594 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 722 



been detected. It follows, therefore, that 

 if there is a heavier constituent in air than 

 xenon, its amount does not exceed Yzs bil" 

 lionth of the whole. Now, it is certain that 

 if such an element existed, it would be 

 gaseous, and would be found in air. Its 

 non-existence implies either the absence of 

 such elements from the periodic table or 

 their instability. As possible atomic 

 weights for missing elements are 178, 216 

 and 260, it is rendered probable that they 

 are, respectively, unstable emanations— 

 those of thorium, of radium and of ac- 

 tinium. 



The liquid residue as obtained amounted 

 to about 500 c.c. (500 liters gas) and in 

 order to concentrate the noble gases was 

 blown off into about 100 c.c. of liquid air. 

 This liquid air which contained the accu- 

 mulated noble gases was again blown off 

 into a smaller volume of liquid air, and 

 this process continued until a manageable 

 quantity of liquid was obtained for frac- 

 tionation. 



The breaking down of the various ema- 

 nations into members of the argon family 

 was also mentioned. In the discussion that 

 followed Professor Rutherford stated that 

 he was repeating Ramsay's experiments on 

 the production of neon and argon from 

 copper salts by radium emanation and 

 seemed to obtain different results. 



A discussion on the "Nature of Chemical 

 Change" was opened by Professor H. E. 

 Armstrong, F.R.S., who attacked in vigor- 

 ous terms the theory of ionization in solu- 

 tion, propounding instead a theory of 

 hydrogenation. From the fact that en- 

 zymes become associated with the sub- 

 stances they hydrolyze he concluded that 

 acids in solution also acted as true catalysts. 

 "Water does not exist as HjO, but as poljrm- 

 erized molecules, such as 



hydronol. 



H^O 



Y 



di-, tri- and polyvalohydrone. HCl dis- 

 solved in water yields HC1=0H2 and 



HCk 

 (hydrolation), and in part 



H,0 



Cl 



which readily hydrolyzes. H20= and 

 HC1= are active because unsaturated. In 

 opposition to the ionic theory Professor 

 Armstrong postulates: 



/H OHy yH yH 



1. HC1< + >0< =HC1— 0< -f OH, 



^OH b/ \Na I I NNa 



OH H 



/^ 



2. HCl— 0< + OH, = HCl : OHNa + 2OH3 



OH H 



3. HCl : OHNa + 20H. = NaCl + 30H, 



and adduced in proof figures showing the 

 volume changes after reaction. 



On electrolyzing HCl in concentrated 

 solution there are mostly present 



H,0< 



\ci 



molecules, water exerting a greater hydro- 

 lyzing effect when there is less of it present. 

 Hence in weak solution more groups 



HCl 



•OH 



exist and more O2 is produced on elec- 

 trolysis. The tendency for the complex 

 molecules to produce simpler ones (H20)n 

 — ^wHjO is the cause of osmotic pressure. 

 Of those who took part in the discussion 

 Sir Oliver Lodge likewise expressed a pref- 

 erence for the attachment of water mole- 

 cules to the HCl molecule, simply prefer- 



