N ote on collagen . R . Ta n d l e r (Collegium, 1931, 642—647).—The double refraction exhibited by collagen fibres is not due to intermicellar substance since the same property is manifested to a high degree by the dried fibre in media of most divergent chemical pro
perties, e.g., H 20 , EtO H , org. acids, bases, salt solutions, and different solvents. The crystallites are themselves responsible for the double refraction, which fails only when they are decomposed by H 20 w ith the formation
of gelatin. D . Wo o d r o f fe.
Apparatus for the determ ination of plu m p n ess and flaccidity of p elts. A. Ku n t z eL and B. Pototscii- n ig (Collegium, 1931, 647—652).—The thickness of the pelt is measured by means of a Zeiss or a R andall- Stickney thickness gauge (A) before weighting, (B) 2 min. after weighting with 1 kg., and (C) 2 ruin, after removing the wt. The flaccidity is given by A — G and the plumpness by C—B, these being expressed as a % of A —B. The plumpness and flaccidity vals.
for limed and delimed pelts, respectively, were 43%, 18% ; 57%, 82%. D . Wo o dr o ffe.
M icro-m ethods [of a n a ly sis] and leather tra d es’
ch em istry . K. Kl a n f e r (Collegium, 1931, 634—
642).—Micro-methods of analyses can be used to deter
mine the mordants, weighting m atter, finishing material, or mineral tannage in small samples of finished leathers or patterns, or small amounts of materials in presence of large am ounts of other substances, e.g., raw hide damage. Micro-methods can be used in the detection of A1 by means of Cs alum crystals or, better still, by the so-called spotting reactions. Leather spues can be investigated in this way and suggestions are made for the detection in them of sulphates, chlorides, and sulphur, and of different metals in the patent film on patent leather. Micro-methods of quant, and volu
metric analyses are described. D . Wo o d r o ffe. Effect of tanning m aterials on m eta ls. A. Ga x s s e r
(Cuir t-cchn., 1931, 24, 79—82 ; Chem. Zentr., 1931, i, 3204).—A discussion. Damage to leather by metallic contact is also considered, A. A. El d r id g e.
A bsorption of ch rom ic acid in double-bath ch rom e tanning. E . V. Ag en o (Cuir tech., 1931. 24,
B r itis h C h e m ic a l A b s tr a c ts —B .
C l . X V I.— A g r i c u l t u r e . 73
58—61, 74—78, 103—105; Chem. Zentr., 1931, i, 3203).—Absorption relations in the first bath w ith varia
tion in the conditions are tabulated and shown graphi
cally. A fall in C r03 content of the solution, calc, on the wt. of hide, has a more marked effect on conc. than on dil. solutions. For a low Cr03 content the absorption is greater in presence of Na2Cr20 7 th an for the pure acid, but a t higher C r03 concns. the reverse holds.
A. A. E l d r i d g e . Evaluation of hide and bone g lu e s. II. E . G o e b e l (Farben-Chem., 1931, 2, 366—368 ; cf. B., 1931, 555).
—Various methods of determining the ash content of such products are detailed. Typical hide glues gave ash content 2-92 and 2-75% , whereas bone glues showed 3-58 and 4-31% of ash. The former have relatively high CaO content and traces only of P 20 5, whilst the latter show much less CaO and a definite P 20 5 content. The ash of waste-leather glue, whilst comparable with th a t of hide glue, usually contains Or, which m ay be detected by the diphenylcarbazide reac
tion. “ Cloudy ” types of glue containing B aS 04, CaC03, etc. are also discussed. S. S. W o o l f .
S yn th etic tannins [as seed a n tisep tics].—See XVI.
X VI.— AGRICULTURE.
L aw s of so il colloidal behaviour. VI. A m pho
teric behaviour. S. M a t t s o n (Soil Sci., 1931, 32, 343—365 ; cf. B., 1931, 601).—Soil colloids with low ratio of S i0 2 to sesquioxide react amphoterically with neutral salt anions and cations, w ithin the Pu range of normal soils. High-ratio colloids do n o t react am pho
terically. All soil colloids react amphoterically with P 0 4"'. The isoelectric point of soil colloids varies with the extent of dissociation of the colloid-adsorbed ion combination. The point of “ exchange neutrality ” is controlled by the energy of displacement of the ions used to displace the H 'a n d OH' of the electrodialysed complex.
