Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-03

these men, called alchemists, who were
trying TO find something with which thew
could make gold out of other metals.
They thought that if they could only find
the right thing they would be able with
its aid TO change lead and iron ana
other ordinary metals into the valuable
metal, geld. They wanted to
get rich, just as people nowadays do.
They Gid not find what they were look
ing for, but they did find good many
things they were not looking for, end
the world was richer for what they
learned. After q time, chemists began
TO examine the plants in the hope Of
finding substances with which to cure
their diseases. In this way a large num-
Der Of interesting and valuable things
were discovered. Only & few Of these
proved 10 be of value as medicines.
Some we're useful as dyes; and some
as favoTs; but most of them had
no practical value. As years passed
on, more more was learned in
regard TO these substances which are
formed in nature. Chemists examined
then ia their workshops or laboratories
They learned how 10 get them easily from
the plants They learned what they are
made OF, and they showed the world how
10 use many of them. And then at last
they found that it is not necessary to go
to the plants for some OF these sub
stances, but that they can be made in the
laboratory without the aid of the grow
ing plant. At first many good people
thought there was something wrong about
this; they thought the chemist was doing
something he ought not to do. Others said
that these things which the chemist is
making in the laboratory are not the
same as those which are formed in the
beautiful plants. Life is mysterious,
wonderfully mysterious. and il is not
possible that the chemist can make the
same substances in his glass vessels, his
TetOTts, and TASKS and test tubes that
are made in the plants which grow so ST
lenty and steadily in the air and the sun
light. But all these good people were
wrong. The chemist was not doing any,
thing he ought not 10 DO. He was not
making life less OF q mystery, but was
helping to show rs ell how great a mys-
terry it is. The things he made were, in
many cases ct lest, shown to be exactly
the same as those found in nature, and It
Is OF some OF those things that l want TO
tell you.
You have probably all heard that there
is q substance called coal tar. It is
formed when coal is heated for the pur-
pose Of making gas which we use to give
us light. When the coal is heated a
great many things are formed. Some of
these are liquid, some are gases, ana
some solids. The gases are passed
through tubes which are kept cool, and
the liquids and solids then collect in
other tubes. This mixture is called coal
tar. II is disagTeeable, thick, black
mass. When coal gas was first made,
it came to be hard TO get
rid Of il, and, after q time, chemists
began to examine il 10 find cut what was
in it. And they found that by passing
steam through it, beautiful, colorless
liquid could be got from it; and these
turned out to be substances of great in
terest. They are now made from coal
tar in enormous quantities, and many of
the dyes in common use are made from
them. 1t is sometimes said that these
dyes are got ont of coal tar. This is not
true; but it is true that they are made
from substances which are got cl.l of the !
tar.
one Of the substances thus made from /
coal tar is the dye commonly called /
turkey red, but more correctly known as !
alizaTin. This was first obtained from /
the root of plant which grows /
m some parts of France and Italy. |
chemists analyzed the beautiful red sub
stance and found that it contained car
BON and hydrogen and oxygen. Then |
hey found that they could get from it
substance which is in coal tar; and
hen that by taking this substance and
making use of several processes which
AN not be described in a simple way they
could make aliZaTin from it. This allza-
H,s :, -,
he same as that obtained from madden.
1t the present time nearly all the Turkey
ed used is made in factories, and the
liant from which it was formerly OBJ
aimed is not cultivated. In d recent
ear Il ,000 tons of the dye were manu-
and this had q value of about
s ZOO, 600.
Indigo is obtained from plants which
row in India, China and q few other
OGntFies. 1t is a very valuable blue dye
nd IS used in large quantity. Every
ear over 5000 tons are produced, and
his has value OF about $40 900 900.
hemists have Ions been trying to find
Mt exactly what it is and they have sue
eeded in finding out great deal about
B. AS a result of the work which has
cen going on for many years, ii is now
ossible 10 start with some of the sub
tence contained in coal tar, and
rom them build up in the lab
ratory and in the chemical factory the
lme blue substance which Is obtained |
rom the indigo plant. But it cost more
) make it artifcialIy than it does to get
from the plants, and the plant is, OF
curse, stiil cultivated. In time the fac
nv will do the work of the plant, as in
he case OF turkey red.
have given you two examples of sub !
ances made from coal tar, let me now
al you Of q few substances with taste, ,
ade from the same source. The first of
lese is the oil of bitter almonds The
anne shows how it is formed in nature. J
is valued for Its taste and odor. There !
no di'Fculty in making if from coal
IT, and is thus made in large quanti- 8
?. Tbs oil OF winteTgreen is Obtained
ON the wei known winteTgTeen plant.
robgbly al of you have picked and :
steD the leaves and berries OF this plant r
10 you, therefore, are familiar with ?
le taste and odor of the OIL This oil,
It'll exactly the same taste and odOr =
that obtained from nature, can be
ade in the laboratory. It is related TO :
licylic acid, which is now extensively \
ed as medicine. This acid was for
pTlv made from fbn oil Of