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The Spike: or, Victoria University College Review October 1911

Chemical and Physical Society

Chemical and Physical Society.

The opening meeting of the Society was held in the Chemical Lecture Room on Monday, May 15th. Professor Laby read a paper on the Determination of the Density of Radium Emanation. The chief interest page 48 centred round his description of a very delicate balance which Steele and Grant have constructed. An ordinary chemical balance will weigh correct to 1/650 of a grain, a degree of accuracy quite sufficient for most purposes, but this new balance, constructed of quartz rods, is more than 1000 times as sensitive, and, by slight modifications, can have its precision even still further increased. The most original feature of the balance is the substitution for ordinary weights of a small quartz bulb filled with air. By diminishing the air pressure inside the balance ease, the effective weight of this bulb is increased, and if the change in air pressure is known the increase in weight can be calculated. With such a balance, accurate quantitative determinations have been carried out on quantities of a substance which, with an ordinary balance, would themselves be almost unweighable.

At the June meeting of the Society Professor Easterfield gave an interesting survey of the work which has been done on the Oxydation Products of Charcoal. Many great names are associated with this subject, and it is encouraging for students to find that even these great men have often failed to come to satisfactory conclusions, and have often been baffled by things which to-day we regard as comparatively simple.

At the next meeting, of the Society Dr. Horton, M.A., Fellow of St. John's College. Cambridge, read a paper on "A Chemically Active Modification of Nitrogen." This substance is prepared by passing pure nitrogen at a low pressure over an electric discharge, and, as far as its chemical properties are concerned, the substance apparently bears the same relation to nitrogen as ozone bears to oxygen. So active is it that, brought into contact with sodium vapour, it combines, and the characteristic spectrum of sodium is emitted at a low temperature. As was pointed out during the discussion, this emission of light without heat may yet be of distinct, commercial value. Even an efficient lamp wastes about 90 per cent, of its energy as heat, and if a lamp could be made which would give light without heat and enormous economy in the production of light would be effected. This comparatively simple discovery of active nitrogen is of interest, even if only from the fact that it has been so many years in the finding out.

A hearty vote of thanks to Dr. Horton concluded a very interesting meeting.