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Vol. 15, No. 10
T h e Fourth International Congress of Chemistry Abstract of the Minutes of the Cambridge Meeting By Jean Gbrard, GENBRAL SECRETARY
H E Fourth International Congress of Chemistry was held in Cambridge, June 17 to 20, 1923. Sir William Pope, president of the Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and professor of chemistry of the University of Cambridge, presided. The program included meetings of the council, a meeting of the general assembly, and committee meetings. The council met the day after an extremely cordial reception by the British Federal Council for Pure and Applied Chemistry, in the Arts School, to take up the question of new admissions and t o lay out the program of the general assembly. The admission of Brazil, whose government had applied for membership in the Union, was unanimously carried. The president of the conference brought out the point that the International Research Council does not allow its subsidiary international unions to accept new member-countries without these countries being first admitted to the International Research Council. The countries who desire to be admitted to the Union must therefore send a request for admission to the International Research Council and mention therein their desire to be admitted to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The general assembly at its subsequent meeting approved the report of the president on the acts of the council as well as the report of the auditor on the accounts for the fiscal year just closed, and approved the budget for the present year. The second part of the meeting was devoted to the assignment of work among the different committees. These committees, after having duly met, submitted for the approval of the council, resolutions, of which a resum6 follows. I. The Committee for the Reform of the Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry proposed that the work in the future be placed in the hands of the editors of the principal journals, and especially those of the Jour?zal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Abstracts, Gazzetta chimica italiana, Helvetica Chimica Acta, Recueil des travaux chimiques des Pays-Bas, and the Bulletin de * la soci6tk chimique de France. Each country is to send its suggestions to these various publications, which will be duly qualified to submit them for general discussion. I t is the opinion of the committee that when nearly unanimous agreement has been reached methods could be devised to insure the adoption of the conclusions so that these could serve as a basis for new proposals. The committee deems it necessary that reports, even if not complete, be sent to the central organ as soon as possible. The decisions enumerated below must therefore be considered purely provisional : 1-Regarding the unification of chemical symbols proposed for Formula Index, the committee has not deemed it wise to insist immediately on its own authority on the acceptance of definite symbols for glucinium (GI), beryllium (Be), niobium (Nb), or columbium (Cb). The committee feels, however, that next year a final decision must be reached, after due consultation of the nations represented. There are two points to be considered-the original names and the original symbols. Other points may be brought up for consideration. The decision on these questions, which must be reached before January of next year, will be communicated to the delegates who will sit a t the next session. 2-The committee feels that the writing of formulas of acids, bases, and salts in each country should conform to the usual custom in any particular language-that is, in the countries of Anglo-Saxon languages one would write HCI, HzSO~,BaC12, NazSO4, Ba(OH)Z, etc., whereas in the countries of Latin lan-
guages one would write ClH, S04”J, S04Na2,BaC12,. (OH)2Ba, but in the same language one should not write sometimes ClNa and sometimes NaCl, nor sometimes S04Na2 and sometimes Na~S04. 3-The word “hydrate” will be reserved for combinations containing HeO-like the hydrate of chlorine, C12.rHpO; the hydrate of sodium sulfate, NazSO4, 10Hz0. The word “hydroxide” will be reserved €or chemical combinations containing OH-aluminium hydroxide, A1(HO)s; barium hydroxide, Ba(OH)2. 4-The committee accepts the names of acids as given in the French report when these agree with those in the Danish and American reports. To the accepted list may be added chromic acid, H2CrO4; molybdic acid, HaMoO4; manganic acid, HeMn04; and permanganic acid, HMn04. Those parts of the report which do not agree will form the subject of subsequent discussion-for example, hyposulfite (hydrosulfite in French), pyrosulfuric acid, heptamolybdic acids, etc. Condensed acids, like pyrosulfuric, heptamolybdic, etc., will be fully discussed later, but the committee feels that the suggestion submitted in the Spanish report to designate such acids by the prefix “anhydro,” preceded by a numerical index and followed by the specific name of the acid with a numerical prefix, could be adopted as a basis for discussion-for example, chromic acid, HgCr04, dianhydro-trichromate K&rsOlo; iodic acid, HIOa; dianhydro-tetraiodate, MzI~OII, etc. It might be possible for certain acids which stand out above the others on account of the large number of their derivatives, t o preserve their names-as, for example, hepfamolybdic acid, which applies exclusively to the hexacid H6Mo,O24. 