Febbuabt 19, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



313 



A New Method for Alkaloidal Determinations 

 with Mercuric Potassium Iodide: G. Heikel. 



INOEQANIC CHEMISTBT SECTION 



Charles H. Herty, chairman 

 Denudation in the United States: R. B. Dole and 

 H. Stablee. 



This paper presents computations of the rate 

 at which the earth's crust is being moved as solid 

 particles carried in suspension by streams and as 

 matter carried in aqueous solution. The compu- 

 tations are based on twenty years' stream gauging 

 woric at 1,500 stations and about 5,000 water 

 analyses by the Water Resources Branch of the 

 U. S. Geological Survey, supplemented by stream 

 gauging data of the Engineer Corps, U. S. A., 

 and the Weather Bureau and by some miscellane- 

 ous analyses from state and municipal reports. 

 Except the estimates for the Northern Pacific, 

 Great Basin and Hudson Bay areas, for which the 

 data are rather meager, the figures are believed 

 to be within twenty per cent, of the correct 

 average values. Estimates for over one hundred 

 secondary drainage basins were computed. 



If denudation in the Great Basin is taken as 

 zero, the figures for the entire United States are 

 as follows: Tons of solids removed per square 

 mile per year, dissolved, 87 ; suspended, 166 ; 

 amounting to a total of 270 million tons of dis- 

 solved and 513 million tons of suspended matter 

 per year; equivalent to 1,330 millionths of an 

 inch per year, or one inch in 760 years. 

 A Spectroscopic Method for Determining Small 

 Amounts of Lithium: W. W. Skinnee. 

 The separation and determination of lithium, 

 when present in very small amounts, or when the 

 ratio of sodium and potassium to lithium is high, 

 are accomplished with very considerable difficulty. 

 This method proposes the use of the spectroscope 

 under definite conditions for this purpose, the 

 idea being that the brilliancy and length of dura- 

 tion of the lithium spectrum are, within certain 

 limits, proportional to the quantity of material 

 introduced into the flame. 



Classification of the Elements for Arranging Ref- 

 erences to Articles: A. L. Voeqe, Conciliiun 

 Bibliographicum, Zurich, Switzerland. (Pre- 

 sented by W. C. Bray, Massachusetts Institute 

 of Technology, Boston.) 



Mr. Voege has been engaged for a number of 

 years in adapting the Dewey system of classifica- 

 tion to the subject of electro-chemistry. He de- 

 sires to use a classification of the chemical ele- 

 ments that will be satisfactory to chemists, and is 



anxious to receive expressions of opinion from the 

 American Chemical Society and its individual 

 members on the four difi'erent classifications which 

 he has prepared. In two of these the elements are 

 separated into metalloids and metals; in the other 

 two the ordinary periodic system, and the Werner 

 periodic system, respectively, are followed. After 

 considerable discussion, the matter was referred 

 to the council of the society. Circulars describing 

 the different arrangements, which arrived too late 

 for distribution at the meeting, may be obtained 

 from Mr. Bray. 



Abstracts were not received for the following 

 papers : 



Preliminary Note on a New Volumetric Method 

 for the Determination of Cerium in the Pres- 

 ence of other Rare Earths: F. J. Metzgee. 

 Standards of Volumetric Analysis: Launcelot 



W. Andrews. 

 The lodometric Determination of Sulphates and 

 that of Sulphur in Coal or in Organic Com- 

 pounds: Launcelot W. Andeews. 

 The Supposed Presence of lodate in Commercial 

 Potassium Iodide — an Illusion: Launcelot W. 

 Andeews. 

 Erbium and its Companions (preliminary paper) : 



Chaeles James. 

 The Transformation of other Forms of Carbon 



into Graphite: William C. Arsem. 

 Electrolytic Estimation of Lead, using the Mer- 

 cury Cathode: M. Hume Bedfoed. 

 A Method for the Preparation of Standard Hydro- 

 chloric Acid: G. A. Hulett and W. B. Bannee. 

 The Atomic Weight of Lithium: Theodoee W. 



RiCHAEDS and Hobart H. Willaed. 

 The Basic Nitrates of Magnesium: Charles L. 



Parsons and Geo. A. Perley. 

 Barium, Sulphate in Analysis in the Munroe Cru- 

 cible: Isaac King Phelps. 

 The Weight of Carbon Dioxide with a Table of 



Calculated Values: S. W. Paeb. 

 Ferric Nitrates in Aqueous Solutions: F. K. Cam- 

 eron and W. O. Robinson. 

 Review Phosphate Situation: F. K. Cameron and 

 J. M. Bell. 



organic chemistry section 

 S. F. Acree, chairman 

 Preparation of Benzophenone : J. Bishop Tingle 

 and W. W. Holland. 



It is well Icnown that the interaction of gases 

 at moderately high temperatures is largely influ- 

 enced by apparently small variations in the phys- 

 ical state of the containing vessel. These effects 