Relations between the isoelectric point, the p u of the completely electrodialysed complex, and th e point of exchange neutrality are discussed. A. G. P o l l a r d .
H ydrogen-ion determ ination in s o il. U se of barium sulphate in the colorim etric determ ination of soil p K. A. J . P a r k e r and L. S . S p a c e m a n (New Zealand J . Sci. Tech., 1931, 13, 48—49).—The use of B aS04 for the clarification of soil extracts for p n determinations (Baker and Rehling, B., 1930, 921) gave good agreement for loams, but w ith clays and volcanic soils differences between results of colorimetric and Il-electrode methods were considerable.
A. G. P o l l a r d . C orrelation o f certain soil ch aracteristics w ith pipe-line corrosion. I. A. D e n i s o n (Bur. Stand. J . Res., 1931, 7, 631—642).—The corrosion of pipe-lines can be correlated with the type of soil in which they are embedded, sandy and sandy-loam soils n o t underlain by glacial material having little corrosive action, whilst corrosion is greatest in heavy, acid soils of glacial origin.
Acidity, texture, and drainage are the chief factors influencing the corrosiveness of soils. The exchangeable H ‘ is a satisfactory indication of the corrosiveness of the soil and, excepting slightly buffered soils, the p n vals. of soil extracts in iV-KCl form a useful index. An acceler
ated test of the relative corrosiveness of soils, based on the corrosion of a steel disc in contact with the moist soil, has given results in agreement with the p n tests.
E. S. H e d g e s . A dsorption b y hu m ic acid. K . Ka w a m u r a (Bull.
Utsonomiya Agric. Coll., 1931, No. 1, 47—56).—Humic acid (1 g.) from peat (like th a t from sucrose) neutralised Ba(OH)2 or NaOH until the concn. reached 3 millimols.;
at higher concn. the huniate partly adsorbed the base.
When treated w ith AlCl3the acids united with significant quantities (0-8, 0-7 milliequiv.) of Al, b u t not of Cl.
Humic acid treated with A1C1S increased in base-exchange capacity with increasing quantities of A1C13.
Ch e m ic a l Ab s t r a c t s. S alt lands in the southern part of the Jordan valley. F. Men ch ik o v sk v and S. Adl e r (Yedeoth, 1930, 2, 132—135).—The dry soils contain CaS04 and Na2S 0 4 (1-27—3-64% of air-dry soil a t 0—50 cm.).
The wet soils (unsuitable for cultivation) contain Ca, Mg, and Na chlorides and sulphates (1-26—17-61%
sol. salts in air-dry soil a t 0—75 cm.) in am ounts increas
ing with the depth. Che m ic a l Ab s t r a c t s. Soil a c id ity . F. M u x t e r (Z. P fla n z. Diing., 1931, 10B, 505—531).— On acid soils (NH4)2S 0 4 produced better crops th an did NH4C1, b u t on limed soils yields were approx. the same for both fertilisers. “ Nitro- phoska ” gave better results on soils containing chalk than on acid soils, owing to the lowered efficiency of its N H 4C1 and N H 4 phosphate constituents in the latter soils. Repeated applications of (NH4)2S 0 4 over 6 years did n o t reduce crop yields, although the hydrolytic acidity of the soil was increased. Root growth and the development of nodule bacteria decreased with the p n of soils. Simultaneous applications of CaO and K fertilisers made immediately before sowing did not pro
duce injury in barley, oats, or potatoes by the formation of KOH. Org. m atter improved the action of (N II4)2S 0 4 and CaCN2 in acid sandy soils. Applications of CaO and org. m atter on neutral soils injured yellow lupins.
CaO increased the leaching of K, especially in the presence of org. m atter. A. G. P o l l a r d .
Effect o f treating w ith hydrochloric acid of varyin g concentrations on so il acid ity a s m easured by the p otassiu m chloride m eth od . K . K a w a m u r a (Bull. Utsunomiya Agric. Coll., 1931, No. 1, 1—26).—Soils treated w ith 0 ■ 2Ar-HG1 and w ith Ar-HCl showed considerable variation in titratab le acidity with variation in te m p .; max. vals. were frequently obtained a t about 65°, and the time interval was an im portant factor. The titratable acidity was closely related to the Fe and Al contents. Dil. HC'l liberated a large am ount of A l, whilst more conc. HC1 dissolved relatively more Fe. Titratable acidity produced from KC1 solution in contact with soil was greater from Al exchange than from Fe exchange. C h e m ic a l A b s t r a c t s .
