The sun., 1900-12-30

ino,9aric chemistry Ills qualifications to speak
Of tn. modern science Of chemistry are surpassed
b. no living Engsh-spelhng chemist.
The progress Of the science Of chemistry
forms one phase Of the progress Of human
Thought. While at first mankind WIS con-
tented 10 observe certain phenomena. and to
utilize them for industrial purposes. If they
were found suitable philosophers" rs the
thinking portion Of our race loved to call
themselves, have always attempted to
assign some explanation for observed facts
and to group them into similars and dis
similars. 1t was for long imagined, fol-
lowing the doctrines Of the Greeks and
Of their predecessors. that all matter con-
sisted of four elements or principles. names
which survive to this day in popular Ian
guage These were fire" "air." water"
and earth" II was not until the seven
teenth century that Boyle in his "SCeptical
Chymist" u6sp laid the foundations of
the modern science by pointing out that il
was impossible to explain the existence
Of the fairly numerous chemical substances
known in his day. or the changes which
they can be- made tu undergo, by means
Of the ancient Greek hypothesis regarding
the constitution of matter. He laid down
the definition of the modern meaning of
the word element" he declined to accept
the current view that the properties OF
matter could be modified hy assimila-
ting the qualities Of fire, air. earth or water
and he defined an element as the constituent
OF compound body The first problem
L., .gl-,s
OF the numerous forms Of matter were to
be regarded "a elementary. and which are
compound. or composed Of two or more ele-
men,s in state Of combination. and 10
produce such compounds by causing the
appropriate elements to unite with each
other
ANCIENT IDEAS ABOUT THE AIR.
One of the first objects to excite curiosity
and interest was the air which surrounds
us, and IN which We live and move and have
our being II was, however, endowed with
a semi-spirltual and scarcely corporea ma
ture in IT," ideas Of our ancestors, for il
does not affect the senses of sight smell
or taste. and though it can be felt. yet II
emdes our grasp. The word gas" more
over, was not invented until Van Hemont
dar;s,I ;, 20 do,i,,n.,.,, ,.,.;,.,,, L...I
.,irs" ,t,ioL H., h,I ,,,..,,.I nj
nor,a,, ,or, ,.l,i,.,, 90, ,,.,. =. :,
stitnton Of many chemical Compounds
WAS accordingly overlooked, and, indeed
II appeared 10 be amost as striking a feat
of neCromanCy To produce a quantity OF
a gas Of great volume from a small pinch
of.oIi., ,or,i.r ,,r, -Ii,,,, l'''," u"
.,o,,r., h,, -, l,l;,,,o ,'.,. '''"'''
,ro,,, 49,, ., ,aIa,ei ',H"o
N;,,,,, ,,,o.,.,i,,,no,,,," r..,t',r' ~ ',''''"
60, !, oa,,e, g., -, ra,,,,,,,,,,,'',
,,a, '.so. ,,.,, o,,.,,o,,,, ,'o. '''''''!
,ha, ,h.,, a,ar ,,assass -, .,,, pu'
,ha,,,. ,as,,.,,I,o, 49,, -, "'''
D., ~, H., 49,, a.. -,,
h,. MI, ,,r,,,,-o. -, ILt,,,,,..' f,Dn'N "',,.
= ,-,a n, ~ ''"'i' "' i''''-
o'su' :" '''-' '"''ue' ii' n'as'eriy re-
Th.. i,,naro,,o.. =, ,..o -,
gases and Of their weigh, bes a, rho ho,,or,
of the phloqisfic heoyy a theory devised by
s,ahI about tho vear 400 ;, .ooo,,,, o. a..
phenomena OF combustion and re.nira,io,,
spd tho racov.,v or "ro1,,,,i,," ., a,,,'
f,om ,bair "aartb." hv hea,in,, ,yi,,, al'a~
oo,l ar .u;a1 hodias ,oaor1i, .t,
,,,,o,,.,, ,L,or,, .,,t..,., -, -
h,r,;r, r,. ,,.,,,,i,o1 =, VI
~. ,,,'1,-,1., '.i.'.;.,,- '' ,,',',n '''o'o u,
49,, ,,..i i - p", "u
,,',. "1'.tta - a' e' VI u'
=, ~ ~ s,>'''u'e' uehlnd
'''e'"i "'' e"' =" WIEN hea''' Win
o'oN'"n.ee ''oi' III i".o-S'oh, such a coal