5-The acid salts will be named in accordance with the French report-for example, CaHP04, calcium acid phosphate; KHsPO4, dihydrogen potassium phosphate. 6-The degree of valence of metals in spoken language would be expressed as given by the French report without inconvenience for any country. This would end all the discussion on the terminations -ous, 4,-a, -0, etc., which have been proposed various times. 7-The nomenclature of complex compounds on which a report has already been laid before the second congress ought to be taken up. 11. The Committee for the Reform of Nomenclature in Organic Chemistry presented the following resolutions : 1-The committee, organized a t the Lyons congress and consisting of the editors of the Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Abstracts, and Bulletin de la socikte’ chimipue de France, will be increased to six members by adding to it the editors of the Gazetta chimica itnliana, Helvetica Chimica Acta, and of Recueil des travaux chimiques des Pays-Bas. These publications may designate a representative. 2-The question of nomenclature under discussion will be submitted to this committee of six. The suggestions emanating from individuals or national committees or committees of chemical societies, will be submitted to this committee. The decisions of the Committee of Six must be unanimous. They will be submitted for approval a t a meeting OP the Union. 3-The Geneva nomenclature will be taken as basis for new discussions, and this resolution will be transmitted to the Committee of Six. 4-The Committee of Six may hold a special meeting for the purpose of exchanging opinions and facilitating subsequent work. 111. The Committee on the Reform of the Nomenclature of Biological Chemistry adopted the following resolutions dealing with the most general names: 1-The name of a new compound, the chemical constituent of which is known, must be made up in accordance with rules of nomenclature of organic chemistry.
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY 2-The word “glucid” will be used t o designate the group of substances which comprises the simple reducing sugars and substances which give one or several of these sugars by hydrolys1s.
3-The word “lipoid”wil1 no longer be used. 4-The word “lipide” will designate the group of substances which comprises the fat bodies and esters which possess analogous properties (lecithines, phosphatines, etc.). 5-The word “protide” will designate the group of substances which comprises the natural amino acids and substances which by hydrolysis give one or more of these acids. IV. The Committee on Bibliography passed the following resolutions : 1-That the secretary of the Union make an investigation of the bureaus of documentation existing at the present time and publish a list of these bureaus with their addresses, their specialties, and a short description of their organization. 2-That the bureaus of documentation unify as much as possible their methods of work in accordance with the principles adopted by the Jnternational Institute of Bibliography and the Subcommittee on Bibliography of the League of Nations. 3-That the Union finance the printing of classification tables, standardized in their present form and provisionally revised, in order that these tables can be submitted to the critical review of compvtent experts in various countries. 4--’I’hat each country make a list of the journals directly interested in pure and applied chemistry and that these lists be brought together and distributed by the general secretary of the Union. 5-That, in view of the resolution of the Subcommittee on Bibliography of the League of Nations, chemical publications send a t least two copies, and preferably five copies, of their annual indvx to the International Institute of Bibliography in order that this institute may be in a position to draw up the Central Annual 13ibliographicalIndex of Authors’ Names. 6-That the general secretary of the Union make every possible effort to persuade those publications which have not yet come to a decision to conform with the two following resolutions which wiire passed a t the previous Congress: (I) That all original papers in chemistry have the address of the author or that of the laboratory where the work was carried out. (2) That the journals give a resume of their articles in one of the languages accepted by the editorial board of the Annual Tables of Constants, in such a form that it could be published in an abstract journal. V. The Committee on Physico-Chemical Standards passed the following resolutions: I-That the committee approves the financial report of the Bureau of Physico-Chemical Standards for the fiscal year 19221923. 