New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-02-10
SKETCHES OF LECTURES.
The Chemistry Of Organized Bodies.
BY PROF YoUNANs.


and was listened 10 with undivided attention.
He commenced by saying that in the previous lectures
Of this series we had considered the composition Of
the Atmosphere. We now proceed to inquire how il
l. that the gases Of the air transformed into the
solid fabric Of vegetable structures In glancng around
said he fail TO observe that all the obects Of
nature may be grouped into two classes dead mineral
matter stones soil water air and the living beings
of the animal and vegetable world. Az these living
beingssre made up Of organs the matter Of which they
are composed is termed organic, and the peculiar
rsngement Of the elements which il in living sub
stances. s termed organization The mineral world il
unorgnnized The properties Of these two classes Of OBJ
ects differ in numerous respects, but In nothing more
remarkably than in the difference 10 the mode OF their
chemical combination.
The Lecturer then drew attention 10 his chemical
ebert TO illustrate the way the atoms grouped in
these two cases In the mineral world the composition
30 be simple the elements being united In
pairs but in the organized world they were arranged in
eroups OF three four more elements which creates
much more complex compounds Mineral compounds
being simpler more permanent, organized sub
the contrary unstable and transient Now
IL the Office Of plants 10 transform matter from the
mineral to the organized conditionfron the dead 70
the living state. We inquire 10 night into Of the
conditions of this wonderful change
We begiD, said the lecturer with organization. Every
seed contains within II the germ or embryo OF a new
plant termination IL the beginning Of is growth
Here elsewhere growth implies increase Of mass the
addition Of matter from foreign source-iood The
food of the embryo wrapped rJund L. constituting the
chief bulk of the iced But the cold particles have no
power to toward the gern-they must be trans
ported medium is wanted for this purpose that
medium is water. Moisture indispensable 10 germi
nation But the nOurishment which surrounds the EN-
bryo insOuble in water and under the influence Of
oxygen fermentation Is begun in the seed which alters
the lurtye substance that water VIII dissolve H. and
il thus enters the expanding germ In this FIRST stage
the embryo cannot be regarded leading the
table life IL is more Ike the aninal-it consumes
organized matter II IL only when this source Of nuri
Ia exhausted and the infant plant begins % shoot
it's roots downward aud open it, leave the light
above, that IL begins 70 perform the essential offices Of
vegetable life We may here inquire said the Lecturer,
IN what way II that the increase Of matter effected
In living bongs. II is by the growth Of minute bodies
termed cell Cells little bladder minute
as 10 be invisible TO the nsked eye They consist OF
a closed menbranous wall containing fluid these al
ways sppear before the productisn Of circulating
sells any other forms of Organization.
The lecturer here referred TO diagrams 10 show how
the multiplication q cells occurs The enlargement aud
extension q all vegetable and animal matter takes place
through cell growth The cell wall is the seat OF change
II has the power Of absorbing liquids aud gases, aud
forming s the various products Of organic life. The
walls OF different cells are endow ed with different powers
those Of the vegetable transform mineral into organ
lied matter while those Of the animal only trans
form one Kind OF organized matter into another. The
function OF the vegetable cell Is therefore OF more
lofty and subtle oriert mparts b dead matter the
properties Of life When the young plant first opens Its
leaves the light begins TO DISCHARGE this function
the ground FISH, but much the greater part asccnds
into the air In the form OF gasses Nov II the plant
10 form another piece o wool, goes downward into
the soil after the ash and up into the Atmosphere alter
the esses Il formerly supposed ;hai the constlu
ents OF the ssh present IN the plant by accdeni,
ami were such water falling upon the so and enter
ing the root happened 10 dissolve But this was vat
mifttke. Each plant requires certain earthly minerals
for lie healthy growth and willno flourish without them
One demands lime, smother plaster ano,her potash.
