1858.] Organic Bodies without the agency of Vitality. 539 



which had up to that time been known only as a product of the 

 animal organism.* Tliis discovery was followed many years later 

 by tlie artificial formation of acetic acid, which was produced by 

 Kolbe from a mixture of protochloride of carbon, water, and 

 chlorine exposed to sunlight, the chloracetic acid thus obtained 

 being afterwards converted into acetic acid by an amalgam of 

 potassium. The subsequent production of methyl by the same 

 chemist from acetic acid, added one of the organic radicals to the 

 list of compounds producible from their elements. Although little 

 further progress was made for several years in this department of 

 chemical research, yet the artificial production of urea and acetic 

 acid, together with their derivatives, completely broke down the 

 barrier between so-called " organic " and " in-organic " bodies ; 

 and although the name " organic " was still retained for the class 

 of bodies to which it had previously been assigned, it was now 

 obviously no longer strictly applicable. 



The recent ingenious researches of M. Berthelot have greatly 

 extended this branch of chemical enquiry, and have, in a most im- 

 portant degree, increased the number of bodies capable of artificial 

 formation. The production of chloride of methyl and the members 

 of the olefiant gas family up to amylene (Cio Hio) furnish us with 

 the whole series of alcohols and their derivatives, from amylic 

 alcohol downwards. Phenylic alcohol and naphthaline, both artifi- 

 cially produced by Berthelot, yield a host of interesting bodies; 

 whilst phenylcarbamic acid enables us to step from the phenylic to the 

 salicylic group, since, when treated with hyponitrous acid, it yields 

 salicylic acid. Lastly, M. Berthelot has succeeded in artificially 

 forming glycerine, the basis of animal and vegetable oils and fats, 

 and also in forming grape sugar ; the latter however is obtained by 

 the contact of glycerine with putrifying animal matter, and conse- 

 quently cannot be said to be produced altogether without the agency 

 of vitality ; although the putrifying organic matter contributes none 

 of its constituents to the new compound, and does not undergo any 

 appreciable change in weight or appearance during the process. 

 These substances yield such a numerous class of derivatives that 

 upwards of 700 distinct organic compounds can now be produced 

 from their elements without the agency of vitality. 



The processes employed for the artificial production of these 

 bodies, though deeply interesting, present, with one or two excep- 

 tions, little or no analogy to the natural mode by which organic 

 compounds are formed in the tissues of plants ; but the speaker 

 endeavoured to show, that a close attention to the nature of the 

 inorganic materials assimilated by the vegetable kingdom, and their 

 relations to the more important organic compounds derived from 

 plants, leads to the belief, that such compounds can be successfully 



* The artificial formation of urea from cyanate of ammonia was exhibited 

 under the influence of polarised electric light. 



