289 



chemical synthesis in plants and animals, wo should now be 

 living in a world which would be the very mirror-image of this 

 world, -- and of course not a happier one than it is. 



I '.ut here the last and most fundamental problem forces it- li 

 insistently on us: what was the origin of that first optirullv 

 active substance which determined and predestinated the direction 

 of natural synthesis for all later times? 



In contrast with the contentions of vitalism, and quite in the 

 line of what was said with respect to our present conception of 

 the analogy between natural and artificial synthesis, we can only 

 guess that the formation of that first dissymetrical molecule- 

 species was certainly not connected with that of the first "living" 

 particle. Indeed, the formation of such an optically active mole- 

 cule, either alone and unaccompanied by its antipode, or together 

 with its racemic compound, can within the scope of our present 

 views only have occurred by dissymmetrical influences outside all 

 living organism. 



The dissymetrical synthesis under such conditions is the only 

 true "asymmetrical synthesis"; we will distinguish it from that 

 previously mentioned, by the name "total" asymmetrical synthesis. 



Until such a total asymmetrical synthesis has directly been 

 performed with success, we cannot claim that we really understand 

 natural synthesis absolutely, or in its full significance. 



9. Experiments on partial "asymmetric synthesis", as discuss- 

 ed above, have however been successfully made during the last 

 fifteen years. One of the first attempts of this kind was made 

 in 1904 by Simon 1 ), who prepared the ether from inactive 

 lactic acid and laevogyrate amyl-alcohol; saponification by means 

 of KOH of the ether formed, gave however only an inactive 

 acid. Simon concludes that evidently no partial separation of 

 the racemic compound has taken place. If he had not completed 

 the reaction, but stopped it, before equilibrium was reached, or 

 if he had used a quantity of alcohol insufficient for total etherifi- 

 cation, the result might perhaps have been better. 



Frankland and Price 2 ) made analogous experiments in 1897 

 with inactive glycerinic acid and laevogyrate amyl-alcohol, but they 



1) L. Simon, Bull, de la Soc. Chim. Paris (3). 11. 760. (1894). 



2) P. F. Frankland and A. S. Price, Proceed. Chem. Soc. 188. 9. (1897); 

 Journ. Chem. Soc. 71. 353. (1897). 



'9 



