142 Scientific Intelligence. 



spectroscopic examination of very pure ozone gas. Liquid ozone 

 was formed in the first place by Goldstein's method, which con- 

 sists in condensing it by cooling with liquid air. By allowing 

 this liquid ozone to vaporize into a vacuum tube, nearly pure 

 ozone gas was obtained, having a very dark blue qolor. In 

 examining the absorption spectra of the gas, five new bands were 

 observed In the visible red part at 670-667, 638, 628, 622 and 610 

 fxfx. These bands appeared only after the greater part of the 

 liquid ozone had vaporized, and they disappeared very soon. It 

 was possible by collecting the gas from the last part of the liquid 

 separately to obtain a spectrum containing the new bands with- 

 out the ozone bands. Since it was found that when the new 

 bands disappeared the pressure of the gas increased, the conclu- 

 sion was reached that a new body was present possessing more 

 atoms than ozone. This conclusion was confirmed by finding 

 that the gas had a higher specific gravity than ozone, several 

 results giving an average of l - 774, while ozone would be 1 - 661. 

 It was not easy to work with ozone, and especially with the new 

 body, since they are very explosive, and the conditions of the 

 explosions could not be determined. However, the following 

 points were determined in regard to the new body: It has a 

 higher boiling-point than ozone, it has more atoms in its molecule, 

 it is of a dark blue color, whether liquid or gaseous, and it is not 

 very stable at ordinary temperatures. — Chem. News, xciv, 137. 



H. L. W. 



3. The Determinatian of Halogens in Organic Compounds. — 

 A very simple and rapid method for making the determination 

 under consideration has been devised by Stepanow. The 

 weighed substance in a small tube is placed in an Erlenmeyer 

 flask containing 20 to 40 cc of ethyl alcohol of 98 per cent 

 strength. The flask is connected with a long- inverted condenser 

 and placed upon a water-bath. Metallic sodium is dropped 

 through the condenser tube, which is kept perpendicular during 

 the violent reaction. The amount of sodium should correspond 

 to about 25 times the theoretical amount required to form sodium 

 halide and sodium alcoholate according to the reaction, 



RH1 + C 2 H 6 OH + Na 2 = R.H + NaHl + C 2 H 6 ONa. 



After the sodium has dissolved the contents of the flask are 

 diluted with 20 to 40 cc of water and the alcohol is distilled off. 

 The liquid, after cooling, is acidified with dilute nitric acid, and 

 the halogen is determined by Volhard's volumetric method. 

 Test analyses made by the author with chlorbenzol, brombenzol, 

 hexachlorbenzol, p-chlortoluol, ^-chlornitrobenzol and a-brom- 

 naphthaline gave very satisfactory results, showing that the halo- 

 gens are readily removed from the benzene nucleus by this means. 

 It is known that sodium amalgam and water do not give this 

 result. — JBerichte, xxxix, 4056. h. l. w. 



4. The Cause of the Phosphorescence of Chlorophane. — G. 

 Urbain has made a study of the phosphorescences that may, be 



