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Local Activities and Opportunities
The New England Association of Chemistry Teachers: At the Mnlden Massachusetts High School on March 15th was held the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the Asroclation. The first president, Dr. Lyan C. Newel1 of Boston University, and tenth prerident, Mr. Wilhelm Segerblom of Philips Excter Academy, delivered the principal address. Mr. Segerblom was elected t o honorary membership in recognition of his long, faithful and effective efforts in behalf of the As~ociation. I n commemoration of this 25th anniversary meeting, a report of unusual completeness has been issued. This contains t h e "nabridged report of"The Earlier and Later Days of Chemistry in New England," is illustrated by choice photographs of rome of the more prominentolder New England chemists selected by Dr. Newell, who is well qualified to deal with t h e subject, having made t h e history of chemistry a lifelong study. This special report will also contain the complete report rm the Laboratory Questionnaire by Mr. Wilhelm Segerblom. Both of f h e x papers will be valuable contributions t o the literature of their respective subjects. A great demand for this special number has been anticipated, and to meet this the Asrociation has printed a large number of extra report=, and will supply copies t o non-members and edra copier to members a t fifty cents per copy. Ordcr from Mr. Laurence R. Atwood. Secrctary, Malden High Sehool, ~ a l d c nMars. , Send cash with order. The Spring Meeting of the Weatern Division of this As~ociation was heid at Mf. Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass., on Saturday, May 3rd, in connection with the regular meeting of the Connecticut valley Section of the A. C. S. After and interesting trip throvgh t h e Whiting paper Company's Mill No. 1 a t Holyoke, the company adjourned t o Shattuck Hall, So. Hadley, where Prof. A. J. Hopkins of Amherst College gave an ilbstrmted paper on "Egypt. The Land of the Alchemist:' Following t h e afternoon bvriners meeting a t whieh thirteen new members were elected, Mr. Robert Langdale of New Haven, Conn. High School gave a series of five leefure table experiments demonstrating spontaneous reaction. The concluding feature of the afternoon program was a lecture by Prof. James Kendall of Columbia University entitled "The Abuse of w a t e r by Teacher. of Chemistry." After critically examining certain of the fundamentd concepts of the conventional theory of e1ectroiytt di3rocintio". Dr. Kcndall summarired the main points of a so-called "rational theory" of ionizatimr whereinthe familiar phenomena mayberhown
t o be the resuit of varying degrees of compound formation between solvent and solute. This theory is being developed a t Columbia University and aims t o put the chemistry of eolution on a perfeefly genera1 basis and not on n strictly water basis ss maintains at prerent. Mort of the member3 remained for the evening meeting of the Connecticut Valley Section of the American Chemical Society a t which Professor Bogart of Columbia gave a lecture on perfumrillustrated by about two hundred colored lantern slider.
Northern Division Meeting: On Saturday, M a y Tenth, despite inclement weather. about thirty members gathered a t Concord, N. H. The morning war devoted t o a trip through t h e Rumford P r w , thoroughly up-to-date plant, about ~eventy-fiveper rent of whose b".inerr i. the printing of such periodleak as The Atlantic Monthly, century, etc. After 1"neheo" and the short buoinesr meeting held at t h e Concord High School a t which eight new member. were elected, MI. Elwin Damon of Keene, N . H. High School gave a talk on the teaching of "Chlorine." Professor Charles James of t h e Univenity of New Hampshire gave a most interesting lecture on h k favmite theme, "Metals," showing many specimenr of the rare ones znd dwelling at length on t h e diffieulfieo t h a t are encountered in obtaining pure samples of many including t h e rare earth element%. Mr. w: K. Robhim, chief chemist of the A m o r k e ~ gManufacturing Co., read a paper entitled "The Chemist in a Textile Mill," touching on the various problems t h a t rvch a chemist ha3 to solve and stressing the necessity of teaching elementary chemistry studenis t h e fundamental general principles of chemistry The meeting concluded with an informal talk by Mr. Churchill of Eimer and Amend company on the pooribilities of Laboratory apparafur of clear fused quart. of the sort t h a t h a recently been made by Mr. Berry of the General Electric Works at Lynn, Mass. The Arsociation 1%now operating in four of the six New Eneland stater. has a New E n d a n d wide membership of 400, including representstiveo of nearly ail NEW England colleges, and is about t o bezin on acampaign t o raise its membership to t h e 500 mark. I t will then endeavor t o farther extend its operations geographically. Prof. Martin V. McGIU, of Loraio High School, Lorain, Ohio has been elected Chairman of the Chemistry and Physics Section of t h e Northeastern Ohio Teachers' Association.
