514 Canadian Record of Science. 



terns and series, differing only in degree, the precise defini- 

 tion of the term system is impossible, and in many cases 

 the grading of a terrane as a group, a system or a series, is 

 largely a matter of convenience. 



The Chemistry of Nitrogen. 



Vice-President Albert B. Prescott discussed " The Chem- 

 istry of Nitrogen as disclosed in the Constitution of the 

 Alkaloids," before Section C (Chemistry). He said in 

 substance : 



The character of nitrogen is a challenge to chemical 

 skill. Mocking us by its abundance in its free state, the 

 compounds of this element are so sparingly obtained that 

 they set the rate of value in supplies for the nourishment 

 of life. The agent chosen and trusted for projectile force in 

 arts of war and of peace, yet the manufacture of its most 

 simple and stable compound has been a vain attempt, and 

 it is one urged anew by the chemical industries. Moreover, 

 nitrogen holds the structure of the aniline dyes, and gov- 

 erns the constitution of the vegetable alkaloids. In research, 

 the nearest approaches to the molecule, as a chemical cen- 

 tre, have been reached through organic chemistry. Carbon 

 was the first and hydrogen has been the second element to 

 give to organic chemistry a definition. At present, carbon 

 is looked upon as the member for fixed position, and hydro- 

 gen as the member for exchange, in organic families. 

 Nitrogen comes next in turn to receive attention. The 

 study of the carbonaceous compound of nitrogen promises 

 to do for organic chemistry what the latter has done for 

 general science. 



. The speaker then outlined the history and present state 

 of the structural chemistry of the vegetable alkaloids, as 

 follows : 



(1) Nitrogenous bases as derivatives of ammonia. It 

 was maintained by Berzelius that the vegetable alkaloids 

 were unions of entire ammonia with organic radicals. In 

 the third decade, Liebig held that these bases were com- 

 pounds of amidogen, the larger part of ammonia. In 1849, 



