New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-24

NJ BERTHELOT.
country Public position gives a income
and therefore added opportunity prosecute his
work under. If anything. more favorable auspices
than before Especially is this true II, is often
the case he be blessed with more intellect than
cash.
NJ Berthelot at the time of life when the major
ity Of men IN active business contemplate retire.
ment is called forth from his laboratory into the
glare OF public criticism and is made Minister of
Foreign Affairs. He will have to deal with the
svnthesis OF nations. The syntheszed product will
be awaited with interest and by the bproduct pro
duced will his failure political guam
rty be measured His laboratory has been enlarged
Like Ko-Ko. he has worked his way up through
not the animal but vegetable kingdom, until
he has TO man. What will he do with
him? That is the question men In politics will ask
What has ne not done for science? is the query OF
scholars. What will come TO the commercial world
from his discoveries? is the question business men
are asking they look about them and note
the possibilities underlying his theory of synthetic
relationship.
WHAT THE MINDS EYE SEES.
This is the great question to be answered, and in
the laboratories of Germany and of France and Of
this country, of great fertility of thought and
resource seeking the answer. Some enthusiasts
are looking 10 synthetic chemistry to produce
sort of commercial millennium doing away with
vegetable gardens chicken yards. sugar-cane fields
tobacco plantations indigo beds and things OF hat
sort Everybody is to be fed on synthetic food.
made so cheaply that even the Anarchist VIII nave
no cause to covet his neghbor's goods or to envy
his neighbours superior station in life Fine Is 1t
not7 But IL has not been accomplished yet. 1t is
venerable saying. however that wonders never
case and enough has been accomplished In the hs.o
Of organic chemistry 10 warrant the exercise OF an
almost unlimited optimism in predicting for the
future Yet there are few chemists who will go as
far in this direction as NJ Bertheot appears TO
have gone Indeed Professor Colby, seated In the
laboratory OF the School Of Mines of Columbia Col
lege. utter ed 10 The Tribune reporter his conclu-
sion that recent dispatches regarding the French
scientists utterances might be somewhat tangled
with journalistic fancy He has met NJ. Berthelot
more than once. and spoke with the quiet ana de-
terminate enthusiasm OF solid thinker ana chem-
lea, expert of the wonderful achievements or the
present French Minister of Foreign Affairs He
would have It, too. that NJ. Bertheots researches
into the secrets of thermo-chemstry have been
equally as wide and the results obtained OF as de-
cided importance anything he has brought out OF
the field of chemical synthess. Yet this field IS con-
stanty widening. and Professor CODY was NOT pre-
pared 10 draw any line.
A familiar instance OF advancement along syn
thetic lines is thot of the discovery Of alizarin,
which is the essential commercial element OF the
madden root used in dyeing the world over III
was late in the that the discovery of this in
Germany gave a tendency TO the dyeng Indus
try 1t was perfected with so much success that
the growing Of the madden root. which was a ire
rnendous agricultural pursuit in Persia, India ana
the Levant and followed in less degree In Holland,
Spain and some of the Rhine provinces, was wiped
out throwing many thousands OF acres OF tiiaoe
land into disuse The importations into England
alone OF the root reached the enormous Va.ue OF
more than 100000 annually, 10 say nothing or the
vast quantities brought TO this country. The syn
,hetc product was superior a dyeng medium to
the natural. giving better Color 10 INC laoiic
treated with IT,
INDIGO MADE IN THE LABORATORY.
.rben again the b-product proved 10 be valuable
I'm another direction so that the whole problem was
solved on It's economic side. Therein lies the single
scret OF success for synthetic production the one
item OF economy over the natural growth. Professor
Colby referred to indigo produced synthetically He
said the students in Co!umbias chemical depart
mon, nroduccd indigo every year in their class
work But its synthetic manufacture on large
scale has never been made profitable as II mas not
vet been made cheaply enough TO enable the pro-
dueer TO compete in the open market with the
natural product. The difficulty appears to lie IN
he excess of bi-product for which no use has been
found The ratio OF pure synthesized indigo Is ABOUT
a. one 20 three. When this difficulty has neeh over
cone the dream Of the synthesist VIII be reahZeu,
and indigo growing as an agricultural pursuit VIII
-, the way Of the nader industry PROFESSOR 'oi-
d. ,rr,ed n the discovery of theobTonine, which is
The essential principle of cocoa, which IN turn Is
modification OF chocolate from the chocoiate ped"
Chocolate lie pronounced an invigorathg osh ioi
inNalids often prescribed ID! p"s''O'
a. Tho large proportion o. fatty substance con-
toi,eA IN e. Cocoa was it's milder substitute Tor
extreme cases Of Illness. where the pure cnoco'i'
vo,,,a tend TO overload the stomach OF the paleht
NV, inc proportion OF elements IN chVVo.ar.F
bean % OF fat. OF siearihe l0'oi VI S"e
and o. theobromlne IL. D., o,,,o,h,o Inn, Pro-
The flavor o. the chocolate s producioie' ou
fesso- Colby cogeniy argued ihah Discrimination OF
product not chocolate, ana me ~ ~ sa.,v sub
Inc sustaining quality OF the peah. i's aarSs mo
stance. further 70 seek al T,ne' svntheszing
bean cannot be reproa1n lT Go laboratory syn
inelc cow be made Analytic cn ies Elements
ana N Rer;hclo has long since succeedeu ~ mar nn,
~ fst direct ON IFS elements The time rs ~,
s,.,siarIa That IL wifi come the Frenchman does
ROT doubt Other equally ear nsIn a npmisn
may doubt without Injury 10 tnat lhDo MOOT, oP
which carries 20 every high achievement
SYNTHETIC TOBACCO.
r,ko sro,bsr instance of NJ Berthelots synthetic
study. lie has produced nicotine, which is the es-
ss.tial nrincple of the tobacco leaf OF commerce.
Nv ,restino ,alomine natural g.ucoside' Win ny
drogeu The chemical process Is an open secie' ~ |
tho ishor.,orv The assertion. however, hat TO-
bacco viii ultimately be made by !mpregnaung any
desired or desirable leaf with syhthe'e '
and rolling that into cigar IS ra'hef a 800,
lag prosnect 10 lovers OF the weed. IL Is "a'u''
true ,ha, The leaf is merely 20 mUcn atea osssts
fstIe mo II has constituent cSee-!cncieS VI
own anort from the nicotine which mus s,ro 1v
Her. s S tr approaches the great secret 70
know which would place him aim2s' R a. Gays
,he. Es :cenne . If chemistry grew out OF he
search for TWO things the elixr Oh n,esih he ad-
,ns Jpn Two Secrets VIII never be reveaea
to living man Yer that other compolin1hs he thinks
80 wonderful IN their way r lasSS 70 deny The pos
onous principle thai enters into hemock No com
rns sfS been made fss nicotine slight
that the transior. ma cIy process Ho" @'"