Febbuabt 21, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



315 



relationship to acetic acid may be indicated by 

 the expression, 



;H;CH„COiOH 



Keiene is prepared by bringing liquid acetone, 

 ethyl acetate, or, preferably, acetic anhydride 

 into contact with a glowing platinum spiral; 

 instead of the spiral an arc burning between 

 carbon or metallic poles may be employed. 

 The gaseous products of the reaction are 

 passed through a condenser and then cooled 

 to — • 100° in liquid air. Ketene is a colorless 

 gas at the ordinary temperature, but it may 

 be liquefied and frozen, and it has a peculiar 

 penetrating odor. Its molecular weight agrees 

 with the simple formula given above, but the 

 substance undergoes polymerization rather 

 readily, as would be expected. Ketene does 

 not react with dry oxygen, but it quickly com- 

 bines with water forming acetic acid; with 

 alcohols it gives the corresponding acetates. 

 Moreover, it is an admirable acetylating agent. 

 With aniline, for example, it yields pure 

 acetanilide directly, and similar compounds 

 are obtained with other primary amines. 

 These reactions demonstrate the correctness of 

 the formula for ketene given above. The 

 further investigation of this interesting sub- 

 stance should yield results of decided value. 

 J. Bishop Tingle 

 McMasteb University 



TEE BALL0N8-80NDES AT ST. LOUIS 

 A FINAL series of ascensions of hallons- 

 sondes, or registration balloons, at St. Louis 

 was completed in November, 1907, by Mr. S. 

 P. Fergusson, of the Blue Hill Observatory, 

 under the direction of the writer. These ex- 

 periments to obtain the meteorological condi- 

 tions at great heights in America were begun 

 in 1904, with the cooperation of the authori- 

 ties of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, as 

 related in Science, Vol. SXL, pages 76-YY, 

 and were continued during subsequent years 

 with the assistance of grants from the Hodg- 

 kins Fund of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 Seventy-six balloons have been despatched and 

 all but six have been recovered with the at- 

 tached instruments, while there is the possi- 



bility of the number lost being further re- 

 duced by the finding of three of those sent up 

 last autumn. The preliminary results of the 

 earlier ascensions are given by the writer in 

 the Proceedings of the American Academy of 

 Arts and Sciences, Vol. XLI., No. 14, and are 

 discussed by Mr. H. H. Clayton in Beitrdge 

 zur PhysiJc der freien Atmosphdre, Band 2, 

 Heft 2. The object of the recent ascensions, 

 twenty-one in number, was to supply data for 

 the high atmosphere during the autumn, a 

 season when there were few observations, and 

 also to compare with those obtained simul- 

 taneously in Europe on the international tei-m- 

 days in October and November. The work 

 at St. Louis at the time of the international 

 balloon race was facilitated by the cooperation 

 of the Aero Club of St. Louis. An examina- 

 tion of the record sheets recently returned 

 indicates generally the presence, at an altitude • 

 exceeding eight miles, of the isothermal, or 

 relatively warm stratum, which was found 

 somewhat lower in summer. For example, on 

 October 8 the minimum temperature of — 90° 

 Fahrenheit was found at a height of 4Y,600 

 feet, whereas at the extreme altitude reached, 

 namely 54,100 feet, the temperature had risen 

 to — 72°. Similarly, on October 10, the 

 lowest temperature of — 80° occurred at 39,- 

 700 feet while — 69° was recorded at 49,200 

 feet, the limit of this ascension, showing that 

 the temperature-inversion had come down 

 about 8,000 feet in two days. The prevailing 

 drift of the balloons last autumn was from the 

 northwest, whereas in previous years they 

 traveled more from the west. 



Professor Moore, chief of the United States 

 Weather Bureau, announces that, in view of 

 the success achieved by the Blue Hill experi- 

 ments, he will send up hallons-sondes simul- 

 taneously from various stations. 



A. Lawrence Kotch 



Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory, 

 January 9, 1908 



CARL VON VOIT 



From Munich announcement is made of the 



death of Carl von Voit in the seventy-seventh 



year of his age. Voit was born at a time 



when his native land was poor and when there 



