Chemistry and Physics. 551 



sandth. The Schiff's reagent may be prepared by adding to 1 

 liter of 10 1 00 fuchsine solution 20 cc of sodium bisulphite of 36-40° 

 Baurne, and after 5 or 10 minutes adding 20 cc of hydrochloric acid 

 of 1*18 density. In an hour or two the reagent is sufficiently 

 decolorized for use. — Gomptes Rendus, cl, 832. h. l. w. 



3. A Substitute for Platinum Wire for Use in Blowpipe 

 Work. — O. F. Kirby takes a few asbestos threads as straight 



and even as possible, dips them into phosphoric acid diluted with 

 one or two parts of water, and heats them gently in the Bunsen 

 flame until most of the water has been driven off. The threads, 

 which are now attached to each other by the acid, but still flexi- 

 ble, are now carefully rolled between the fingers or on paper until 

 a thin, even filament is produced, 2 or 3 mm in cross section. They 

 are again carefully heated for a few minutes and finally finished in 

 the blowpipe flame, when they are converted into a brittle rod or 

 wire somewhat resembling porcelain. These rods give perfectly 

 colorless borax beads which have little tendency to fall from the 

 end. They are practically non-conductors of heat, and give no 

 coloration to the non-luminous flame. They can be moistened 

 with water or dilute acids without losing their rigidity, though 

 when left in contact with these liquids for any length of time 

 they become disintegrated and require re-heating before use. 

 Though very brittle, pieces of about 8 cm in length will stand a 

 good deal of usage, and pieces half as long may be used without 

 risk of burning the fingers. They have been found to give 

 excellent results in blowpipe work with large classes of students 

 as a substitute for the more expensive platinum wire. — Chem. 

 News, ci, 170. h. l. w. 



4. The Use of Sodium Hypobromite in the Separation of 

 Certain Metals. — Pozzi-Escott has found sodium hypobromite, 

 in the presence of a large excess of caustic soda, a convenient 

 reagent for separating iron and nickel from chromium, aluminum, 

 and zinc. The operation consists in heating the acid solution to 

 boiling, adding a large excess of the alkaline reagent, filtering 

 upon nitrated cotton, dissolving in hydrochloric acid and repeat- 

 ing the precipitation. He recommends the method also for the 

 determination of chromium, vanadium, and molybdenum in steels 

 as more convenient than the method by use of an oxidizing fusion. 

 These acid-forming elements pass into solution while nickel and 

 manganese remain with the iron. — Bulletin, IV, vii, 160. 



H. L. W. 



•5. The Doppler Effect in Hydrogen. — B. Strasser shows that 

 the admixture of other gases with hydrogen influences the rela- 

 tive brightness of the stationary lines and the displaced ones. 

 The purer the hydrogen the less bright is the stationary line — 

 with a very pure gas only the displaced line is visible. Gases 

 with larger atomic weights exercise a greater influence on the 

 comparative intensity of the stationary and displaced lines than 

 gases with lower atomic weights. The cathode dust also influences 

 the relative intensities of these lines. A comparison is also made 



