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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1921 
  

  

  and 
  call 
  these 
  constituents 
  CHON 
  for 
  short. 
  Nitrogen 
  and 
  oxygen 
  

   have 
  been 
  impartially 
  apportioned 
  by 
  Providence 
  to 
  every 
  country 
  

   in 
  exact 
  proportion 
  to 
  its 
  area. 
  Hydrogen 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  

   water 
  \Yhicli 
  heaven 
  showers 
  upon 
  most 
  lands 
  in 
  sufficient 
  abund- 
  

   ance. 
  Carbon 
  also 
  is 
  distributed 
  equally 
  and 
  freely 
  in 
  the 
  carbon 
  

   dioxide 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere, 
  but 
  in 
  such 
  minute 
  amount 
  that 
  we 
  must 
  

   employ 
  the 
  plants 
  to 
  collect 
  it 
  for 
  us, 
  especially 
  those 
  which 
  lived 
  

   in 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  period, 
  when 
  vegetation 
  was 
  more 
  abundant 
  and 
  

   worked 
  cheaper 
  than 
  it 
  does 
  to-day. 
  

  

  To 
  effect 
  the 
  liquefaction 
  of 
  coal, 
  all 
  that 
  is 
  necessary 
  is 
  to 
  add 
  

   water 
  to 
  it. 
  But 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  problem 
  in 
  simple 
  addition, 
  like 
  

   dissolving 
  a 
  lump 
  of 
  sugar 
  in 
  a 
  cup 
  of 
  coffee. 
  It 
  involves 
  linking 
  up 
  

   electrons, 
  and 
  usually 
  heat, 
  pressure, 
  and 
  a 
  catalyst 
  are 
  needed 
  to 
  

   effect 
  the 
  union 
  of 
  the 
  atoms. 
  

  

  What 
  kind 
  of 
  chemical 
  compounds 
  might 
  be 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  coal, 
  

   air, 
  and 
  water? 
  Obviously 
  all 
  the 
  multifarious 
  substances 
  composed 
  

   of 
  these 
  elements 
  that 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  three 
  kingdoms 
  of 
  nature, 
  animal, 
  

   mineral, 
  and 
  vegetable. 
  We 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  raw 
  materials 
  to 
  work 
  

   with 
  as 
  the 
  plants 
  and 
  animals 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  source 
  of 
  energy, 
  and 
  

   we 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  anything 
  that 
  is 
  made 
  by 
  any 
  living 
  

   creature 
  if 
  we 
  only 
  knew 
  enough. 
  But 
  we 
  can 
  go 
  much 
  further 
  and 
  

   make 
  hundreds 
  of 
  thousands 
  of 
  carbon 
  compounds 
  that 
  never 
  existed 
  

   until 
  they 
  were 
  invented 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  recently 
  been 
  demonstrated 
  to 
  the 
  surprise 
  of 
  the 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  world 
  that 
  methanol 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  from 
  coal 
  and 
  water. 
  

   IMethanol 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  liquid 
  as 
  has 
  hitherto 
  been 
  commonly 
  known 
  

   as 
  "methyl 
  alcohol" 
  or 
  "wood 
  alcohol," 
  but 
  this 
  name 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  

   cause 
  of 
  frequent 
  and 
  sometimes 
  fatal 
  confusion 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  think 
  

   the 
  alcohols 
  are 
  fit 
  to 
  drink. 
  Ethyl 
  alcohol 
  looks 
  very 
  much 
  like 
  her 
  

   smaller 
  sister 
  methyl, 
  but 
  the 
  two 
  can 
  be 
  distinguished 
  by 
  their 
  

   physiological 
  reaction 
  on 
  the 
  human 
  system. 
  Ethyl 
  may 
  make 
  u 
  

   man 
  blind 
  drunk 
  but 
  methyl 
  may 
  make 
  him 
  drunk 
  blind. 
  Methanol 
  

   in 
  its 
  proper 
  place, 
  which 
  is 
  outside 
  the 
  human 
  stomach, 
  is 
  a 
  use- 
  

   ful 
  article 
  in 
  many 
  manufactures 
  and 
  some 
  8,000,000 
  gallons 
  have 
  

   been 
  made 
  in 
  America 
  annually 
  by 
  the 
  distillation 
  of 
  wood. 
  But 
  

   this 
  method 
  of 
  manufacture 
  is 
  now 
  hard 
  hit 
  by 
  a 
  new 
  and 
  cheaper 
  

   process 
  developed 
  in 
  Germany, 
  which 
  uses 
  water 
  gas 
  as 
  the 
  raw 
  

   material. 
  

  

  Various 
  other 
  alcohols, 
  such 
  as 
  butyl 
  alcohol, 
  made 
  in 
  America 
  

   by 
  fermenting 
  corn, 
  are 
  made 
  in 
  Germany 
  from 
  water 
  gas. 
  Such 
  

   liquids 
  are 
  finding 
  a 
  new 
  and 
  extensive 
  field 
  as 
  solvents 
  for 
  the 
  

   cellulose 
  lacquers 
  which 
  are 
  being 
  used 
  on 
  automobiles 
  and 
  furniture. 
  

   They 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  displace 
  in 
  large 
  part 
  the 
  paint 
  and 
  varnish 
  which 
  

   have 
  been 
  employed 
  from 
  time 
  immemorial, 
  since 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  either 
  

  

  