384 Scientific Intelligence. 



therefore carried out with the thyroid glands of calves and swine, 

 then with the bristles of the latter animal, the horns of beeves, 

 the feathers of geese, the hair and claws of dogs, etc. It was soon 

 found that the horny and hairy products contained even more 

 arsenic than the thyroid glands. The horns of oxen gave arsenic 

 in the relatively enormous amount of 5™s per kilo. Traces of 

 arsenic were found in the hoofs, hide, and liver of a calf one 

 month old, while larger quantities were evidently present in the 

 corresponding parts of a heifer 18 months of age, although the 

 horns of the latter contained less of it than those of more mature 

 animals. It appears, consequently, that arsenic accumulates with 

 the age of the animal. As a convincing proof of the normal 

 occurrence of arsenic in an animal which had not breathed air 

 contaminated by industrial fumes, the element was found in the 

 thyroid glands of a seal which was captured in the vicinity of 

 Spitzbergen. — Bulletin^ xxvii, 847. h. l. w. 



3. Atomic Weight of Radium. — By fractional crystallization of 

 the greater part of the radiferous barium at her disposal, Mme. 

 Curie has succeeded in obtaining about a decigram of radium 

 chloride which appeared to be perfectly pure. Atomic weight 

 determinations were made with this material with the result that 

 225 was found to be the atomic weight of the element, assuming 

 that it is bivalent. Radium, therefore, appears to be a higher 

 homologue of barium, with a place in the periodic table under 

 barium and in a line with thorium and uranium. It is stated 

 that pure anhydrous radium chloride is spontaneously luminous. 

 — Compter jReiidus, cxxv, 161. h. l. w. 



4. Double and Triple Thiocyanates. — A number of these com- 

 pounds has been prepared by Wells and his pupils. Most of 

 the double salts contained caesium as the alkali-metal, while ferric, 

 lead, mercuric, cuprous, silver, thallous, magnesium, zinc, cal- 

 cium and strontium compounds were obtained. It appears that 

 the double thiocyanates are not generally formed in as great 

 variety as the chlorides, bromides and iodides, but most of those 

 obtained corresponded to known double halides. The calcium 

 and strontium double thiocyanates, 2CsSCN-Ca(SCN)2-3H20. 

 and 2CsSCN-Sr(SCN)2 AB.fi are of considerable interest, because 

 double salts containing these alkali-earth metals as the negative 

 constituent are very rare. 



The triple salts show great variety in composition. Several of 

 them crystallize remarkably well, and can be recrystallized from 

 water. Fourteen of these compounds were obtained, belonging 

 to seven different types, as follows : 



I. One salt, . . CsAgZn(SCN)/H^O 



II. One salt, . . Cs,AgZn(SCN)\ 



III. Five salts, analogous to Cs2Ag^Ca(SCN)V2 H^O 



IV. Four salts, analogous to Cs3Ag2Ba(SCN)^ 



V. One salt, . . K,Ag,Ba(SCN),-H,0 



YI. One salt, . . CsAg3ZnjSCN)3 



YII. One salt, . . CsAg,Zn,(SCN), 



