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ABSTRACTS The Lazy Eigh-School Student. J. J. BIRCH. Educ. Rev., 70, 210-2 (1925).B. discusses the causes for the existence of the lazy high-schwl student and the usual corrective methods emoloved. He m i n t s out. however. that our schools are crvine for a bit of human engi&&ingto be mked with& intellig'ence tests, its modern me&od< of teaching and its modern buildings. The task is salvaging human life-rescuing it H. K. M. during the plastic period of youth. The Conditions of Chemical Change. H. E. ARM~TRONO. Nature, 116, 537 il925).-Chemical action of whatever kind is essentiallv electrolvtic: conseauentlv. chanie takes place only when the potentially interacting &bstancedconstitute i n el& t r o l y k rtrcuit; such &uit appear, dways to I,? o m "f three components, oi whi& one ncccss~rdyic an elru.trdyte. Attention is wllerl to the cdntrwrrsv of Cochn : ~ m l T r m m with Baker over the action of ~ ~ I t ~ a - vheht ~ ~ on l e hvdroven t and oxrecn. ,411,~ ultra-deaninp, ultra-purifyina, and ultra-dryinx 2 vessel; an; contents-& reaction shuuld nor &cur and t h i i is &nrirmed by Raker. 11. K. 11. On the Advancement of Science by Published Papers. J. BELI.ISC. . Y d t w c , 6 9 I'd5 .-I< civrq sound arhice on the writing of scientific mncrs in the lricfcsr possible form A d w a k s that the penalty will be ces&tion of publ&ion except in the form of abstracts. The truth and nothing but the truth, but never the whole truth; ~~~~
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titions and confirmations are of sufficient scientific interest to iarrenibublication oily to 3 reruin dcxrec. The publicttim of a working h\.pothe& h y one w1.o bn; collcctcd a suRiricnt amount of r d e w n t f.wrr is ! v t . l < m w , inderd illrnort necessary. I ~ I %:I m 4 . s of untcstcd hypotheccs is readily prudurhk and may be alrnlrss e ~ r e p-. tto f. i. l l spaw .. 1 1 . h.
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The Worth of Knowledge. W. F. F. S ~ n m c n o r r . Suture. 116, 511-2 I!I?F. .S. de,ircs :I department c,i nnturnl xiencc in every unisersiry and school and aoulrl like eruwth of the i d ~ at h l t no man-clafric. historian. lineukt. chemi5t-could to set. rhe "~ claim to be educated who h a d n o t passed through fts curricuium.- he courses should be organized to present the aims, ideals, and methods of science. They should train the individual t o think and act in a scientific manner. The professorial staff should be composed of men who could address a n audience in a manner which will command attention or stimulate interest. H. K.M. The Tensile Properties of Single I o n Crystals. H. C.H. C. Nature, 116,5934 (1925).-A discussion of the work of Edwards and Pfeil compared with that of Carpenter and E l m . The tensile s t r e w h of single iron crystals is 50 t o 7570 that of the crvstals of microcrvstalline metal. This is well below the hiahest - fimre - for sinale 'H. K. M. alumintk Valence Theories and the Magnetic Properties of Complex Salts. .,I A. WErs AND 0. BAUDISCA. Nature, 116, 606-7 (1925).-W. and B. consider the number of electrons in certain levels associated with the central atom, and for the present purpose disregard the matter of orientation. The Kossel and Lewis-Langmuir valence theories are guides in determining the number of electrons which the central atom of the complex may obtain from or give t o the groups or radicals in the compound. It is shown that iron with 26 electrons acquires 10 more making 36 in all and thus corresponds to the diamagnetic rare gas krypton. Considering t h e 64 cobalt compounds measured by Rosenbohm, all hut two are diamagnetic. The two exceptions are so slightly para~
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H. K. M and ~ b i o n i u mare attained. Apparently Anomalous Protection against Oxidation. S. E SHEPPAXU.N o t w t , 6 I - I$?$ .-In a technwal invest>g:rtionof t l w I lackming ol copper, hmss,md bronrr in notassittm mrsulfate solntionr it a a s notwed th:lt when the strin of rnetnl was dropped into the sdution it blackened readily and completely. If, however, it was slowly lowered into the solution, blackening either did not take place or was very patchy and imperfect. When the metal is slowly lowered into the persulfate solution, it is exposed for a longer time to the air-solution interface. S. describes experiments to show that concentration of molecular oxygen in this layer causes the interference and the facts appear to demonstrate another case of the impedance of oxidation by oxygen. H. K. M.
