The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-12-26
PROGRESS OF CHEMISTRY.
Dssis of the Sciences 1t Furnishes Substi-
tutes for Many Staples.

Basis OF the Sciences 1t Furnishes Sucstf-
tutes for Many Staples.
Chemistry is the basis of all the
sciences, and the rate at which it has
been going ahead of late is astonishing.
On a shelf in the patent office, at Wash
ington, are number of bottles contain
ing cologues and various scents. These
were not made from flowers, but are
laboratory compounds, counterfeiting
the perfumes of the rose and other
kinds of blossoms so perfectly that no.
body can tell the difference. Nearly
all of them are entirely new. Altar OF
roses has not yet been produced artl-
fcially, but il is in sight. The chem
lists are approaching it from two direc-
tons. The ethereal oil that gives to
the rose its peculiar fragrance is called
'rhodonol." This oil is found in the
common lemon grass, and also il some
of the geraniums. Efforts are being
made to extract the oil from these
plants, only slight modification being
tequired 20 transform il into the altar.
AT the same time the production of the
altar is being attempted directly from
the elements which nature employs IN
its composition.
The production of artificial musk
from coal tar is a wonderful triumph
of synthetic chemistry. 1t is likely TO
drive the real article out of the mar
ket before long. Though not at all the
same thing as real musk, chemically
=, Isat. d HI
from that of the latter. Musk, of
course, is an important article of COM
merce, obtained from a gland of the
musk deer that roams the pine forests
of the Himalayas. The perfumes of all
flowers are due TO ethereal oils and
before long all of these will be manu-
featured artificially, Ethereal oils give
to fruits their delicious fiavors. There
are hundreds of these oils, and every
one of them can be counterfeited cas-
lily, inasmuch as they are very simple
chemical compounds. Ii doesn't pay
ahy longer to use real fruit syruPs for
soda water, inasmuch as all of them can
be initiated TO perfection with artificial
others or by mixtures of others.
The biggest commercial success IN
the way of artificial flavoring is vanal-
line. This product is keeping down the
price of vanilla beans. and il Is likely
10 drive the latter out of the market.
Already the chemists are manufacture
mig oil of banana, oil of pineapple. oil
of pear, oil of apple. oil of raspberry
and many others. The essential oil OF
banana, obtained by distilling the fruit.
il identical chemically with the labOrR-
tory product. Oil of banana is COM
pound of acetic acid and amyl alcohol,
the latter being the chief constituent OF
fusel oil. OIL of bitter almonds has been
countsrfeited: though chemically diff
ferent. il has the same favor as tie real
The chemists now know how 20 coun-
terfeit Tactic acid, which Is the sour
principle Of sour milk. They also
make citric acid. which IS the sour %
the lemoi \ recent achievement OF
great Importance - the manufacture
OF salicylic acid from oaTbolic acid
One OF the best remedies for govt and
rheumatism 3 saIlcylic acid; also u -
very useful as prcservative- Former
II II was obtained from the winfeTgreea
plant and from certain varieties OF vii
lows, and i is made by the ton and -
extremely cheap-;OO cheap. II fscf.
inasmuch a. i IL freely employed %
gs-e better keeping quality 70 bottled
and otherwise preserved foods Il Kills
the bacteria that produce deoonPosi-
ton. but IL the stomach Il destroys the
digestive fsr.1cats. and or that account
il Is injurious 70 healthy. o. Tines
Uemccrsr