346 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXII. No. 559. 



those who were interested in its founding. 

 Perhaps it did not escape the faith or the 

 vision of President Rogers, but he was un- 

 able to make those through whom he had to 

 work see the future from his point of view, 

 and had to be content with concessions that 

 fell somewhat short of what he would have 

 desired. 



It is not strange that those who in this later 

 day are responsible for the welfare of the 

 institute should chafe under the restrictions 

 of the original conditions and make an effort 

 to secure greater freedom. The public has 

 doubtless sympathized with them in that un- 

 dertaking. It likes to see a service that is 

 so broad and vital have a free field for its 

 development. But the court decision makes 

 all further discussion of this feature of the 

 case unprofitable and we do not see that any- 

 thing remains for the institute to do but to 

 remain where it is and make the best of it. 

 That ' best ' can be very fruitful. The desire 

 to obtain a more expansive location was based 

 more on social considerations than on those 

 which make for its main service. Doubtless 

 the enlargement of social opportunities be- 

 tween students and classes would be a desirable 

 feature of the life of the institution, but its 

 fame and its usefulness can continue with 

 unabated growth even with such expansion as 

 is possible under existing conditions. 



It certainly ought to be easy to reconcile 

 the Boston public to this final judgment. It 

 assures us the continuance of dignified and 

 noble buildings and open spaces in a vicinity 

 that we have been careful to guard against the 

 invasions of commercialism. It will stand as 

 a temple of science that is in harmony with 

 its surroundings. It will continue to show to 

 our own people and to the stranger within our 

 gates that provision has been made for higher 

 prizes than those of mere worldly gain. While 

 Boston would prefer to keep its distinguished 

 features by some other tie than that of duress, 

 she can not be altogether inconsolable over the 

 prospect that the Institute of Technology is 

 likely to remain, in location, at least, a Boston 

 institution. 



It appears to be assumed in some quarters 

 that this decision makes of no effect the tenta- 



tive steps that have been taken toward a merger 

 with the university beyond the Charles. This 

 conclusion may be somewhat hasty, but should 

 negotiations to that end still continue they 

 will have to undergo a very radical change in 

 terms. The plan which has been under con- 

 sideration was based upon conditions that no 

 longer exist, and that fact may or may not be 

 fatal to the entire project. Should the de- 

 cision have the effect of ending it, there is' at 

 least a very large proportion of the alumni 

 who would not greatly mourn over the com- 

 pulsion that seems to confine the institute to 

 its present location. That it must expand is 

 inevitable, and, while that may be more diffi- 

 cult than would be the case in some other 

 section, it is by no means impossible, and the 

 situation ought to awaken among its friends 

 fresh zeal in its behalf. — The Boston Tran- 

 script. 



NOTES ON INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. 



TANTALUM AND ITS ALLOYS. 



Patents have recently been taken out by 

 Messrs. Siemens, Halske and Company, of 

 Berlin, for tantalum alloys, which promise to 

 be of much interest. The engineering supple- 

 ment of the London Times gives quite a full 

 description of the properties of the metal 

 taken from the patent specifications, from 

 which we note the following. 



The metal is exceedingly strong and has 

 great elasticity, and like steel is easily worked 

 and hardened. Great hardness is imparted to 

 it by small quantities of carbon, but other 

 elements such as oxygen, hydrogen, silicon, 

 boron, aluminum, titanium and tin can also 

 be used. Yery small traces of these elements 

 are necessary to give hardness, and if larger 

 quantities are used, the metal becomes very 

 brittle and unworkable. In some cases the 

 hardness attained is almost equal to that of 

 the diamond. Like iron, tantalum, after be- 

 ing worked into shape, can be ' case hardened ' 

 by heating to redness in carbon. At ordinary 

 temperatures tantalum is wholly unaffected 

 by the atmosphere and resists the action of 

 most acids. After being melted or highly 

 heated the metal is comparatively soft and 



