ABSTRACTS OF THE PR0CEEI)INGS OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY. No. 21. Session 1885-86. Maich 30th, 1886. Annual General Meeting. Dr. Hugo Muller, P.R.S., President, in the Chair. The President delivered an address, of which the following is an abstract :-The number of Fellows of theSociety is now 1459, 31 of these being honorary foreign members. 111new Fellows have been elected since the last Anniversary Meeting ; 8 Fellows have withdrawn, 19 have been removed on account of arrears, and 16 have died, viz., one honorary foreign member, Prof. Herrnann von Fehling, and Frederick Allen, Prof. Andrews, F.R.S., E. 0. Brown, G. W. H. Clements, Brederick Field, F.R.S., James Higgin, Rev. S. Morris, James Parettle, Thomas Spencer, Dr. E. G. Schweitzer, Surgeon-Major Sheppard, Henry Shephesrd, Alfred Tribe, Dr.John Smith, W. S. Ward and Walter Weldon, F.R.S. 104papers have been communicated to the Society during the year: this is not only a great advance npon the previous year, when the number was 67, but is the largest number hitherto attained with the one exception of 1880-81, when the number read was 113. The last number of Transactions is consequently one-third larger than that of the previous year. The President is inclined to think that this in- creased activity is due in no inconsiderable degree to the fact that the various new laboratories which have been established in the country during the last few years are now gradually entering upon their full duties ; and he is of opinion that we may look forward with confidence to a continuous and steadily increasing development in the pursuance of scientific.chemica1 work in this country.New bookcases have been filled up at the Society’s expense duririg the year, and thus considerable additional space has been secured for the library. The subject catalogue of the library has just been issued to Fellows. The Council are greatly indebted to Professor McLeod, P,R,S,, and to 180 Mr. Warington for the assistance they have rendered in preparing this catalogue, as well as to the Librarian, Dr. Thorne. After dwelling on the recent incorporation of the Institute of Chemistry by Royal Charter, the President expressed his gratification at being able to testify to the manifest progress in the activity of the Society and to the otherwise prosperous condition of its affairs ; in conclusion he proceeded to discuss briefly the conditions which affect the cultivation of scientific chemistry in this country.It was then moved by Dr. Gladstone, and seconded by Professor Thorpe, that the thanks of the meeting be given t.0 the President for his address, and that he be requested to allow it to be printed. Referring to the publication of the catalogue, Dr. Gladstone said that in looking through it he felt that it not only gave information as to what was, but also what was not, in the library, and it might well serve to lead many of us to make suggestions and to help to fill up gaps from our own shelves. The resolution was unanimously accepted, and was acknowledged by the President.The Treasurer, Dr. Russell, then read his report, giving an expla- nation of the balance sheet. He said that the funds of the Society were in a satisfactory st'ate, the income for the year haring been $3743 and the expenditure $3108, leaving a balance in hand of $635, a sum that would make it possible to fund the life composi- tions received during the year. Mr. Carteighe moved that the thanks of the Society be tendered to the Treasurer for his services during the past year ; this was seconded by Mr. Friswell. Mr. Crookes proposed a vote of thanks to the auditors, which was seconded by Professor Clowes ; Mr. Makins replied. A vote of thanks to the Officers and Council having been proposed by Mr.H. B. Dixon, seconded by Mr. Pickering, and acknowledged by Dr. Armstrong, Mr. Howard moved that the thanks of the meeting be given to the Editor, Sub-editor, Abstractors and Librarian for their important services to the Society during the year ; this was seconded by Mr. J. A. R. Newlands. Mr. Groves and Dr. Thorne replied. Professor Humpidge and Dr. Teed were appointed scrutineers, and a ballot having been taken, the following were declared elected Officers and Council for the ensuing year :-President: Dr. Hugo Muller. Vice-Presidents who have $filled the ofice of President: Sir F. A. Abel ; Dr. Warren De La Rue ; Prof. Frankland ; Dr. J. H. Gilbert ; Dr. 5. H. Gladstone; Professor A. W. Hofmann; Professor W. Odling ; Dr.W. H. Peykin ;. Sir Lyon Playfair; Sir H. E. Roscoe; Professor A. W, Williamson. 