1074 CHEMISTRY AND INDUBTRY NOV. 27,1037

Iinznrd to soine extent. Petroleum prodncts used for cleaning arc trcatcrl wit,li more indifference and Icrid to nuulcrous ncridents. Ercn in responsible qunrtcrs, i t is often not rcnlizcd that products of high flnsli point. forin cy los i re mixtures wlicn vnporizccl, pnrticiiliirly whcn lighter frnctions nrc contniucd tlicrcin. Gasolinc lenlmgc into scwcrs is another sourcc of dnngcr. It is possible in this way for vnpours to collcct in cellars with possible injury iind loss to tlic honsclioldcrs. This is an importnut item since the clnily consuiiiption of gasoliuc i n hlontrenl is nbont 172,000 gnllous, and it rcqnires only 46 gnllons of sisoline to fill 2000 ft. of 8-ft. scum with nn csplosire mixture. Iiidustrinl liaznrds arc of two types : t.liosc iucideiitnl to iiinnufacturing operations, iind tlic ninnu- fnctiirc of infiaiiininblc pro(1iict.s thcniselves. Bccnusc of thc Iiumnn factor in\-olrcd, tlic risk is Iinrd to nssess, hut in my cnsc, knowledgc of thc propcrt,ics, nsc, iind stonigc of tlic iiintcrinl is of primary importnncc, and tlic h c k of i t hns led to loss of life and property. Distribution and trnusportatiou of coninicrcinl infianimnblc niiitcrinls reprcscnt another liriznrcl wliicli iniglit cnsily IIC nggrn- vntcd by faulty cquipnicnt or cnrclcss hiiudling.

Dr. J. S. Sadenu, Iiiipcrinl Oil liefincrics, Ltd., Jloutrcnl, coniplctccl the syniposiiini with n dcscription of fire and explosion control niensnres priict,iscd by tlic oil conipanics. Water, stcaiii, :ind foninitc solutions arc iimilnblc in all parts of tlic plnnt, nnd snfcty riilcs rind regiilntions arc scrupulously carried out.. Attention is given to rciiio\-:il of all vaponr from cqiiipnicnt needing repairs. Storage tanks of 60,000 gallons or over rcquirc the const.ruction of dykes nround thc tank providing for ctipcity eqiinl that of tlic tnnk. Tanks of this sizc mis t IJC sepnrntcd by n distnncc cqual to thc dianictcr of tlic largest tank. l’ipcs conducting pctrolcum products arc grounded, and nozzlcs nnd tools used in tlic rcfincry arc niadc of non-spnrking alloys.

Tlic speakers werc thaukcd by Nr. I?. Lcbel. Dr. Leon Lortic presided.

Considcrablc discussiou followed tlicsc pnpers.

ROAD AND BUILDING MATERIALS GROUP

Tlic C‘onfcrencc, under the Socicty’s ~ ~ U S ~ I ~ C C S , licltl on ‘the morning of Xovemhr 16, in the coursc of tlic nint.11 PuIdic \Vorks, ltontls i iud Trunspork Congress, n’ns iltteiidctl by s~i i ie 300 tlclegntcs nnd visitors.

Tlic papers for considerrition wcrc : (u) “ JIatcrinls Uscd in 3lotlern R o d Construction.” (l’apcr by Jfr. J. 13. Swindlcliurst~, A.Al.lnst.C.E., Borough Eiiginccr iiiid Siirveyor, Hnlnl)stcrid.) ( 6 ) “ Thc Lnboriitory Testing of Jlntcrinls Used i n I-Iighwiy Engi~ieering.” (Paper by Jlr. .P. C. West, Coiiiit8y Surveyor’8 Dcpnrt- nient,, I~liimpsliire.) ( c ) * ’ 31incrnl Sidplintcs nntl tlicir I~ ) f l~~enrc npon Concrete Design nnd Constriiction.” (l’tipcr by l l r . P. C. Bnll, B.Sc., A.Bl.Inst.C.E., Chicf Engiiiccrilig Assistniit, Borougli JSnginccr’s I)cpnrtmcnt, Soiitlinll.) JIr. A. J. Lyddon, O.B.E., AJ.IIIs~.C.E. ( D c p t y Chief Engineer, Honds Dcpnrtmcnt, Ministry of ‘Yrnnsport) prcsitlcd.

