86 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXII. No. 551. 



mechanical science. There is, in fact, noth- 

 ing that I for one desiderate more in Pro- 

 fessor Fullerton's metaphysical structure than 

 a serious and thorough discussion of the ques- 

 tion, what are the real logical postulates of 

 mechanical science, as distinguished from the 

 mechanistic philosophy professed by some, 

 but by no means all, men of science, and how 

 far those postulates imply the belief that the 

 actual course of any real process is through- 

 and-through mechanical. 



But the adequate discussion of this problem 

 presupposes a much more searching critical 

 analysis of the logical character of knowledge 

 than Professor Pullerton has seen fit to under- 

 take. One very important issue which such 

 an analysis would raise would be the question 

 whether an empirical realism, such as that 

 successfully upheld by Professor Pullerton 

 against the subjective idealist, does not admit, 

 or possibly even demand, as its complement a 

 further doctrine of critical or transcendental 

 idealism. A. E. Taylor. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



the new york section op the american 

 Chemical society. 



The last regular meeting of the New York 

 Section of the American Chemical Society was 

 held in the Assembly Hall of the Chemists' 

 Club, 108 West 55th St., Friday, June 9, at 

 8:15 P.M. The chairman. Dr. Wm. J. Schief- 

 felin, presided. 



The reports of the secretary and treasurer 

 for the year 1904-1905 were read and approved. 

 The secretary's report showed a net gain in 

 membership of the section of sixteen. 



The program of the evening was as follows: 



Some Condensation Products of 1 Phenyl- 

 naphtlialene-2-S-Dicarhoxylic Anhydride : 

 Norman A. Du Bois. 



It was shown by Michael and Bucher that 

 acetic anhydride and phenylpropiolic acid act 

 upon each other to form a new compound, 

 a phenylnaphthalene-dicarboxylic anhydride. 

 The reaction is said to be practically quantita- 

 tive. In preparing quantities of this com- 

 pound for experimentation, a modification in 

 the usual method for the preparation of phenyl- 



liropiolic acid was discovered by the writer. 

 Formerly it was prepared from cinnamic acid 

 by esterifying and brominating, and then boil- 

 ing the cinnamic ethyl ester dibromide with 

 alcoholic potash for eight hours. It was 

 found that this long boiling was unnecessary 

 and that as good a yield was obtained if the 

 alcohol was distilled off immediately after dis- 

 solving the cinnamic ethyl ester dibromide. 



The a phenyl-naphthalene-dicarboxylic an- 

 hydride can be condensed with resorcin in the 

 presence of zinc chloride, to form a compound 

 analogous to fluorescein. This fluorescein 

 analogue, when treated with the theoretical 

 quantity of bromine in glacial acetic acid 

 forms a tetra bromo substitution product, anal- 

 ogous to eosin. Both of these compounds are 

 direct dyes for animal fibers. The fluorescent 

 analogue also forms iodine and chlorine sub- 

 stitution products. 



The a phenyl-naphthalene-dicarboxylic an- 

 hydride can also be condensed with most other 

 phenols to form condensation products anal- 

 ogous to those formed by phthalic anhydride. 



On the Preparation of Hydrotromic and 

 Hydriodic Acids: L. H. Friedburg. 

 Bromine is allowed to trickle into parafiin 

 which is kept in a molten condition by placing 

 the flask containing it in a shallow steam-bath. 

 The bromine vapors which will pass over along 

 with the hydrobromic acid, are partly absorbed 

 by a second parafiin-containing flask, joined to 

 the first and standing together with it in the 

 water-bath. 



The fact that iodine and paraffin, or better 

 still, iodine and vaseline, will allow the pro- 

 duction of hydriodic acid was a further 

 novelty. Here the gas produced is not washed 

 but simply passed through a big empty bulb- 

 tube before allowing it to be absorbed by 

 water. 



Prceseodymium Tetroxide: Charles Basker- 



viLLB and J. B. Thorpe. 



That which has been regarded as the tetrox- 

 ide, Pr^O^, is a brownish-black substance re- 

 sembling manganese dioxide in appearance 

 and conduct with hydrochloric acid. It 

 should rather be called the dioxide. By fus- 

 ing this dioxide with sodium dioxide a yellow- 



