Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-30

sneu cditeo alchemiste, who were
trying TO ind something with which they
coulo make gold out of other metals.
Iney thought that if they could oniy find
the right thing they would be able with
It's ala TO change lead and iron and
other ordinary metals into the valuable
metal, gold. They wanted to
get rich, just as people nowadays do.
Ihey did not find what they were look
ing for, but they did find n good many
Things they were not looking for, and
the world was richer for what they
learned. After a time, chemists began
10 examine the plants in the hope of
nnding 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 TO be of value as medicines.
Some were useful as dyes; and some
as favors; but most of them had
no practical value. AS years passed
on, more more was learned in
regard 10 these substances which are
formed in nature. Chemists examined
them in their workshops OF laboratories
They learned how to get them easily from
the plants. They learned what they are
made Of, and they showed the world how
to 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 it is not
possible that the chemist can make the
same substances in his glass vessels, his
retorts, and TASKS and test tubes that
are made in the plants which grow so ST.
lently 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 TO do. He was not
making life less of a mystery, but was
helping to show us all how great mys-
terry it is. The things he made were, in
many cases at lest, shown to be exactly
the same as those found in nature, and 1t
is OF some of those things that l want to
tell you.
You have probably all heard that there
is substance called coal tar. 1t 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
great many things are formed. Some of
these sre 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. 1t is disagreeable, thick, black
mass. When coal gas was first made,
this tar was thrown away, but
it came TO be hard to get
rid of it, and, after q time, chemists
began to examine it to find out what was
in il. 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. It is sometimes said that these
dyes are got out of coal tar. This is not
true; but il is true that they are made
from substances which are got out Of the
tar.
One of the substances thus made from
coal tar is the dye commonly called
turkey red, but more correctly known as
alizarin. This was first obtained from
madden, the root of plant which grows
in some parts of France and Italy.
stance and found that il contained car
bon and hydrogen and oxygen. Then
they found that they could get from it
substance which is in coal tar; and
then that by taking this substance and
making use of several processes which
can not be described in q simple.way they
could make aliZarin from it. This slIZa-
rim which they made in the laboratory is
the same as that obtained from madden.
At the present time nearly all the Turkey
red used is made in factories, and the
plant from which it was formerly OBJ
tanned is not cultivated. In q recent
wear IA 600 tons of the dye were manu-
featured, and this had value of about
IS 600, 900.
Indigo is obtained from plants which
grow in India, China and a few other
countries It is very valuable blue dye
and is used in large quantity. Every
year over 5000 tons are produced, and
this has value of about $50 900 900.
Chemists have long been trying to find
out exactly what il is and they have sue
cseded in finding out great deal about
it. As result Of the work which has
been going on for many years, il is now
possible TO start with some of the sub
stance contained in coal tar, and
oratory and in the chemical factory the
same blue substance which is obtained
from the indigo plant. But 1t cost more
to make it artificialIy than it does to get
it from the plants. and the plant Is, Of
course, still cultivated. In time the fac
4 tory will do the work of the plant, as in
the case OF turkey red.
have given you two examples of sub
stances made from coal tar. let me now
tell you of few substances with taste,
made from the same source. The first of
these is the oil of bitter almonds. The
name shows how il is formed in nature.
1t is valued for its taste aud odor. There
is no difficulty in making IT from coal
tar, and 1t is thus made in large quanti-
ty. The oil of wintergreen is Obtained
from the well known wintergreen plant.
Probably all of you have picked and
eaten the leaves and berries of this plant
ana you, therefore, are familiar with
the taste and odor of the oil. This oil,
with exactly the same taste and odor
as that obtained from nature. can be
made in the laboratory. LII is related TO