National Republican., 1883-09-25
THE CHEMICAL FORCES.
Prof Fristoc's Lecture Before the National
College OF Pharmacy.


The annual session of tho national college of
pharmacy was opened at its rooms in the
Colonization building last night. Prof Edwin
Il. Fristoo delivered the opening lecture.
Prof. Fristoe has long enjoyed the reputation
of being a most agreeable lecturer, investing
the dry details of subject with clearness as
lmirable rs the thoroughnoss with which he
handles all these details. His lecture last
night therefore, was doubly interesting, 1t
dealing with chemistry as science Briefly
sketching the great family of sciences, which
were divided into two distinct groups,
as they dealt with matter and mind
in all the relations Of each. he
devoted himself to chemistry. Chemistry be-
gins with molecules and deals only with
molecules aud atoms Matter does not exist
as an atom, it may be said. Tho molecule is
the starting point. There are classes of mole
culos, those that comprise only atoms that
are alike and those that are com
posed of different kinds of atoms. Tho
first are elementary, the second compound.
OF the elementary there are ~, of which 8 or
10 are doubtful; the compounds are very great
in number. Tho elementary molecules are
we'll defined and named. Most of those
names were given arbitrarily, as iron,
copper, lead, whilo some of them, as
oxygen, hydrogen, &c, have special
reasons for their names. Tho test of an
analysis affords only one kind of moleculc,
then it is elementary. These elementary
molecules have never more than six atoms
yet known some have only one Compound
molecules may have 800 atoms, never less
than two. When composed of more than six
they arc complex. Chemistry is based upon
physical hypothesis. All science Is
based upon hypothesis. Thus astronomy de-
ponds upon the hypothesis of gravtation;
mathematics upon certain hypothesis (such
rs point has position only, a line has length
but not breadth or thickness); that branch of
science which treats of light depends upon
the hypothesis of the luminifcrous ether.
These arc pure hypothesis, never proved per-
haps unprovable, but accepted because by
them all the phenomena dealt with by these
sciences can be explained. The hypothesis
upon which chemistry is based was an idea
originated by Abrogadro, an Italian, about
1911. lie was in advance of his age, however,
and the law he enunoiated fell upon unheed-
ing ears Sometime afterward the great
Ampere took up AbrogadTos idea, dis
cussod it, lugged it in everywhere, in
season and out Of season, for about
twenty years till he commanded attention.
/ This law, called "Ampere's law" is 'the mole
cules of all bodies in gaseous state, and under
the same pressure and temperature will oc-
cupy equal spaces" This does not mean that
all molecules are of equal size, for they arc
not, hut that they control equal spaces-that
is, each molecule keeps apart as far as another
The reasons for this law soon made them
selves apparent to the student. 1t became
apparent that the physical properties of gases
are alike, except their specific gravity and
of course their boiling point. They are di-
minished or expanded alike by the same pres
sure or same amount Of withdrawal of pres
sure. Tho dinusive power of gases is in
versely as the square root of their specific
gravity. Gay Lussac then concluded there
was something in common between thesC
gases The force that keeps the molecule!
apart is really latent heat, although it is called
molecular force.
Prof. Frstoo illustrated this review of til,
science with black board diagrams.
There was large attendance present.