330 Wisconsin Academy of SciencesArts, and Letters. 
chloride was distilled over through the drying apparatus con¬ 
taining phosphorous pentoxide (mentioned in the paragraph 
above) and condensed in a conductivity cell of special pattern 
which had been dried by hot, clean air and by standing five 
hours in contact with phosphorous pentoxide. One hundred 
twenty volts from a direct current dynamo was then applied to 
the terminals of this cell and a Jewell voltmeter of 20,000 ohms 
resistance was placed in series and used as an ammeter. The 
deflection of the voltmeter was the same for the pure solvent 
and for the HOI solution, i. e., one-third of a volt division 
which corresponds to 0.0000165 ampere. Opening the HC1 
solution to the air for a few seconds did not increase the con¬ 
ductivity. It still remained onerthird of a volt deflection. The 
insulating material between the electrodes of this cell was the 
glass of the cell, and upon the outside an insulating wax ordi¬ 
narily used for induction coils. The insulation was tested with 
120 volts, but the voltmeter in series, showed no deflection what¬ 
ever. 
Benzene as Solvent .—To ascertain if HC1 gas dissolved in 
benzene will act upon zinc, cadmium, aluminum or magnesium, 
Schuehardt’s c. p. benzene was treated with phosphorus pent- 
oxide in quantity and allowed to stand 48 hours. Meanwhile a 
distillation apparatus, dried by clean hot air, w r as set up with 
tightly fitting connections; the receiver was protected by a. phos¬ 
phorous pentoxide tube, which in turn was protected by two 
more phosphorus pentoxide tubes and beyond them was a wash 
bottle' containing concentrated sulphuric acid. This appara¬ 
tus was put together hot and stood forty-eight hours, thus re¬ 
moving the last trace of moisture. Then the benzene was poured 
off from the phosphorus pentoxide, over 1 which it had been 
standing, into the distilling flask, and the stopper quickly re¬ 
placed. 
Sodium was taken from the petroleum in which it is ordinar¬ 
ily kept, thoroughly freed from petroleum by washing repeat¬ 
edly with Schuchardt’s c. p. benzene, and finally cut into small 
bright; pieces under benzene and quickly transferred to the; dis- 
