CLEVELAND REGIONAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY The 6fth meeting of the Cleveland region of the American Chemical Soaety was held in Cincinnati on October 22nd and 23rd with the Cincinnati Section as the host. The Friday forenoon and afternoon sessions were held in the main lecture room of the Chemistry Building a t the University of Cincinnati. The Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering there are t o he congratulated, not only upon having a very excellent hall, but also for the inestimable work done in the preservation of the history of chemistry as displayed in the chemical library and the old cuts in the corridors. At the head of the main entrance to the building is a gift from a group of chemistry students, which consists of a fountain with an emblematic and symbolic background. Entirely aside from the standpoint of general design, material used, and color scheme, this fountain is truly a piece of art for it invites more than a mere glance by its careful and complete depiction of some of the early and fundamental scientific achievements now embodied in this great field of chemistry. Dr. A. 0.Snoddy, Chairman of the Cincinnati Section, was the agreeable and efficient presiding officer of the occasion. The meeting was opened by a presentation of the results of a comparison of the "Lecture Demonstration vs. Individual Laboratory Work for Beginners in Chemistry" by Professors R. N. Maxson and V. F. Payne. The research is still in the early stages and their final conclusions will be anticipated with considerable interest. Professor J. E. Day informed the assembly in a qualitative way about the promoter action of certain salts, particularly the chlorides on the rate of the precipitation of Cu from aqueous CuSO, solutions by means of Al. Professor B. S. Hopkins gave the history of the extensive work by himself and his students in the discovery of element 61 (Illinium). Thus far, the presence of the element has been determined by spectral studies, particularly the Moseley number. Professor Hopkins is now reaping the scholarly reward of a large number of years devoted to the patient quest for this formerly unknown element. "The Significance of the Occurrence of Manganese, Copper, Zinc, Nickel, and Cobalt in Kentucky Blue Grass"was presented by Dr. J. M. McHargue. It was somewhat of a surprise to part of the audience that these heavy metals were found to such an extent in the grass under study. Professor J. R. Withrow reviewed the current theories of petroleum formation and the work which is now being done by C. B. Morrey on the formation of the saturated hydrocarbons from certain vegetable products in the presence of bacteria. He also commented on the differences in the reports as t o the petroleum supply as given by geologists and petroleum chemists. He
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pointed out that even if the end of our oil resources is not in sight, we should practice conservation and that pressure catalysis on CO and H2 will doubtless in the future give us a sound chemical basis for liquid fuel production. President F. C. Hicks, of the University of Cincinnati, welcomed the chemists to the campus and subsequently gave a short account of the origin and growth of the University. Dean Herman Schneider, of the College of Engineering, told the audience of his dream of cooperativeresearch and how it was being realized in one of his laboratories in making a study of "The Relation of the Quantum Theory to Biology." The first results are already in print (University of Cincinnati Institute of Industrial Research, Series 4, Paper 1, Apr. 2, 1926). The foreword, in particular, will be of interest to all engaged in scientific investigation. Dr. G. Davis Buckner gave an interesting account on "The Relation of Calcium to the Hatchability of Eggs." His results show that gypsum and dolomitic calcium carbonate do not show as good results as the nondolomitic carbonate in giving a high percentage hatch. Dr. W. J. Kelly presented the latest work of his laboratory on "The Structure of Rubber," showing the relation of rubber proteins to latex emulsion and coagulate and the influence of $H on these relationships and the properties of the resulting rubber. Professor R. A. Kehoe ("Some Factors Influencing the Distribution of Lead in the Animal Organism") showed the statistical facts gathered in a lengthy study of lead distribution in the animal system (rabbits) when the lead was derived from various sources-a potentially important basis for treatment and prevention of lead poisoning. Professor Witbrow read Dr. A. E. McGee's paper on "The Preparation of a Decolorizing Carbon from Lignite," showing how a highly absorbent carbon can be obtainedfrom this source by intelligent application of fundamental principles just as done by early workers, the technic of whom had been overlooked. Professor 0. J. Stewart exhaustively discussed the periodic system in the light of modern atomistic ideas. The Executive Committee of the Regional Group had a short session a t which the following items came up for consideration: (1) It was voted that the next annual meeting be held in Erie, Pa., and the one following in Lexington, Ky. (2) The resignation of Secretary W. J. Kelly was accepted and H. A. Shonle was chosen as his successor. (3) The difficulty experienced in getting suitable papers was related and it was recommended that: (a) The Secretary of each of the sections immediately begin a campaign for presentations at the Erie Meeting; and (b) as each section will eventually be host to the Regional Meeting, there need be no hesitancy about scheduling a majority of the program from the enter-
taining membership. (4) The arrangement of the programs of certain intersectional speakers was discussed. (5) It was suggested that the entertaining section make its first announcement of the date of the meeting a t least seven or eight weeks in advance. A dinner in honor of Professor and Mrs. Ernst Cohen was given at the Hotel Sinton in the evening. Dr. Snoddy presented Professor A. P. Mathews as the toastmaster, who, in turn, introduced the speaker of the evening. Professor Cohen in his delightful way gave us a praise-worthy fragment of his well-known bobby on "Caricature in Science." About 120 were present for the evening program. On Saturday the assembly broke up into smaller parties and enjoyed trips to the Rookwood Pottery, the Procter and Gamble Company, the U. S. Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company, the Columbia Power Company, the tomb of William Henry Hamson, and The Fernbank Dam. The meeting was a pronounced success. On to Erie and Lexington! J. E. DAY J. R. WITHROW Metal Objects Now Made by Electricity. The manufacture of metal tubes and sheets by electricity which has always been the fascinating dream of the inventor, is a t last beginning to he a reality, Dr. William Blum, electro-chemist of the U. S. Bureau of Standards, explained to members of the American Chemical Society. Until recently the project has attracted large investments and yielded few returns, but now copper sheets and iron tubes are being made successfully on a commercial scale in the United States. Whether or not the processes will survive competition it is yet too early to tell. Dr. Blum said. The attraction in this way of making metal shapes lies in the fact that the most complicated forms are apparently easy to make, and unlike the rolling and drawing processes, the thinner walled ones are cheaper to make than the heavy ones. The method has developed slowly because it is hard to get impervious deposits and uniform distribution of metal of suitable structure and quality. These difficulties can be overcame, Dr. Blum believes, by careful research and scrupulous control of operating conditions. One of the most important requirements is to keep the solution of the metal that is t o be deposited in the shape desired, free from suspended matter and other impurities.-Science Service Sun Injures Silk but Dry Cleaning Does Not. The silk dress milady has just bought this fall will probably last longer than the one she wore during the sunny afterncons this summer. The wearing qualities of silk are greatly lessened by exposure to sunlight, it has been learned from tests recently completed a t the U. S. Bureau of Standards. The strength of unweinhted - dved silk decreased 25 oer cent, it was found, when exposed to sunlight fm 100 hours. Silk of cheaper grade that had been weighted with metal to give it a rich lost as much as from 50 to 75 per cent in mneral tensile strength. shimmerinn - aooearance .The silk garment that hangs in the doset or reclines in a bureau drawer is safe, aooarentlv. .. . . for the tests showed that silk kept in storage for two and a half months gave no signr of dcterioratiun. No h:krmful rpsults wcrc found, either, fmm the action ofdrycleaning solvents on difirent silk fabrics.--S&nce Service
