Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-06-06
A Very Singular Substance.
Journal of Chemistry.

l
| There is substance which is invisible,
which has neither odor nor taste, and III
| fact possesses no qualities of matter ex-
cept weight and bulk. This is the gas
nitrogen, which constitutes four-fifths of
the atmosphere which surrounds Us. 1t is
| apparently dead and inert form of
manifestation of mater, and yet it is per-
haps one of the most important and use
full Of the elements, and if it should van
ish from the universe, life would cease to
exist. This apparent paradox is xplain
ed by the fact that by its combination
with other elements the remarkable char
| acteristios of nitrogen are awakened into
| action. The gas is neither poisonous,
corrosive, explosive, nutritious nor medic
lnal; but combined with carbon and by
| drogen it forms the deadly prussic acid !;
| with oxygen and hydrogen, the strongly
| basic alkali ammonia; with carbon, by
drogen, and oxygen, the terrible explos =
i've nitro-glycerine; and with the same
elements in varying proportions, it forms
the albuminoids, the gelatines, the Rlut
ems, aud other strength giving elements
of our food, or the Indispensable medicin-
al agents, quinine, morphine, atropine,
strychnine, veratrine, cocoaine, and many
others.
Although pitrogen is tasteless, it forms
an Indispensable part of the f1avors'of the
peach, plum, apricot, and other delicious
fruits, as we'll as coffee, tea, chocolate, and
tobacco. Without smell it is found in
many of the most powerful and delicious
perfumes, as we'll as in nauseating odors
of putrefaction. Present in immense
quantities in the air, it furnishes little or
no support to vegetation, but combined
with other elements the amount present
in the soil determines its fertility and the
amount of crops that may be raised upon
it. C0lorless and invisible, nearly every
dyestuff Or coloring matter known con-
tains it in greater or less proportion.
Harmless and pOwerless by itself, when
combined with another non ex plosive gas,
chlorine, it forms the most powerful ex-
plosive known, of which ray of sunlight
is sufficient to raise the terrible destruc-
tive power.
And yet, not withstanding the pre- emf
nent i'm portance of this element in the
affairs OF life, there are but few of its
combinations which we can form directly.
Millions of tons of nitrogen are all about
us, but not a grain of morphine or theme,
gelatIne or albumen, aniline or naphtha
line can we make from it. Only the mys
terious vital force working in the natural
laboratory of the vegetable and animal
organism can build up most of these
molecules from their ultimate elements,
and place the atoms of nitrogen in their
proper position, like the beams or stones
of a building. Our wonder at the mar
velohs power displayed by these organ-
isms is none the less when we see what
simple, common, and uncharacteristic
elements are used by them in making up
their wonderful products, and we can
only say that it is a part of the great and
unsoluble mystery of life.
Neither can we explain satisfactorily
from chemical standpoint the proper
ties and reactions of this strange element.
By itself it is nothing, but united with
other elements, some almost equally
inactive, the combinations thus produced
manifest the most powerful and positive
chemical and physical properties. 1t is
like the spr1nging into life of dead matter,
but there is 10 system of chemical phil
osophy which can give reason why it is
so. It is the part of the chemist to
observe and record the facts connected
with the properties of different forms of
ma after, and in time we may from these
facts construct rational theory, but We
are still long way from clear compre-
hension of the phenomena of the universe.
There are about as many things in heaven
and earth still undreamt of in our pail
osophy as there were in Shakespeare
time, and the farther we advance towards
the end the more the field widens and
appears to be of illimitable extent.