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CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
salts, and distribution between phases. The second term is deyoted
to exact qualitative analysis, where these principles and
those relating to oxidation and reduction are further applied to
solutions; and the third term is given to the highly important
field of chemical reactions between gases and between gases and
solids, which is often neglected in elementary instruction.
The second-year work in chemistry, which is taken by all students
in the Course in Science, consists on the laboratory side
of gravimetric, advanced qualitative, and electrometric analysis;
but the class work is largely devoted to the discussion of the
principles relating to mass-action, the ionic theory, oxidation,
and the periodic law. In the second and third terms, and also
in the subjects of physical and organic chemistry taken in the
later years, the abler students, after a few weeks of introductory
work, undertake minor researches in place of the regular work..
The chcmical subjects of the junior and senior year consist
of courses in physical, advanced inorganic, organic, and applied
chemistry. The junior and senior courses in physical chemistry,
here known as "Chemical Principles," are .not descriptive courses
of the usual type; but from beginning to end are presented as a
series of problems to be solved by the student. Also in the subjects
of organic and applied chemistry problems are a feature.
The supervision of the research work of graduate students is
distributed among the whole staff of the Division of Chemistry.
Each staff member takes charge of only three to five students
who desire to work in his special field, so that each student re­
ceives a large amount of attention. Thus in physical chemistry
the lines of research now being actively pursued by graduate
students in cooperation with the staff are: equilibria and freeenergies
at high temperatures; reduction-potentials in solution,
especially of the rarer elements; the rates of homogeneous gas
reactions; the photochemistry of reactions; band spectra in their
chemical relations; crystal and molecular structure determined by
X-rays; and the absorption of X-rays in its chemical relations.