10 CHARLES ANTHONY GOESSMANN 



in which he had already achieved notable success. 

 Owing, however, to the opposition of Eilhard Mitscher- 

 lich, to whom the matter was referred by the Prussian 

 Ministry of Public Worship and Instruction, the proj- 

 ect was abandoned. 



As already mentioned, Goessmann's most important 

 researches in the field of pure chemistry were con- 

 ducted in the laboratory at Gottingen in the years 1852 

 to 1857 years which were among the most active, 

 fruitful, and enjoyable of his whole life. The free and 

 cordial way hi which he worked in conjunction with 

 his pupils and others is partly seen in the various names 

 which are associated with his in authorship. 



His earliest investigation of which there is any pub- 

 lished record, and with which his active scientific 

 career may be said to begin, was upon the composition 

 of Cantharis vesicatoria y and the results of this research, 

 as already noted, appeared first in the dissertation for 

 his doctorate. 1 He found that the fat of cantharidin 

 consists of stearin, palmitin, and olein in the form of 

 acid glycerides of margaric and oleic acids. At the 

 suggestion of Professor Heintz he attempted the reso- 

 lution of margaric acid by fractional precipitation into 

 stearic and palmitic acids, and succeeded in separating 

 the latter acid. In 1854 he discovered in the oil of the 

 ground-nut (Arachis hypogaea) a new acid with the 

 formula C 20 H 40 O 2 , subsequently confirmed by Berthe- 



1 The brief outline of Goessmann's work in the Gottingen Laboratory 

 here given does not conform in all respects to the chemistry of the 

 present. Nevertheless, as it was revised by Goessmann himself, though 

 many years ago, and received his approval, the editors decided to print 

 it unchanged. 