L im e deficiency in the K ing-country. B. C. Aston
(New Zealand J- Agric., 1931,43,119—124).—Treatm ent of pastures with CaO and superphosphate to prevent sheep sickness is less successful when the materials are applied separately. A mixture of 5 pts. of CaO and 2 pts. of superphosphate is recommended.
A. G. P o l l a r d .
B r itis h C h em ica l A b s tr a c ts —B .
74 Cl. X V I.—A g r i c u l t u r e .
Significance of lim e for forest s o ils. W. Win k e l- m a n n (Z. Pflanz. Diing., 1931, 10B, 543—544).—In pine plantations the p a of the soils decreased and the exchange acidity increased with the age of the trees. Profitable growth of timber ceased in soils having p g 5-1 (aq.
suspension), 4-5 c.c. exchange acidity, and 9 mg. abs.
CaO content per 100 g. of soil. A. G. Po l l a r d. Field m ethod for lim e requirem ent of s o ils . R. H.
B r a y and E. E. d e T u r k (Soil Sci., 1931, 32, 329—341).
—Closer correlation exists between the p # and degree of saturation with bases in soils of > 60% saturation than in those less saturated. CaO requirem ent is determined as th a t quantity of CaO necessary to bring the degree of saturation of soil with bases to 80% (i.e., approx. p u 7-0). A series of soil samples are shaken with 4% KC1 solutions containing increasing amounts of N a2C03. After the suspensions have settled, bromo- thymol-blue is added to the supernatant liquid. The smallest am ount of N a2C03 producing a green to greenish- blue colour is equiv. to the CaO requirement. For field testing the R C l-N a2C03 mixtures are prepared in tablet form. A. G. P o l l a r d .
“ K alkam m onphosph at.” ‘ Ge r l a c h (Z. Pflanz.
Diing., 1931,10B, 532—543).—“ Kalkammonphosphat ” (superphosphate treated w ith NH3) is decomposed, in soil and the P is p p td as an insol. Ca phosphate in a finely-divided condition. In this respect the fertiliser is similar to and as effective as superphosphate.
A. G. Po l l a r d. Influence of am m on iu m sulphate on the lim e content of pasture herbage. B. W. Doak (New Zealand J. Sci. Tech., 1931, 13, 28—33).— The reduced Ca contents of the herbage of a rye grass-clover pasture following applications of (NH4)2S 0 4 are due principally to the decreased proportion of clover in the herbage.
The Ca contents of the individual species are slightly
decreased. A. G. Po l l a r d.
F ertilisin g action of brow n coal. R. Li e s k e (Brenn- stoff-Chem., 1931, 12, 426—434.; cf. B., 1931, 457, 507, 857).—F urther experiments have confirmed the marked increase in production of crops grown in soil fertilised w ith brown coal. When added in greater quantities, however, the coal may tend to inhibit growth, unless it has been pretreated with NH 3. The fertilising action is due to the humic acid content of the coal, which influ
ences the permeability of the cell membrane for the plant foodstuffs. The N content of the coal is w ithout influence on its fertilising action. Leguminous plants also show an increased growth on fertilisation w ith brown coal. The action of most artificial fertilisers is greatly improved by the addition of small quantities of humin compounds, the decrease in effectiveness of such ferti
lisers with prolonged use being due to a diminution in the humin content of the soil. The deposition of brown- coal dust on crops has no deleterious action on their
growth. A. B. M anning.
Influences of the developm ent of h igh er p lants on the m icro -o rg a n ism s in the so il. IV. Influence of p ro x im ity to roots on abundance and activity of m icro -o rg a n ism s. V. Effects of p lants on distribution of n itrates [in so il], R. L. St a r k e y
(Soil Sci., 1 931, 32 , 367— 3 9 3 , 3 9 5 — 4 0 4 ; cf. B., 192 9 , 6 9 3 ).—IV. Soil micro-organisms exist in greater num bers in the neighbourhood of p lan t roots than a t a dis
tance, max. numbers being found a t the root surfaces.
