108 Professors Liveing and JDewar, On volatile gases, etc. 



hydrogen, shewed a ray which seemed to be identical in position 

 with the brighter green nebular ray ; so that it is probable that 

 the nebular stuff may yet be found in the earth's atmosphere. 



The evidence of the existence in the earth's atmosphere of 

 the gas, or gases, which produce the spectrum of the solar corona 

 is stronger, for not only do the spectra of the most volatile 

 atmospheric gases include a ray which fits, within the limits of 

 probable error of observation, the place of the chief green coronal 

 ray, but several other rays which correspond with strong rays 

 which have been observed in the corona. 



No ray, however, has been traced in these spectra, correspond- 

 ing to the green auroral ray, which is perhaps due to the less 

 volatile gas krypton. On the other hand one of the strongest 

 rays, emitted mainly at the negative pole, at A. 3587, is at about the 

 place of a strong auroral ray, and the authors suggest that the 

 electric discharges to which the aurora is due may be of a nature 

 similar to that which makes the glow about the negative pole in 

 an exhausted tube. 



The spectra suggest the presence of more than one unknown 

 substance in the most volatile portion of the atmosphere, but 

 further observations are needed to unravel their complexity. 



On a method of comparing affinity -values of acids. By 

 H. J. H. Fenton, M.A., and H. O. Jones, B.A, Clare College. 



[Read 18 February 1901.] 



When the hydrazone of oxalacetic acid is heated with pure 

 water it yields the hydrazone of pyruvic acid with evolution of 

 carbon dioxide, but in presence of dilute acids of sufficient concen- 

 tration a totally different change occurs; in this case no gas is 

 evolved and pyrazolon-carboxylic acid results. 



CH,COOH CEL 



I I 



I. C : N 2 HPh = CN„HPh + C0 2 



I I 



COOH COOH 



CH„COOH CH 2 . CO 



I " /H ! i 



II. O :N.N^" =C :N.NPh + H,0 



II 

 COOH COOH 