The Chemistry of Solids. C. H. Dzscn. Nature, 116, 610-3 (1925).-:'It is remarkable bow little we know with any certainty about the chemical properties of pives a review of a laree field solids. althoueh the idea of a solid is so fundamental." D. presenting raiher our ignorance than our knowledge. H. K: M. The Isotopic Composition and the Atomic Weight of Chlorine in Meteorites. A. W. C. MENZIES. Nature, 116,6434 (1926).-A letter in reply to Harkins and Stone under the above title in Nature of September 19. M. points out "that the matter is somewhat complicated by the question as t o whether the rather small proportion of chlorine present is primary or secondary, that is, whether or not it is genuinely extraterrestrial in origin." H. K. M. Photochemical Problems. E. K. RrnEAI,. Nature, 116, 647-8 (1925).-Photochemical problems not only provide a common meeting-place for physicists, astronomers, and chemists but, as the botanists have long observed and the medical profession
lose its n e ~ l ykqutrcd cntrxy by emission of mdi3tion. It mny collide with :u.nther molecule and the mternnl energy may he lihrnred in the kinetic forr~lor hc h:,nd~d on to the molecule with whirh it comes in mntnct. The poqsihility of chcnticid rc.tctiun on cullisaor~is presmtrrl. I t is little wonder th;at in rnany rctctiuns thr photuchcm~cnl c f f i c t r n q is low Irt uddition there exiqts ; t n crer.iwrr;iring group in nhtch the phutochemical ywlrl is much yrrotcr than i.; to be nntictpotcd from ca~lridcmtion o l t h e nmount of light ahsorbed Such redcttuns are dvsidn3tr.d as "chdirt" reaction* am1 t h r various hvnothrses n i to their m u & uf action are a t urfirnt a matter (11hmtrd rontntversy. T& leading hypotheses are briefly outlined: H. K. M. The Determination of Traces of Mercury. H. S. BOOTH AN D NORA E. SCHXEIBER. J . Am. Chmm. Sw .. 47, 2B15-!, lb2.Z .-I\ ripid mcthod for the qudiutive detection of trnrei of mercury, far surpassiny; in sensitivity the trsls uwnlly empluyell, is d c w r ~ l r d . Methuds for makine the I m t of the older tertsare fir51 eiren %. tal,le is thrn orrjmtrrl. showing the utmorof alcohol through evapor;ition and keepmg the mutur a t a temocralure l~clowthat rrnuirrd fur nmrest e f f i c t l e n of nocratiom ~
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are inflammable,-and tend t o injure certain types of automobile fi&hes. ~ e s e a r c h aimed a t finding a better anti-freeze substance has resulted in the development of a commercial process far the manufacture of ethylene glycol (CH20HCH20H),which seems to have all the proverties desirable in a liouid t o be used for inhibitine freaine. This compound is ndn-i&mmable, non-corrosive t o metals, and harmlessto lacq&s used in nuromohile finiihcs. A s a t c r solution of cthylene glycul h a r o luwcr fr&ny puint ihnn n water-a!cohul solution of the same c o n c e n t r A m Since the glycol hxs itself a vrrv hirh hoilinr ~ o m tits . aoueour solulion h:rs :L slirhtlv h i ~ h bviltnv ~r ooint than nurc waier, and what is more important, very little of t& a&iir&re suhst&e is pres&t in t h vapor. ~ Consequently, the msteri.>lis nut lost thruuuh cvzporxtinu, a n d m ohjertiunaLle odors arc prraent. Kthylene glycul appears to bc nn cfficiunt, non-injuriour. nnd wrmanent anti-frewe comnuund. The authors ascrrt that thr automobile trade cou~dbe cheaply supplied. V. R. THAYER Uses for a Broken Electric Light Bulb. RALPE T. %PPT AND D. J. BROWN. Ind. end Eng. Chm.. 17,1201 (1925).-The two wires that conduct the current through the glass t o thefilament of most nitragen-filled electric light bulbs are a convenient substitute for ordinary ~ l a t i n u mwires. Thev mav he sealed into elass for conductors. 35 in the calomrl electr&lc, or may hc used \rrith glass rods for the "rdirury flame tcrts: They are ilnsuitablc. hnwercr, fur bead test?. V. R. THAYEU Across the Table. 'ill. I,RR I.RWIS. Chrm. Bull., 12,261 (1925).-The abstractor
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JOURNAL Oa CHEMICAL DUCATION
JANUARY, 1926
