NEWS short as 3 inches or as long as 30 inches. T h e ionograph can be plugged into a n y 1 Ιό-volt, 50/60-eycle service outlet. T h e flame photometer exhibited b y Baird Associates determines concentra tion of sodium, potassium, calcium, or lithium. T h e sample is atomized a n d fed into a gas flame, where ionization of t h e desired element produces light a t a characteristic wave length. Through selective filters, light of this wave length is allowed t o fall upon a barrier-layer photocell, whose electrical o u t p u t is connected t o a galvanometer. T h e in s t r u m e n t is designed for use with city gas, b u t appropriate burners are availa ble for bottled propane or b u t a n e . An internal s t a n d a r d automatically cancels t h e effect of variations in gas pressure and sample flow rate. High sensitivity permits detection of as little as 0.004 meq. per liter. T h e simplicity of opera tion allows very rapid work, on a mini m u m volume of 2.5 m l . of diluted sample.
New York 17, N . Y . T h e discussion on April 7 is on "Conformational Analysis," b y Richard B . Turner, Rice I n s t i t u t e .
Lindberg Engineering displayed i t s new laboratory combustion-tube fur nace, T y p e CF-4SA, which accom modates one combustion t u b e with an outside diameter of 4 t o 5 inches. T h e furnace consists of a steel shell, in sulated with 3000° F . insulating brick. Over-all dimensions are 26 X 19 X 19.8 inches. T h e m a x i m u m continuous o p erating t e m p e r a t u r e is 2750° F . , reached in about 3 hours with a 4000-watt i n p u t . A m e t e r for determining percentage of hydrogen and t h e hydrogen-to-carbon ratio in hydrocarbons was featured b y Central Scientific. T h e beta-ray H / C meter uses t h e absorption of b e t a rays from t h e radioactive decay of strontium-90. W h e n these rays collide with electrons t h e y a r e slowed down or a b sorbed. T h e degree of absorption is directly related t o t h e electron density of t h e sample. As hydrogen h a s a greater n u m b e r of electrons per gram t h a n a n y other element, t h e i n s t r u m e n t can tell immediately t h e ratio of h y d r o gen t o t h e other elements present. T h e hydrogen content of a liquid hydrocar bon is determined from t w o measure ments—beta-ray absorption a n d specific gravity. Hydrogen can be determined by a laboratory technician in a b o u t 5 m i n u t e s w i t h a n accuracy of ± 0 . 0 2 weight % .
T h e purpose of t h e conference is t o relate some of t h e methods of statistics to t h e practical applications of actual experiments in t h e chemical laboratory. T i m e is allowed on t h e program for dis cussion following each paper.
Mechanisms of Organic Reactions The
N e w York
AMERICAN
CHEMICAL
Section
of
the
SOCIETY is p r e
senting a series of discussions related to recent developments in t h e field of mechanisms of organic reactions, held Wednesday evenings through April 21 a t t h e Union Carbide a n d Carbon Corp. Building, 30 E a s t 42nd St., 24 A
Statistical Design Of Experiments T h e Milwaukee Section of t h e A M E R I CAN C H E M I C A L SOCIETY is to hold a con
ference on t h e statistical design of ex periments a t t h e Plankinton Hotel, Mil waukee, Wis., April 2 3 . T h e sessions will s t a r t a t 3 P.M., with dinner a t β : 30 P.M., followed b y an evening ses sion. Basic Concepts of the Statistical Design of Experiments. W. J. YOUDEN, National Bureau of Standards. Practical Applications of the Statistical Design of Experiments. W. L. GORE, K. t. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. Statistics in Chemistry. The First Ten Years. K. A. BBOWNLEE, University of Chicago.
