RECORDS OF ilEETIXGS 409 



reptiles. Exhibiting illustrations of the skull of the carnivorous dinosaur 

 Tyrannosaurus. he showed how the superior and lateral temporal fenestras 

 appear to have served for the origin of the capiti-inandil)ularis muscle, 

 while the pre-orbital fenestra? may have lodged the upper part of the 

 pterygo-mandibularis. 



The Section then adjourned. 



"Willia:^! K. Gregory, 



8ecreta?y. 



SECTIOX OF ASTRONOMY, PHYSICS AXD CHEMISTRY 



15 March, 1915 



Section met at 8 :lo p. m., Vice-President Charles Baskerville presid- 

 ing. 



The minutes of the last meeting of the Section were read and approved. 

 The following programme was then offered: 



A. W. Thomas, The Actiox of Diastase on Starch. 



W. G. Lyle, L. J. Curtman and 



J. T. W. Marshall, A ]N'ew Test for Copper. 



Summary of Paper 



An abstract of the paper by Drs. "W. G. Lyle, L. J. Curtman and Mr. 

 J. T. W. Marshall is as follows: An aqueous solution of normal amino 

 <3aproic acid was found to be an exceedingly sensitive reagent for the de- 

 tection of copper. With this reagent 0.001: mg. of copper may be detected 

 ivith certainty. Mercury and zinc are the only other common metals 

 which yield under the conditions specified, a precipitate with the reagent. 

 The interference of the former ma}" be overcome by the addition of 

 sodium chloride; the latter may be prevented from precipitating by ad- 

 justing the acidity of the solution. Procedures are given for the detec- 

 tion of small amounts of copper in the presence of relatively large quan- 

 tities of foreign metals. The reagent is more specific for copper than any 

 of the other reagents heretofore proposed and possesses an advantage over 

 the ferrocyanide test, in that small quantities of iron do not interfere 

 with its use. 



The Section then adjourned. E. E. S^eittf. 



Secretary. 



