June, 19511 POLAROGRAPHIC CONGRESS ; PRAGUE, 1951 327 Polarographic Congress : Prague, 1951 A POLAROGRAPHIC Congress was held in Prague from February 4th to 8th, 1951, in honour of Professor J. Heyrovskp’s sixtieth birthday. It was not possible for the Society to be represented a t the Congress, but the following letter of congratulation was sent to Professor Heyrovsky, and his reply follows. A report of the Congress is appended. December 28th, 1950. Dear Professor Heyrovskjr, I write to convey to you the congratulations of the President, Council and Members of the Society of Public Analysts and Other Analytical Chemists on your recent attainment of your sixtieth birthday. As you know, we, in this Society, have the highest admiration for the pioneer work that you carried out in establishing polarography as a tool of analytical chemistry, and we are proud to think that much of the early work was undertaken a t University College, London, in 1924.Since then, of course, polarography has found applications in every field of analytical chemistry, and over 2000 original papers have been published on the subject. We are glad to hear that you have been nominated as Director of the Polarographic Institute in which you will be able to apply polarographic methods to both pure and applied science; and we trust that you will be able to spend many happy years there working in the field of which you are a master. Yours sincerely, K. A. WILLIAMS, Honorary Secretary. March 4t12, 1951. Dear Dr. Williams, Accept my belated thanks for your very kind congratulations on my sixtieth birthday and for your words of appreciation, consideration and encouragement, which you express in your letter as to the development of polarography.In connection with my birthday we had the First International Polarographic Congress held in Prague, a report of which I enclose as it may interest the members of your Society I was very sorry that owing to the circumstances only a few visitors were able to come from abroad. Please convey my warm thanks to your President, to the Council and to all members of the Society of Public Analysts. With best regards, Yours very sincerely, J. HEYROVSKP.328 POLAROGRAPHIC CONGRESS; PRAGUE, 1951 [Vol. 76 REPORT OF THE. CONGRESS A SUCCESSFUL meeting of some 400 polarographists of Czechoslovakia and visitors from Poland , Hungary, Roumania and Bulgaria has shown the great interest in the new branch of science, polarography .The Congress was organised by the Centre of Research and Technical Development in Prague. The President was Prof. J. Heyrovskf, Director of the Central Institute of Polarography, and the Vice-president was Prof. R. BrdiCka, Director of the Physico-chemical Institute of the Charles University, Prague. An evening session to welcome the visitors, held in the spacious rooms of the old palace of Sylva Taroucca, preceded the opening of the Congress. The Congress was inaugurated in the large theatre of the PurkynG Medical Institute on the morning of Monday, February 5th, by the Minister of Planning, Dr. J. Dolanskp, and the Director of the Centre of Research and Technical Development, Prof.J. FukAtko. Minister Dr. Dolansky spoke on the cardinal tasks of science in building up socialism and Prof. FukAtko spoke on the important r61e of planning in scientific research. Then Prof. J. Heyrovsk9 gave his review on the “Fundamentals of Polarography.” The communications at the Congress were divided. into eight reviews, each of about one hour’s duration, in which the modern development of polaxography was surveyed, and into discussioiis , of about fifteen minutes’ duration’ of new papers submitted to the Congress. The morning sessions were devoted to pure science and the afternoons to applied polarography. The following reviews were given: “Inorganic Analysis, ” by V1. Majer ; “Polarography of Organic Compounds,” by V1.Hanu5 ; “Organic Analysis,” by P. Zuman ; “E’olarography in Biochemistry and Medicine, ” by F. Santavf ; “Instruments for Oscillographic Polarography, ” by J. Forej t ; “Applications of Oscillographic Polarography, ” by J . Heyrovskf ; “Kinetics of Electrode Processes in Polarography,” by R. BrdiCka. There were 65 communications presented as follows- On February 5th: “The Validity of the Nernst Formula in Deducing the Equation of the Polarographic Wave,” by M. Kalousek and A. Tockstein ; “Polarography in Concentrated Sulphuric Acid,” by A. VlCek; “Study of the Discontinuities of Current on Polarographic