168 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VIII. No. J88. 



originality on the part of the student. The 

 work is intended to supplement the instruction 

 in organic preparations, which has been found 

 by the authors to " fail, to a surprising extent 

 in the case of most students, to give a knowl- 

 edge of the important characteristics of the 

 various classes of organic compounds, and, 

 therefore, of the fundamental principles of the 

 science." The selection of reactions and the 

 method of treatment are excellent, and the 

 book will prove a very useful one. The num- 

 ber of reactions might, of course, be easily ex- 

 tended ; especially is it desirable to include 

 Liebermann's reaction for secondary amines 

 and the general reactions for vegetable alka- 

 loids. It would also be an advantage if the 

 nam«s by which some of the reactions are con- 

 stantly known to chemists were given, and an 

 occasional reference to the literature would be 

 very useful. 



W. A. Notes. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. 

 American Chemical. Journal, July : ' A Reduc- 

 tion of Permanganic Acid by Manganese Per- 

 oxide :' By H. N. Moese and C. L. Reese. 

 The relative action of manganese peroxide and 

 hydrogen in causing the reduction of potassium 

 permanganate has been studied and the results 

 compared with those obtained by Meyer and 

 Von Recklinghausen. ' The Atomic Weight of 

 Cadmium :' By H. N. Moese and H. R. Ak- 

 BUCKLE. The atomic weight has been redeter- 

 mined and a correction introduced for the gas re- 

 tained by the oxide. The mean corrected value 

 is 112.377. ' A Table of Atomic Weights :' By 

 T. W. Richards. This table has been compiled 

 from a comparison of the best results obtained 

 in atomic weight work, the probable chemical 

 accuracy of the processes being the criterion. 

 ' Researches on the Cyclo Amides : a-Ketobenz- 

 morpholine and a-Benzparaoxazine Deriva- 

 tives:' By H. L. Wheeler and B. Barnes. 

 ' The Action of Amines on Acylimidoesters : 

 Acyl Amidines :' By H. L. Wheeler and P. 

 T. Walden. ' On a New Form of Water 

 Blast:' By B. B. Boltwood. The author has 

 devised a form which gives a high eificiency 

 with a small amount of water. ' On the Peri- 

 odic System and the Properties of Inorganic 



Compovmds :' By J. Locke. The author dis- 

 cusses the Periodic System and shows that the 

 usual arrangement, which is very satisfactory 

 when we only consider the behavior of the ele- 

 ments themselves, is very unsatisfactory when 

 we compare the properties of the compounds of 

 these elements. ' The Action of Sulphur upon 

 Metallic Sodium :' By J. Locke and A. Aus- 

 tell. This investigation shows that the mono- 

 sulphide cannot he formed by direct combina- 

 tion at temperatures below 220°. ' On Some 

 Compounds of Trivalent Vanadium :' By J. 

 Locke and G. H. Edwards. ' The Conduc- 

 tivity of Aqueous Solutions of Praseodymium 

 and of Neodymium Sulphates : ' By H. C. 

 Jones and H. M. Reese. This number also 

 contains a note on the preparation of Liquid 

 Hydrogen, which was obtained by Professor 

 Dewar, who also liquefied helium by intro- 

 ducing a tube of the gas into the liquid hy- 

 drogen. 



J. Elliott Gilpin. 



The American Naturalist for June opens with 

 an article on the fresh- water biological stations 

 of America, by Dr. Charles A. Kofoid. The 

 relative advantages of marine and fresh-water 

 stations are commented on, and a description is 

 given of the Lake Laboratory of the Ohio State 

 University, prepared by the late Professor D. S. 

 Kellicott, of the Biological Station of the Indi- 

 ana University by Professor Carl Eigenmann, 

 and of the Illinois Biological Station. Profes- 

 sor H. C. Bumpus contributes an article on the 

 identification of fishes artificially hatched, in 

 which he makes an interesting application of 

 the statistical method of representing variations. 

 The series of papers on the wings of insects by 

 Professor Comstock and Dr. Needham is con- 

 tinued, and Dr. V. Sterki writes on the classifi- 

 cation of Ciliate Infusoria. 



NEW BOOKS. 

 Plant Life considered with Special Reference to 

 Form and Function. Charles R. Barnes. 

 New York, Henry Holt & Co. 1898. Pp. 

 ■ X + 428. 



A Brief Course in Qualitative Analysis. Ernest 

 A. CoNGDON. New York, Henry Holt & Co. 

 1898. Pp. iv 4- 62. 