2-That it is the desire of the committee that the Bureau of Physico-Chemical Standards investigate, through circular letters addressed to the directors of the research laboratories, what are the new physico-chemical standards, the preparation of which would bc most urgent. The results of such an investigation will facilitate coordinating the work of the bureau. 3-That in the opinion of the committee it will be well to ask the Bureau of Physico-Chemical Standards to study the possibilities of obtaining the cooperation of certain chemical firms specializing in the manufacture of pure products, and to submit to the next congress a plan to obtain such a cooperation. 4-That the committee congratulates Mr. Timmermans, secretary of the Bureau of Physico-Chemical Standards, on the fruitful and extensive work that he has carried out with remarkable devotion. The committee hopes that he may continue the publication of the critical tables of physico-chemical constants of organic compounds, this work being considered by the committee of an importance which could not be exaggerated. %That the committee would like to see a closer cooperation between the Bureau of Physico-Chemical Standards and the Committee on Pure Products for Research. 6-That the committee recommend to the council for the fiscal year 1923-1924 a supplementary appropriation of 15,000 francs. VI. The Committee on Pure Products for Research, in answer to the question asked by the International Oceanographic Association of the Mediterranean, replies that pure sodium
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chloride may replace standard sea water for the volumetric determinations actually in use in oceanographic work. I n addition the committee passed the following resolutions : 1-That the list of pure products for analytical work be not made up until after the various countries represented on the committee have an opportunity to discuss the matter with their analytical chemists. Nevertheless, in order to avoid too long a delay in the carrying out of the work of the committee, the list of reagents enumerated in the index (Types of the Congress of 1922) will be temporarily adopted, this list being subject to further revision. 2-That the committee instruct its members to organize during the months following the meeting, and to distribute among the various members of the committee, or among the various competent persons designated by the committee, the experimental work necessary to complete the international list of pure products for analytical work. 3-That it is the desire of the committee that its president put himself in contact with the members of the Bureau of PhysicoChemical Standards with a view to finding a means to prevent the same reagent from being classified in one case as a pure product for analysis and in another case as a physico-chemical standard. VII. The Committee on the Bibliography of Industrial and Technological Products desires that the bibliographical work on raw materials and industrial products, such as has been begun by the central office, be pushed along as actively as possible in every state represented in the Uniqn, even though the number of manufacturers cooperating be small. The committee requests that the Bureau of Vegetable Raw Materials, which is actually working in France, be incorporated in the Bibliographic Bureau of Industrial and Technological Products. The above-mentioned bureau is directed and subsidized by the French Parliament as well as by interested manufacturers. Its object is to complete the official work of the university in bringing together all information on the origin and quality of French and foreign drugs known in the market. The committee requests that the Musee de la Facult6 de Pharmacie de Paris and the Laboratoire Central d’Etudes et d’Analyses des Produits Medicamentea et HygiCniques (Laboratoire de la Commission du Codex) be incorporated in the central office. With the help of these three organizations it will be possible to bring together the bibliography concerning vegetable raw materials utilized in chemical industry in the manufacture of drugs and perfumery. The name of these united bureaus shall be “Service de Documentation sur les MatiSres PremiSres et les Produits Industriels” (Bureau of Bibliography of Raw Materials and Industrial Products). VIII. The Committee on the Choice of a Thermochemical Standard took note of the decision reached by the Bureau of Standards, Washington, that the benzoic acid prepared by this bureau cannot be obtained as standard substance for calorimetric determinations except for purely scientific purposes, and that it becomes therefore necessary to employ for technical purposes, in the determination of heats of combustion of solid and liquid fuels, benzoic acid from other sources. The committee recommends, nevertheless, that the standardizing of calorimetric bombs be carried out by the use of samples of benzoic acid which have been duly approved by a competent thermochemist. The committee will eventually take up the question of drawing up necessary instructions for the approval of such samples. The committee deems it necessary that, in converting thermochemical data determined in calories into absolute units, and vice versa, use should be made of the conversion factor: 1 calorie 15°C. = 1184 joules, the average valuc accepted at the present time, in accordance with the decisions reached in 1923 by the International Critical Tables, following the advice of several scientific societies. IX. The Committee on the Tables of Constants unanimously passed the following resolutions:
