AveusT 9, 1918] 
The Resolving Powers of X-Ray Spectro- 
meters and the Tungsten X-Ray Spectrum: 
Elmer Dershem, Department of Physics, Uni- 
versity of Illinois. The theory of resolving 
power is given with the results of experiments 
on tungsten, in which the endeavor was made 
to obtain as high a resolving power as possible. 
Note on Methods of Observing Potential 
Differences Induced by the Earth’s Magnetic 
Field in an Insulated Moving Wire: Carl 
Barus and Maxwell Barus, Department of 
Physics, Brown University. A simple appara- 
tus is described, and an elementary estimate 
first given. The apparatus was then modified, 
producing intensification, and new observa- 
tions were made. 
Dependence of the Spectral Relation of 
Double Stars upon Distance: C. D. Perrine, 
Observatorio Nacional Argentino, Cordoba. 
There is an indication that some external 
cause is operating in more or less definite 
regions of our stellar system upon the con- 
ditions which produce spectral class. 
Hypothesis to Account for the Spectral Con- 
ditions of the Stars: C. D. Perrine, Observa- 
torio Nacional Argentino, Cordoba. The 
spectral condition of a star depends chiefly 
upon its size and mass and the external con- 
ditions of density of cosmical matter and rela- 
tive velocities of star and matter. 
National Research Council: Minutes of the 
thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth and _ thirty-sixth 
meetings of the Committee; war organization 
of the National Research Council. 
Epwin Bmwwett Witson 
Mass. INSTITUTE oF TECHNOLOGY, 
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. 
SPECIAL ARTICLES 
TERNARY SYSTEMS AND THE BEHAVIOR OF 
PROTOPLASM 
I 
In order to define more accurately the na- 
ture of certain changes which are observed in 
protoplasm (its normal water content, edema, 
cloudy swelling, fatty degeneration, necrosis) 
we have been continuing our study of the be- 
SCIENCE 
143 
havior of various simple colloids so far as their 
powers of hydration and dehydration are con- 
cerned under the influence of changes in their 
surroundings. Since the chemistry of the 
proteins is rather complicated, we have turned 
to a study of the colloid behavior of the chem- 
ically simpler soaps, for these show close anal- 
ogy in their processes of hydration and de- 
hydration to certain proteins. The soaps, 
however, behave in their turn much like 
mutually soluble systems of the type phenol- 
water-salt, and so we have passed from a study 
of the soaps to a study of these simpler phys- 
ico-chemical systems. From these we have 
then built backwards through the soaps to the 
proteins and from these to the properties of 
living cells. The study as a whole makes 
clearer, we think, the nature of various 
changes which are observed in living matter. 
Many of the “ vital” phenomena of cells may 
be interpreted in the terms of the behavior of 
simple hydrophilic colloids. These in turn, 
may be interpreted as expressions of the 
changes to be observed in systems of mutually 
soluble materials (like two liquids and a solid, 
a liquid and two solids, etc.) more particularly 
the changes incident to their “separation” in 
their “critical realms” with the acecompany- 
ing changes in viscosity, in light transmission, 
in state of “solvent” or “dissolved” sub- 
stances, ete. 
I 
Our studies on soaps not only corroborate 
the work of various well-known authors (Hof- 
meister, Lewkowitch, Krafft, Merklen, Gold- 
schmidt, Botazzi, Victorow and Leimdorfer), 
but amplify their studies in that we worked 
with pure (salt-free) soaps and with longer 
series of such while subjecting them to more 
widely varying external conditions than is 
the case in most of the investigations thus 
far reported. 
We began with the preparation of equimolar 
amounts of various salt-free soaps in the pres- 
ence of a definite volume of water. For this 
purpose we neutralized (at the temperature of 
boiling water) the proper fatty acid with an 
equivalent of the proper alkali in a unit 
volume of water. When not otherwise speci- 