181 Vice-Presidents : Ililr. W. Crookes ; Professor J. Dewar ; Mr. David Howard ; Professor G. D. Liveiiig ; Professor T. E. Thorpe ; Professor W. A. Tilden. Secretaries : Dr. H. E. Armstrong ; Mr. J. Milk Thomson. Foreign Secretary: Dr. F. R. Japp. Treasurer: Dr. W. J. Russell. Ordinary Menabem of Cozmcil: Messrs. H. T. Brown ; Professor T. Carnelley ; M. Carteighe ; Professor Frank Clowes ; A. E. Fletcher ; R. J. Friswell ; Professor R. Meldola ; R. Messel ; J. A. R. Newlands ; S. U. Pickering ; Professor W. Ramsay ; Thomas Stevenson. April lst, 1886. Dr. Hugo Miillel., F.R.S., President in the Chair. Certificates were read for the first time in favour of Messrs.Holland Crompton, 15, Belgrave Road, St. John’s Wood, N.W.; George William Saul Hudson, Church Street, Settle, Yorkshire ; A. Wentworth Jones, Godington Rectory, near Bichester ; William Henry Pendlebury, B.A., Christ Church, Oxford. The following papers were read :--35. “ The Determination of Boiling Points.” By Professor Ramsay and Sydney Young, D.Sc. Professor Ramsay called attention to the device employed by Dr. Young and himself in determining boiling points (Phil.Trans., 1884, p. 471), which consists in encasing the thermometer bulb in cotton- wool or asbestos ; in distilling a pure liquid, the temperature remains constant throughout owing to the presence of a film of liquid 011 the thermometer bulb. DISCUSSION.Professor RAMSAY,in reply to a question by Dr. Japp, said that he was of opinion that in distilling mixed liquids the liquid of higher boiling point very rapidly expels that of lower boiling point from the wool, and that hence the proper temperature is indicated almost immediately. 36. “ The Vapour-pressures of Bromine and Iodine, and. Iodine Monochloride.” By Professor Ramsay and Sydney Young, D.Sc. After calling attention to the extremely discrepant statements as to the melting and boiling points of bromine and iodine, the authors describe their own observations. 182 Bromine.-The statements of various authors and books vary enormously, the melting point of bromine being given as -7.3" by Regnault and as -25" by Liebig, its boiling point being stated as 58" by Andrews and 63" by Pierre-these being extreme values.Two samples of bromine were examined by the authors after being submitted to purification. The melting point directly observed was between -7.0" and -7-45', and from their results generally they infer that it is very near to -7.05" ; the boiling point of the first sample was 57.65" at 749.8 mm. pressure, that of the second was 58-85' at 755.8 mm., but they incline to think that the latter contained some impurity-perhaps a brominated carbon compound, and give as the correctxd number 58". locZine.-The melting point of iodine was obaerved to be between 113-8" and 114*1", and they regard 114.15" as the true number ; the boiling point under 760 mm.pressure was found to be 184.61". It was found impossible to obtain useful numbers for iodine monochloride on account of its instability. DIscusSION. The PnEsmmrr remarked that the great discrepancies between many of the earlier determinations of the physical constants of bromine were probably due to the presence of bromine carbon compounds. Mr. GROVESsaid that the boiling point given by Mr. Bolas and himself (59.6") was determined by using about 2 lbs. of very carefully purified bromine, which certainly contained very little, if any, carbon te trabromide. 37. '' The Use of the Electric Light to Influence Chemical Change." By Henry 3:. Armstrong. It is well known that many chemical changes take place under the influence of light which do not occur under otherwise identical con- ditions in its absence.Schramm's recent experiments have proved that light has a most remarkable effect in influencing the direction of change in cases in which action takes place very readily both in presence and absence of light : thus whereas when chlorine acts on toluene in the dark chlorotoluenes are formed, in sunlight benzyl chloride is produced ; ethyl benzene is excessively sensitive, brom-ethylbenzene, instead of ethylbromobenzene, being