Societies and Academies

Abstract

PARIS Academy of Sciences, August 12 (C.R., 201, 413–436). The President announced the death of Antoine Guntz, Correspondant for the Section of Chemistry. HANS SCHWERDTFEGER: Functions of matrices. BORIS KATJFMANN: The infinitesimal properties of closed ensembles of arbitrary dimension. RICHARD BRAUER: The integral invariants of varieties representative of simple closed Lie groups. GEORGES BOURION: The limit functions of the partial sums of an integral series at the frontier of the circle of convergence. MARCUS BRUTZCUS: The appreciation, a priori, of the value of a commercial combustible for motors. RENE DUBRISAY: The action of sulphur on silver. The blackening of silver can be produced by sulphur without the intervention of a sulphur compound. The increase in the rapidity of the action caused by a high vacuum may be partly due to the increased rate of diffusion of the sulphur vapour, and partly to the removal of a layer of protective gases on the silver. JEAN CALVET, JEAN J. TRILLAT and MILOSLAV PAIC: The recrystalHsation of pure aluminium. Application of the X-ray method to the study of the velocity of crystallisation of aluminium containing 99-9986 per cent of the metal. At 0° C, slight traces of crystallisation appear after 12 hours, and this is still incomplete after 336 hours. At 100 ° C, recrystallisation is complete after one minute, and at higher temperatures is practically instantaneous. CHARLES DTJFRAISSE and MARCEL GERARD: Dissociable organic oxides and the anthracene structure. The existence of a photo-oxide of anthracene: its thermal decomposition. According to the theory developed from the study of the rubenes, anthracene should absorb oxygen rapidly under the action of light, forming a compound decomposing on heating but without emitting oxygen. The results of experiments with anthracene are given, fully confirming these views. RENE SALGTJES: Erythrocytes, haemoglobin and the globular value in the course of cancerous affections in birds. LEON VELLTJZ: The comparative action of the bile acids on the tetanus and diphtheria toxins: the special properties of lithocholic acid. For the same poly cyclic structure, the neutralisation of the diphtheria toxin depends on the number of alcohol groups, whilst this substitution is without influence on the neutralisation of the tetanus toxin. Lithocholic acid is the most energetic agent known as regards neutralisation of the toxin of diphtheria. RAYMOND-HAMET: The non-modification of the sympathicolytic activity of yohimbine by the introduction of a double bond in the molecule of this alkaloid.