The times., 1899-08-17
PROF BUNSEN DEAD.
He Made Discoveries Important to
the Scientific World.
Berlin, Aug. 16-Prof. Bunsen, the IA
nous German chemist. is dead at Heidei-
berg. He was eighty eight years of age.

osrg. he was eighty eight years of age.
Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Won Bunssn
was born March 13, 1911. at Go,tingen,
wnere his father held some literary pro-
fessorshlp in the theological faculty. AT
the university he studied chemistry more
than other things. while not neglecting the
instruction of Ganss the leading mathe
maticlan OF the world. Graduated in 1880,
ne repaired to Paris. then spent year in
Berlin, and then year in Vienna.
In 1888 Bunsen was appointed pro ,essor
IN the polytechnic School of Cas5el-aa
institution whose professors have, on the
average, been abler than those of most o.
the universities, and here he at once be-
spoke the stuff of his composition by Sc
lecting alkarsin or the fuming liquor OF
Cadet, as the subject OF his researches, and
by sticking to them undauntedy till a
stopping place was reached.
After long years of experimental failure,
during which those who were near him de-
clared their impression that Bunsen never
was for a moment cast down or at a loss,
he was rewarded by a discovery that made
a great sensation in the chemical world
OF that day. 1t was that alkarsin is the
oxide of true organic metal, cacodFl,
now generally called arsen- -methyl, which
he likewise isolated, Investigating its COM
pounds generally. This discovery opened
up long chapter of chemistry; for down
to that date no body OF that description
was known
In 1888 Bunsen was appointed extraor-
dinary' professor-or, in such rough ver-
sion as single word can supply brevet
professor-in the University OF Marburg.
where he remained for thirteen years
Here, finding hematite iron mines, he forth
with took up the study of the high furnace.
Having demonstrated the vast waste OF heat
| IN IT, he at once proceeded to invent the ap-
! pliances of the hot blast, thus enriching
every man, woman, and child in the civil
lied world. But different and an exceed
ingly important boon was to come to chem
! lists from Bunsen's study of the blast fur
mace, namely, he was thus led to develop
his method of gas analysis.
! In 1874 he investigated volcanic phenom-
epa in Italy, and in 1S47 he made his eels-
brated voyage to Iceland to study geysers
and the other curiosities OF that strange
country. He worked out an explanation of
the perplexing phenomena Of geysers which
stood absolutely without rival until the
| American geysers were studied, and which
| is, even yet, generally accepted.
! In 1S4l Bunsen was made the titular pro-
| fessor at Marburg. 1t was about this time
i that he began his studies of electrolysis
| and the electrical arc. In that same year
/ he invented the Bunsen battery cell, which
remained the usual means of producing
current of very high intensity until the
/ days of dynamos.
Bunsen carefully determined the atomic
volumes Of the elements he thus prepared,
data which proved most precious at subse
quent date, when Mayer and Mendelejeii
were studying the periodic law. He also
invariably determined their specific heats.
property whose significance was well
known, since according to Dulong and
| Petit's law, the product of the specific
heat of an element by its atomic weight is
about 6.3, For those determinations the
| use of caIorimeter was requisite. Now
| calorimeters had been big and unmanage
| able instruments, requiring more precau-
tions in their use than tongue can tell, and
reaching no very high degree of exactitnde,
after all. The physicist who experimental
with calorimeter was considered as hav
! ing his hands full for a long period. The
great difficulty was to prevent the heat
/ from getting away unmeasured, and TO
prevent that large room had to be given
up to the instrument. But Bunsen con-
trived a caiorimeter which was contained
! in test-tube Nor was this ice-calori-
meter the only instrument in that class
with which he enriched the science OF
/ heat.
Bunsen vas. striking instance of the
eccentricity CT genius. The stupendous ego
| tism OF genius had no existence In him.
/ He never betrayed feeling that he was
one of those perfect productions for the
sake of which the evolution OF the universe
had originally been set in motion. On the
contrary he gave up the whole OF an ordin-
/ ary mans working day to his students
his own researches being conducted in the
hours that remained over-those of the
early morning and of the night. He entered
| into his students aspirations with his
whole heart. He cared for all his students,
| and seemed to be as much interested with
| the difficulties of one who might be in the
| A b c of the art as with those OF another
who might be pursuing some original in
vestigation. He was so helpful that what
/ a man had accomplished in the way OF un-
| raveling difficult question while in Bun
sens laboratory could not be taken as any
| Indication OF what he would be able to do
by himself. The personal success of the
men seemed to be the matter of prime inn
| portance in Buusens eyes. His own scin-
| tific work he seemed to rate as fascinat
| ing amusement: but to any credit that
might thence accrue, he was all but indif
ferent. The unanimity with which his
| scholars of all ages and nationalities, were
moved to affectionate veneration for him.
is conclusive sign Of his extraordinary
| unselfishness.