Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1845-11-19
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:! 1ys ysapdstrtctty htteHueuH"'ss ,.ss5 4 q
gOaalIUNIGATIONs.
y For he "A Aduertiser.
Mr q Editor,-if ;iifmeets your approba
ZION, purpose pubIishing,in your columns
a series. Of articles on; C chemistry
1sstc Il fTHE HisroRy OF CHEMISTRY
As aa A ChemistrySmay be traced TO
"a yery remote period, but il can scarcely
he san. 10 have existed as science. .lle allte
srior. 10 The seventeenth century, An ae. iea=
:sconne Of lis early history may be lonnd IN
ahe writings of Lord Bacon,S Hooke, Boyle,
;sand Sir Isaac Newton. &.
Iiittie progress was made IN chemistry
q &piregiions To- The Baconian system OF phi
Siosophy, from The circumstance thatchem-
5ical science, iss dependent on induction
sfrotrf eT be riineat forts hasis. Themoslni
pLilosiphicai kno8ledse was erroneous
y previous 70 The days 0f Bacnns from the
1 fact that philosopt ers first imagined GER,
Sstau,s ,ppoiheses. and aflerW ards attempted
10 deinoiisirate them, with their mlpds
1sss 11,rsessyiousfy ibiassed Butwhen that system.
5:ofs severe ind dact Ire nqairy had .beens es-
Sjtahiishea, which first procures the ltggiht
and afterwards shows the way.. by 1ts
means NE see greats piossess MAKING IN u
tt,e
ia;Js sby Bscon, he oilers hose, naines z,
have been mentioned. proceededs $50: !,
srranee and bring together the materials ais
which had beeD furnished by their prede-
sfs;sf5ss cesssf,Ts. and were thence conducted INTO
tbat train 81, ir6e philosophical reasoning
and research, which has led, IN our
zines. 10 the gig antic discoveries OF mod
ern chemistry. s..s.,- -,
The Alcbemists, il is well known, had;
accumulated vast number OF. unconnecl'
ed chemical facts, but with few exceptions
,hey wasted their labors upon una'1anable
and chimerical 3objecrs. Their attempts
to.rhe conversion Of quicksilver into gold,
and ihe search after The eixcrof heal'ho or
universal remedies aud au,idoles. were
arduousIy carried ON during the sixteenth
and seYenleenlh centuries. Many anu.
sing accounts Of the professors and adopts
of those periods, have. been handed down
by he;chemical historians of the time.
Among the historians on chemistry may
be.smeniioued Bassil Valentine. who
fiourished in she fourteenth century. HIS
writings, notwithstanding they are sInc-
iured wi1h he fooeries of alchemy, are
fui Of intelligent observations. tie was
tie .discoveror Of suiphurc and miro
acid, and several preparations OF artlmo-
nv, Paracelsus, a writer about this time.
is chiefly celebrated for the boldness aud
assidaiiy with which he introduced chem
icafpreparaiions into the practice Oi med
icine. : 81
s.sIutheworks of Heln,onl, who was a
sound writer Of his day. We first see the
word gas m;,de use OF, aud by The term
giuid gas, she 10 doubt alluded TO what
since was called fred air, aud more re-
Gently cdrbonic acid gas; but as an exper-
imentalF ard acute reasouer. however.
none came into competition, with Glauber.
This chemist made many discoveries, and
among tbem very useful salt which
nowsbears his name. He also discovered
The: sulphurate ofcopper, or blue s'one'
blythe action of sulphuric acid upon the
greenfr9st, or txide of copper,
The first who distinctly expounded The
nature Of, chemical affinity. was DR.. May
ow. He demonstrated that IN cases o!
chemical combination, the atoms OF the
combining bodies, were not destroyed.
but that they still existed in The compound,
and mightsagain be disengased from it by
a more powerful chemical agent, with all
tfieir: former properties. The theory OF
chemical affinity thus established upon the
foundation OF experiment by Mayow,
constituted The basis upon which most OF
Tho superslructure Of modern chemistry
resis. This branch of chemistry was
much embeiished and extended by the
great Lagoisier., of France
Another great and important discovery
was made in The sixteeuih century, by
De. Black; ii relates 10 the discovery Of
the stale in which caloric or heat, exists
inSiisnids and yapors, aud upon which he
founded bis beautiful theory Of latent cal
cric. This theory accounted for multi
iude of phenomena. previously unobser-
ved or nnex xpiained.
E1ooke and Mayowtwere the inventors
of rheumatic chemistry, or at least shs
hralciiof chemistry may be traced tothe
experinientslof these philosophers: Pnen-
matte chemistry has Been5moch extended
by the distinguished Priesiley, Of Phila-
sssIeEphia il was in l774sihdi DR.. .PriestIey
made the great discovery of orAgen gas,