128 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 369. 



chemistry and pure chemistry, research 

 work in each helping the other. 



Immediately after the address, a recep- 

 tion was tendered by the Club to the mem- 

 bers of the Society and their wives. A little 

 later in the evening a smoker was held at 

 the University Club where memories of 

 German student life were renewed. On 

 Tuesday evening the annual banquet was 

 held at the Bingham House, the decorations 

 and the menu having a decided flavor of 

 the laboratory. Dr. H. W. Wiley, of Wash- 

 ington, acted as Master of the Feast, aud 

 toasts were responded to by the mayor of 

 the city, Theodore C. Search of the School 

 of Industrial Art, and by several members 

 of the Society. According to one of his 

 colleagues, Professor Chandler had the 

 honor of making the longest speech on 

 record. He began in 1901 and did not close 

 till the next year! 



Dr. Ira Eemsen, president of Johns Hop- 

 kins University, was elected president of 

 the Society for the ensuing year. 



A meeting of the Council of the Society 

 was held on Tuesday afternoon, at which 

 the resignation of Dr. Edward Hart as 

 editor of the Society's Journal was regret- 

 fully accepted, and Dr. W. A. Noyes, of 

 Rose Polytechnic Institute, was elected to 

 succeed him. 

 . Nearly two hundred were enrolled at the 

 meeting, and probably not less than two 

 hi^ndred and fifty were present, making 

 this the largest general meeting the Society 

 has ever held. It was in every respect one 

 of the most successful. 



The following is a list of the papers read 

 at the meeting: 



Review of Metallography: Henry Fay. 



A resume of the recent work which has 

 been done on alloys, especially of those 

 using the methods of physical chemistry 

 and the microscope. 



Naturally Occurring Tellurid of Gold: Vic- 

 tor Lehner. 



The only occurrence of gold in nature 

 combined with another element is the tel- 

 lurid. A crystallographical and chemical 

 study of these tellurids throws much doubt 

 upon their being anything other than a 

 mixture of the elements. 



Action of Selenic Acid on Gold: Victor 



Lehner. 



Doubt has been cast upon the oft re- 

 peated text-book statement that gold dis- 

 solves in selenic acid. It was found that 

 gold does dissolve with considerable readi- 

 ness in concentrated selenic acid at 230°- 

 300°, forming an auric selenate. This is 

 the only single acid, as far as known, in 

 which gold is soluble. 



The Quantitative Blowpipe Assay of 

 Tellurid Gold Ores: Joseph W. Eich- 



ARDS. 



Contrary to the general opinion, this 

 assay presents no difficulty. In the muffle 

 assay, however, if much tellurium is pres- 

 ent, the gold ' spits ' and often sinks com- 

 pletely into the cupel. This may be ob- 

 viated by adding antimony. 



A New Bloivpipe Reaction for Germanium : 



Joseph W. Richards. 



Argyrodite gives a white sublimate like 

 molybdeniim, which becomes an intense 

 blue when heated with cobalt nitrate. 



Contributions to the Chemistry of the Rare 

 Earths of the Yttrium Group: L. M. 

 Dennis and Benton Dales. 

 A review of the various methods of sepa- 

 ration of the rare earths, and the announce- 

 ment of several new ones, which promise 

 well. 



Preliminary Note on a New Separation of 



Thorium: F. J. Metzger. 



Thorium may be separated from the 

 other rare earths almost quantitatively by 