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY 1-That the Union approve the financial report submitted by the Committee on the Annual Tables of International Constants of Chemistry, Physics, and Technology for the fiscal year 1922, and that this report be transmitted to the Inter‘slational Research Council. 2-That the attention of the Union be called to the fact that the following countries have contributed to the International Fund created in 1922: Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, and Czecho-Slovakia. Concerning those countries which do not appear on the above list but whose contribution may be considered as practically certain the Union should pass a resolution to the effect that this should be made with the least possible delay. 3-That the Union should take cognizance of the final organization of the International Fund, the necessity for which had been recognized in Lyons in 1922, and signify its appreciation of the value of the annual international tables as a bibliographic publication indispensable to scientific and technical progress. 4-That the Union should pass a resolution recommending that the numerical bibliography of the years 1917-1922 be published as rapidly as possible in order that the International Tables of Constants and Numerical Data resume as soon as possible its annual publication. The committee hopes that it will be possible for the committee on the tables to carry out its plans with the help of the annual subscription open for that purpose under the patronage of scientific and industrial societies of the adhering countries. Regarding physico-chemical symbols, the committee includes the following modifications: ’ 1-The second part of the list of symbols should have for its title “General Constants” instead of “Universal Constants.” 2-In the third part, ninth line, “molar fraction” should be substituted for “mol fraction.” 3-Page 305, fifth part, second line, the symbol n in the column “Alternative Symbols” should be omitted. 4-Fifth part, eighth line, replace M ( a ) by M as a symbol for molecular rotatory power. 5-Fifth part, last line, replace M(w) by (Q) as a symbol for molecular rotation. 6-Page 506, third line from bottom of page, suppress the words “Soschmidts Numbers.” 7-Page 509, in paragraph headed “Entropy,” second line, suppress the words “on the ground that this symbol was used by Willard Gibbs, and also***” %-Page 511, in accordance with general custom the molecular rotation is defined by the relation
The employment of w for the specific magnetic rotation and for molecular magnetic rotation is recommended; the molecular magnetic rotation is defined by the relation
In the alphabetical list these changes should be taken into account. The committee proposes to appoint a subcommittee for the purpose of bringing together the suggestions leading to additions or changes in the list of symbols and to put forth proposals. This committee will be headed by Professor Cohen and will include Messrs. Findley, Marie, and an American member to be appointed by the National Research Council of the United States. X. The Committee on Solid Fuels decided to complete the work undertaken in the countries adhering to the Union on the nomenclature of solid fuels, as well as on the methods of determining their essential characteristics, especially the volatile content, the calorific power, and the agglutinating power. The committee insists that the answers should reach the general secretary before January, 1925. XI. The Committee on Liquid Fuels decided to extend the work undertaken on the nomenclature of different groups of liquid luels as follows: petroleuni and its derivatives; distillation products of coal, lignite, peat, wood and bituminous shales; alcohol ; vegetable oils.