assays this article with some considerable trepidation. The author's inimitable style cannot be reproduced and that is no small part of the article's appeal. However, the theme is timely, namely, the desirability of finesse as well as intellectual scope and accuracy in the training of young chemists. The message is unfolded by dialogue in which the "professor," the "patriarch," and others participate. Some quotations may best indicate the bent of the conversation. "I tell you, gentlemen, information without sentiment is the curse of our day. They (these young men) seem to essay a fine disdain for the gentler things of life, thinking, somehow, i t throws their more rugged intellectual qualities into bolder relief." "Do you know a young chemist in our section who reads Dickens?" "Or doffs his hat in an elevator of ladies!" "Or knows Tennyson?" "Or pays his respects to the chaperones a t a party?' "Or manifests a respect for his employer?" "Or walks alone and thinks in the twilight?" "Or taker an occasional philosophical wallow in the cosmos?" "The Patriarch is right; consideration for others and a gentle manner are the true t s t s of culture and a clean hobby keeps the soul alive." T h e Professor remarks "Out a t our school we have a slogan, 'Be a chemist-plus.' We are trying to train our boys t o be chemists and gentlemen." B. C L ~ F O RHBNDRICKS D Objectives of Science in SecondarqScbools (Editorial). Sch. Rm.,33,651 (1925).An editorial quoted from the London Tsmes. "The best teaching depends on the teacher rather than on the elaboration of the machinery for teaching. I t has been the complaint in the technical colleges that the practical science teaching in the secondary schools has, in many cases, been so inefficient and so misleading that the whole of the work has had t o be unlearned before practical progress could be made. The curriculum of secondary schools necessarily has had to be enlarged in the past half century, but the trouble to which the enlargement of the curriculum has led is that every pupil is expected to have a scrappy knowledge of many ~mrelatedsubjects and fails to secure an exhaustive knowledge of fundamental elementary subjects. That is why eminent men in the university grade of technical education are tempted to look askance a t the products of science teaching in secondary schools. The pupils from these schools who pass to the technical colleges have been through a science course which they were not fit to enter. They have not been trained t o think and to love knowledge for its awn sake. I t can come only from a liberal and a thorough preparatory education." Of the 1461 pupils in physics and chemistry who passed the examinations of the Oxford and Cambridge Board only 616 passed with credit. In other sciences a half t o H. R. SMITH a tenth passed with credit. The Structure of the Atom. P. H. Asnmnr. Sch.Sci.& Moth., 25,823-7 (1925). -An outline of the theory by Neils Rohr, University of Copenhagen. H. R. SMITH The Conduct of Laboratory Work in Elementarg Cherpistry. W. G. BOWERS. Sch. Sci. 8 Math., 25, 82842 (1925).-The beg~nnmgexpenments should have close supervision t o prevent bewilderment of pupils, but it should not take the form of personal assistance. The laboratory should be free from distracting noises. This supervision should keep the pupil's mind on definite lines of thought leading to principles. "Make questions such as will call forth reasoning instcad of memory. Men of judgment will get information from reliable sources and solve problems. Men of information and not power of reasoning will have a life full of errors." Education should prevent errors in life. H. R. SMITH Objectives of High-School Chemistry. S. R. P o m n s . Sch. Sci. 88 Ma&, 25, 83-3 (1925).-Thirteen statements of the social values t o be obtained by the study of H. R. SMITH chemistry. A compilation from various sources. Science and the Medium. HUDSONHOAGLLYD.Atlantic M a , 136, 666-81 (1925).-Our excuse for considering this article is that Hoaglund is a trained chemical engineer, and that he has written, in excellent literary style, an account of the triumph of scientific methods in solving the mysterious manifestation of teleplasm which has baffled so many investigators and which has given the medium so much newspaper notoriety in the past few years. Since this is a mystery story, one must read the article for the solution. SC.~L~T On the Molecular Scattering of Light in Liquids. K. S. Krusn~AN. Phil. Mq.. 50, 697-715 (1925).-Measurements are given for the intensity and imperfection of polarization for different regions of the spectrum produced by light tranSversely scattered by 65 different dust-free liquids, mostly organic compounds. Some of the liquids showed slight fluorescence. The relation between the depolarization and chemical constitution is shown. T. G. T.
