, 1893-01-11

sugars 10 iuS bOHCdllOA CdlOOI hNN"N~
means organic substances which only consist
II carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, and the two
last named elements are found in the same pro-
portion as in water. oreovertheChemlsts deter
mine a carbon bydrate by this, hat its smallest
independent part (moleoule) contains (or a
plain multiple of g. carbon atoms, whilst the
npDareut number of smallest water partlcIes
(molecules) present is at least 5. 10 the carbon
hvdrates belong, among many others, also Vne
we'll known substances, gum, starcn ana Gel
lulose. They are widely spread III the Yege-
table kingdom less so in the animal klngoom'
Certain ca rbon hydrates, for instance sucrose
and starch. NAV easily by the influence OF
vaost or nv boiling with dilute acid be con-
yarted into other carbon hydrates, In TINS
manner It is a simple thing to produce the
saccharine matter glucose from starcn' ana
e1nvert sugar. frem sucrose, but 1t IS lmposSl-
ble TO do the opposite thing, for instance 10
make sucrose out of 'invert sugar. Inc car
bon hydrates form a group for themselves IN
organic chemistry, and doWn TO hOouC TWO
wears ago nobody had been able 10 proouCe
anv of them from otherwise composed SUI
stances. For the formation OF carbon nyUia'oS
was required the energy or NE. PROFESSOR
r. Fisher is the first chemist VINO HAS o0on
ohla n nroye that certain carbon hydrates. VIZ
rI,,cooa and l~evulose land besides those a
whole range of new sorts of sugar not TO be
fonna in nature and not yet much examined)
could he made artifcially, though not as yet
from SO simple substances (~carbonic acid
ana water\ as the plants are contented with.
profassor Fisher introduced his interesting
chemical discoveries by producing from gly-
cerine a new sort Of sugar, Lacrosse, which mas
exacrlv the same composition as glucose ana
in its properties only differs from glucose
in tbis that its solution is without any lnhu-
ence on p~olarized light. Later on ne mas
succeeded in producingfrOm acrose as the start
mo noint "mannite'' also, which Is a substance
contained in many plants especially IN
mamma The hardened juice OF an ash tree
fro inns ornus, growing in Southern Eu-
yronol q, glucose. Glycerine, as ls well
known il an oily fluid, clear as water and
tastino sweet: it consists only OF carbon,
oxygen and hydrogen, but those 8 elements
are in glycerine combined otherwise, ana III
another nu. ual proportion, than IN the car
bonhvlrates. Glycerine is a component ParG
of fatty substances, ah well those oI "nl"!"i
as Of vegetable origin. Common 'allo" ~
for example, glycerine IN chemlcal union WIN
.+aaric acid. palmatic acid (and oil acld).
GIvcerine is obtained as An extra product IN
tbeS manne cture Of soap and stearine. Stea-'
,ina w ,ch is used for candles, consists OF the
pure old stsaric and palmatic acids obtained
from allow or palm oil. Soap is those acl4s
in c emical union with potash or soda. II,
for stance. tallow is boiled with water and
-anst, soda a Shiny mixture or soap ana
6. @ inc is obtained; from this mixture
the an can be separated by addition OF com
mo, salt. because soap is insoluble IN salt
Ger. Having removed the soap the soiutlo"
is boiled down, thereby the impurities .tsaltsl
are mostly separated, they are taAen' out ana
from the remaining raw glycerine the puie arti,
Gle Il obtained by distillation with suPerheared
steam in ~ suitable. apparatus. : Professor
Fishers mods of proceeding Elm making pure
glucose out of glycerine is Of a very 0omPllcat,
long Listing experiheats' which, however; by
no msaAs were made in the dark but their
explanation and understanding require a mo.
r3ugh going acquaintance with the Theory OF
the composition and pode of formation u o.
ganio substances: Gfl~0~e-making, after 70.
lessor Fishers presen ne'n~d, will not OF
anv practical importance, because glucose
made in this way would be a costly article;
but FOR chemical science his discovery IS a
new triumph. In f Il ar days manifold sub
stances could only ns had IS resdy-nads IN
nlants or animals, bat now it m to Dc
seen that more and more of them can be made
by chemical art, and in some single cases SO
80 -. AIpnnn& IOaX