286 



SCIENCE 



[N". s. Vol. XXXIV. No. 870 



sidered it quite probable, reasoning from the large 

 number of instances in which the generation of 

 oxygen is known to be accompanied by the forma- 

 tion of ozone, that whenever oxygen is released in 

 the atomic or nascent state some of the atoms 

 unite in threes to form ozone. The conditions such 

 as temperature, presence of oxidizable material, 

 etc., do not always permit a successful test. 



Various theories of the formation of ozone in 

 nature were given and the author cited recent 

 experiments of his own attempting to throw light 

 on the release of ozone by green leaves. This 

 work and a study of the value of ultra violet light 

 in the formation of the gas in outdoor air is to be 

 continued. 

 A New Seageiit for Potassium: L. L. Bukgess 



and O. Kamm. 



The Effect of the Magnetism upon the Passive 



State of Iron and Nickel: Horace G. Byers 



and Agnes Fat Morgan. 

 A New Method for the Separation of Cerium: C. 



James and L. A. Pratt. 



By boiling, a slightly acid or neutral solution 

 of the rare earth oxides in nitric acid, with potas- 

 sium bromate and marble in the lump condition, 

 cerium is precipitated. The composition of the 

 precipitate varies with the amount of potassium 

 bromate used. With a slight excess of bromate, a 

 basic eerie nitrate is obtained. If the excess of 

 bromate is great, the precipitate contains quanti- 

 ties of the basic bromate. 



When this method is carefully carried out, a 

 very pure product of cerium results. 

 New Bare Earth Compounds: L. A. Peatt and 



C. James. 



The following salts were prepared while search- 

 ing for some crystalline compounds which might 

 be useful for fractional crystallization of the 

 yttria earths: 

 Yttrium methyl sulphonate 



Y[CH3(SO,)0]3 • 4H„0 

 Yttrium methene disulphonate 



Y,[CH„(S0,0),]3 + 24H;,0? 

 Yttrium methine trisulphonate 



YCH(S0,0)3 ■ 3j:3'20 

 Yttrium camphor sulphonate 



Y(C„H„0 . S0.,0)3 ■ 7H.0 

 Yttrium salicylate . . Y[CeH^(OH)COO]3 ■ SiH^^O 

 Yttrium phthalate . . Y3[C„H.(COO)3]s . 3EL0 

 Yttrium glycollate .. Y(CH,0HC00)3 • 2H,0 

 Yttrium phenyl acetate 



Y(C<,H,CH,C00)3 ■ HjO 



Yttrium phenoxy acetate 



Y(C„H,0CH,C00)3 . 3iIL0 



In addition to the above, the phenoxyaeetates 

 of samarium, neodymium, praseodymium, lan- 

 thanum and cerium were prepared. 



A Convenient Apparatus for the Preparation of 

 Anhydrous Hydrazine: C. F. Hale and F. F. 

 Shetterly. 



A convenient glass apparatus for the prepara- 

 tion of anhydrous hydrazine by the action upon 

 hydrazine hydrate of any suitable dehydrating 

 agent has been constructed. The action upon 

 hydrazine hydrate (1) of barium oxide, according 

 to the method of de Bruyn, (2) of barium hy- 

 droxide and (3) of sodium hydroxide, according 

 to the procedure of Easchig has been studied 

 under comparable conditions. As a blank experi- 

 ment pure hydrazine hydrate has been subjected 

 to fractional distillation in the same apparatus 

 and under conditions similar to those prevailing 

 in the other experiments. 



Anhydrous Formic Acid: J. B. trARNER. 



Action of Nitrogen on Lithium Cariide: S. A, 

 Tucker and H. B. Moody. 



Europium: G. James and J. E. Eobinson. 



The material used in this work comprised the 

 following: oxides from insoluble double sodium 

 sulphates from about 200 kilograms of yttrium 

 minerals; all the samarium and gadolinium oxides 

 derived from about 200 kilograms of Brazilian 

 monazite; and about 110 kilograms of oxides 

 obtained from the more insoluble double potas- 

 sium sulphates coming from very large amounts 

 of Carolina monazite. 



These crude oxides were converted into the 

 double magnesium nitrates and fractionally crys- 

 stallized in large porcelain dishes. The neodym- 

 ium, lanthanum and praseodymium rapidly col- 

 lected in the least soluble portion. The inter- 

 mediate fractions consisted chiefly of the pale 

 yellow samarium compound, while the most soluble 

 portions were rich in gadolinium and were colored 

 pink by the erbium metals. As soon as the crys- 

 tals of the simple nitrates of the yttrium elements 

 made their appearance, the isomorphous bismuth 

 magnesium nitrate was added to the most soluble 

 fraction. Upon further crystallization, all traces 

 of samarium and europium were rapidly eliminated 

 from these most soluble fractions and they were 

 set aside since they contained only the yttrium 

 earths. 



The most insoluble fractions containing Ian- 