IIc asked the authors to introdlicc tlicir pupcrs, thegc hnving been circulated in advance, and then called for tllc discijssioii of thcui, tnking ( u ) and (6) afi the firat unit fpr this purpoac rind (c) as t.ke rjecoiid.

Aniolig t h spenkcrs on the first two papers wcrr lh. 13. TI. Knight, l h j . F. G. Tiiriicr, Prof. TI. N. \\ralsl~, Prof. R. G. Clcnicnts iriid Dr. I\’. G. Gltiiirillc, :id on tlic third pnpcr Jlessrs. \\Tooilcock, A. V. IInsscy, iind llrirsclcn.

1 lie piipcrs, togctlicr with tlic tliscussioiis, will Iw riviiiIii1)lc in tlic Finn1 Rcport of tlic Congress.

I,

CHEMICAL SOCIETY An ortlinnry scicntific mccting wns licltl on Novcni-

txr IS, tho l’rcsidcnt, Prof. P. G. Donniin, C.B.E., P.R.S., occupying tlic ch i r . ‘l’lic l’rcsiilcnt rend 11 resolution of regret on Icrirning of the dcrrtli of Prof. J. 13. Scndercns, 1 Ionoriiry I~ellow, rind csprcssing liigli iipprccintion of his serviccs to tlic scicncc of clicniistry.

1lr. J . 31. ltobcrtson tlicn dclii~crctl n lcctiirc entitled “ Bond Clinrnctcr nnd Intcrntoniic l)ist:incc.” A t tlic conclusion of tlic Iccturc ti motion for n vote of‘ tlinnks to tlic lectiirer wns proposed by Prof. N. 1’. Siilgwick, C.B.E., P.Ii.S., seconded by Prof. \\r. \\‘nrdlnw, mid cnrricd with ;icclnnintion. Apprcciiition \vns cxprcsscd nlso by Prof. 1,. 0. 13rock1vny (Ann Arbor Univcrsity) iind Prof. I?. Gross (Iluke Univcrsity).

THE MICROCHEMICAL CLUB A joint me t ing of tlic Xicrochcniiciil Club, tlic Tmtls

Arcn Scction of tlic Institutc of Chciiiistry, iind tlic IJccds University Clicmicnl Society mns held on Fridiiy, October 15, in thc Chciiiistry Lectiirc ‘I‘licntrc of the University of Lccds. Tlic proceedings incluilcd ri

discussion on tlic “ Applicntions of AIicro-chemistry.” Prof. II. V. A. l~riscoc, in n bricf introtlnctory ntldrcss,

ndduced tlic work donc by Prof. R. \\’hytlaw-Gr,zy in collaboration mitli Raiiisay on rndiuni cmnnntion iis one of tlic best csn~nplcs of tlic clcgnncc nnd utility of niicroclicniicul mctliotls. Tlicy wcrc no now thing : wlint wns ncw wns such n dcvclopnicnt nnd cstension of niicro-tcchniquc tl int any clicniist who wns prcpnrcd to spcnd n fccw hours in studying tlic mnttcr might tlicreby s n w cvcr nftcr n consitlcrnblc proportion of tlic tinic and effort cspenclcd on ninny coninion clicmicul ninni- pulntions. Tlicn follo\vcd nn csliibition of films illustrating niicroclicmicnl tcchniquc witli csplnnntory coninicnts by Dr. J. ;\Inttlicws. Thc following pupcrtj wcrc then rend :

“ Nicro-nicthods in Forensic Cliciiiistry,” by Prof. P. G . Tryliorn. 13snmplcs wcrc citcd of tho vnluc of micro- nicthods in tlic csaniinrition of tlic w r y sninll amounts of innterinl wliich frcqucntly figure us exhibits in policc cases. Tlic nccd for tlic tlcvclopmcnt of ncw micro- inetliocls for tlic oxriminntion of ccrtain type8 of exhibit was indicntcd.

“ z\pplications of Alicronnnlytical Techniquc in the Papcr and thc Cement Iudiistrics,” by \\’, k’. Stcplienson. A thorough invcstigntion into the possibilities of npply- ing micro-teclinique to roiitinc iiualysis, pnrticulnrly graviinctric work in thc ccuicnt iind pnpcr industries lins dcinonstrated a saving of tiiiio and cxlicnse. For indus- trial work an air-damped micro-balancc is advocated. In tho ccincnt induslrics micro-incthoda havo proved succcssful in detcrinining grnvimetrically such sub- Atanccs ns calciiini, silicn, iron, nnd ~nngneaiiim and, in