SCIENCE. 



[X. S. Vol. XVIII. Xo. 447. 



may be considered established. He also 

 announced that analogous substances (as, 

 for example, the tritolyl compound) have 

 recently been prepared, showing that tri- 

 phenylmethyl is only one example of a 

 class. The only hypothesis so far that ex- 

 plains the facts is that carbon is trivalent 

 in these compounds. Specimens and some 

 simple experiments added to the interest 

 of the talk. The speaker was warmly ap- 

 plauded. 



After the Tuesday morning session, held 

 in the chemical laboratory of Case School, 

 the Grasselli Chemical Company generously 

 treated the members of the society to a 

 drive through some of Cleveland's beauti- 

 ful parks, followed by a luncheon at the 

 Hollenden Hotel. 



A subscription dinner in the evening was 

 attended by forty-five. The toastmaster. 

 President Long, to use his own phrase, 

 'swung round the circle,' and called on 

 representatives from the various sections. 

 There were several excursions to manu- 

 facturing establishments of interest to 

 chemists. All in all, the meeting was one 

 of the most enjoyable the society has held, 

 and the vote of thanks to Professor Hippo- 

 lyte Gruener, to the Cleveland Chemical 

 Society and to other local men who con- 

 tributed to the enjoyment of the visiting 

 members was hearty and unanimous. 



The total attendance was 107, 70 of 

 whom were from places outside of Cleve- 

 land. 



The next meeting will be held in St. 

 Louis during the first week of January, 

 1904, in affiliation with the American As- 

 sociation for the Advancement of Science. 

 Following is a list of the papers pre- 

 sented : 



Contributions to the Chemistry of Hydro- 

 nitric Acid: L. M. Dennis and A. W. 

 Bkowne. 

 The acid is best prepared by causing 



ammonia gas to bubble through molten 

 sodium kept at 350°, and treating the re- 

 feulting sodium amide with nitrous oxide 

 at a temperature of aboiit 90°. In the 

 second reaction a 90 per cent, yield of the 

 sodium salt, NaNg, is obtained. Ferric 

 chloride is a good reagent for qualitative 

 tests. 



The Transport Nurriber of Sulphuric Acid: 



0. F. Tower. 



An apparatus was described having a 

 platinum cathode and a cadmium anode. 

 At a dilution of one fifth normal the trans- 

 port number changes only very slightly 

 with increasing dilution, indicating that at 

 the point named practically all the HSO4 

 ions have been broken up into H and SO4. 



Electrolytic Conduction with Reference to 

 the Ion Theory: Nevil Monroe Hopkins. 

 (By title.) 



The Bole of Water in the Electro-deposi- 

 tion of Lithium from Pyridine and from 

 Acetone: H. E. Patten and W. E. Mott. 

 Lithium may be deposited, from pyridine 

 and acetone solutions of its chloride, on 

 platinum, iron, aluminum and copper. 

 The deposition is interfered with by the 

 presence of water; in the case of pyridine 

 very seriously so, owing to the formation 

 of a high-resistance film. 



The Viscosity of Solutions of Metallic 

 Salts: Its Bearing upon the Nature of 

 the Compound between Solvent and, 

 Solute: Arthur A. Blanchard and 

 Morris A. Stev^art. 

 Change of viscosity with change of con- 

 centration is believed to follow a linear 

 formula in eases where no definite hydrates 

 are formed. The formation of a compound 

 with ammonia decreases the viscosity of a 

 metallic salt solution, while pyridine has 

 the opposite effect. 



