Abstract
LONDON Chemical Society, November 18.—Prof. H. E. Roscoe, president, in the chair.—It was announced that a ballot for the election of Fellows would take place at the next meeting (December 2).—The following papers were read:—Notes on the oxides of manganese, by Spencer Pickering. Various samples of oxides were procured and heated to various temperatures, until their weight was constant; in some cases they lost weight, in others they gained, whilst in some the weight remained constant.—On aluminium alcohols, by J. H. Gladstone and A. Tribe. When aluminium foil and iodine are heated with alcohol the latter is decomposed, two new organic aluminic compounds being formed, aluminio iodoethylate (C2H5O)3I3Al2, and aluminic ethylate Al2(C2H5O)6. The authors have applied this reaction to other alcohols, and have thus prepared aluminic methylate, ethylate, propylate (isopropylate could not be obtained), isobutylate, amylate, cetylate, phenylate, cresylate, and thymolate.—Mr. W. H. Perkin then gave an account of the artificial production of indigo by A. Baeyer, and prepared some before the Society. The steps in the process are: toluene C7H6O, dichloride of beneyl C6H5CHCl2, cinnamic acid C9H8O2, ortho-nitrocinnamic acid C9H5(NO2)O2, orthonitrodibromhydrocinnamic acid C9H7Br2O2(NO2); by the action of caustic potash orthonitrophenylpropiolic acid C9H6(No2)O2 is formed, which on reduction in alkaline solution with grape sugar furnishes indigo C16H10N2O2.—On the synthetical production of new acids of the pyruvic series, by E. Moritz.—On the old alum well at Harrogate, by R. H. Davis. The author gives an analysis of the mineral constituents in the residue.—On the absorption spectrum of ozone, by W. N. Hartley.—On the probable absorption of the solar rays by atmospheric ozone, by W. N. Hartley. The author has photographed and measured the absorption spectrum of ozone; he suggests that the shortening of the solar spectrum at the violet end is due to the presence of ozone in the atmosphere, also that the blue colour of the sky may be ascribed to the same cause.—On peppermint camphor, by M. Moriya of Tokio. The author has studied carefully the physical characters of this substance; he has also investigated the action of chromic acid, nitric acid, and bromine thereon.
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Societies and Academies . Nature 23, 95–96 (1880). https://doi.org/10.1038/023095b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/023095b0