602 
in which it is easily titrated. The results 
obtained confirm very completely the cor- 
rectness of the ordinary accepted theory. 
A paper by Louis Kahlenberg, of the 
University of Wisconsin, on the electrolytic 
deposition of metals from non-aqueous solu- 
tions, dealt primarily with the validity of 
Faraday’s law in such solutions. Experi- 
ments with silver nitrate dissolved in pyri- 
din, nitro-benzene, anilin, benzonitril and 
acetone, and of some other salts in pyridin, 
show that Faraday’s law holds good in 
these solvents. This is the more striking 
from the fact that in many other cases non- 
aqueous solutions do not act like those of 
water. Kahlenberg also called attention to 
the fact that from a solution of lead nitrate 
in pyridin the lead is deposited in bright 
erystals at the negative pole, while there is 
no deposit at the positive pole. Silver 
forms a very dense deposit from solutions 
of the nitrate in anilin. These latter facts 
may have some industrial value. 
Closely connected with this paper was 
one by E. C. Franklin, of the University of 
Kansas, on the electrical conductivity of 
liquid ammonia solutions, which was a con- 
tinuation of his work, which has already 
been noticed in these columns. Professor 
Franklin described a very ingeniously de- 
vised apparatus for purifying the liquid 
ammonia, particularly from water, and he 
found that its electric conductivity when 
thus purified was exceedingly small, not 
more than one-fourth that of purified water. 
Many conductivity curves were shown, 
which resembled more or less closely those 
of aqueous solutions. Under variable tem- 
perature, however, the conductivity in- 
creases with the temperature to a maximum 
and then decreases. This is theoretically 
the case with aqueous solutions, but the 
experimental conditions necessary for its 
demonstration are difficult to obtain. 
Note was made in this column a few 
weeks ago of work which Charles Basker- 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Von. X. No. 252. 
ville, of the University of North Carolina, 
and others have done on the distribution of 
titanium. In a paper before the Section, 
Dr. Baskerville reviewed the work which 
had been done by others and gave an ac- 
count of his own work. The most im- 
portant feature is that every sample of 
human flesh and bone examined shows the 
presence of at least traces of titanium. We 
must consequently consider that titanium 
is a constant constituent of the human or- 
ganism, unless, indeed, it militates against 
Baskerville’s work, that only specimens 
from the negro race were studied. Dr. 
Baskerville also finds a wide distribution of 
vanadium, notably in some peats. 
A very interesting paper on the relation 
of physical chemistry to technical chemistry 
was read by Wilder D. Bancroft, of Cor- 
nell, and a most carefully prepared lecture 
on ‘Some Experimental Illustrations of the 
Electrolytic Dissociation Theory,’ was de- 
livered by Arthur A. Noyes, of the Institute 
of Technology. A word should be added 
in commendation not alone of the lecture, 
but also of the idea of having-such lectures. 
It is now the custom of the London Chem- 
ical Society to have its annual lecture, and 
of the German Chemical Society to have 
them more frequently. The delivery of 
one or two such lectures before the chem- 
ical section, by experts, on subjects about 
which every chemist wishes to be informed, 
while few are, would prove one of the most 
profitable features of the meeting, and it is 
to be hoped it will be repeated in the future. 
Several papers in other fields than that of 
inorganic chemistry may be noticed. One of 
the most interesting of these was by H. W. 
Wiley and W. H. Krug on ‘Some New 
Products of Maize Stalks.’ It would have 
surprised a farmer to see the great variety 
of materials of which Dr. Wiley showed 
samples, all made from cornstalks. There 
was cellulose pith which is now extensively 
used on war vessels as a backing to armor 
