188 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 710 



that the decrease in sugar is not due to caramel- 

 ization, but to a greater bacterial activity through- 

 out the first stages of the heating. 



The Status of Silicon in Certain Plants: W. E. 



TOTTINGHAM. 



Evidence has been secured which points strongly 

 to the presence of organic silicon compounds in 

 certain plants. Moist oxidation of 20 per cent, 

 acetic acid and 95 per cent, alcohol extracts from 

 green Graminae (mostly barley) has shown the 

 presence of forms of silicon which are lost upon 

 incinerating such extracts. Of the total silicon 

 in the acetic-acid extract, 31.73 per cent, was 

 lost in this manner. With the alcoholic extract 

 18.42 per cent, was lost in the same manner. The 

 silicon in young fruiting fronds of Equisetum 

 arvense was found to be 26.7 times more soluble 

 in 95 per cent, alcohol than in distilled water. 

 Evidence has been obtained of the existence of 

 silicon as a constituent of volatile compounds in 

 plants. The distillate by vacuum distillation of 

 95 per cent, alcohol extract of Graminae contained 

 .0123 gram SiOa. A current of air was passed 

 over green fruiting fronds of Equisetum arvense 

 while drying at 97° C., and then was drawn 

 through an absorbing train. By oxidation, .0023 

 gram SiO, was recovered from the water con- 

 densation and .0039 gram from the cone. H.SOj 

 absorption. These data strongly suggest the oc- 

 currence of organic and volatile silicon compounds 

 in plants. They further open the field for future 

 study on the relation and importance of silicon 

 in plant nutrition. 



Abstracts have not been received for the fol- 

 lowing papers: 

 The Determination of Reducing Sugars: Fbitz 



Zbbbais'. 

 Determination of Volatile Fatty Acids: Edwakd 



Gtjdeman. 

 Effect of Beat upon Physical and Chemical Con- 

 stants of Cottonseed Oil: Elton Fulmek. 

 The Determination of Total, Fixed and Volatile 



Acids in Wine: Julius Hoetvet. 

 The Chemistry of Durum Wheat Flour: E. F. 



Ladd. 

 Water and Starch in Meat Products: Floyd W. 



EOBISON. 



The Determination of Tin in Canned Apple Juice: 



H. C. GOKE. 



The Tox-icity of Ferrous Sulphate and of Acids 

 to Rye and Barley Seedlings: Buet L. Habt- 

 WELi, and F. R. Pembee. 



ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 



Wm. McPhekson, Chairman 



The Anhydrides of Meta- and Para-phthalio 

 Acids: John E. Buchee and W. Clifton 

 Slade. 



When meta-phthalio acid is dissolved in acetic 

 anhydride and the excess of reagent distilled a 

 viscous oil is obtained. On heating this in vacuo 

 at 200° C, a solid residue of meta-phthalic an- 

 hydride is obtained. This substance is insoluble 

 in dilute sodium carbonate but dissolves rapidly 

 in sodium hydroxide solutions. Water converts 

 into the corresponding acid very easily in the 

 presence of solvents. The method of preparation 

 and the properties of para-phthalic anhydride are 

 similar to those of the meta compound. 



The Formation of Naphthalene Derivatives from 

 Phenylpropiolic Acid and Us Substitution Prod- 

 ucts: John E. Buchee. 



Phenylpropiolic acid heated with acetic an- 

 hydride gives a quantitative yield of 1-phenyl- 

 naphthalene-2, 3-dicarboxylic anhydride. This 

 saturated compound on oxidation yields o-ben- 

 zoylbenzoie acid, diphenyltetracarboxylic acid, 

 1-phenyl-phenyl-o-glyoxyltricarboxylic acid and 

 probably benzenepentacarboxylic acid. The above 

 polymerization has been shown to be a general 

 reaction as piperonylpropialic, o-chlor-, m-chlor-, 

 m-nitro-, p-chlor-, p-iodo-, p-nitro- and p-methoxy-, 

 phenylpropiolic acids all yield saturated anhy- 

 drides and nearly all of these have already been 

 shown to be derivatives of 1-phenylnaphthalene. 

 A number of practical applications of this syn- 

 thesis were pointed out. 



Chemical Puhlications in America in Relation to 



Chemical Industry: W. A. Noyes. 



The American Chemical Society is the only 

 large chemical society in the world which attempts 

 to provide adequately both for the needs of those 

 who are engaged in the applications of chemistry 

 to the industries and to chemical engineering and 

 of those who are engaged in teaching and in the 

 prosecution of researches which have no imme- 

 diate practical bearing. The dues of the society 

 were increased by only three dollars when the 

 Chemical Abstracts was established, while it costs 

 between five and six dollars per member. The 

 expenditures of the society somewhat exceed its 

 receipts, but the rapid growth in membership indi- 

 cates that the policy which has been adopted will 

 be permanently successful. The new Journal of 

 Industrial and Engineering Chemistry is to be 



