Mabch 22, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



467 



the north temperate zone united, not only as 

 a whole, but by groups separately, to show a 

 marked fall of temperature immediately suc- 

 ceeding an observed fall of solar radiation. 

 A large number of inland meteorological sta- 

 tions have been selected to furnish data for 

 an examination of the probability of variation 

 of solar radiation heretofore, and this material 

 is being worked over at the Astrophysical Ob- 

 servatory, and will form a part of Vol. II. of 

 its Annals now being prepared. 



K. L. Paris, 

 Secretary 



THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 172d regular meeting was held in the 

 Cosmos Club, February 14, at 8 p.m. After 

 the regular business. President Fireman 

 brought before the society the subject of the 

 advisability of appointing a local sanitary 

 committee — " The chemist, like every other 

 citizen, is vitally interested in the sanitary 

 conditions of the locality in which he lives. 

 But, more than any other citizen, he is quali- 

 fied, owing to his particular training, to 

 examine into, and form a true judgment of 

 the sanitary conditions surrounding him. 

 Self interest, and whatever altruism there is 

 in each civilized person should impel him, 

 especially the chemist, to take an active in- 

 terest in observing how the local sanitary 

 requirements are provided for." After dis- 

 cussing the subject pro and con, the presi- 

 dent was authorized to appoint a committee 

 of seven to advise the society on local sanitary 

 matters, and the committee was instructed 

 to report at the next meeting. 



Mr. Sherman Leavitt then read a paper on 

 ' The Manner in which the Alkaline Earth 

 Metals are held in Solution by Carbonic Acid.' 

 The writer gave an account of the investi- 

 gation of the boiler-water supplies of several 

 western railroads, in collaboration with Pro- 

 fessor Keiser, of Washington University, St. 

 Louis. This work, carried on during 1901- 

 1904, showed that the methods for testing 

 waters were not capable of giving the neces- 

 sary information for properly softening waters 

 for steam purposes. The results indicated that 

 the calcium carbonate held in solution by 



carbonic acid, as an acid carbonate, required 

 two molecules of carbonic acid instead of one. 

 Later experiments were conducted in a tem- 

 porary laboratory established in an ice plant, 

 where the temperature was kept at 28° F. 

 The investigator finally succeeded in isolating 

 an acid carbonate of calcium which was 

 found to decompose at about + 2° C. On 

 analysis, this compound gave a percentage of 

 water and carbon dioxid gas corresponding 

 very closely with a formula for the acid car- 

 bonate containing two molecules of carbonic 

 acid in combination with one of calcium car- 

 bonate. Barium was found to give a similar 

 compound with even more favorable results. 



On February 16, Professor E. C. Franklin, 

 of the Department of Physical Chemistry at 

 Stanford University, delivered an address 

 before the Chemical Society at the George 

 Washington University on some of his re- 

 searches regarding the reactions which take 

 place in liquid ammonia. The speaker called 

 attention to the fact that liquid ammonia was 

 neutral and had properties in all respects 

 analogous to those of water. The lecture was 

 illustrated by charts and equations. 



J. A. LeCleec, 



Secretary 



Bdeeau of Chemistry 



the ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETT OP 

 THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 



The 170th meeting was held in the main 

 lecture room of Chemistry Hall on Tuesday 

 evening, February 12, 7:30 p.m., with the fol- 

 lowing program: 



Pbofessoe Colliek Cobb: 'Some Human Hab- 

 itations.' 



Pbofessoe Joseph Hyde Peatt: 'The Fishing 

 Industries of North Carolina.' 



Alvin S. Wheeler, 

 Recording Secretary 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE 

 THE ' FIRST SPECIES ' AND THE ' FIRST REVISER ' 



The vast extension of our knowledge of 

 animals and plants has forced upon all in- 

 vestigators the necessity of reducing system- 

 atic nomenclature to law and order, and to 

 eliminate from it all elements of personal 



