THE DOMAINS OF MORPHOLOGY 5 



molecular morphology. X-ray analysis has provided us with exact 

 data on the mutual position and distances of the atoms and groups of 

 atoms in organic molecules, and this has greatly added to our knowl- 

 edge of stereochemistry. Nowadays we know, not only the formulae 

 of many compounds, but also, with astounding accuracy, their entire 

 morphological structure. 



From the molecular region, the elucidation of the constitution of 

 high polymers has already advanced into the submicroscopic region 

 as a new branch of structural chemistry. In the case of polysaccharides 

 and polypeptides, for instance, it shows that thousands of similar 

 structural elements can be united to gigantic chain molecules which 

 sometimes even reach microscopic lengths. Staudinger, to whom 

 we owe this knowledge, designates this new kind of study as macro- 

 molecular chemistry. 



This might lead one to believe that the link between cytological 

 and molecular morphology has been forged and that, consequently, 

 a special submicroscopic morphology would become superfluous. 

 This, however, is by no means true, for, the high polymer chains can 

 arrange themselves in more or less regular lattices which in their turn 

 cluster together to form porous structures, interspersed with numerous 

 capillary spaces of various sizes. Or again, they may form loose mesh- 

 works with a totally different degree of order. Besides chains, there 

 may occur lamellar high polymers, thus allowing for a great many 

 possible arrangements of the submicroscopic elements. Consequently, 

 in addition to the problems of constitution in macromolecular chemis- 

 try, there exist morphological problems of a special kind, the de- 

 scription of which can best be characterized as the morphological study of 

 fine-structure. In biology this nomenclature is synonymous with the 

 study oi micellar systems (Frey 1928b), provided the new definition on 

 p. 81 be taken into account. 



In Fig. I the lower boundary line of the morphological domain of 

 the fine-structures has been drawn arbitrarily at the limit of visibility 

 of the smallest gold particles in the ultramicroscope. The resolving 

 power of the electron microscope, which may yet be improved, lies 

 for the present within the same range. This serves to show that the 

 order of magnitude of our field of research coincides with that of 

 classical colloid chemistry. In contrast with the isolated dispersed 

 particles, however, the colloid dimensions do not refer to all three 



