SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SOCIETIES. 
eee ————— al 
covering the nasal aperture, if anything more so in the female than the male. 
Zygomatic arches asymmetrical, the difference being well marked. Suborbital 
bar heavy, and slightly grooved at the malar suture. Tooth line showing fairly 
even wear throughout. Teeth with well marked cingula. Cervicals with strongly 
developed zygopophyses and powerful . . . . axian spine. Coronoid process of 
the mandible twisted from the tooth line, as in the latrifrons wombat’s jaws. 
Skull heavy, short nosed, and horned. A second small horn may have rested on 
the frontal cavity. Nasal cartilage attached by bony studs, capable of motion, 
to resist shock when horning a foe and also to give extra mobility to the lips. 
(Example—Nototherium mitchelli.) 
Conspectus of Leptocerathine Nototheria—Animals of leptorhine cranial 
morphology, with triangular foreheads and parietal crests. Nasals curved over 
nasal aperture. Zygomatic arches symmetrical, rounded, and deeply grooved. 
Tooth line showing uneven wear, the excess always being anterior. Teeth without 
cingula of a heavy type. Cervicals with a slender axian spine. Coronoid 
rocess not much, nor at all, twisted from the tooth line. Skull heavy (less 
than the other group), Jong-nosed, and armed with small nasal bosses or very 
weak horn. Nasal cartilage attached by bony studs, capable of motion, but 
tending to fuse at maturity owing to longer nose and weaker horn. (Best 
known example—Nototheriwm tasmanicum.)” 
Lecture: —“ Mental Efficiency. A study of the results obtained by testing 
children by the Binet-Simon Scale.” By H. T. Parker. 
The lecturer dealt with a number of tests carried out by him at country 
schools in Tasmania. ‘ 
SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY, VICTORIA. 
A paper on cellulose acetate and’ raw materials was read before the Society 
of Chemical Industry of Victoria by J. R. Cochrane. It records details of some 
research work carried out at the Commonwealth Government Cordite Factory 
under the direction of Mr. A. E. Leighton, F.1.C., with whose consent the infor- 
mation is published. ‘The object of the work was to supply the Australian’ Air 
Force with “dope” should the need arise. Dope ‘is essentially a solution of a 
cellulose ester—the nitrate or acetate, e.g., in a suitable solvent such as acetone 
or methyl acetate. The solution is used to produce a waterproof covering for 
the wings of aeroplanes, ‘Cellulose acetate is generally preferred on account 
of its relative non-inflammability, and a slightly modified form (hydrated) of 
the itri-acetate has been prepared. This is a white opaque fibrous material, 
‘soluble in acetone, methyl acetate, and ethyl formate, and is plastic in chloro- 
form. Certain ingredients are added to improve the quality of the film by 
decreasing the rate of drying, and rendering. the product more pliable, though 
‘tougher. 
--In England and France the manufacture is in the control of one firm, and 
the process is kept secret. Good results haye already been obtained -by the 
chemists at the Cordite Factory. The raw materials required are (1) cellulose, 
in some form, (2) acetic anhydride, (3) glacial acetic acid of at least 98.5 per 
cent. strength, and (4) a so-called catalyst. 
1. Cellulose—In Europe and America, tissue paper is generally used. Cotton 
waste can be used, and it is more readily available in Australia. It must be 
of good quality, conforming to the War Office specification for that required for 
the manufacture of explosives. The viscosity of the cellulose esters vary, and 
much research has been carried out to discover the causes of variation, whether 
flue to differences in the raw product or to manufacturing methods. It has been 
found that the viscosity decreases with the treatment of the cotton. This is 
important, as the ester has to conform closely to the specification for viscosity. 
2. Acetic Anhydride is the most expensive of the raw materials, and most of 
‘the cost of the ester is due to that of the anhydride. In general, acetic anhy- 
dride is produced by the action of the chlorides or oxychlorides of phosphorus 
or sulphur on anhydrous sodium acetate. ‘Local conditions determined sulphur. 
monochloride as the product to be used, and a small plant was designed and 
erected. The body is composed of a jacketed hemisphere of cast iron 20 inches 
internal diameter. A charge consists of 15 lbs. of powdered anhydrous sodium 
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