December 18, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



877 



assistance to those chemists and physicists 

 who study the genesis of minerals and 

 "elements" and the so-called degradation 

 of the latter. Just as the periodic law of 

 Newlands and MendeleefE was evolved 

 from the tabular collating of chemical and 

 physical data, and was found capable of 

 prophetic use, so one may learn and pre- 

 dict much from a study of the known asso- 

 ciations of minerals, and particularly those 

 of the rare metals. One has the advantage 

 of knowing that minerals have been pro- 

 duced under natural conditions where no 

 mistakes or errors of manipulation can have 

 occurred and where no difficulties due to 

 want of time, material, or facilities for 

 experimenting existed; in other words, 

 where the personal factor was absolutely 

 non-existent. 



Probably the most promising field for 

 research exists in the oldest plutonic rocks, 

 and particularly in such pegmatites and 

 other extremely old granitic and other 

 rocks as have been subjugated, at great 

 depth and pressure and at high tempera- 

 tures, to the action of intruded flows of 

 fused mineral matter from still deeper- 

 seated sources, or of vaporized mineral 

 matter of similar origin. Such rocks exist 

 in many parts of the world, but the pegma- 

 tites of Norway, the old granites of Green- 

 land, and many of the old but less highly 

 crystalline tin-bearing deposits of Corn- 

 wall, may be instanced as likely to throw 

 light on the origin of certain metals, and 

 especially of those at the "heavy" and 

 ' ' light "ends of the periodic table. Perhaps 

 There is in this business more than nature 

 Was ever conduct of. 



It is probable that some of the missing 

 heavy elements near the uranium end of 

 the table may be found in such rocks, and 

 that certain light elements, for which room 

 may have to be made in the table, may also 

 be discovered. 



The comprehensive investigations in 

 progress at the geophysical laboratory of 

 the Carnegie Institution illustrate the 

 change now occurring in geochemical re- 

 search. 



THE VALTJB OF RESEARCH IN METALLURGY 



To the valuable properties of the many 

 alloys of iron now manufactured, from 

 carbon steel to the complex alloy known as 

 high-speed tool steel, which contains no less 

 than five different elements apart from the 

 iron itself, is to be attributed the great 

 progress which has been made, whether in 

 the arts of peace or in war. There is one 

 simple concrete instance — the modern 

 automobile. Eliminate the alloy steels 

 used in its construction, and it could no 

 longer be produced. The combination of 

 lightness and strength necessary in such 

 modern products is only made possible by 

 the use of special alloy steels. 



While the progress made in alloy steels 

 since Hadfield's first researches in 1882 

 and onwards has been wonderful, indeed, 

 the field for research is still an immense 

 one, full of difficulties, disputed points, and 

 important problems. It is true that there 

 may not be at the present time room for 

 such abnormal discoveries in ferrous metal- 

 lurgy as in the past, but investigators are 

 quietly and steadily augmenting our knowl- 

 edge of iron and its alloys, and the value of 

 such research work is generally recognized. 



It remains to mention in this connection 

 that the science of metallography, which 

 has so materially aided the progress of 

 metallurgy, has been developed by the 

 assistance of the phase rule. 



• Research work of an elaborate nature is 

 constantly being conducted by several 

 manufacturers, especially at Homestead, 

 Pa., by the United States Steel Corpora- 

 tion, which has to date expended over 

 ),000 in investigations on the electro- 



