146 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. I., No. 5. 



pliosphorus tricliloricle to aniline wa^ heated over a 

 free flame in a porcelain dish, and the orange-yellow 

 product ijoiled with alcohol. On adding water a 

 white precipitate of the above composition was 

 thrown down. This substance is not acted upon by 

 aqueous potassium hydrate nor by dilute sulphuric 

 acid, but it is decomposed by strong nitric acid. — 

 {Harvard chem. club; meeting Jan. 9.) [304 



Phenoxybromaciylic acid. — Professor Hill de- 

 scribed phenoxybromacrylic acid which he had ob- 

 tained by acting upon mucobromic acid with potassium 

 phenolate, and treating with potaseium hydrate the 

 l^roduct thus obtained. He proposed to study it more 

 carefully wiih the hope of establishing the relative 

 position of the bromine atoms in mucobromic acid 

 and the connected dibromacrylic and dibromraaleic 

 acids. — {Ibid; meetiiig J Skn. 28.) . [305 



(.Analytical.) 



Quantitative determination of calcium. — 

 Dr. Kinnicutt gave an account of some experiments 

 which he had undertaken with Mr. P. G-. Short on 

 the quantitative determination of calcium. Calcium 

 oxalate is precipitated highly crystalline from a boiling 

 solution if it is cooled rapidly, and it may be filtered 

 immediately. In the separation of calcium and mag- 

 nesium, tlie calcium oxalate may be filtered without 

 standing, if the formation of an ammonio-magnesium 

 oxalate is prevented by using a small excess of am- 

 monium chloride and by cooling rapidly after precipi- 

 tation. —(i&id) [306 



Estimation of sulphur in illuminating-gas.— 

 A method proposed by O. Knublauch consists in 

 burning a known volume of the gas, mixed with 

 air, in .a glass tube, and absorbing the sulphuric and 

 sulphurous acids in a solution of ijotassium carbonate. 

 After oxidation of the sulphurous acid with potas- 

 sium permanganate, the sulj)hur is calculated from 

 the weight of barium sulphate obtained by precipita- 

 tion with barium chloride. Por details of the method, 

 and description of the apparatus, reference is made 

 to the original article. — {Zeitschr. anal, chem,, 1882; 

 also Berichle deutsch. chem. geselisch., xv. 2403.) 



C. F. M. [307 



Volumetric determination of copper, iron, and 

 antimony by the processes of M. F. Weil. — If 



a standard solution of stannous chloride is added 

 to a boiling solution of cupric chloride containing 

 sufficient free hydrochloric acid to impart to it a yel- 

 low color, complete reduction of the copper solution 

 is indicated by disappearance of the color. A solu- 

 tion of ferric chloride also is rapidly reduced by stan- 

 nous chloride. In each case the final re-action is so 

 clearly marked that no other indicator is required. 

 When cupric chloride is added to a solution of anti- 

 monic chloride in an excess of hydrochloric acid, the 

 mixture acquires a greenish-yellow color. If the quan- 

 tity of copper is I'inown, by deducting from the vol- 

 ume of tin solution required to reduce the mixture 

 the volume corresponding to the copper, the dif- 

 ference represents the volume of stannous chloride 

 required to reduce the antimonic to antimonious 

 chloride. Coi^per, iron, and antimony may be deter- 

 mined in the same solution by a combination of these 

 methods. After each series of determinations the 

 tin solution must be restandardized. — {Bevue des 

 mines, Chem. news, 46, 284. ) c. f. m. [308 



AGEICTJLTUBE. 



Availability of nitrogenous fertilizers. — To 



obtain an approximate idea of tlie relative value of 



different nitrogenous substances as fertilizers, Stutzer 



and Klinkenberg propose to digest them with an acid 



solution of pepsin, and determine the proportion of 

 nitrogen soluble in this reagent. They find that a 

 definite proportion of the nitrogen is entirely unacted 

 upon, as Stutzer has previously shown to be the case 

 with fodders; and this portion they consider of little 

 value as a fertilizer. — {Journ. fiir landw,, 30, 363.) 

 H. P. A. [309 



Fineness of superphosphates. — In pot experi- 

 ments with finely ground superphosphate and with 

 the same substance artificially granulated, Wagner 

 finds the former decidedly superior. — {Biedermann's 

 central-blatt, 1882, 665.) H. p. A. [310 



Clover sickness. — A particular case of 'clover 

 sickness ' has been investigated by Kutzleb. It was 

 shown that the failure of the clover was not due to 

 parasites, to lack of nitrogen, to lack of water, or to 

 unfavorable physical properties of the soil. An analy- 

 sis of the soil showed a decided deficiency of easily 

 soluble potash (soluble in carbonic-acid water), espe- 

 cially in the subsoil, in comparison with the soil of 

 neighboring estates on which clover flourished; and 

 the clover sickness is attributed by the author to this 

 cause. No attempt appears to have been matje to test 

 the effect of manuring the field in question with 

 potash. — {Biedermann's central-blatt, 1882, 728.) 



H. P. A. [311 



Seed-testing. — -Ad. Mayer and Van Pesch suggest 

 various unimportant modifications in the methods of 

 seed-testing in general use in the seed-control stations 

 of Germany. Nobbe comments on these suggestions. 

 A subsequent paper by Nobbe treats of the method to 

 be followed in testing the sprouting power of beet-seed, 

 and of the best manner of expressing the results. — 

 {Landw. versuchs-slat.,xx\m. 161,283.) H. p. A. [312 



GEOLOGY. 



Induration of rocks by atmospheric action. — • 



Dr. M. E. Wadsworth gave some observations, made 

 in 1871-73, upon the effect of atmospheric action in 

 indurating the friable St. Peters and Potsdam sand- 

 stone in Wisconsin. This effect was quite strongly 

 marked upon the exposed surfaces, resulting in indura- 

 tion, the partial obliteration of the granular structirre, 

 the formation of concretions, and even of quartz 

 crystals ; while the covered portions of the same blocks 

 and slabs retained the usual friable character. — 

 {Bost. soc. nat. hist. ; meeting Feb. 7.) [313 



Glacial phenomena of Mill Rock near Ne-w 

 Haven. — Prof. W. P. Blake spoke of the low east- 

 and-west ridge just north of New Haven, and re- 

 ferred its existence to the intrusion of trap-rock in 

 the form of a narrow vertical dike, a i^art of the 

 East-rock dike. It presents a precipitous front to 

 the south ; but northwards the slope is gentle, and is 

 formed of sandstone. This dike of hard trap, and 

 the adjacent hardened sandstone, stood up like a wall 

 in the path of the great glacier; and its surface is 

 strongly rounded off, grooved, polished, and striated 

 by the ice. This cutting is best seen on the surface 

 of the hard sandstone. "The direction of the glacier 

 appears to have been from the north-east. In addi- 

 tion to the glacial scratches, there is a series of trans- 

 verse valleys or depressions having about the same 

 direction. These appear to have been formed by the 

 ice following the lines of outcrop of the harder beds 

 of sandstone underlaid by soft red shales. 



Heavy bowlders of hard trap are irregularly distrib- 

 uted in sandy gravel on the north slope. There are 

 some large bowlders of quartz, but granite bowlders 

 ■do not occur. Most of the bowlders have flattened 

 sides, showing extensive abrasion. They are gener- 

 ally ellipsoidal in form, and are often broken at one 