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The committee requests that answers reach the general secretary before January 1, 1925. XII. The Committee on the Study of Ceramic Products passed the following resolutions: 1-That the Union recommend that from a technical and scientific point of view the term “ceramic” be employed for.all industries manufacturing the following products: (a) All kinds of burned clay products, such as stoneware, earthenware, brick, tile, sewer pipe, terra cotta, china, porcelain, etc. ( b ) Cementing materials, such as portland cement and dental cement; lime, plaster, and a variety of magnesia and gypsum products whose constituents are of an earthy nature and which, after a preliminary treatment which involves’ a calcination, acquire the property of “setting” to a greater or less extent, when mixed with the proper liquids. (c) All varieties of glass and glassware, including quartz glass, glazes, enamels, and many of the artificial precious stones. (d) Enameled metal products, where the enamel itself is a ceramic material applied to the metal a t high temperature, the metal serving only as a skeleton to give the desired form and strength to the glass which it supports. (e) Refractory articles or materials, either wholly or partially composed of or manufactured from clay, silica (in its various forms), alumina (bauxite), magnesia (magnesite), lime, chromite, asbestos, zirconia, mica, the rare earths, certain carbides and nitrides, and in general any nonmetallic product capable of withstanding elevated temperatures. In all products of this class it is evident that a high temperature treatment is fundamental. cf) Abrasive materials such as carborundum, alundum, and zirconia (and by association, finely divided silica and emery), together with the products manufactured from them by bonding with an earthy material. (9) Various electrical and thermal insulating products in the manufacture of which earthy materials enter as an important element. 2-The committee recommends that in each country an exact nomenclature of raw materials and manufactured products of the ceramic industry be instituted together with their chief characteristics. 3-The committee proposes unanimously that the question of the choice of standards of various earths to be used in the study of chemical and physical properties of refractory materials, as well as the proposed methods of studying such properties, be included in the program of the next congress. 4-On the proposal of M. Henry LeChatelier and M. Capsa, members of the committee, the committee believes that the proposed work ought to be done by various laboratories in all countries, and it hopes that this work will be carried out with the same raw materials in order t o reach comparable conclusions. It is the opinion of the committee that it will be desirable t o agree on the form of apparatus to be employed for the determination of dilatation coefficients. 5-The committee hopes that M. Henry LeChatelier will be willing t o undertake the direction of the necessary researches and look after their proper coordination. XIII. The Committee on Food Preservation passed the following resolutions: 1-That as soon as possible the various countries belonging to the Union, who hava not yet appointed a delegate, do so in order that the membership of the committee be completed. 2-That the subcommittee of five members composed of Messrs. Alsberg, Bordas, Paterno, Pondal, Voerman, present a t the next congress a general report on the bibliography which has been gathered up to the present, and which could be assembled from now until then, in regard to all matters relating to food legislation in the various countries. 3-That a t the time of the next congress the delegates of the frarious countries, taking into consideration the legislation in force a t the time, present their conclusions as to the effects of employing the following products as food preservatives: benzoic acid, boric acid, salicylic acid, sulfurous acid, sulfates and formaldehyde, for the purpose of undertaking a systematical and physiological investigation on the possibility of using chemical products in food preservation. 4-That the chemists of all nations submit opinions concerning the chemical processes of food preservation, in order that steps tending towards uniform legislation founded on experimental basis be initiated. 5-That the cooperation of the “Laboratoire International d’Analyse des MatiPres Destinees zi l’illimentation des Hommes
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INDUSTRIAL AiVD ENGISEERING CHEMISTRY
et des Animaux” be requested for the researches to be undertaken. XIV. The Committee on Scientific and Industrial Ownership presented the following resolutions: 1-The committee, considering that in the Latin group, which is composed of countries granting patents without examinat ion, the unification of legislation appears t o be more capable of realization than in the others, invites these countries to get together as soon as possible with the idea of forming the first group with uniform legislation. 2-Clonsidering that the original purpose toward which one must work should be to permit research workers t o protect their discoveries, and considering that on the other hand research workers cannot carry out their researches in secret, but must on the contrary, be able to publish the results of their work as they are obtained, the committee resolved: T h a t it is inadmissible t h a t one should oppose t o the holder or the applicarrt of a patent the results of his own work for a. certain period of time after it has been published.
