338 Scientific Intelligence. 



to one who is familiar with the advances made in recent years. 

 While many important researches unfortunately have not been 

 considered, nevertheless the subject has been treated in such a 

 manner that the book will tend to stimulate the enthusiasm of 

 students of organic chemistry. t. b. j. 



6. Michelson's Ether Research. — Emil Kohl, after a close 

 scrutiny of Michelson's celebrated experiment, concludes that a 

 careful study of the formation of the interference lines which are 

 the essential feature of this experiment is necessary before a con- 

 clusion can be reached in regard to the negative results. He calls 

 attention to the importance of the factor of the distance; and 

 discusses the questions which arise if ordinary light is emploj^ed 

 instead of monochromatic, and recommends that the experiments 

 should be repeated with attention to these points. — Ann. der 

 Physik, No. 2, 1909, pp. 259-307. j t. 



7. Influence of Pressure upon Thermoelectric Force. — Hein- 

 rich Horig employed a pressure of 1400 kg /cm -2 and found 

 that the thermoelectric force of a platinum mercury combination, 

 which before pressure at M=. 150°, gave an electromotive force 

 of 10 _c volt per degree increase of temperature. When this 

 thermo-element was submitted under the same conditions of tem- 

 perature to a pressure — it gave for kg /cm -2 a change per degree 

 At of 2*1 8 '10 -10 volt. The current direction of this pressure 

 effect was opposed to the original thermoelectric effect, and up to 

 a pressure of 1400 kg /cm -2 no deviation from proportionality 

 with the pressure was observed. Similar results were obtained 

 with a eutectic KNa alloy. — Ann. der Physik, No. 2, 1909, pp. 

 371-412. j. t. 



8. Aluminum Cell as a Condenser. — The use of this property 

 of aluminum is attracting much attention in view of its possible 

 practical use with alternating currents. J. de Modzelewskt 

 carried out experiments with a cell having aluminum anodes and 

 Ni cathode in a six per cent ammonium bicarbonate solution and 

 found that slow and gradual increase of voltage was necessary 

 for a high degree of formation. The capacity of the condenser 

 was about 15 mfd. The author indicates the need of prelimi- 

 nary forming at a low voltage. It is said that temperature plays 

 an important part in* the formation. The author does not refer 

 to this fact. — Lumiere Electr., Aug. 8, 1908, pp. 187-188. j. t. 



9. Changes in the Spectra of Gases submitted to the Magnetic 

 Field. — A. Dufotjr has studied the Zeeman effect in a number 

 of rarified gases, and gives photographs of the normal and abnor- 

 mal effects observed. He believes that the results obtained con- 

 firm the theory of the presence of negative and positive electrons. 

 —Physik. Zeitschrift, Jan. 15, 1909, pp. 124-138. j. t. 



10. Die elektrischen Eigenschaften und die Bedeutung des 

 Selens fur die Elektrotechnik • von. Chr. Ries. Pp. 93, 52 

 figures. Berlin, 1908 (Administration "Der Mechaniker" ).— 

 This volume of nearly 500 pages gives an interesting account of 

 the properties of selenium, particularly as regards the connection 



