THE LIBRARY POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, February, 1930 (P. 25.) "Announcing a $10,000 Annual Award." Po$ultzr Science Monthly announces that in September, 1930, it will make the first annual award of $10,000 to the American citizen who, in the opinion of the members of the Committee of Award, has been responsible for the achievement in science during the year of greatest potential value to the world. The monetary prize will he accompanied by a gold medal. (P.26.) "Better Fuel for Better Motors." E. II.IIflmilton. An outline of the early history of the oil industry and of some of the more outstanding developments which have allowed petroleum production and refining to keep pace with automobile demands. (Illustrated.) (P. 4fi.) "Canal Paintings Saved from Ruin." George Lee D d ,J7. Until a few months ago the five mural paintings depicting the construction of the Panama Canal, canvasses covering four hundred square feet of wall space in the Administration Building a t Balboa, were in danger of destruction from the ravages of mold. The treatment finally adopted consisted in washing off the former porous beeswax coating with alcohol and ether, destroying the molds by washing successively with thymol solution and ammonium hydroxide, and applying a new protective coating of paraffin. (Illustrated.) (P. 53.) "Gems Fourteen Feet Long." Crystals of semi-precious beryl twelve to fourteen feet long and from two to three feet thick were recently discovered in a quarry near Albany, Maine. (P. 54.) "Wood Fibers May Cut Cost of High-Grade Papers." Experiments a t the Bureau of Standards may lead to chemical purification processes which will make possible the production of high-grade papers from wood pulp which is much cheaper than the linen and cotton rags now necessary. (P. 54.) "Two New Vitamins Found by Women Chemists." (P. 57.) "Volcanoes Help to Make the Ocean Salty." According to Dr. Thomas A. Jagger, of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, volcanoes give off hydrochloric acid gas which is eventually carried down with the rainfall. The dilute HC1 solutions so formed act on sodium minerals in the earth to form NaCl which is ultimately washed into the sea. (P. 59.) "Chemical Baths Valueless in Preserving Flowers." Salt, aspirin, etc., added to water in which cut flowersare standing does not make them last longer, according to the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research. A moist atmosphere is the greatest aid t o long life for cut flowers, and with many varieties a reasonably low temperature is also a help. ( P 1 ) "Home Workshop Chemistry." A number of tests for house paints are described. GG8
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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, February, 1930 (P. 110) "How Old Is the Earth?" Alfred C. Lane. The writer discusses briefly a number of methods of estimating the age of the earth, or a t least of setting maximum or minimum limits to the probable age. The most interesting of these from a chemical standpoint is the determination of the relative proportions of various radioactive elements and lead in certain minerals, and the calculation of the age of the minerals based on the known half-lives of the radioactive elements. (Illustrated.) ( P 1 4 "A Modern Inferno." Martin Meyer. In this essay the author sketches briefly the emergence of the science of chemistry from the mists of alchemy. He stresses the effect of the adoption of the "scientific method." The rapid growth of modem chemistry he ascribes to man's increasing power to control experimental conditions. In illustration he cites the extremes of temperature which can now be produced. (No doubt the title of the article has its origin here.) The author concludes with a few general observations on the chemist's contributions to civilization. (Illustrated.) (P. 141.) "A Big Practical Problem for Science." F. M. Jaeger. Where will we turn for energy when the "canned solar heat now available in the forms of petroleum and coal is exhausted? The writer points out that the utilization of radiant solar energy offers the only solution a t all likely to furnish power and heat in the necessary quantities. He discusses briefly the experimental devices which have been tried so far, with particular emphasis on Dr. Claude's famous plan for employing the temperature difference between tropical suxface water and deep-sea water. He speculates upon the possibility of employing photochemical processes, points out the limitations of known processes of this nature, and indicates some of the problems to be solved. (Illustrated.) (P. 156, et seq.) "Chemistry in Industry." Includes the following items: "New Baking Powder Leaves No Traces in Bread." Acetonedicarboxylic acid, which decomposes on heating to give only volatile products, has been investigated and found to constitute a satisfactory baking powder. "Removing Calcium Sulfate Deposits from Pipes." Hot sodium carbonate solution, followed by dilute HCI, will completely remove calcium sulfate deposits from a pipe line. "Catalysis Reduces Cost of Acid." Ammonia is catalytically oxidized to furnish the oxides of nitrogen which in turn act as catalysts in the conversion of sulfur dioxide into sulfuric acid. (Illustrated.) "Different Dynamites for Specific Purposes." Specific examples are given. "Waltzing Mice Detect Poison Gas." Japanese waltzing mice are found to be more sensitive to low concentrations of carbon monoxide than canaries, which have previously been used as detectors oi this deadly gas in mines. "Ultra-Violet Rays Said to Improve Flour." Flour irradiated with ultra-violet light is said to contain an abundance of
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vitamin D and to show improved keeping and hakmg qualities. "All the Gold in the World Is Not So Much." It is estimated that aU the gold produced since the discovery of America could be cast into a cube which would measure only 38.5 feet along one edge. "Rare Earths in Glass Produce Remarkable Effects." The power of glasses to absorb certain spectral rays is greatly influenced by the addition of small quantities of various of the rare-earth minerals. "Impregnated Hemp More Durable." A process for impregnating hemp with certain petroleum distillation residues greatly increases its durability, particularly when used in cordage, fish nets, water hose, etc. "New Borate Mineral Is Finding Commercial Use." A form of borax containing less than the usual amount of water of crystallization has recently been discovered in large quantities in the Mojave desert and is finding uses in the manufacture of special glasses and glazes. "'Tin Cans Made of Aluminum in Norway." The low cost of electrical energy in Norway, which makes possible the cheap production of aluminum, has led to experiments with aluminum cans for fish. "New Freezing Mixture." A German patent describes a new cooling mixture consisting of 100 parts ammonium chloride, 150 parts sodium carbonate, and 300 parts water, which gives a temperature drop of 31°C. This is much cheaper than previously known mixtures which give an equal cooling effect. SCIENCE AND INVENTION, February, 1930 (P. 905.) "Nicotine-Methane-Phenol." Louis Oberseider. Directions for the laboratory preparation of these chemicals. (Illustrated.) POPULAR MECHANICS, February, 1930 (P. 240.) "Prospectors Discard Metal Costlier than Gold." Three prospectors searching for gold in New Guinea recently threw away large quantities of a heavy, blue-gray metal. Later it developed that the discarded metal was osmiridium, a rare mineral containing osmium and iridium. Its value is approximately ten times that of gold. (P. 254.) "Measure for Light Is Found after Twenty Years." Previous candlepower standards have all been unsatisfactory, either because of irreproducibility or because they deteriorated with use. The Bureau of Standards now presents a new yardstick-the light emitted by platinum at the fusing point. (P. 272.) "Murals Are Saved from Mold by Poisoning Fungi." Essentially the same information contained in the third item on p. 668, but more briefly presented. (P. 279.) "New Uses for Peanuts Found in Many By-products." Peanut tops are used for hay; hulls serve as fuel, absorbents, fertilizer fillers, as a fiberboard ingredient, and a kind of sugar may be extracted from them; the seed germs and skins yield soap oil and stock feed; the nuts themselves furnish oil, flour, and other edible products.