3-The committee declares that a purely scientific discovery should be legally protected. 4-A proper definition of this new legal right will be studied by the committee. 5-In order t o secure the coordination of all efforts the president of the committee is appointed as a delegate to the Committee on Intellectual Cooperation of the League of Nations and to the International Chamber of Commerce to present and uphold the views of the committee. XV. The Committee on Industrial Hygiene passed the following resolutions: I-All the rep,orts submitted on the question of dusts should be printed and distributed, as they contain matters of great interest which it would be most important to disseminate. 2-The committee requests the Council of the International Union to give a prize for the best published essay on smokes, gases, fogs, and noxious vapors to be met with in manufacturing, their elimination, and the protection against their effects. The essays submitted should be general and descriptive in character, should include the latest progress in their particular subject, and should be within the reach of the general reading public. The council of the Union should undertake their distribution. The committee requests that the council of the Union establish a prize to be given to the inventor of an apparatus of recent construction for the suppression of smoke. In case no recent inventor could be found the prize should be given to that person who had done the greatest amount of work and obtained the best results on the problem of the suppression of smoke. The committee requests that the council communicate with all chemists specializing in this particular branch in order to obtain from them their scientific results on this matter, and that they also furnish exact data on (a) the noxious effects produced .on the workmen and the neighboring communities by certain $emanations, and ( b ) the means employed to suppress them. 3-The committee requests that each nation send to the next congress a complete report on the legislation concerning industrial hygiene in its own territory. This report should include the legal matters covering differences of work and those covering the suppression of nuisances to neighboring communities. Each country should communicate to the general secretary a list of the administrative organizations charged with the drafting and enforcement of laws and regulations concerning industrial hygient:. 4-The coimmittee requests that its president collect information on the following subjects: (a) Methods of analysis employed in the determination of the quantity of hydrofluoric acid present in the smokes and vapors where it is likely to be found, especially in superphosphate manufacture. ( b ) Determination of the minimum value of acidity in smokes when these have been discharged. This figure is fixed in Germany a t 5 grams per cubic meter, in England at 8 grams per cubic nieter, and in Italy a t 6 grams per cubic meter, expressed in SO*. The committee recommends that it would be wise to agree on a figure acceptable to all, and that it would be well to obtain agreement on the method of determination and on the method of expressing this figure. (c) The pcissibility of suppressing offensive odors in industry when these are due to more or less unknown products which cannot be condensed, as, for example, in sewage disposal, slaughtar houses, etc.
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&-The committee requests that a t the next congress a report he made on all methods and apparatus intended to combat incipient intoxication from poisonous gases in factories. &The bibliography and the resolutions of the committee should be communicated to the Bureau of Hygiene of the League of Nations and to the International Labor Bureau. XVI. The Committee on Finance passed the following resolutions : 1-The committee, after having examined all the requests for appropriations made by the various committees, records that owing to the present state of the finances of the Union it cannot grant all the requests that have been made. 2-As a supplementary appropriation, after having studied the difficult financial situation faced by the Bureau of PhysicoChemical Standards, it decided to grant to this committee for the period extending from April, 1922, to November, 1924, the sum of 7500 frames, instead of 15,000 francs as requested. The Committee on Finance finds itself restrained by the principle that the contributions from the countries belonging to the Union are essentially intended for the administrative expenses of the Union. The committee requests that the various committees should address themselves to the general secretary for all matters concerning correspondence and printing. All these conclusions and resolutions were unanimously adopted by the council of the International Union a t its meeting of June 20. In order to expedite the work of the Union and to insure the continuity of it during the space intervening between the two meetings, the council requested the executive committee to ask the member of each permanent committee to appoint by correspondence a president to serve until 1925-that is, for the same period as the members of the present committees. Following the decision to increase the number of vice presidents of the Gnion t o six, t h council nominated by acclamation two new vice presidents, E. Cohen (Netherlands) and Dr. Sakurai (Japan), The council adjourned after having chosen Copenhagen as the place of meeting for the Fifth Congress of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. All these decisions were placed before the delegations a t the closing meeting of the general assembly. The congress decided in closing to create a committee to cooperate with those organizations which undertake to exchange students and professors between the universities of the various countries with the idea of bringing about such exchanges among professors of chemistry
Meeting of Missouri Section The Missouri Section of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY started its year’s work on the evening of September 20. Dr. Philip A. Shaffer, professor of biological chemistry from the Medical School, Washington University, St. Louis, was the speaker of the evening. His topic was “Insulin, Its Properties and Methods of Preparation.” Dr. Shaffer has done much toward the improvement of the methods of separation of this remarkable substance, and his talk on the disease diabetes and its relief by this substance was very enlightening to the many who were present. The meeting was the largest that has been held for some time; the fact that the audience was made up of people of widely scattered interests seemed an indication that there is a need that the local section can fill in bringing speakers here.
New Chemistry Building a t Missouri Following its plans for the expansion of the Chemistry Department, the University of Missouri is just completing a new building for the chemical work. This building is the third building on the campus to be devoted entirely to chemistry. There will be an auditorium seating 175 students, and laboratory locker space for 600 students. There are five small research laboratories for instructors, besides administration offices and storerooms. The attic has been finished off into four rooms and will probably be used as research laboratories for graduate students.
