Additions to membership since last report, 2. The Chairman announced that the first business of the meeting would be the presentation of the Elliott Cresson Medal, and recognized Mr. Benjamin Franklin, who introduced Mr. Francis Hodgkinson, of Swarthmore, Penna., to whom had been awarded this medal for his work on turbo-electric appliances. The Chairman presented the medal and accompanying documents to Mr. Hodgkinson, who thanked the Institute for the honor conferred upon him.
Doctor Hoadley was .then recognized and introduced Mr. Thomas M. Chance, of Philadelphia, who was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal for his method and apparatus for the separation of materials of different specific gravities. The Chairman presented the medal and accompanying documents to Mr. Chance, who expressed his appreciation of the award.
Dr. Harry N. Holmes, Chairman of the Committee on Chemistry of Colloids, National Research Council, then presented the paper of the evening on " Silica Gels." The speaker described the evolution of the process of the preparation of silicic acid and its application for selective adsorption from mixtures of vapors or gases. He referred to the method of Patrick for drying siliclc acid and his special heat treatment for the preparation of a gel, and gave an account of his own investigations in this field and the more porous silica gel which he has recently been able to prepare with some of h!s assistants. It was pointed out that the use of these various forms of silica gel must include solvent recovery, drying of air for the blast furnace, and for the vacuum ice process, recovery of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, removal of offensive odors from air, removal of sulphur compounds from petroleum fractions, decolorizing certain liquids, recovery of gasoline from natural gas and many other uses. The subject was illustrated by experiments and diagrams.
After a brief discussion the thanks of the meeting were conveyed to the speaker. Adjourned.