TL fact should be thoroughly understood by farmers
IL -. ~ al
sgement of coils. But the great of vegetable
hmen said the lecturer. s derived from the air. n
we nig&s imagine from the form Of the plant The
whole structure trunk branches ana lesves shows that
the object 10 expose large surface 20 the air TIE
which brings up dissolved minerals from the so
eNLses continually from the vast easurRcc into the
air at the time theInnunerbble mouths with which
the leaves covered, busy imbbing gases from
the air, caTbonic acid and probably anmonis. This
absorption of gases by the leaf has been var0lsy and
sbundAniy demonstrated Beside it. Office OF evapors
lion and absorption the Leaf Is also organ OF diyes
ton Il is the OF ath0se grand fOrnstive changes
which peculiar to vegetation The Grade OF ascend
ing ssp OF wSeT containing dissolved salts from
the soil This mixture posses upward 10 the leaf and
there changed In other vessels which descend from
the Leaf ana distribute % al parts OF the plant We ind
another class Of suhstsnoes-orgsnized vegetable pro-
ducts Thee have therefore been formed ia the lesf
out OF the dead minerals aud gases. THIS Is proved by
thetGct that Gnts grow enlarge IRON above down
ward TIE ligstuTe tightly round branch and i viii
be found 20 swell up shove the MISTER Rccumu-
A,es Where leaves distributed along the branches
or tNi tie branch u found % be larger below each
leaf bui IN those trees where the leaves inserted
tufts upon the top o. the branch is cyln1er j.
be Of uniform SIZE.
We thus see sad the lecturer that the ,r;she leaf
j. the factory whore living things crested. waere
dead matter takes the wonderful properties OF HE.
The charges that occur the leGi tNOfoll. nrst
Anayuc the decomposition of csTbonc acid and
ammonia The lea; in the day time decompcSes car.
homie acid returns is oxygen 10 the ar ana Erstas the
carbon Here The action aHiaguulxe- that OF Snialsls
xah, VII 4
bosc acid. This accompanying power OF the leaf =
field q high interest IL 4 HI CHER ana than that Of
the laboratory fOr 10 chemist has yea Succeeded IA de-
composing osibonse acid ~ common tesaperArures BY
Sny txpcdent CT art and tbs goes forward constantly
in every leaf and every blsie Of grass The second clNs
Of chanees synthetic OF fornGiivsthe true eonsrac
tive r,ocesses O! vege:sion- The dec0mposed gases
with :he salts brought up nom the soil furnish materials
fox every Organized product ami the atoms which FORM
them met put Together IN the Leaf IL Is here that
ali living Substances Aio-Sil the iananershe pro
duets Of vesesson all PsTts Of our own boilss We
thus regard AL organized substances composed mxn.
N Of ssses condensed from the air. The fruits repreet
much sohdiscd air aud do cur food sad clothes.
and the solid structures o our own stea Isey were
all formed from I.eiess mster BY the exquisite AID
MYSTERIOUS chemistry of tie vegetable Leaf
We now sid the lecturer, Inquire what sthe motive
power which were drives TIE vegetable - tcA.ne'
We se&n ana In the raaStions which proceed ron
tie sun Every Awsre Of the powerful co1fru Of
solar light oyervegcsAhle growth Heshful growth
nSs be nsaeo take place IN darkness In the shade $50
s-Nhst jay - s$e1S - go
they are sound and vigorous But the agent which we
eonnon ~ term light as IL from the Sgn. i very
So'fieN y contains several rfernf forces aud pro
Soees variety Of ecets One OF these forces escss
me sntns eye and Il distinctly the Illuminating force
snStnsr ass upoa TIE Thermometer = hest OF the cal
orhe iorve smother force exE-s IN the solar beam
koown a the Seiirse CT tithozie force which produce
chemical decorr<stoas, such asthose OF the iirea or
esicrinxed slver plSe Ia the Dsyue-reoype process
The lecturer here called attention 10 aiasrsa sk,.
ing bow these isroes are separated By ne retracrins
ROVER OF The PRISM forming three suerr. 81 -i-S
or illuminating spectrum he eslorts spectrum al, De
chemical spectrum The calorsic force Wa IL -