A Uniqve laboratory "Open House." The Alchemist Club and the chemistry faculty of Vanderbilf University were "at home" on t h e evening of February 20th t o the citizens of Nashville and surrounding territory. For scvera1 hovrs the halls of Furman Chemical Laboratory were crowded with people of every age and occupation. The Exhibits were eo unique and ot as t o enthuse even the "hardened" such variety scientist: t o thore without chemical training the spectacular displays presented t h e most fascinating mysteries. The interest amused in the city has gone so far in stimulating an npprcciation of chemistry as a practical science, t h a t d e fail. of the exhibit are given with the hope t h a t they may be of asoirtance t o other teachers of chemistry in planning similar public oeeasions. I" the basement, electric furnaces were at red heat; plating baths were depositing; metale were being polished and etched for examination under the microphotographic camera. The repair shop had a sign, "Everything Mended but Broken Hearts." On the first floor, an extensive display of Welrbach gas mantles was glowing brightly. A eellecfion of isotopes interested advanced students. but the laymen parred them by. In t h e phyeieal chemistry laboratory, complete equipment for eleetrometrie tifration, sugar analynis, radium determination, and high vacuum work attracted attention. Even the molecules performed for t h e visitors, for an ulframieroseope was a feature of one room. On the second floor the analytical laboratories were making determinations of "everything under and in the sun." A miniature sulfur well was in operation. Both tbc Junker and Bomb eaiorimrters were competing with each other for speed
and accuracy on a n a l p e r of gas and ma1 samples. Many other industrial processes were represented in laboratory operation. The organic laboratom carried as its motive, "Products of the South-Cmn. Coal, Cotton." Starch, sugar. and syrup m a n u f ~ e t u r e ; t h e diversity of carn-cob products; t h e vses of corn oil: the different types of dietillation: these represented the first C. Miniatures and specimens from the manuf a n u r e of coal gas, tar, intermediates, dye.. drugs, flavors, etc., illustrated t h e second C. Bakelite and saccharine were prominent in this group. For the third C , a textile exhibit, cotton in all its stages of growth. cotton seed oil and its manyproducts, made the publie aware of how eiore chemistrywasfom~nyfamiliarobjectnof daily life. Oo the third floor the freshmen chemistry student. did the honors. For once the laboratory was admittedly a playhourc. Each student "hose t h a t chemical "stunt" which to him seemed most thrilling and for the entire evening t h e smokc rings, the explosive mixtures, the gay solutions, and dozens of 0th- spectaden were carried on eontinvously =s t h e citizens filed by. And each freshman, finding for once some simple soul t h a t knew less chemistry than he, explained his particular dramatic scene with a dash and swagger t h a t was really inspiring. I n t h e auditorium continuour motion pictures wcre ~ h o w n ,three iodusfrial films being used. The ope" House was under t h e direction of a general committee fmm the Alchemists Club, or which J. H. Folkerth is president. A faculty group maperating consisted of Dr. 1. M. Brcekenridge. Director of the Laboratories. Dr. A. W. Ingersoll, Dr. L. J. Bircher, Dr. P. L. Canover, and Professors W. P. Fishel, E. G . H-. R. B. Inky. R. C. Carlowitz.
BOOK REVIEWS Aniline qnd Its Derivatives, by P. H. GROOOINS.B.S.. D. Van Nostrand Company, New York. 1924. v r ~ . 236 pp. 23.15.5 cm. 29 illustrati-. This book presents a detailed account of the manufacture of aniline and some of its most import a n t derivative3 together with a description of its physics1 and phyriologied properticr. It$realpurpose is, howeve;, much broader. The author states i n the preface t h a t -the technique in the produetion of aniline has been used as a vehicle for prerenting to the reader the business of plant chemistry." Types of epparatur and oper.ting e0"ditions are described in detail so t h a t the reader may with a little imsgination, apply the ,"form.tlan to other processes as well. ?he inclusion of cost dat; and an extended diicurrion 01 costs and operating emeieneie. add greatly to the value of the book. The work should be of great assistance to the advanced student of indurtrial chemistry, and particularly to the beginner in the chemical industries, a . a means of bridging the gap between the usual tert-book knowledge and actual plnnt condition% Textbook of Cellolore Chemistry, by Enaa Heusen, translated from the Second German Edition by J. W m I and G u s r ~ v u sJ. E s s s r e ~ Jn. , McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New CLALENCB York. I n this book. Dr. Heuser has made an eminently nuece3.ful attempt t o correlate and explain the derivatives and reactions of cellulose on t h e basis of its formulation as nn aliphatic alcohol and s polymer of anhydroeellobiose. He has asnembled the scattered and apparently "neonneefed facts in a concise and readable manner, so t h a t they may be easily understood by one who is not a specialist in this 6eld. The only disappointment is t h a t the combination of anhydroeellohiose vnifs is explained on t h e basis of partial vaienec5. If is t o be hoped that some more satisfactory explanation may be found. On the whde. the work ir an excellent orerentation of a difficult subiect. The translators are t o he congratulated for making i t available t d English-speaking readere. UNWBRUTY oe MARYLAND. GAIDNHP.
