A.UGUBT 17, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



199 



per acetate. Later Wohler made a green 

 starting with copper butyrate and found 

 the ratio to be 2:1. The writer shows 

 that Paris green and its homolognes may 

 be regarded as isomorphic crystalline mix- 

 tures in which the extreme limits of the 

 ratio of copper arsenite to the copper or- 

 ganic acid salt lie between 3:1 and 2:1. 

 This view is confirmed by the study of 

 gi-eens, samples of which have been made 

 containing a great diversity of organic 

 acids. It is further confirmed by a study 

 of certain zinc arsenites. 



A Chemical Study of Curare : G. B. Frank- 



FOKTER and H. M. Newton. 



The authors have made an exhaustive ex- 

 amination of the various forms of curare, 

 or arrow poison. It required several years 

 to collect these samples in the crude form 

 as prepared by the Indians. On one or 

 two occasions the bulbs or original con- 

 tainers had been par Jy filled with sand by 

 the Indians, .only a small amount of the 

 alkaloid having been placed on the top of 

 the sand. The analyses of these samples 

 varied widely in composition. The amount 

 of inorganic matter varied from 15 to 68 

 per cent., and in one or two cases the sub- 

 stance was found to be perfectly inert, 

 physiologically. Reactions indicated an 

 alkaloid with marked basic properties. No 

 crystallized compounds were made, but 

 analyses of the base prepared from the 

 platinum double salts indicated that the 

 formula for the alkaloid, notwithstanding 

 the fact that it is used extensively as a 

 medicine at the present time, is still in 

 doubt. The formula given for the free 

 base by Sachs was obtained from an 

 analysis of the platinum double salt. 

 The formula of Preyer has been shown 

 to be incorrect, as the material analyzed 

 contains a large amount of inorganic mat- 

 ter. From the work already done, the 

 authors conclude that the free base in 



curare or curarine is more complex than 

 the formula given by Sachs. 



PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. 



W. Lash Miller, chairman. 



Cooperation in Physical Chemistry: W. D. 



Bancroft. 



We could be of more assistance to each 

 other if we had a system of reports by 

 which we knew what bits of research work 

 the others were doing. Each one of us 

 has stored away in his memory a number 

 of generally unfamiliar facts which he has 

 stumbled upon in his reading or in his 

 laboratory. These may not be important 

 enough to him to justify his doing enough 

 work to get anjiihing worth publishing, or 

 he may have more important matters on 

 hand and so lack the time. , If now any 

 one of us learns that any one of the others 

 is doing a bit of investigation into which 

 this, that, or the other fact fits nicely, the 

 observation can at once be turned over to 

 the man who can use it, much to the benefit 

 of both parties. 



It is probable that nobody goes to one 

 of the meetings of the Chemical Society 

 without getting a few suggestions of value 

 to him. On the other hand, owing to the 

 great distances and consequent expense, 

 we do not get together as often as we should 

 like. If we kept more in touch, we should 

 be getting continually some of the advan- 

 tages which we now get from the occasional 

 meetings. The matter would not be diffi- 

 cult to arrange. In October and February 

 each man could make out a list of the work 

 planned or in operation. These reports 

 could be manifolded and distributed. So 

 far as I can see, the plan has practically 

 no objectionable features and might be of 

 great value. It seems therefore worth 

 trying. 



Uniformity in the Use of Algebraic Sym- 

 bols: W. Lash Miller. 