The bacterial flora of soils was affected by root growth to a greater extent than th a t of actinomyces or filament
ous fungi. Bacterial numbers were greater on the roots of legumes than of non-legumes, although the latter influenced the organisms to a greater extent. Fungi and actinomyces were affected only by materials obtained from root surfaces. Max. C 02 production and nitrification in soils occurred in regions of extensive root development. Bacterial numbers and C 02 pro
duction in soils were closely correlated. Soil organisms probably obtain from roots sufficient oTg. m atter to stim ulate their development.
V. Growing plants lower the nitrate content of soils in the proxim ity of roots to a considerable extent. The resulting local variation in the nitrate content of soils is not a factor controlling the increased bacterial activity associated w ith plant growth. N itrate content is not an index of soil fertility. A. G. Po l l a r d.
Irrigation treatm en t of a m m on iacal liquor m ix e d w ith tow n sew a g e. R. We l d e r t, R. Ko l k w it z, Zi e iie, Ne h m, H . Ko h l e r, a n d H . Ba u sc h (G a s- u.
W a sser fa ch , 1 931, 7 4 , 1 0 0 5 — 1 0 1 0 , 10 3 0 — 1 0 3 6 ).— A n e x p e r im e n ta l s e w a g e fa rm a t t h e M arien d orf g a sw o rk s, B erlin , w a s u s e d for p a ra lle l e x p e r im e n ts o n p lo t s o f g ra ss a n d o f v e g e ta b le s ir r ig a te d w it h s e w a g e w it h a n d w ith o u t a d d itio n o f 1 % o f a m m o n ia c a l liq u o r. W h ils t t h e p r esen c e o f t h e a m m o n ia c a l liq u o r w a s e v id e n t in t h e d ra in a g e, a s sh o w n b y N H 3, P h O H c o n te n t, a n d 0 2 a b s o rp tio n , t h e s e p tic a c tio n w a s n o t a d v e r se ly a ffec te d . T h e p r e se n c e o f p h e n o ls i s h e ld t o p r o m o te a e ra tio n o f t h e g r o u n d th r o u g h th e ir h ig h 0 2 a b s o rp tio n . G rass a n d o th e r c ro p s sh o w e d a 2 0 — 3 0 % in c re a se o f y ie ld th r o u g h t h e e ffe c t o f t h e N H 3 a d d e d , a n d lit t le or n o a lte r a tio n in t a s t e o f v e g e ta b le s or in t h e m ilk fro m c o w s fe d o n t h e g r a ss wra s p e r c e p tib le. S a m p le s o f th e tw o t y p e s o f w a te r a llo w e d t o rem a in in a b s e n c e of so il sh o w e d g r e a t d iffe re n ces in b a c teria l a n d a lg a l g r o w th . T h e d r a in a g e w a te r c o n ta in in g 2 - 5 m g . o f P h O H per litr e w a s fo u n d t o b e in n o c u o u s t o fish life.
C. Irw in. E xtracts of p yreth ru m ; perm anence of to x icity and sta b ility of e m u lsio n s. F. Ta t t e r s p ie l d and R. P. Hobsox (Ann. Appl. Biol., 1 9 3 1 . 1 8 , 2 0 3 — 2 4 3 ).—
Pyrethrum flowers, whole or powdered, do not lose their insecticidal property during storage a t 28° for 18 months.
Exposure of the powder in thin layers involves risk of considerable loss. E tO H and petroleum extracts of pyrethrum retain their toxicity for m any m onths in tem perate climates. H 20-miscible petroleum extracts can be prepared by the addition of emulsifiers, e.g., neutral Turkey-red oil. E tO H extracts give perm anent emulsions w ith H ,0 . A. G. Po l l a r d.
Control of tom ato leaf m ou ld (C la d o s p o r iu m f u lv u m ) b y fu n gicid es and fu m ig a n ts. T. Sm a l l
(Ann. Appl. Biol., 1 9 3 1 , 1 8 , 3 0 5 — 3 1 2 ).—W ith many fungicides better control of leaf mould was obtained by the use of Agral I instead of saponin as a spreader.
The most efficient preparations were ammoniacal Cu
B r itis h C h e m ic a l A b s tr a c ts —B .
