﻿Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  165 
  

  

  SCIENTIFIC 
  INTELLIGENCE. 
  

  

  I. 
  Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  Occurrence 
  of 
  Free 
  Carbon 
  Monoxide 
  in 
  the 
  "Floaters" 
  

   of 
  Kelp. 
  — 
  Seth 
  C. 
  Langdon 
  has 
  made 
  the 
  interesting 
  observation 
  

   that 
  the 
  gas 
  in 
  the 
  bulb 
  and 
  hollow 
  stem 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  Pacific 
  

   coast 
  kelp, 
  JVereocystis 
  luetkeana, 
  contains 
  carbon 
  monoxide 
  in 
  

   quantities 
  varying 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  12 
  per 
  cent 
  by 
  volume. 
  This 
  gas 
  

   has 
  never 
  before 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  free 
  state 
  in 
  a 
  living 
  plant. 
  

   This 
  kelp 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  brown 
  one. 
  The 
  author 
  worked 
  with 
  

   specimens 
  85 
  feet 
  long, 
  and 
  much 
  longer 
  ones 
  have 
  been 
  reported. 
  

   This 
  enormous 
  growth 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  short 
  period 
  of 
  10 
  or 
  15 
  

   weeks. 
  Another 
  interesting 
  feature 
  of 
  this 
  plant 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   while 
  it 
  contains 
  about 
  92 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  water, 
  more 
  than 
  one-fourth 
  

   of 
  the 
  remaining 
  8 
  per 
  cent 
  consists 
  of 
  potassium 
  chloride, 
  and 
  

   the 
  commercial 
  extraction 
  of 
  this 
  valuable 
  salt 
  from 
  the 
  kelp 
  has 
  

   been 
  extensively 
  discussed. 
  The 
  hollow 
  space 
  in 
  the 
  large 
  

   specimens 
  has 
  a 
  capacity 
  of 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  liters, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   found 
  that 
  the 
  gas 
  contained 
  in 
  this 
  cavity 
  is 
  almost 
  always 
  

   under 
  less 
  than 
  atmospheric 
  pressure. 
  Many 
  of 
  these 
  pressures 
  

   were 
  determined, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  ranging 
  between 
  520 
  and 
  600 
  mm 
  , 
  

   while 
  the 
  normal 
  atmospheric 
  pressure 
  is 
  *760 
  mm 
  . 
  

  

  The 
  gas 
  from 
  nearly 
  1000 
  specimens 
  was 
  examined, 
  and 
  almost 
  

   invariably 
  carbon 
  monoxide 
  was 
  present, 
  the 
  average 
  amount 
  

   being 
  about 
  4 
  per 
  cent. 
  Carbon 
  dioxide 
  was 
  either 
  practically 
  

   absent, 
  or 
  present 
  in 
  very 
  small 
  quantity, 
  while 
  oxygen 
  varied 
  

   from 
  about 
  22 
  per 
  cent, 
  or 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  atmosphere, 
  

   down 
  to 
  about 
  15 
  or 
  16 
  per 
  cent. 
  It 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  a 
  mixture 
  

   shown 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  analyses 
  to 
  contain 
  12 
  # 
  2 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  carbon 
  

   monoxide 
  and 
  17*4 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  oxygen 
  would 
  be 
  explosive 
  when 
  

   exposed 
  to 
  a 
  flame, 
  but 
  the 
  author 
  makes 
  no 
  mention 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  

   circumstance. 
  The 
  samples 
  of 
  gas 
  for 
  analysis 
  were 
  carefully 
  

   taken 
  from 
  the 
  plants 
  in 
  their 
  natural 
  situation, 
  sometimes 
  over 
  

   mercury, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  by 
  displacement 
  of 
  sea-water 
  which 
  had 
  

   been 
  saturated 
  with 
  the 
  gas 
  from 
  other 
  specimens. 
  

  

  The 
  qualitative 
  tests 
  for 
  carbon 
  monoxide 
  in 
  the 
  gas 
  were 
  

   elaborate 
  and 
  convincing. 
  Palladium 
  chloride 
  paper 
  was 
  black- 
  

   ened, 
  very 
  dilute 
  blood 
  gave 
  the 
  characteristic 
  change 
  of 
  color, 
  

   the 
  spectrum 
  of 
  blood 
  treated 
  with 
  the 
  kelp 
  gas 
  and 
  ammonium 
  

   sulphide 
  showed 
  the 
  characteristic 
  behavior 
  of 
  carbon 
  monoxide, 
  

   a 
  guinea 
  pig 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  vessel 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  kelp 
  gas 
  was 
  

   passing 
  died 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  10 
  minutes, 
  while 
  a 
  canary 
  bird 
  died 
  in 
  

   about 
  15 
  seconds 
  and 
  a 
  young 
  chicken 
  in 
  about 
  a 
  minute. 
  All 
  

   these 
  animals 
  showed 
  clear 
  evidence 
  from 
  blood 
  color 
  or 
  blood 
  

   tests 
  of 
  carbon 
  monoxide 
  poisoning. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  suggests 
  that 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  carbon 
  monoxide 
  in 
  

   the 
  kelp 
  may 
  indicate 
  an 
  intermediate 
  step 
  in 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  

   carbon 
  dioxide 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  photosynthesis, 
  a 
  theory 
  ad- 
  

  

  