obtained by the action of bromine even in diffused light, and if the treatment be continued in sunlight the dibromide, C6H5*CBr2*CH3,is produced, whereas cinnamene bromide, C6H5*CHBr*CH2Br,is formed if bromine be allowed to act on heated bromethyl benzene ; in sunlight, pseudo- cumene is at once converted into the monobromide, C6H3Me2*CH,Br, 183 and more slowly into the dibromide, C6H3Me(CH,Br),, whereas mono-, di-, and tri-brornopseudocumene are formed in absence of light.Dr. Armstrong finds that, as was to be expected, the light of the electric arc may be substituted for sunlight. The influence of light may therefore be readily exhibited as a lecture experiment, as the product of the action of bromine in darkness on pseudocurnene after removal of hydrogen bromide has no action on an alcoholic solution of silver nitrate, whereas the product obtained under the influence of light at once reacts with such a silver solution. It is merely necessary to drop the bromine into the hydrocarbon in a flask directly exposed to the rays from the arc.Owing to the uncertainty of sunshine, the complex arrangements which are necessary if it is to be used for any lengthened period, and the variation in its intensity, it is conceivable that the use of a powerful electric arc may be of considerable advan- tage in experiments on the influence of light in promoting or con: trolling chemical change and even in some manufacturing operations. 38. “Some Sulphur Compounds of Barium.” By V. H. Veley, M.A. It is shown by the results both of synthetical and analytical experi- ments that the monohydrate of barium hydroxide is converted into barium monosulphide in accordance with the equation Ba(OH)a,HzO + HzS= Bas + 3Hz0 ; known weights of the hydroxide were taken, and a certain weight of the sulphide and of water obtained. By the action of hydrogen sulphide on an aqueous solution of barium hydroxide, a solution of barium hydi*osulphide is formed from which crystals of the composition Ba( SH),,4Hz0 separate out ; hhis substance is far more stable than the corresponding calcium com-pound.The evolution of hydrogen sulphide is concomitant with that of water; when all the latter has been given off the retention of hydrogen sulphide by the anhydrous substance is most marked : only at a red heat is all the hydrogen sulphide given off and the conversion of the hydrosulphide into the sulphide complete. A warm saturated solution of barium hydrosulphide dissolves sulphur to give a red liquid, from which crystals of barium tetra-sulphide, BaXI*2H20, separate.Barium hydroxyhydrosulphide absorbs carbon disulphide with formation of an unstable barium thiocarbonate. DISCUSSION. Pro€. R,AJWAYsaid that Mr. Veley’s account reminded him that years ago on dissolving sulphur in a solution of barium hydroxide, 184 after crystallising out the thiosulphate, he obtained crystals like those described by Mr. Veley, but of the formula Bas7. Mr. VELEY,in reply to Dr. Messel, said that he had examined the product made on a large scale by roasting barium sulphate with coal, &c., and had found the crystals to consist of barium hydroxyhydro- sulphide with a slight excess of SH,. Dr. TEED added that he had always found barium and sulphur present in these crystals in the ratio Bn : S.39. “Parabenzylphenol and its Derivatives and a New Benzyl-phenol.” By Prof. E. H. Rennie, M.A., D. Sc. Dinitroparabenzylphenol has been further examined (comp. Tram., 1882, 33,220) ; if gently warmed with concentrated nitric acid, it is converted into the trinitro-derivative, but on boiling it with the slightly diluted acid the smell of benznldehyde is noticed and it is converted into trinitrophenol. The oily residue left after purification of parabenzylphenol yields a sulphonic acid isomeric with that from parabenzylphenol ; its potmassic salt crystallises with 240H,. This salt is converted into a nitrosul- phonate by nitric acid, and into a bromosulphonate by bivomine ; the nitrosulphonate is converted by nitric acid into an isomer of dinitro-parabenzylphenol, and into a bromonitrobenzylphenol by bromine.DISCUSSION. Dr. ARMSTRONGsaid that the formation of trinitrophenol from dinitrobenzylphenol was analog0 us to that of dinitrobromophenol from bromonitrobenzylphenol ; it was noteworthy that Prof. Rennie had described this latter reaction in 1882,although Widmanii in his recent paper (Ber., 1886, 278) speaks of the displacement of an alkyl radicle by NO,-in the conversion of curnenylacrylic into paraiiitrocinnamic acid-as altogether without precedent. Prof. Rennie and he, in a communication to the Society in March 1883, had shown that the supposed trinitrothyinol was in reality trinitrometacresol ; the forma- tion of this latter body from dinitrothymol was a reaction precisely similar to that described by Widmann. 