317 



opinion with perhaps a greater- chance of success, if a magnetic 

 field (C) be superimposed on an electric field (C), whether it be 

 an electrostatic field or an electric current. 



The question occupying us here must, therefore, be treated 

 experimentally, either by searching for an intrinsically photo- 

 chemical reaction, for an electrolytical, or more in general: for 

 an electro-chemical process, in which a new asymmetric carbon-atom 

 is produced in the molecule, and which reaction, in the way described 

 above, can be dissymmetrically arranged, i.e. under circumstances, 

 the complex of which forms a system of causes non superposable 

 with its mirror-image. Indeed, if we compare these postulations 

 with the conditions hitherto created in the very few direct 

 experiments of this kind, we must come to the conclusion, that 

 no serious and well thought-out attempts in this direction must 

 be neglected in future. 



Some of the plans to be followed have already been shortly 

 indicated in Chapter F; and some of these experiments have been 

 started in the author's laboratory 1 ). But no experiments in other 

 laboratories should be left untried, as this problem is an extremely 

 important one for the general development of our scientific concep- 

 tions in this sphere of research, and the experimental evidence 

 brought by others can only be adopted gratefully, as a help in over- 

 coming the very great experimental difficulties of such investigations. 



All attempts, even those well thought-out, to bring about a 

 complete asymmetrical synthesis directly, have up till now only met 

 with negative results. 



In Meyer's experiments the benzoyl- formate of laevogyr&tory 

 amyl-alcohol was reduced to the corresponding mandelate by sodium- 

 amalgama, in a magnetic field of 180 C. G. S., while a beam of 

 polarized light passed through the solution parallel to the lines 

 of force. The result was that only racemic mandelic acid could be 

 obtained. This negative result cannot be surprising, as the experi- 

 ment is badly conceived. 



J ) Some experiments of this kind were carried out in 1909 by Ph. A. Guye 

 and G. Drouginine (Journ. de Chim. phys., 7, 97, (1909). In superposed electric 

 and magnetic fields, they tried the addition of bromine to methyl/umarate or methyl- 

 cinnamate in chloroform-solution, but without observing any optical activity. Per- 

 haps the fields applied were too feeble; more probably, however, the cause of the 

 negative results may be explained by the fact that the applied forces were no 

 essential conditions for the occurrence of the chemical reaction considered. 



