates: The Significance of the Expo- 

 nent in Starch's Equation. 

 For di-ionic electrolytes the exponent in Storch 's 



equation, Cin/Cu = K, has the significance 



^ d^i I dTTy, 



'^^"dCi/ dCu 



where Cj and ttj are the concentration and the 

 osmotic pressure, respectively, of the ions and 

 C„ and T,, those of the undissociated molecules. 

 From freezing point and conductance data it is 

 possible to calculate the osmotic pressure of the 

 ions and also that of the undissociated molecule 

 as a function of the concentration. For KCl from 

 0.05 N to 0.5 N the osmotic pressure of the ions 

 is 4 to 5 per cent, less than that calculated from 



the gas laws, while that for the undissociated 

 molecules is 30 to 45 per cent, greater. 



Stuart J. Bates: The Calculation of Equivalent 

 Conductance at Infinite Dilutions. 

 A mathematical analysis of the methods em- 

 ployed by Kohlrausch and by Noyes for calcu- 

 lating the equivalent conductance at infinite dilu- 

 tion (Ao) shows that these assume that the ex- 

 pression for the "ionization constant" (C7)V 

 (1 — y)C becomes zero at zero concentration. A 

 method is developed based upon a consideration 

 of the exponent in Storch 's equation (cf. above 

 abstract) which sets limits between which the 

 value of Ao must lie. A graphic empirical method 

 for determining A„ values was also developed. In. 

 general the values thus obtained lie within, while 

 those calculated by Kohlrausch lie without the 

 theoretical limits. The final adjusted A, values 

 are smaller than those generally employed, for 

 un-imivalent salts by about 0.4 per cent., for uni- 

 bivalent salts about 0.7 per cent, and for bi- 

 bivalent salts about 1.7 per cent. 

 Harry N. Holmes: Electrostenolysis. 

 Arden R. Johnson and B. W. Hammar: Design 

 for Specific Heat Apparatus {Electrothermal). 

 J. Culver Hartzell: The Eelation of Geochem- 

 istry to Proposed Standard Types of Potable 

 Waters. 



The author considered the geochemistry of 

 waters and distinguished between voluntary or 

 esthetic tolerance and involuntary or human sys- 

 tem tolerance. He also considered bacterial count 

 and put emphasis on B. coli. Comparative tables 

 from the sanitary and geochemical standpoints 

 were given. The author recognizes the imprac- 

 ticability of standard types of potable waters for 

 universal application; but is strongly impressed 

 with the practicability and necessity of regional 

 standard types to which all municipalities could 

 and should bring their domestic and industrial 

 supplies. Cincinnati, New Orleans and Fargo were 

 cited; the latter showing the most striking re- 

 sults from a most difficult water. Regional types 

 of standard waters were proposed. 

 E. H. Archibald: The Teaching of Quantitative 



Analysis. 

 J. W. Tureentine: The Structure of the Trini- 



tride Radical. 

 R. H. Brownlee and R. H. Uhlinger: Demon- 

 stration of the Zeiss Gas Interferometer for the 

 Estimation of Minute Traces of Gases. 

 Joel H. Hildebrand: The Constitution of Certain 

 Liquid Amalgams. 



