Chemistry and Physics. 323 



employed to exclude impurities from the bulbs. The principal 

 feature of the results is that helium appears to be produced by 

 these explosions of tungsten. Several lines in the spectra of 

 the resulting gases were not identified, but it appeared that 

 hydrogen was not formed. In the 21 recorded explosions in the 

 presence of carbon dioxide, the residues after the absorption of 

 the latter were remarkably variable, but about 20 cc. of the total 

 gas thus obtained was accidentally lost before it was analyzed. 

 This report is merely a preliminary one. The senior author has 

 been obliged to suspend work for a year or more on account of 

 ill-health, and the authors regret the somewhat sensational report 

 of their work in the public press last March. — Jour. Amer. Chem. 

 Soc. 44, 1887. h. l. w. 



3. A Micro-Method for the Determination of Molecular 

 ^Yeights in a Melting-Point Apparatus. — Nearly all of the 

 organic solvents show only a few degrees of depression in their 

 melting points from the presence of one gram-molecule per 

 kilogram of dissolved substance, but Karl Hast has found in 

 camphor a solvent that is distinguished by such an extraodinarily 

 high depression that it presents the possibility of using a ther- 

 mometer graduated in whole degrees, instead of the Beckmann 

 thermometer, in determining molecular weights, and in permit- 

 ting the use of the simple capillary-tube melting-point appara- 

 tus for the purpose. The freezing-point depression of camphor 

 amounts to 40° for a normal solution (gram-molecules per kilo- 

 gram), and since camphor is a solvent which will dissolve many 

 organic substances in normal quantity, and almost all in y 2 or % 

 normal amounts, the depressions can be accurately measured. 

 The method is very simple. A few milligrams of the substance 

 are fused with 10 to 20 parts of camphor in a small clean test- 

 tube, and after solidification a portion is used for a melting-point 

 determination. The original article should be consulted in 

 regard to certain details. It appears that this simple method will 

 be very useful to organic chemists. — Berichte 55, 1051. 



h. l. w. 



4. ~\Yomen in Chemistry: A Study of Professional Oppor- 

 tunities. By The Bureau of Vocational Information. 

 Svo, pp. 273*. Xew York City, 1922. (To be obtained from the 

 above-mentioned Bureau, 2 West 43d St. Price, postpaid, paper- 

 bound $1.10, cloth-bound $1.60.) 



This report has been issued under the auspices of a large and 

 distinguished advisory council which includes the presidents of 

 the prominent colleges for women in this country. Informa- 

 tion has been obtained directly from, and indirectly concerning, 

 hundreds of women chemists, while a great many officials of 

 scientific, educational and industrial institutions have contrib- 

 uted their experiences and opinions in regard to the matter. 



