New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-16
sCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.
PROGRESS OF CHEMISTRY.

Some interesting points in the progress OF
modern chemistry were touched upon IN the ad-
dress by DR.. De Ia Rue at the late anniversary
of the British Chemical Society. SO rapid, ne
saws. has been the DEVELOPMENT of chemistry
that much of the aspect Of chemical thOughC
has altered in the past few years old ana once
familiar bodies have not only changed !neir
nOmepclature, but new and untamlllar llulVi ~ =
uals and families have crowded INTO the
greatly extended domain of chemistry. me very
elements looked upon lately as most stable are
now considered to be in critical position, ana
liable ut any moment to dissertation. 1t Is only
few months ago that the minds OF chemists
were disturbed by the announcement thaI
spectroscOpic evidence afforded by the sun anu
stars tended to show that the SO-caled elementS
were IN reality compound bodies. Even IL
judgment on this point is reserved IL, Gaa f 10
longer be asserted that the light emitted from
the sO-called elements, when lncandesCenC or
VapOi lied, is characterized by certain dellnlte
wave-lcngths Moreover, q we'll known Ter
man chemist, Professor Y. Meyer, has actually
succeeded in dissOclating the halOgens, emo
rine, hrOmine, and iodine. The results when
he and his cOadjutOrs have obtained appear 10
leave little doubt that such is actually the case,
and the outcome of their continued laboTs VIII
be awaited wi b intense interest.
As regards the spectrum itself, certain sPe-
cifc functions and properties can no longer 5e
attributed to different parts OF II; iOr CAPTAIN
Abn,y Las shown that every part OF the speC-
tTum acts actinicaily, and he even goes so Iar
as 10 nOlu out q prospect OIL DcCtluSSANi "S"a
tiful discovery being further extended, so as 10
produce permanent photographs OF the spec
tr1lm in IFS natural cOlOrs. In his Bikerlan lee
ture to the Royal Society, Captain Abncy. has
made known his method OF preparing q form
of SILVER BROMIDE sensitive not only to the
ultra. violet and the whole visible spectrum
but also to the infra-rcd rays, and has pre-.
scented to that Society his magnificent map OF
the infTa-rrd spectrum. 1t Is difficult to over
rate the value of TINS discovery, and It may De
expected that important results will accrue from
the Invt stigatiOn of the mfra-red absorption
spectra of various substances.
The extraordinary diligence OF chemists VINO
apply themselves to the investigation OF carbon
compounds has also Teaped Il rich harvest OF
results Complex bOuics, such as the akaI0IdS
and the carbohydrates, arc being rapidly forced
to yield up the secret of their constitution,
which has so long been Withheld. The syn,
thesis of isltn by Ciaiscn and ShadWell, ana
TIN researches of BaeYcr in IN. lndiSo-group'
must il would seem, enc long result IN the dlS-
covery of a me bod for the arlliicill manntIc-
turc Of this cOlOTng matter. LalrnburSs sue
cess III preparing the akalOId atrOpne from
tOpna and tr0pic acid, is no doubt the FIRST
step toward the synthcsiS of an akalOid. Great
a ivauCeS have been made in unIayellng the
constitution of the bases Of the pyrldIne ana
piroline series, 81 d much light has been thrown
thereby on the constitution 81 nicotine and the
cnchona aikIlOds. Moreover, important al
dtions have been made to our knowledge OF
cf,VpI