Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-28
WORST OF ALL SMELLS.
Fearful OdOrs of the Laboratory md
How They Are Made.

How They Are Made.
Bad smells are a drawback to my
branch of science" said a chemist to a
writer for The Star. But we soon get
used to them. Berzelius. who discovered
the element called 'seIenium.' once tried
the experiment of permitting a bubble of
pure hydrogen selenide gas to enter his
nostril For days afterward he was not
able to smell strong ammonia, the olfac-
tory nerves being temporarily Iaralyzed.
Compounds of sulphur generally are dis
tinsuished by their horrible cdors. 1 knew
a student In Berlin who was wor ing up
some of these compounds, going every day
from the laboratory to take lunch at a
neighboring restaurant. II he pick ed up
newspaper there to read the next person
who happened to attempt the perusal of
that newspaper was apt to lose his appetite
Immediately. 1t was the same way with
anything else that he touched. so that the
management of the eating house was
Obliged 10 ask him 10 withdraw his Custora
IF sulphur compounds are bad in this re-
spect, those of selenium are worse, while
those OF tellurium are most dreadful Of all.
"A physician told me once that a lady who
was a patient of his refused to take an alb
soiuteiy necessary rest because she was so
fond of being always on the go IL society.
He gave her a pill containing a small
quantity of tellurium compound, and her
breath was affected by IL to such an extent
that she was not able to appear in public
for a month. She never guessed what the
trouble was.
Speaking of ammonia. you probably
know that nearly all of the commercial
supply of that article is obtained nowadays
from the works which produce illuminating
gas. The coal gas as it comes from the
retort is passed through water to purify
It, The ammonia II contains Is retained by
the water. Ammonia is a large item of the
revenue yielded by gas works. In it's free
state 1t IS a gas, of course.
"One gallon of water will diss olive LAS
gallons of ammonia gas. at a temperature
of zero. The strength of the ammonia you
buy depends on the amount of the gas il
contains in solution. AS you have doubt
less observed, the SOC allied household am
monia of the dry goods and apothecary
shops is a very weak article. often not
worth the ) or 10 cents a bottle paid for
1t.
"Selenium gas has the odor of putrid
torseradish- The element Is related to sui
phur. 1t occurs in a pure state in cavi-
Ties in Nesuvian lavas. 1t Is found in cop
per and in iron pyrites; also occasionally
IN meteoric IRON Its only practical use Is
for experiments in certain phenomena of
light Light changes its electrical resist
ance. so that it is possible. to measure the
intensity of a beam of light by the extent
10 which the electrical resistance of a bar
Of selenium is affected.
1T is on this popularity of the substance
that Graham Bells 'photophone' is based
Ihat Instrument has not proved of practi-
cal value, but some Interesting experiments
We're made with IL a few years ago i'm
washington Messages were transmitted
from the top of one building to the ton of
another half n mile away by sounds pro-
duced by light, bar of selenium being
connected with the receiver of a tele-
phone"