Deoembee 21, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



621 



visit the Blue HUl Meteorological Observatory, 

 where Professor McAdie was most attentive and 

 explained in detail the investigations he is carry- 

 ing on there. 



The opportunity for interested parties to enroll 

 themselves as charter members remains open until 

 December 31, 1917, and all such persons are invited 

 to join the association, to whom copies of the con- 

 stitution will be sent upon application to the sec- 

 retary, Wm. Tyler Olcott, 62 Church Street, Nor- 

 wich, Conn. L. C. 



BOSTON MEETING OF THE AMERICAN 

 CHEMICAL SOCIETY. IV 



DIVISION OF PHYSICAL AND INORGANIC CHEMISTRY 



H. P. Talbot, Chairman 

 E. B. Millard, Secretary 

 Joint Meeting with Division of Organic Chemis- 

 try, Wednesday Morning 



1. Two new laboratory instruments: Arthue John 



Hopkins. 

 (a) A biu-et-miorometer. 

 A reading device which permits of correct read- 

 ings to .001 c.c. 



(6) A balance for first-year students. 

 A three-arm balance with non-removable riders 

 in a glass and aluminum case. A distinctive arrest. 

 The bearings are of steUite and the arms of invar 

 tape. The ratio of the arms is such that the 

 weight used is to the load as 4: 1. 



2. Water-lag in a buret: Akthur John Hopkins. 

 A study of the amount of pure water clinging 



to the sides of a buret, under different speeds of 

 discharge. The rule is deduced that, in order that 

 comparable readings may be obtained, the dis- 

 charge should not be faster than 12 to 15 seconds 

 per cubic centimeter. 



Limits of individuality in chemistry: N. T. 

 Bacon. The chances for variation become less and 

 less as complexity of structure is reduced, but now 

 that we recognize atoms as being composed of 

 many parts is it not proper to recognize that at 

 least the individual molecule, if not the atom 

 itself, may have an individuality? Probably each 

 atom would have a normal arrangement of the 

 multiplicity of parts going to buUd up the atom, 

 but the question is raised whether it is not prob- 

 able that owing to imperfect elasticity these fre- 

 quently stand out of the normal position with ref- 

 erence to each other and reducing their tendency to 

 combine so that frequently many times as many 

 collisions are necessary before completion of com- 

 bination as would be called for by theory. 



A new hydrate of lime: H. W. Chaelton. 

 This hydrate of lime possesses marked plasticity, 

 and differs from the ordinary CaO-H.O in contain- 

 ing a considerably less amount of water. Its 

 method of formation precludes the possibility of 

 its being a mixture of CaO and CaO-H-O. One ex- 

 ample of its formation comprises digesting 

 CaO-HjO with ten times its weight of water at 

 225 pounds pressure for a couple of hours. The 

 resulting plastic material contains but slightly 

 more than 15 per cent, water of combination 

 while it originally contained over 24 per cent, and 

 its specific gravity is but 1.95, while that of 

 CaO.H,0 is about 2.078. This is remarkable as 

 it would naturally be supposed that the specific 

 gravity would lie some place between that of 

 CaO— 3.25 and that of CaO--2.078. 



An investigation of the reaction between anti- 

 mony and the solutions of sodium in liquid am- 

 monia: Edwakd B. Peck. Solutions of sodium in 

 liquid ammonia of concentrations from 0.0049 to 

 1.2482 gm. atoms of sodium per liter of liquid 

 ammonia were sealed in glass bombs with an ex- 

 cess of antimony and allowed to react at room 

 temperature for from two months to a year. A 

 dark-brown, slightly soluble compound fijst 

 formed, after which a dark-red solution appeared 

 and the precipitate dissolved. The ratio of anti- 

 mony to sodium in the solution does not corre- 

 spond to a small integral number and changed 

 with the concentration of sodium. The ratio 

 Sb/Na changed very rapidly in dilute solutions 

 from a value of Sb/Na = 1.98 to a maximum of 

 Sb/Na = 2.333 at a sodium concentration of about 

 0.4N, after which there was a sUght decrease to a 

 value of Sb/Na = 2.254 at a concentration of 

 1.248. Two plots of the results were shown, one 

 the ratio Sb/Na against the concentration of 

 sodiimi, and another the log. of the sodium con- 

 centration against the ratio Sb/Na. In both these 

 plots the results lay on a smooth curve. The appa- 

 ratus for carrying out this work was described in 

 detail. Weighed amounts of sodium were put up 

 in small glass capsules. These capsules were 

 placed across a tube provided with an electro- 

 magnetic hammer in the inside, which could be 

 actuated by a solenoid outside. The reaction tube 

 containing metallic antimony was sealed on to 

 this tube. The tube was also connected to a 

 supply of pure ammonia and to a vacuum pump. 

 After evacuating the apparatus, ammonia was 

 condensed in the reaction tube by surrounding it 

 with a bath of liquid ammonia. The sodium was 



