The Tendencies of Chemistry 



regular and short. And yet organic chemistry, 

 working almost exclusively with four elements 

 carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen sreemed 

 less amply equipped than mineral chemistry 

 which has the entire array of simple bodies at 

 its disposal. What is the cause of this unequal 

 development ? 



The very nature of the forces called into 

 action used to be the chemist's reply; living 

 nature has endless resources, which can never 

 be available in a laboratory, and life is accom- 

 panied by specific processes, which by their very 

 nature are beyond our reach; man can destroy 

 molecules, but Nature alone can fasten the 

 delicate bonds of organic compounds. This 

 view rested on the authority of Lavoisier him- 

 self, who, a few days before his death, had 

 written: "The object of chemistry, in sub- 

 mitting to experiment the different natural 

 bodies, is to decompose them and find itself 

 in a position to examine separately the different 

 substances which enter into their composition. 

 Chemistry, therefore, advances towards its object 

 and its perfection by dividing, sub-dividing and 

 sub-dividing again." 



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