Chemistry and Physics. 67 



nearly white sulphate. This was dissolved in water and precipi- 

 tated by caustic soda, in excess of which the precipitate was 

 soluble. On adding ammonia a white precipitate came down 

 which was dissolved in hydrogen chloride. After repeating the 

 operation, the precipitate, on dissolving it to saturation in hydro- 

 gen chloride, gave a solution acid to litmus but absolutely neutral 

 to methyl-orange. A portion of the solution was precipitated 

 with ammonium oxalate and the precipitate ignited. On repeat- 

 ing the operation, the oxalate gave of white oxide 55*70 per cent, 

 of oxalic oxide 15*85 and of water 31*27. Hence the authors cal- 

 culate an equivalent of 122 for the oxide and of 114 for the 

 metal; which supposing it bivalent gives an atomic mass of 228. 

 The periodic law supposes an element of atomic mass 225 in the 

 beryllium, calcium, strontium and barium group. The new ele- 

 ment appears to resemble beryllium in many of its properties, 

 zinc in others and calcium in its oxalate. Caustic soda gives a 

 white precipitate soluble in excess, while the ammonia precipitate 

 is insoluble in excess. Hydrogen sulphide in an acid or neutral 

 solution of the chloride gives nothing; but in an acetic solution it 

 gives a white gelatinous precipitate soluble readily in hydrogen 

 chloride. Potassium chromate gives a yellow precipitate soluble 

 in excess of the chloride, insoluble in excess of the precipitant. 

 Sodium-potassium tartrate gives a white precipitate soluble in ex- 

 cess. Potassium sulphate added to a strong hot solution gives a 

 white precipitate. Heated with cobalt nitrate the oxide gives a 

 feeble blue color. The chloride does not crystallize. The authors 

 have given the name Masrium to the new element, from Masr the 

 Arabic name of Egypt. The mineral they call masrite. — J. Chem. 

 Soc, lxi, 491, June, 1892. G. f. b. 



4. On the Freezing points of very dilute Solutions. — By the 

 method described by him in 1884, Raoult was able to obtain the 

 solidifying point of ordinary solutions within one or two hun- 

 dredths of a degree. To-day a greater exactness being demanded 

 Raoult has secured it by modifying his earlier method, with regard 

 (1) to the mode of cooling the solution and (2) to the mode of stir- 

 ring it. The beaker containing the solution, previously cooled to 

 0°, is immersed in a 40 per cent glycerin solution, containing a 

 spiral tube of copper, connected at each end with a vessel filled with 

 ice and salt. The salt solution from these vessels has a tempera- 

 ture of — 10°; and by regulating their relative heights, the ra- 

 pidity of flow and the temperature of the glycerin solution can 

 be regulated at will. This solution is maintained about 3° below 

 the solidifying temperature of the liquid to be examined, so that 

 the latter requires about 20 minutes to cool 1°. The stirrer con- 

 sists of a small propeller of platinum gauze attached to the bulb 

 of the thermometer and rotating with it. Moreover, the point of 

 surfusion is never allowed to exceed 0*5°. As a proof of the ex- 

 actness of the modified method, the author states that he finds 

 the solidifying point of water to agree with the fusing point of 

 ice within *002 of one degree. Applying the new method to very 



