AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN 

 EDITION. 



IN the two and a half years that have passed since 

 the appearance of the first edition of the present 

 work, the application of the electric current in organic 

 chemistry has undergone such a marked development 

 that the book in its original form could no longer 

 claim to give an adequate idea of our present knowl- 

 edge of organic electrolysis and electrosynthesis. 

 During these last two years in particular a series of 

 important researches which systematically invade this 

 new field of chemistry have been brought out in rapid 

 succession. 



Since I am now engaged in the preparation of a 

 new German edition, the desire of Dr. H. W. F. 

 Lorenz to translate the book affords an excellent 

 opportunity for presenting the revised and completed 

 edition directly to his fellow countrymen. I hope 

 that his excellent translation may also tend to draw 

 the attention of his American colleagues to this broad 



