Feb. lo, 1876] 



NATURE 



283 



plates in the present volume are original ones from the 

 skilful pencil of Mr. J. H. Emerton ; these suffer in some 

 measure (as do also some of the others) from their pro- 

 duction by the Albert-t>-pe process ; but in point of accu- 

 rate detail and artistic finish their figures are immea- 

 surably in advance of those engraved from Hentz's 

 drawings. It is to Mr. Emerton, who appears to have 

 resolutely entered upon the field of araneology, and to 

 his great powers of delineation, that the arachnologists of 

 the Old World now look for the thorough working out 

 and illustration of the Spiders of North America. 



O. P. C. 



DYEING AND CALICO PRINTING 



Dyeing and Calico Printing, including an Account of the 

 Most Recent Improvements in the Manufacture and Use 

 of Aniline Colours. By the late Dr. F. Grace- Calvert, 

 F.R.S., F.C.S. Edited by John Stenhouse, LL.D., 

 F.R.S., &c., and CharleS Edward Groves, F.C.S. 

 (Manchester : Palmer and Howe ; London : Simpkin, 

 Marshall, and Co., 1876) 



I^HE subjects treated of in the volume now before us 

 possess a twofold interest— first as involving ques- 

 tions of pure science in the domain of organic chemistrj' ; 

 and secondly, as being of immense industrial importance 

 to the country. It does not enter into our province to 

 Eotice the work in its industrial aspect, but we have no 

 hesitation in stating that author and editors have per- 

 formed their task in a highly creditable manner. From 

 ever)- point of view the work will be found useful, and we 

 can recommend it to the scientific chemist as well as to 

 dyers and calico printers. 



The author, who died in 1873, had been occupied up 

 to the time of his death in preparing a treatise on colour- 

 ing matters other than aniline. The present work has 

 been edited from the author's MSS. with the addition of 

 five chapters, forming a considerable portion of the book, 

 on the coal-tar colours, by the editors. 



The mode of treatment pursued is nearly the same for 

 each dye. The natural history and source of the material 

 from which the colour is obtained are first given, then the 

 chemical composition and mode of preparation or manu- 

 facture, and finally the method of appUcation to the 

 various fabrics described. The whole subject is pro- 

 fusely illustrated by specimens of dyed and printed 

 fabrics pasted into the book. 



The work is appropriately prefaced by an obituary 

 notice of the author. The first chapter treats of colour 

 in general and the action of different forces, chemical 

 agents, &c., on the various colouring matters. We must 

 object to the definition of colour given in this chapter. 

 It is defined as " the impression that the light reflected 

 from a surface makes upon the eye," thus excluding all 

 cases in which colour is caused by absorption. 



Chapters 1 1 . and III. are entirely devoted to madder dyes, 

 and contain, among much valuable chemical information, 

 a description of Prof. Stokes's optical tests for alizarin and 

 purpurin. The method of dyemg in Turkey red and the 

 action of different mordants in madder and garancin 

 printing is clearly explained, and the manufacture of 

 artificial alizarin described. Chapter IV. treats of the 



red dyewoods — logwood, sapan, Lima, peach, and Brazil 

 woods ; also of safflower and alkanet. Chapters V. and 

 VI. are devoted to indigo — this portion of the subject being 

 described in considerable detail. Chapter VII. contains 

 accounts of cochineal, kermes, gumlac, lac dye, lac lake, 

 and murexide, while Chapter VIII. treats of orchil, 

 cudbear, and litmus. In Chapter IX. some of the im- 

 portant yellow colouring matters are treated of, such as 

 quercitron, fustic, Persian berries, weld, aloes, turmeric, 

 annatto, (Sec. ; while tannin matters form the subject of 

 Chapter X., the most important of these being sumach 

 and catechu. Chapter XI. contains descriptions of the 

 methods employed for testing and determining the com- 

 mercial value of particular samples of the various dye- 

 stuffs. In this chapter v/ill be found described some of 

 the different forms of " colorometers " which have been 

 devised for estimating the colouring power of dyes. 



The portion of the work devoted to the coal-tar colours 

 commencing with Chapter XII. begins mth an account of 

 the various bodies which have been found in coal-tar. A 

 list of thirty-eight distinct compounds is given, and many 

 more doubtless exist. The most important substance 

 produced in the dry distillation of coal, so far as the dye 

 manufacturer is concerned, is benzene. The conversion 

 of this substance into aniline is explained, and the manu- 

 facture of magenta described, the chapter concluding 

 with an account of safranine and some other anihne reds. 

 Chapter XIII. treats of aniline violets, and blues such as 

 mauve, the Hofmann and methyl-aniline violets, diphenyl- 

 amine, and Nicholson's blues, &c. In Chapter XIV. we 

 have a description of the greens, aldehyde, iodine, and 

 methyl-aniline and the anUine yellows, phosphine, zina- 

 line, &c Chapter XV. treats of aniline black and brown, 

 and the concluding chapter is devoted to the phenol, 

 cresol, and naphthalene colours, including picric acid, 

 corallin, aurin, and others. Not the least useful portion 

 of the book will be found the tables at the end, which 

 consist, first of a list of the madder-colouring matters, 

 their formulae, and reactions, and then a series of tables, 

 which will enable the analyst to distinguish the different 

 colours when fixed on fabrics. 



The above imperfect sketch of the present volume will 

 enable our readers to form an idea of the immense 

 number of distinct compounds used in dyeing and calico 

 printing, and the apparently heterogeneous nature of the 

 products, both natural and artificial, called upon to 

 furnish materials for these arts. It must not be forgotten 

 that the enormous development of these industrial arts 

 within the last few years is entirely due to researches 

 undertaken in the first instance without special regard to 

 the commercial aspects of the questions involved — witness 

 the accidental discovery of mauve, the first of the aniline 

 dyes, in the course of an investigation for obtaining 

 quinine by artificial means. 



The manufacture of alizarin, the colouring principle of 

 madder, is another triumph of organic chemistry, of 

 which the present generation may justly be proud. It is 

 perhaps not going too far to look for a similar achieve- 

 ment with regard to indigo — in point of fact we may 

 remind our readers that the colour-giving principle of 

 this substance has already been synthesised by the fol- 

 lowing series of reactions. 



A mixture of dried calciimi, acetate, and benzoate is 



