766 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 99. 



sues into three systems is maintained against 

 the much more satisfactory stelar classification 

 of Van Tieghem, In morphology the root, 

 stem, leaf and trichoma are still recognized as 

 equivalent members, in spite of the clearer pre- 

 sentation possible when root and shoot are re- 

 garded as primary members. 



On the whole we must conclude that Prantl's 

 book needed a thorough rewriting to modernize 

 it and to make it a fit presentation of the botani- 

 cal science of the close of the century. It has, 

 of course, an immense amount of material that 

 is good enough to commend it to many teachers 

 who prefer to ' inquire after the old paths and 

 walk therein. ' But to this extent it contributes 

 to stagnation instead of to progress. 



Charles R. Barnes. 



University of Wisconsin. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. 

 AMERICAN CHEMICAL JOURNAL, NOVEMBER. 



Diffusion of Sulphides through Steel: By E. 

 D. Campbell. These experiments lead to 

 some very interesting results. The method 

 used was to drill holes in the steel bars, fill the 

 holes with sulphide and, after filling the open- 

 ing with a steel plug, heat the bars in a furnace. 

 It was found that neither ferrous oxide nor a sub- 

 oxide would difiuse through the bars ; but that 

 oxysulphides would difiuse throughout the bar 

 and the sulphur become oxidized at the surface. 

 Cuprous sulphide when mixed with iron-oxy- 

 sulphide was found to diffuse in an unchanged 

 state. Evidently the substances pass through 

 the pores of the steel in a liquid and not a gas- 

 eous form, and are influenced by gravity as 

 they accumulate at the lowest part of the bars. 



Effect of Heat Treatment and Carbon upon the 

 Solubility of Phosphorus in Steel: By E. D. 

 Campbell and S. C. Babcock. The soluble 

 and insoluble phosphorus was determined by 

 treating the iron with mercuric chloride solu- 

 tion, when it was found that part of the phos- 

 phorus was soluble in this reagent and part not. 

 If the amount of carbon is small the eflfect of 

 heat treatment upon the solubility of phos- 

 phorus is slight ; but if the amount of carbon is 

 increased, the solubility of the phosphorus is 

 diminished. It is probable that at high tem- 



peratures a difficultly soluble compound of iron 

 with carbon and phosphorus is formed, which 

 by slow cooling is converted into an easily so- 

 luble one. 



Malonic Nitrile and some of its derivatives : By 

 B. C. Hesse. The object of this investigation 

 was to ascertain, if possible, whether in the 

 salts of malonic nitrile, the metal is bound to 

 nitrogen or carbon. The bromine and silver 

 salts were prepared and studied. When the 

 silver salts are treated with alkyl iodides, di- 

 alkyl malonic nitriles and alkyl isocyanides are 

 formed. These facts can best be explained on 

 the assumption that the metal is in combina- 

 tion with nitrogen. The action of chlorformic 

 esters and of alkyl iodides on an alcoholic solu- 

 tion of malonic nitrile and sodium alcoholate 

 was also studied. It is probable that a sodium 

 malonic nitrile is formed, which is then acted 

 on by the alkyl iodides. The final product of 

 the reaction is a monimido ether, whose forma- 

 tion can be explained in several ways. 



On the ' Beckmann Rearrangement : ' By J. 

 Stieglitz. Acid bromamides when treated 

 with a methyl alcohol solution of sodium meth- 

 ylate undergo a rearrangement and give ure- 

 thanes and other derivatives of the isocyanates. 

 This rearrangement is only effected by alkaline 

 solutions. He considers it possible that this is 

 due to the loss of hydrobromic acid and the 

 formation of a body (RCO) N <, which would 

 cause the separation of the alkyl E from the 

 carbon atom holding the nitrogen. 



'R — C — —Q = C — O 



I -> I -> ii 



>N — NE NK. 



Other facts point to the same conclusion and 

 investigations are being carried out on other 

 classes of compounds to see whether any sim- 

 ilar rearrangements take place. 



Menthene Nitrosochloride and some of its deriv- 

 atives : By W. O. RiCHTMANN and Edward 

 Kremers. The statements as to the melting- 

 point of this compound are so conflicting that 

 this investigation was undertaken to settle, if 

 possible, this question. It was found that at 

 least two, and possibly three, nitrosochlorides 

 exist. A ketone was also obtained by the ac- 

 tion of hydrochloric acid on nitrosomenthane 



