Chemistry and Physics. 261 



until the iron has been converted into the green complex oxa- 

 late, and then when an excess of oxalic acid or ammonium 

 oxalate has been added the cerium oxalate is gradually precipi- 

 tated in a pure white condition. Even when cerium oxalate has 

 actually been precipitated it dissolves upon the addition of ferric 

 chloride. The author advises, therefore, the use of a very much 

 larger amount of ammonium oxalate than is customary in analyt- 

 ical work when cerium is to be separated from iron. He prefers 

 to use ammonium oxalate rather than oxalic acid for this pur- 

 pose, as the latter makes the liquid too acid. When ammonium 

 oxalate is employed in this way, however, all the calcium present 

 is precipitated with the rare earth oxalates, but the latter may 

 be separated by igniting the precipitate, dissolving the residue in 

 acid and precipitating twice with ammonia. — Berichte, xli, 4373. 



h. l. w. 



3. Solubility of Metallic Gold in Hydrochloric Acid in the 

 presence of Organic Substances. — But lew solvents for metallic 

 gold have been known up to the present time. These are chlor- 

 ine, bromine, iodine, cyanides, and selenic acid. Aweekiew 

 has now observed that iinely divided metallic gold is soluble to 

 some extent in hydrochloric acid in the presence of many organic 

 substances. Among the organic compounds showing this pro- 

 perty to a notable extent are the following, which are arranged 

 according to diminishing effectiveness in this respect : methyl 

 alcohol, amyl alcohol, chloroform, ethyl alcohol, chloral hydrate, 

 phenol, cane sugar, glycerine, trioxymethylene, formaldehyde. 

 The action takes place very slowly at ordinary temperature, but 

 it is more rapid upon boiling, although the duration of the boil- 

 ing appears to have -no essential influence. The gold must be 

 very finely divided to show such solubility, and large amounts 

 of solvent dissolve small amounts of gold. For instance, 1000 cc 

 each of methyl alcohol and hydrochloric acid when boiled for 

 5 hours with "1154 g. of gold precipitated with ferrous sulphate 

 dissolved -0128 g. of it. The results indicate the existence of a 

 new class of gold compounds, which it is the author's intention 

 to investigate. — Zeitschr. anorgan. Chem., lxi, 13. h. l. w. 



4. The Composition of Matter. — The following contribution 

 to theory has been put forth by E. Mulder : The conception 

 that the atoms, which form the molecules, are compound has been 

 advanced many times. But as yet he has not observed the 

 hypothesis that these atoms of the second order are composed 

 of atoms of the third order, and so on to infinity, a view which 

 he advanced long ago. The ether, a particular and hypothetical 

 form of the same matter (differing only in condensation), has, 

 according to this idea, an analogous constitution. In the case 

 of matter there are presented then, at the end of ends, infinitely 

 small atoms, a conception not easily grasped. 



A theory such as this, which explains no known phenomena, 

 appears to be unprofitable. Many others besides Mulder have 

 doubtless indulged in just such a speculation, and it is easy to 



Am. Jour. Sci.— Fourth Series. Vol. XXVII, No. 159.— March, 1909. 



18 