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Note on the Theory of lnterionic Attraction in Strong Electrolytes. S. R. P I K E a r o 0. NIINIII:III:I..Phil M,IC 50, 723-8 ,192;) .-.I study of the equations of Milner and of 1)rbye 2nd H~vkcllor rhr bchaviur ui strung rlcctr~~lylcs in solurion.
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The Activity Coefficientsand Transport Numbers of Solutions of Hydrogen Chloride in Methyl Alcohol. G. NONHEBEL A N D H. HARTLEY.Phil. .Wag., 5 0 , 7 2 9 4 9 (1925).Activity coefficients of hydrogen chloride in methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, and water agree fairly with the calculated values from Milner's equation of interionic electrical enerw -. in a com~letelv . dissociated solution of an electrolvte. Debve's esuation does not apply. The partial pressure of hydrogen chloride over its solution in one solvent may he calculated from the pressure over a second solvent and a series of measurements of the T. G. T. e. m. f. in both solvents. Regeneration in Tuned Three-Element Vacnum-Tube Circuits. E. H. LANCE. T. G. T. Phil. Mag.. 50, 75-0 (1926). Ionic Equilihna aaoss Semi-Permeable Membranes. N. K A M ~ Y APhil. ~. T. G. T. Mag., 50, 84944 (1925). Mac., Phil. V. A. B AILEY . On the Attachment of Electrons to Gas Molecules. SO, 82-43 (1925). T. G. T.
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Paideye Succeeds Bergson as International Science Head. M. Paul Painleve has been amminted resident of the League of Nations Committee for International .. Intellectual Coiiperation to succeed M. Henri Bergson, whose ill health has compelled his retirement. Professor Rocca, of the University of Rome, has also been appointed t o succeed Senator Ruffini as a member of the committee.-Science Semice Disinfectants Need More Standardization. There are all kinds of germs, strong and weak, hard-headed and easy-going. When you put a disinfectant on a cut, you may kill some germs, but not even frighten others. Disinfectants vary greatly in their efficiency, some being g o d for one thing and some for another. Dr. G. F. Reddish, bacteriologist of the U. S. Department of Agricnlture, dedares that the science of disinfection is still in a primitive state, and that i t needs complete overhauling and standardization. Practically all the disinfectants in common use are standardized by comparing their efficiency as germ killers to the disinfecting power of carbolic acid on one special type of organism alone, the typhoid bacillus. Typhoid bacilli are weaklings among germs and are more easily killed by disinfectants than many of the mare hardy types. Not only that, but some didnfectants Pine nil, for show a prculiar antipnthy for ccndirl organisms while they spore other, eramplr, kills ~ f typhoiri e bncillus, but doer not harm Stsphylococcuc aureus, the most common cause of boils and abscesses. "Such hit and miss disinfection is the rule a t the present time," Dr. Reddish said. "Our disinfectants are undoubtedly good in their place, but their place must be determined. All of our disinfectants should be subjected t o a thorough study t o determine their best uses. They should be tested against many organisms, both strong and weak, instead of against the typhoid bacillus alone, as they now are." Dr. Reddish suggests a list of seven disease-producing organisms which he thinks offers a wide enough range for testing the special abilities of disinfectants, such organisms representing the most common bacteria which produce disease. The organisms recommended are those which cause typhoid fever, diphtheria, pneumonia, tuberculosis, plague, boils, and blood poisoning. "Although this scheme of classifying disinfectants will undoubtedly have its difficulties, it nevertheless seems t o be the most logical step forward," Dr. Reddish adds.Science Serviu ~
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