40.‘‘ Amidodiphenylsulphonic Acid and Azo-dyes from Diphenyl.” By Thos. Carnelley, D.Sc., and James Schleselman. p-Amido-diphenyZsuZpIionic acid, G2H8(NH,) *S0,H. OnIy one acid of this composition appears to he obtained by the action of strong sulphuric acid on p-amido-diphenyl (m. p. 49’) at a temperature of 130”. It is practically insoluble in cold and but very slightly soluble 185 even in boiling water. The sodium salt, C12HB(NH2)*S03Na+ 2H20, and the ba,rium salt, [C12H8(NH2)*S03]2Ba+ 4H20, are described. The following azo-compounds prepared from the acid are de-scribed :-Sodium phelzol-p-diaxodiphenylsulp~onate,HO*CsH4*N,*C12H,*S03Na.This dyes wool and silk a beautiful yellow. Sod. resorciiaol-p-diaxodi(p7LenyZsu123honate, (H0),*C6H3*N2*Cl2H8*SO3Na. This dyes silk, wool, and raw jute a beautiful orange. Sod. quinol-p-diaxodiphenyZsdphonate, (HO)2*C6H3*N2* S0,Na.C12H8* This dyes silk and raw jute a very pretty golden-amber. Sod. a-na~hthol-p-diazodiphen2/lsulphonate,HO*CloH,*N2*Cl2H8~SOjNa. This dyes silk, wool, and raw jute a deep reddish-brown. Sod. p-lzapht~oFp-&iazodiphenylsu123honate,HO*C10H6*N2*(112H8*S03Na. This dyes silk, wool, and raw jute a brilliant red. Drscus SION. Professor Meldola remarked that a number of dyes were now pre-pared from benzidin (diamidodiphenyl), which were of considerable technical importance : Congo red was one of the most valuable.ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY. I. Donations. A Short Manual of Chemistry: by A. Dupr6 and H. W. Hake: Vol. I. Inorganic Chemistry : London, 1886 : from the Authors. Memoranda of the Origin, Plan, and Results of the Field and other Experiments conducted on the Farm and in the Laboratory of Sir John Bennet Lawes, Bart., LL.D., F.R.S., at Rothamsted, Herts: also a Statement of the Present and Previous Cropping, &c., of the Arable Land not under Experiment : June, 1885: from Sir J. B. Lawes, Bart. Merchant Venturers’ School, Bristol : Preliminary Prospectus : Bristol, 1885. A Manual of Metallurgy: by W. H. Greenwood: Vol. 1. Fuel, Iron, Steel, Tin, Antimony, Arsenic, Bismuth, and Platinum : London and Glasgow, 1885 : from the Author.Catalogue of the Library of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain : London, 1885 : fBom the Society. 11. By Parchase. Sur les Alcalo‘ides derives de la Destruction Bacterienne ou Phyaio. logique des Tissus Animaux: Ptomaines et Leucomaines: By E. J. A. Gautier: Paris, 1886. Die Chemische Natur der Mineralien: von C. I?. Rammelsberg: Berlin, 1886. Titles of Papers of interest to Chemists recently read at meetings of Societies in the United Kingdom :-Lb On the Explosion of Homogeneous Gaseous Mixtures.,’ By Dngald J. Clerk, F.C.S. Institution of Civil Engineers, March 7th. ‘‘On the Volumeti-ic Estimation of Inorganic Nitrites.” By G. Armstrong Atkinson. “The Absolute Determination of’ the Strength of an Electric Current by means of the Balance.” By Professor Blyth.‘‘On Sulphines.” By Orme Masson. LL On the Nature of the Relationship of Urea Formation to Bile Secretion.” By D. Noel Paton, M.B., C.M. Royal Society of Edinburgh, March 15. ‘‘On an Apparatus for Connecting and Disconnecting a Receiver under Exhaustion by a Mercurial Pump.” By Professor J. T. Bottomley.‘(Comparative Effects of Different Parts of the Spectrum on Silver Salts.” By Captain Abney, F.R.S. ‘(On the Properties of Matter in the Gaseous and Liquid States under various Conditions of Temperature and Pressure.” By the late Dr. Thomas Andrews, F.R.S. ‘(Electrolytic Conduction in Relation to Molecular Composition, Valency, and the Nature of Chemical Change ; being an Attempt to apply a, Theory of ‘Residual Afinity.’ ” By Professor H. E. Arm- strong, F.R.S. Royal Society of London, March 18th and 25th. EARRISON AND SONS, PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO HER MAJESTY, ST. MARTIN’S LANE.