244 Chronicles of Science. [April, 



appears to be that it enables the chemist to determine with ease 

 the amount of air aspirated. 



The two foregoing papers will also be found in the March 

 number of the Journal of the Society. 



Another paper, on the same evening, was by Mr. E. T. Chap- 

 man, "On some Reactions of Hydriodic Acid." This acid, the 

 author found, converts nitric oxide into ammonia, and decomposes 

 nitrites, and with more difficulty nitrates of the alcohol radicals 

 into nitric oxide, ammonia, and water, an iodide of the alcohol 

 radical being also formed. 



On January 17, a paper by Mr. T. E. Thorpe, " On the 

 Amount of Carbonic Acid in Sea-air," was read. The author's 

 experiments were made off Douglas, Isle of Man, and the average 

 result of 77 observations was 3 parts of carbonic acid in 10,000 

 of air. 



Another paper, by the same author, was " On the Amount of 

 Carbonic Acid contained in the Atmosphere of Tropical Brazil, 

 during the Eainy Season." k.i Para, during April and May, 

 3 '28 parts of carbonic acid were found in 10,000 of air. Four 

 parts in 10,000 was said to be the mean result for the atmosphere 

 of Europe, away from special contaminating influences. 



Dr. Frankland then read a learned paper, giving the latest 

 results of the " Synthetical Researches on Ethers," carried on by 

 himself in conjunction with Mr. Duppa. This second part gave an 

 account of the action of sodium and isopropylic iodide upon ethylic 

 acetate. 



Professor "Wanklyn afterwards read a paper " On the Titration 

 of Compound Ethers." An elementary analysis, the author found 

 to be a poor guarantee of the purity of a compound. He therefore 

 resorted to a titration, which he finds rapid, easy, and accurate. 

 He digests known amounts of the ether and alcoholic potash in a 

 water-bath, and when the decomposition is terminated, which is 

 known by the complete disappearance of the smell of the ether, 

 the residual potash is determined by means of a standard sulphuric 

 acid. 



A paper by Mr. E. T. Chapman and Mr. M. H. Smith, " On 

 Quantitative Anaylsis by limited Oxidation," was also read. The 

 authors have oxidized lactic and diethoxalic acids by means of 

 chromic acid, and determined the amounts of the resulting products. 

 Such a mode of analysis they believe to be applicable to most 

 organic compounds, and would show not merely the total amount 

 of carbon, but also the forms in which it existed in the compound 

 examined. 



The last paper of the evening was by Dr. Stenhouse, " On the 

 Preparation of Berberine from Coscinium Fenestratum, commercially 

 known as Colombo- wood." The author exhausts the wood with a 