C l . X V II.— S u g a r s ; S t a r c h e s ; G u m s .
carbonate, colloidal S, and salicylanilide. Among fumigants benzoquinone was especially toxic to spores, w ithout serious injury to foliage. Vaporised S protected only the underside of leaves. E m pty glasshouses were successfully fumigated with CH20 or S 0 2.
A. G. Po l l a r d. In secticid al value of vegetab le oil em u lsio n s in com b atin g n oxiou s A p h i d e s . M. A. Ba lac h o w sk y ( B u ll. Mat, Grasses, 1931, 15, 274— 277).—A 0-5— 1%
emulsion of arachis oil (or low-grade olive oil) with white soap and soft H 20 has given good results against
Aphides. W. G. Eg o l e t o x.
P enetration of petroleum o ils into plant tissu e.
J. M. G in s b u r g (J. Agrie. Res., 1931, 43, 469—474).—
Absorption is principally through the under surface of the leaf, presumably through the stom ata, the rate varying indirectly with viscosity. Penetration of emulsified oils is slower and less harmful.
W. G. Eg g l e t o n. D eterm ination of s m a ll q uantities of paraform [p olym erised form aldehyde] in [dusting-pow der]
m ix tu res. W . We in b e r g e r (Ind. Eng. Chem. [Anal.], 1931,3,357—358).—The (CH20 ),iin such mixtures (talc, alkaline earths, stearates, clay, borates, etc.) m ay be determined to 1% by steam-distillation of the acidified m aterial, addition of standard aq. KCN to the CH20 distillate, followed by excess of standard AgN03, and back-titration w ith KCNS. J . D. A. Jo h n s o n.
N ew u se of sy n th etic tannins and th eir sa lts.
V. Ca s a b u r i (Boll. Uff. R. Staz. Sperim. Ind. Pelli, 1931, 9, 381—390).—Certain synthetic tannins and their Fe and H g salts serve well as antiseptics for treating seeds, prior to sowing, greatly increased crops being
obtained. T. H. Po p e.
Effect of seed dips on the germ in ation and grow th of w h ea t. AV. Sc h ü t z (Bot. Archly., 1931, 33, 199—256).— Germination of w heat and the subse
quent development of the seedlings was improved by treatm ent w ith a num ber of seed-pickling materials (e.g., CH20 , Cu and org. H g preps.). A. G. Po l l a r d.
E lectroculture. I. Introduction. K. V. G ir i, r. J . M ir c h a n d a x i, and V. S u b r a h m a n y a n . II. In fluence of electrical treatm en t on germ ination of barley and d iastatic a ctiv ity of m a lt. K. V. G ir i and V. S u b r a h m a n y a n (J. Indian Inst. S c i., 1931.14A, 67—
77, 78—97).—I. A crit. review of existing knowledge.
II. The diastatic power of m alt was increased by the passage of an alternating current through the barley seed (previously soaked in N aN 03 solution) placed in a slowly moving solution of NaCl. The extent of this effect varied w ith the current strength and the period of treatm ent and is due to the greater concn. of enzyme in the seed and not to increased activity of the enzyme. Tranference of N from seed to seedling was accelerated by this treatm ent, as also were the germina- tive capacity and the uniformity of development of the seedlings. W ort from treated m alt was darker in colour and of better aroma, and contained 50% more sugar and less N th an th a t from untreated grain.
A. G. Po l l a r d. K hibin apatite. Superphosphate m ix tu r e s. Pb arsenate sp r a y s.—See V II. W heat.—See X IX . D ecolorisation of aq. so il ex tra cts etc.—See X X III.
Pa t e n t s.
M anufacture of fer tilisers. J . Y. J o h n s o n . F ro m I. G. F a r b e x i n d . A.-G. (B.P. 360,147, 2.10.30).—KC'l is heated w ith H 3P 0 4 and CaS04 a t 500—800° (pre
ferably 650—800°) or with CaS04 and NH 4 phosphates
a t 200—350°. L. A. C o l e s .
