402 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXV. No. 637 



Library, an account of which has already 

 been given in these pages. 



At the afternoon session C. F. Mabery, 

 the retiring chairman of Section C, de- 

 livered an address on 'The Education of 

 the Professional Chemist.' On Friday 

 morning four of the sections of the Chem- 

 ical Society held their meetings, at which 

 the following papers were read: 



INORGANIC CHEMISTRY 



H. L. Wells, Chairman 

 The Soluiility of Lime in Solutions of 



Nitric Acid: F. K. Cameron and W. 0. 



Robinson. 



The complete solubility curves at 25° 

 were given for that part of the system in 

 which the solutions have an alkaline reac- 

 tion. It was found that there was a curve 

 for solutions in contact with calcium 

 hydroxide as solid phase; a curve for 

 solutions in contact vidth a series of solid 

 solutions containing lime and nitric acid 

 as solid phase ; a curve for solutions where 

 the solid phase had the composition 

 CaO.N205.34H20, and a curve when 

 Ca(N03)2.4H20 was the solid phase. The 

 basic nitrate appeared to be identical with 

 one formerly noted by "Werner. It is 

 efflorescent, loses water and breaks down on 

 exposure to the air or more rapidly by 

 washing with alcohol. 



The Behavior of Nickel Sulphide toward 

 Hydrochloric Acid and the Qualitative 

 Separation of Nickel and Cobalt from 

 Manganese and Zinc: H. C. Cooper. 



Beryllium Nitrate : Charles L. Parsons. 



Normal beryllium nitrate, although an 

 article of commerce, has no place in litera- 

 ture. It can only be made by evaporating 

 a solution of beryllium hydroxide or basic 

 carbonate in nitric acid to a thick, gummy 

 and basic mass and dissolving same in a 

 moderate excess of concentrated nitric acid 

 from which it crystallizes as BeCNOJz' 



4II2O on cooling. The salt loses its nitric 

 anhydride component easily. It melts in 

 its own water of crystallization at 60.5°. 

 It is soluble in alcohol and acetone. 



The Instability of Certain Tungstates: R. 



C. Wells. 



By means of the electrical conductivity 

 of their solutions it is possible to follow 

 the transformations which para- and oeta- 

 tungstates undergo in water. The latter 

 salts have the formula M8Wg027 with more 

 or less water of crystallization. The 

 transformations take place more quickly 

 at high temperatures, requiring only about 

 twenty-five minutes to proceed half way at 

 80°. Not enough data are yet at hand to 

 settle definitely the nature of the change. 



Pentavalent Bismuth: Victor Lenher and 



E. B. HuTCHiNS, Jr. 



In making a study of the higher valences 

 of bismuth, it has been found that the 

 tetroxide is fairly stable and that potassium 

 bismuthate and bismuthic acid doubtless 

 exist in a fair degree of purity. In study- 

 ing the halogen derivatives, the pentoxide 

 on treatment with hydrochloric acid at low 

 temperatures, the treatment of the trichlo- 

 ride with chlorine in aDewar bulk at liquid- 

 air temperatures and the treatment of the 

 trihalides with various perhalides of 

 cesium yielded only derivatives of the 

 trivalent type. 

 The Action of Thionyl and Sulphuryl 



Chlorides on Selenium and Selenium 



Dioxide: Victor Lenher and H. B. 



North. 



By the interaction of selenium dioxide 

 and thionyl chloride, by the treatment of 

 elementary selenium with thionyl chloride 

 and by the action of sulphuryl chloride on 

 elementary selenium, the tetrachloride of 

 selenium is obtained. On the other hand, 

 selenium dioxide can be sublimed in the 

 vapor of sulphuryl chloride without any 

 reaction taking place. 



