34
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
JANUARY, 1931
L n ~ o n ~ r o nFOR Y QUANTITALABORXTORY FOR QUALITATIVE TIVE ANALYSIS ANALYSIS Foster Laboratory. Madrid.
The Institulo m c i o m l de f i s i ~ ay quimim, constructed under the patronage of the Rockefeller Foundation, now nearing completion, the Laboratorio de Ram6n y Cajal for biological research, the Museum of Natural History for agricultural study, all offer opportunity for scientific research, hut the application of much of this to the home and to the betterment of daily living is lacking. Undoubtedly i t will come, for I have found the Spaniard eager to take advantage of the new methods although change in ancient customs usually comes by slow modification, and people for the most part actively resent reform in their manner of living.
Calcium Chloride Used in Coal Treatment. Coal t o which 30 or 40 pounds of chemicals have been added for each ton to allay dust should be sold without aUowance for the additional weight of the chemicals, in the opinion of I. L. Miller, commissioner of weights and measures of Indiana. But the purchaser should clearly understand that the coal has been chemically treated, i t has been held. Use of the phrase, "dustless coal." was condemned as conveying a wrong meaning hecause after treatment the fine particles which make up dust are still in the coal though they are not floating around in air. Calcium chloride, a deliquescent chemical, meaning that i t absorbs quantities of water rapidly and holds i t a long time, is widely used for this treatment. It is the same dust-allaying agent often applied t o earth, gravel, and stone roads. Coal sprinkled with water willliberate dust again as soon as i t dries, whereas calcium chloride and similar materials are effective for a whole year.-Science Service