M anufacture of m ix ed fertilisers. J. Y. J o h n s o n . From I. G. F a r b e n in d . A.-G. (B.P. 359,962, 30.5.30).—
Mixtures of urea solutions containing >» 15% (preferably 5— 9%) of H 20 [or of double compounds containing urea.
e.g., urea-C a(N 03)2] with Ca salts insol. or nearly so in H 20 , e.g., CaC03, CaS04, after heating to 75—130°
(preferably 100— 130°), are worked into globules, e.g., by centrifugal spraying, and dried. L. A. Colf.s.
D ressin g seed grain. I. G. Fa r b e n in d. A.-G. (B.P.
360,136, 26.9.30. Ger., 26.9.29).—The dressing agents comprise highly halogenated derivatives of CfiII6 or its homologues (e.g., CC10, CGH 2B r4, C6MeCl5), together, if desired, with other fungicides, material to cause adher
ence to the seeds, and/or wetting agents. L. A. Co l e s.
XVII.— S U G A R S; STARCHES; GUMS.
[B eet-su gar] diffusion w ork in batteries and continuous diffusers. H. Cl a a s s e n (Z. Ver. deut.
Zucker-Ind., 1931, 81, 605— 618).—Insight into th e course of the diffusion process m ay be obtained from the differences between the sugar contents of the juice in the eossettes and in the surrounding juice, a t various stages.
From data for a 10-cell battery, these differences were calc, to range from 0-2% in the 1st cell (containing the weakest juice), through 0 -4% in the 5th cell, to 1-7%
in the 10th. The difference of 0-2 in the 1st cell was 50% of the sugar content of the eossettes present, whilst th a t of 1 -7% in the 10th cell was only 10% of the sugar content of the eossettes. More thorough exhaustion could be attained only by increasing either the duration of the process or the number of cells. Similar calcula
tions from Herzfeld’s data for the “ rapid ” continuous diffuser (B,, 1925, 254) show a less satisfactory course of diffusion, although the continuous process has im portant advantages in other respects. In Berg^’s new process (B.P. 358,837, cf. infra) as applied to battery working, it is doubtful if there is less mixing of juice of different densities than in the ordinary process ; the whole juice from a cell becomes mixed each time it is drawn off for transfer, and the entry of juice a t the bottom of the cells instead of the top detracts from efficiency of extrac
tion. J. H. La n e.
Preparation of n ew typ es for the valuation of raw [beet] su g a r in resp ect of affining q u ality.
0 . S p e n g l e r and E. vox H e y d e n (Z. Ver. deut, Zucker- Ind., 1931, 81, 693—699).—Owing to recent improve
ments in the colour of German raw sugars, new standards have been prepared for grading samples after the affilia
tion test employed a t the German Sugar In stitu te (B..
1927, 730; 1928, 30). Of th e 8 new standards, I —Y correspond with the previous ones, whilst V I—V III represent paler sugars. All are very fast to light, being made by covering white sugar in a centrifuge w ith pure sucrose syrup containing suitable mixtures of Cd-vellow, dark ochre, and N orit in suspension. The method of prep, is described fully. J. H . L a n e .
B r itis h C h em ica l A b s tr a c ts —B .
7 6 Cl. X V II.—S u g a r s ; S t a r c h e s ; G u m s .
[Sugar-]cane-juice lim in g and clarification. R. II.
K ing (Ind. Eng. Chem., 1931, 23, 954— 965).—A review of the subject, with results of new experiments on Philippine juices. The most im portant factors are the method of adding the CaO and the am ount to be added.
Batch-liming, unless carefully controlled, gives poor results. The Zitkowski autom atic liming apparatus, described, has proved very successful. The am ount of CaO to be used and the pu to be aimed a t m ust be deter
mined for each juice. In most cases liming beyond p n 8 is inadvisable, owing to risk of destruction of invert sugar, re-dissolution of matters, insol. a t lower p x , and injurious effects of sol. Ca salts. Liming below p u 7 is advocated only for juices of low P 20 5 content. During the heating of the limed juice the p n falls by 0-3—1-1 units, owing mainly to an increase of titratable acidity,
mined for each juice. In most cases liming beyond p n 8 is inadvisable, owing to risk of destruction of invert sugar, re-dissolution of matters, insol. a t lower p x , and injurious effects of sol. Ca salts. Liming below p u 7 is advocated only for juices of low P 20 5 content. During the heating of the limed juice the p n falls by 0-3—1-1 units, owing mainly to an increase of titratable acidity,