ANALYST'S CALENDAR American Chemical Society. 125th N a tional Meeting, K a n s a s City, M o . , M a r c h 23 t o April 1. Sixth Annual Conference on Electronics and Nucleonics in Medicine. American I n s t i t u t e of Electrical Engineers, Insti t u t e of Radio Engineers, a n d I n s t r u m e n t Society of America. Hotel N e w Yorker, N e w York, Ν . Y\, N o v e m b e r 19 a n d 20. Second Annual Instrumentation Confer ence. Louisiana Polytechnic I n s t i t u t e , R u s t o n , La., April 8 a n d 9. Electrochemical Society. Electronics. L a Salle Hotel, Chicago, 111., M a y 2 to 6. American Association of Spectrographers. Symposium on Direct Reading E m i s sion Spectroscopy. Chicago, 111-, M a y 7. American Petroleum Institute, Division of Refining. Rice Hotel, Houston, Tex., M a y 10 t o 13. Symposium on Molecular Structure and Spectroscopy. Ohio S t a t e University, J u n e 14 t o 18. Sixth Annual Oak Ridge Summer Sym posium on Modern Analytical Chem istry. O a k Ridge, Tenn., August 23 t o 27. Fourth Annual Research Equipment Exhibit. N a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e s of H e a l t h , Bethesda, M d . , M a y 24 to 27. Ninth Annual Microchemical Symposium, M e t r o p o l i t a n Microchemical Society. Standardization of Microchemical A p p a r a t u s a n d M e t h o d s . Brooklyn Col lege, Brooklyn, N . Y . , M a r c h 19 a n d 20 American Crystallographic Association. Spring meeting, Mallinckrodt Chemi cal L a b o r a t o r y , H a r v a r d University, Boston, Mass., April 5 t o 9.
Scientific Apparatus Makers Association T h e 36th annual meeting of t h e Scien tific A p p a r a t u s Makers Association will be held a t t h e Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo., M a y 2 to 7. T h e t e n t a tive schedule of sessions is: May 2. Section executive Committee Meetings, beginning with luncheon. May 3. Business meetings of sections. May 4. Morning, annual business meeting. Afternoon, public information program. May 5. Session of manufacturers and distributors. May 6. Morning, session of manufac turers and distributors. Afternoon, board of directors luncheon. Evening, annual dinner. T h e principal speakers are t o be Clar ence E . Manion, former dean of t h e University of N o t r e D a m e Law School, who recently resigned his post as chair m a n of t h e Congressional Committee on Intergovernmental Relations; Dexter M . Keezer, vice president a n d director, D e p a r t m e n t of Economics, M c G r a w Hill Publishing C o . ; D . C. Hooper, manager, m a r k e t planning, Westinghouse Electric Corp. ; Charles F . H o n e y well, administrator, Business a n d D e fense Service Administration, D e p a r t ment of Commerce; M . M . Olander, di rector of industrial relations, OwensIllinois Glass C o . ; a n d Richard W. Wright, manager, M o u n t a i n States E m ployers Council, I n c . T h e T u e s d a y afternoon session will be highlighted b y t h e annual L a b o r a t o r y A p p a r a t u s a n d Optical Sections Public Information Panel, when authorities from t h e fields of nuclear energy a n d public health will discuss "Science's D e b t t o t h e Toolmaker."
Division of Refining, American Petroleum Institute T h e Division of Refining of t h e Ameri can Petroleum I n s t i t u t e h a s planned 12 technical group sessions a n d an open dinner session for t h e 19th M i d y e a r Meeting, t o be held a t t h e Rice Hotel, Houston, Tex., M a y 10 t o 13. T h e sessions on analytical research will be held M a y 10, with t h e following pro gram : Morning C. E . H e a d i n g t o n ,
Presiding
O p e r a t i o n of a P e t r o l e u m R e s e a r c h Analytical L a b o r a t o r y . W . C. S C H A E PERMEYER
AND E .
S. S M I T H ,
Union
Oil C o . of California, Brea, Calif. D e t e r m i n a t i o n of M e r c a p t a n s b y an Amperometric Method. M . D . GRIMES,
J.
E.
PUCKETT,
AND B.
J.
N E W B Y , Phillips P e t r o l e u m Co., B a r tlesville, Okla. ANALYTICAL
CHEMISTRY
