1902.] Geheimrath Prof. 0. N. Witt on Colouring Matters. 95 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, March 21, 1902. 



George Matthey, Esq. F.R.S. Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Geheimrath Professor Otto N. Witt, Ph.D. F.C.S., of Berlin. 



Becent Developments in Colouring-Matters. 



The love of colour is innate in the human mind, and this alone if 

 nothing else, would be sufficient to account for the interest with 

 which the coal-tar colour-industry has met from its beginning. In 

 England especially its progress has been watched with great atten- 

 tion, and only two days ago the Vice-Patron of this Institution, His 

 Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales, has shown by some remarks 

 made in his Opening Address of the New Technical Institute at 

 Bushey, that the interest taken in this subject has in no way abated. 



Artificial colouring-matters have formed so often the subject of 

 more or less popular lectures, and this subject has been treated with 

 such ability by eminent scientists, that it becomes difficult to show 

 this domain of chemistry in a light new and interesting to an au- 

 dience such as I have to-day the honour to address. Many years ago 

 you have seen in this room the early achievements of the newly- 

 created industry, marvellous for their beauty and brilliancy. Later 

 on the progress of this industry has been duly recorded. More re- 

 cently still it has become the custom in this country to view colour- 

 making not so much from its chemical or industrial side, as from 

 the standpoint of the national economist, who contemplates the 

 values produced by industrial enterprise, and investigates the reasons 

 why these values should be unevenly distributed amongst the different 

 nations, striving side by side for progress and engaged in friendly, 

 yet none the less eager competition. 



I may say at once, that I have no intention to treat my subject 

 from either of these points of view. I take it for granted, that every- 

 body is acquainted with the marvellous variety and brilliancy of 

 artificial dye-stuffs, and I am too much of a chemist and too little 

 of an economist to offer any original or valuable view about that side 

 of the question which I have just mentioned. But I shall make an 

 attempt to trace in this lecture the influence of the development of 

 theoretical chemistry on the progress of the colour industry. If in 

 so doing, I should refer now and then to theoretical points without 

 being able to explain them in detail, I hope to be forgiven. 



In beginning this lecture allow me briefly to refer to the history 

 of it. 



