vi SMITH'S INTERMEDIATE CHEMISTRY 



may, it is true, demolish a building, but it is chemistry that erects 

 it, even the steel-ribbed skyscrapers and mammoth monoliths 

 of concrete. 



Chemistry is the democratic science. It bestows upon the 

 poorest what once were the gifts of kings; jewels and bright- 

 dyed garments, sugar and scents, vessels of porcelain and metal, 

 foreign fruits and out-of -season foods, books and pictures. Chem- 

 istry carries music into farmhouse and tenement on disks of resin 

 and reveals to multitudes from the celluloid film scenes from a 

 distance and past events; thus short-circuiting space and time. 

 Chemistry has brought light into dark dwellings by means of 

 windows and lamps. It supplies food to the hungry, for with 

 nitrogen extracted from the air and phosphorus from the rocks 

 it makes two blades of corn grow where one grew before. 



Chemistry is the joyous science. It contributes most to the 

 pleasures of life. Every scent and every savor is due to chem- 

 istry. The tints that delight the eye in flower or fruit, in gem 

 or painting, the greens and browns of the forest leaves, the reds 

 and yellows of the brick-built town, the black of print, the dyes of 

 cloth, the blush on the maiden's cheek whether it be natural or 

 artificial all colors are chemical. We may not gratify our ears 

 with music more than once a week, but we satisfy our chemical 

 senses three times a day and chemical colors delight our eyes all 

 the hours they are open. The students should realize that chem- 

 istry is not exclusively concerned with the stuff in the bottles be- 

 hind the prescription counter, but has just as much to say about 

 the soda-water side to which they are quite naturally more at- 

 tracted. They should understand that chemistry includes not 

 merely the process of cooking but the process of digestion. This 

 explains why we have introduced some unconventional topics and 

 experiments in the following pages. 



Chemistry is a practical science. None touches everyday life 

 at more points except its sister science, physics, between which 

 and chemistry no clear boundary can be drawn. None has more 



