298 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VIII. No. 192. 



however, too early for any serious study of 

 the position of at least several of these ele- 

 ments, inasmuch as the question of even 

 their existence is not settled. However, in 

 a recent paper before the Eoyal Society, 

 Sir William Crookes shows that helium, 

 argon and krypton fall naturally into the 

 periodic scheme of the elements as devised 

 by him, which differs not very materially 

 from that of Mendeleef. In a postscript to his 

 paper printed in the Chemical Neivs, Crookes 

 shows that neon and metargon as far as de- 

 scribed also fall naturally into his scheme. 



The boiling point of ozone was deter- 

 mined approximately by Olszewski a few 

 years ago as about — 106°. More recently 

 Professor L. Troost has made several very 

 accurate determinations, which are de- 

 scribed in the Comptes Rendus. The tem- 

 perature at which the liquefied ozone boiled 

 was determined by an iron-constantin 

 couple, and was — 119°. This may then 

 be considered the boiling point of ozone at 

 eric pressure. 



The question of whether the formula of 

 potassium permanganate should be written 

 KMnO, or K^Mn^Oj has been in the opin- 

 ion of many chemists unsettled, even though 

 it was recognized that the salt was isomor- 

 phous with the perchlorate, KClOj. Even 

 now, in his periodic scheme, Crookes puts 

 both fluorin and manganese into the same 

 group with iron and the platinum metals. 

 The last Journal of the Chemical Society 

 (London) contains a research by J. Mur- 

 ray Crofts, of Emmanuel College, on the 

 molecular weights of permanganates, per- 

 chlorates and periodates in solution. The 

 salts used were those of potassium and 

 sodium except in the case of the pe- 

 riodate, where the potassium alone was 

 used. The freezing-point method was used, 

 the solvent being Glauber's salt. In every 

 case the molecular weight was that of 

 the simpler formula, so that, as far as 

 solution goes, the formulse must be consid- 

 ered to be KCIO,, KIO, and KMnO,. 



J. L. H. 



It has long been hoped that a study of 

 graphitic acid would lead to better knowl- 

 edge of the structure of the carbon molecule 

 in graphite. The greatest obstacle has been 

 the difficulty of oxidizing the graphite to 

 graphitic acid. Eepeated treatments of 

 graphite with nitric acid and potassium 

 chlorate finally yield but a very small 

 amount of the acid, even if explosions, 

 which are very apt to occur, are success- 

 fully avoided. In the last number of the 

 Berichte L. Staudenmaier describes a method 

 which consists chiefly in treating graphite 

 that has been partially oxidized by the old 

 method, with a mixture of potassium per- 

 manganate and sulfuric acid. In this way 

 the graphitic acid may be rapidly obtained 

 in considerable quantities, and it is to be 

 hoped that its study will now be prosecuted 

 until light is thrown on the graphite mole- 

 cule and possibly on allotropy in general. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 



BIOLOGICAL STATION OF THE UNIVERSITY 

 OF INDIANA. 



Mr. a. C. Yodee, of Vincennes, Ind., writes 

 that the Indiana University Biological Station, 

 situated at Vawter Park, Ind., closed its work 

 of the summer on August 19th. The Station 

 was organized in 1895 by Dr. Carl Eigenman, 

 of Indiana University. There is a direct con- 

 nection between the work done at the Station 

 and at the University proper, credit being given 

 at the one for work done at the other. The 

 Station since organized has been located on Tur- 

 key Lake, in northern Indiana. Turkey Lake, 

 about seven miles long and two miles wide, is 

 the largest of the numerous fresh-water lakes 

 found in northern Indiana and is two miles 

 north of the divide, separating the St. Law- 

 rence and Mississippi basins. An abundance of 

 biological material can be had from the lakes 

 on both sides of the divide, and thus are offered 

 excellent opportunities for studying the varia- 