Curves,” by P. Valenta; “Some Examples of the Analysis of Alloys,” by M. SpAlenka; “Determination of Phos- phates,” by J. V. A. NovAk; “Determination of Small Quantities of Thorium,” by K.KomArek; “Determination of Alkalinity,” by K. KomArek; “Experience in the Control of Steel Manufacture,” by J. Koreckf, F. Nademlejnskf and B. Neliba; “Determination of Manganese by Means of Triethanolamine,” by J. Mojiis; “Determination of Gold,” by F. Linhart. On February 6th: “Determination of Oxygen, Benzene and Hydrogen Sulphide in Lighting- gas,” by J. Prchlik; “Reduction of Hydrogen Peroxide Catalysed by Complexes of Iron with Catechol, Pyrogallol and Ascorbic Acid, ” by J. DoskoCil; “Polarographic Analysis of Benzoic Acid and of Phthalic Anhydride,” by B. G. Simelr, F. Majer and G. Sebor; “Polarography of Coumarine, ” by 0. Capka; “Polarography of Alkaline Products of Glucose, ” by J. Trnka; “The Reaction of Carbonyl Compounds with Primary Amines,” by P.Zuman; “Cyanuric and Rubeanic Acid,” by K. Such$; “Some Complexes of Amino-acids with Metals,” by R. Pleticha; “Determina- tion of Phenol in Water and in Urine,” by J. Roubal and J. ZdraZil; “Determination of Pentosans,” by R. Domanskf; “Determination of Barbiturates by Titration with Mercuric Salts,” by R. Kalvoda and J. Zyka; “Polarometric Determination of Unsaturated Compounds, ” by A. Blaiek; “Determination of Diacetyl, ” by R. Pleticha; “Colchicine in Meadow-saffron during Growth,” by J. Buchnitek; “Applications in Paper Industry, ’’ by B. Sandholec; “Sulphydryl Compounds in Fruits,” by P. Zuman. On February 7th: “Hydrolysis of the Oxidation Product of Vitamin K,,” by E. Knobloch; “Ascaridol,” by B. Bitter; “Muconic Acid in Bacteria,” by A.Kleinzeller and 2. Fencl; “Polaro- graphy of Sterols,” by J. Nosek; “Heart Poisons with a Five- or Six-membered Lactone Ring,” by F. Santavp; “Oxidation Products of Morphine,” by F. Santavy; “Determination of Oxygen in Blood,” by M. SimAnB; “Biological Redox Indicators,” by J. DoskoCil; “A Contribution to the BrdiEka Filtrate Reaction in Serum,” by J. Homolka and D. KrupiEka; “Determination of Thallium ‘in Urine,” by 2. ZAbranskf; “Studies of Peroxidase Reactions,” by J. DoskoEil; “The Electronic Polarograph,” by K. E n ; “Artificial Control of the Drop-time,” by 0. Nesvadba; “A New Apparatus for Oscillographic polarography,” by J. Vogel; ‘Vibrations of Drops due to Currents of High Frequency,” by W. Kemula. On February 8th: “Catalysed Depolarisations in Inorganic Redox Systems,” by E. SvAtek; “The Rate of Dissociation of the Complex of Cadmium with Nitrilotriacetic Acid,” by J.Koryta;June, 19511 ANALYSIS OF MEAT EXTRACT 320 “Recombination of the Ions of Phenylglyoxylic Acid,” by V1. Hanu:; “Linear Systems of Electrode Reactions,” by J . Kouteckq ; “Slow Electrode Reactions,” by M. Smutek ; “Irreversi- bility of Electrode Reactions,’’ by A. Tockstein; “Generalisation of the Theory of Linear Diffusion Currents,” by J . Pliva; “The Hydrogen Overvoltage with a Controlled Drop-time,” by J. K6ta; “The Discontinuity on the Polarographic Curve in the Reduction of Nitrates,” by J. MaSek; “A Study of the Complexes of Tervalent Chromium,” by H. T. Arend; “Complexes of Sucrose with Ferric and Ferrous Ions,” by M.Kfivhek; “The Control of the Sutdace Adjustment of Metals,” by T. Jelinek; “The Derivative Curves in Polarography,” by J. Riha; “The Effect of Thymol and Gelatin on Polarographic Waves,” by M. DrAtovskl and M. Ebert; “The Influence of Capillary Constants on Maxima,” by J. Dvo%k; “The Classification of Refined Sugars,” by I. Vavruch. The Congress ended with a social gathering in the Sylva Taroucca palace, when all who had attended expressed their appreciation in speeches and toasts. The guests were: Prof. W. Kemula, Prof. M. Michalski and J. Chodkowski of Warszaw University, Prof. L. Erdey and Mrs. Ajtai of Budapest, Prof. A. P%rvu and Prof. E. Macovschi of the University of Bucharest and Dr. A. Trifonov of the Institute of Technology, Sofia. Reports of the communications and discussions will be published in full in three volumes of Proceedings, of which the first will also contain contributions, in English, French and German, that were not communicated a t the Congress, the second a full critically revised bibliography of Polarographic papers from 1922 to 1950, and the third the reports of the meetings themselves. Single volumes will be on sale to those who did not attend the Congress. The eight meetings were fully attended right to the end.