CORRESPONDENCE THE AUTHOR OF "THE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF BISMUTH"
classes of beginners, mostly "non-chemists." What we do wish is a graphic comparison of distillations with and without column on an easily handled two-component solution. On the other band, Dr. Wagner's directions would seem to he of distinct value to anybody who simply wants to get acetone promptly. Our condemnation of hot oxidation of isopropyl alcohol was too broad, and should have been confined to our particular type of experiment, where the hot method is unsuitable. Very truly yours, G. Ross ROBERTSON
T o the Editor DEARSIR: Some confusion exists in chemical literature as to which member of the famous Geoffroyfamily wrote the paper on "The Chemical Analysis of Bismuth" which was published in 1753. Jagnaux's "Histoire de la Chimie" cites "Geoffroy le Jeune" as the author of this paper, and the German translation of it in Crell's Neues chemisches Archiv, 7 , 117-30 (1788) appears under the name "Geoffroy der Jungere." In the early volumes of U m a s l 01 ~ ~ CALIROBNU AT Los A ~ o s ~ s s this Archiv, Claude-Joseph Geoffroy's contributions are published under the name Geoffroy der Jungere; in the later volumes, his contributions appear simply under the name Geoffroy. Since the Geoffroy brothers, Etienne-Franfois (1672QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS WITHOUT 1731) and Claude-Joseph (1685-1752), both made many HYDROGEN SULFIDE contributions to chemistry, they were distinguished by the titles Geoffroythe Elder and Geoffroythe Younger. T o the Editor When the latter's son, Claude-Franfois (1728?-1753) DEARSIR: also distinguished himself as a chemist, he became It was with great pleasure that I read Dr. L. A. known as "Geoffroy the Son." In a series of articles on "Apothicaires membres de l'Acad6mie Royale des Munro's article on "Qualitative Analysis without Sciences" [Revue d'histoire de la pharmacie, 19, 118-26 Hydrogen Sulfide" in the April issue of THIS JOURNAL. (1931); 20, 113-26 (1932)], M. Paul Dorveaux bas Nevertheless, permit me to remark that I do not agree given documentary proof that the famous dissertation with the author's sentence, "Unlike phosphate this on bismuth was written, not by Geoffroy the Younger, precipitate is soluble in alkali" (page 242, the last but by his son, Claude-Franfois. The father died in sentence of the fifth paragraph from the bottom of the March, 1752, while the son was in the midst of his long second column). To support this argument I should like to cite two research on bismuth. Claude-Franfois Geoffroy died in June of the following year. On pages 14 and 347 of passages from Treadwell and Hall's "Analytical my book, "The Discovery of the Elements," the name Chemistry" (Val. I, 8th ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Geoffroy the Younger should be changed to read Claude- New York City, 1932). (A) Page 246, the second paragraph under article 4: Fran~oisGeoffroy. "This precipitate [(NHa)aAs04~12M003], like that of the Sincerely yours, corresponding molybdenum compound with phosphoric MARY ELVIRA WEEKS acid, is insoluble in dilute nitric acid solution containTBB U N I V B R S 09 ~ Y KANSAS LAWRBNCB, U S A S ing ammonium nitrate, but is readily soluble in ammonia or caustic alkali solutions." (B) Page 404, the second line from the bottom: "Ammonium phosphomolybdate is readily soluble DEMONSTRATION OF FRACTIONin alkalies and in ammonia!' ATING COLUMN. A REPLY Hoping there has been no misunderstanding on my To the Editor part, I remain, Yours truly, DEARSIR: The sweeping criticism by E. C. Wagner [J. CHEM. EDWC.,11, 309 (May, 1934)) of our acetone experimeut [ibid., 10, 704 (Nov., 1933)] indicates that the Editor's Note.-Dr. Munro writes: "I am sony critic does not recognize what we are trying to do. We are not interested in a short-cut process to yield to have to admit that the sentence referred to in Mr. pure acetone. We cannot afford and do not favor Yacoubyan's letter should have read, 'Like phosphate, issuance of high-purity alcohol, Snyder columns, this precipitate is soluble in alkali.' I do not know addition tubes, and special bent-stem funnels to large how it escaped me in proof."
