602 
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 
The writers wish to express their indebtedness to the National Acad- 
emy of Sciences for a grant of two hundred dollars from the Wolcott 
Gibbs Fund, which has been used to purchase the apparatus for this 
work. The complete paper will be pubhshed in the Journal of the 
American Chemical Society. 
1 Werner and Herty, Zs. physik. Chem., 38, 331 (1901). 
2 Petersen, Zs. physik. Ghent., 22, 410 (1897); 39, 249 (1902). 
3 Harkins, /. Amer. Chem. Soc, 33, 1807-73 (1911). 
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 
REPORT OF THE FIRST MEETING OF THE COUNCIL 
The first meeting of the Research Council was held in New York City on 
September 20, 1916. 
Dr. M. I. Pupin, as Temporary Chairman, called the meeting to order at 
3.10 p.m., and directed a roll-call of the members of the Council. There were 
P'resent the following members: Messrs. Carty, Dunn, Goss, Hale, Herschel, 
Holmes, Keen, Manning, Marvin, Millikan, Noyes, Pickering, Pupin, Rand, 
Skinner, Squier, Stratton, Swasey and Vaughan. 
The Temporary Chairman then called for nominations for Permanent 
Chairman. Dr. George E. Hale was nominated and unanimously elected. 
Dr. Hale then took the Chair and presided for the remainder of the meeting. 
Dr. Charles D. Walcott was elected First Vice-Chairman, and Mr. Gano 
Dunn, Second Vice-Chairman. 
Dr. Hale, as Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Council, an- 
nounced an agreement between the National Academy of Sciences and the 
Engineering Foundation by which the Engineering Foundation has placed 
its funds at the disposal of the Council for a period of one year and has given 
the services of its Secretary, Dr. Gary T. Hutchinson, to the National Re- 
search Council, to serve as its Secretary. Dr. Hale announced that in ac- 
cordance with this agreement the National Academy of Sciences has appointed 
Dr. Hutchinson Secretary of the National Research Council. Dr. Hutchin- 
son was present and acted as Secretary to the meeting. 
The Chairman then gave an extended account of the work done by the 
Organizing Committee during the summer months, dwelling particularly upon 
his trip to England and France, and upon the results that have been reached 
there by similar organizations of the men of science. 
At the conclusion of the Chairman's remarks the organization of the Council 
was discussed; and the motion was made that an Executive Committee to 
consist of a chairman and nine members be appointed by the Chair, with the 
Chairman of the Council and President of the Academy as additional mem- 
