The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-04-04
What Is Chemistry.

Everybody who thinks must be i'm
pressed by the great variety Of things
found on this earth, and the question,
What does the earth consist of ? must
often suggest itself. Among the i'm
portant results reached in stdying the
things around US is this, that notwith-
standing their great variety they are
made of simple things and these in
turn of still simpler-that there are in
fact only about seventy distinct kinds
of matter, and that all the complex
things around us are made up of these
seventy elements. The solid crust of
the earth, as far as it has been possible
to investigate it, all living things,
both animals and plants, the air and
water, consist essentially Of twelve
clements. The elements do not, as
rule, occur as elements. They are
generally found in combination with
one another. Oxygen and nitrogen
are, to be sure, found in the air as
elements, uncombined; but such ia
miliar substances as water, salt, and
quartz consist of elements in combina-'
ton. Thus water consists Of hydro
gen and oxygen. Hydrogen, the ele-
ment, is a colorless, tastcless, inodor-
GUS, and very light gas that burns
readily. Oxygen, the element, is also
a colorless, tasteless, inodorous gas.
It does not burn, but burning things
burn with much increased brilliancy
in it. When hydrogen and oxygen
are mixed together in vessel under
ordinary conditions, no action takes
place. They mix thoroughly, forming
mixture that is also colorless,
tasteless, inodorous gas. If a spark
is applied to this mixture, violent
explosion occurs, and this is the sig
nal of great change. The two gases
have entered into chemical combina-
tion they are no longer the gases
hydrogen and oxygen; they have en-
tered into combination and now form
the liquid water, q substance with
properties entirely different from those
possessed by the constituents.
Again, chlorine, the element, is a
grenish- yellow gas that acts violently
upon other things and causes changes
in them. Inhaled even in small guam
tity it gives rise to distressing symp-
toms, and in larger quantity it causes
death. It's odor is extremely disagree
able. Sodium, the element, in an
active substance, that has the power
to decompose water and set hydrogen
free. When chlorine gas is brought
together with sodium, the two COM
bine chemically and form the well
known compound salt, or, as the
chemist calls it, sodium chloride:
From this, the element chlorine and
sodium can be obtained by the chem
ist. These two examples serve to
show what is meant by chemical COM
bination and by chemical compound
Chemical compounds are generally
found mixed with other compounds.
This is shown, for example, in many
of the varieties of rocks, as granite,
which consists of three different chem
ical compounds. It is shown much
more strikingly in living things, all Of
which are made up of large number
of chemical compounds, mixed, to be
sure, not in haphazard way, but
beautifully adjusted and working
together in wonderful harmony.
Just as clements combine chemically
to form compounds, so elements act
unon compounds and cause changes in
their composition. Thus, oxygen is
constantly acting upon other things,
sometimes slowly, but, in the case OF
fire, rapidly and with tremendous
energy. It is commonly said that fire
destroys things. In fact, it changes
their composition, and the principal
products of the change are gases.
This kind of chemical change is the
most familiar that is brought about by
tie action Of an element upon COM
pounds. Compounds, too, act upon
compounds, and cause an infinite
number of changes in composition.
Thus the food we partake of consists
of chemical compounds. In the body
these compounds find others and they
act upon one another so as to repair
the wasted tissues and cause growth.
The gas known as carbonic acid, that
is contained in the air, acts upon the
compounds in the leaves Of plants and
causes changes that are absolutely
essential to the life and growth Of the
plant.
Look, then, in any direction and
you will see evidence of changes in
composition that are constantly taking
place, and that are essential to the
existence OF the world as tits. These
changes in composition and the com.
pounds themselves that are involved
in the changes form the subject OF
chemistry. In the light of what has
been said it is clear that chemistry
must be very broad science. Re
membering that chemical action is the
cause of the formation Of chemical
compounds, that without chemical
action the compounds would cease to
exist and would be resolved into their
elements, it is impressive to think
what would take place if chemical
action should cease. Most Of the
things familiar to US could not exist;
The solid portions of the earth would
to a large extent be replaced by the
element silicon, something like char
coal, and by oxygen and few metals
such as sodium, potassium, and alumni
mum. Water would be resolved into
the two gases hydrogen and oxygen.
All living things would fall to pieces,
and in their place we should have the
gases hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen,
and the solid element carbon, most
familiar to US in the form Of charcoal.
Life would, therefore, be impossible.
Prof. Ira Ren,sen, in the Chautau-
guam.
Sam Jones on Ingalls,.