214 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XVII, 
even life itself, as the complex moe ee met within living 
materia] are optically active. In this way, stereochemistry 
has intruded itself into other sciences, e.g. Biochemistry. 
For a quarter of a century after the enunciation of the 
doctrine of the asymmetric carbon atom by Van’t Hoff and 
LeBel in 1874, no instance was known of an optically active 
substance which did not contain an asymmetric Carbon atom 
The discovery by Pope and Peachey in 1899 of d-and e 
iodides, (C,H,)(C;H,)(C;H,) 
(CH, ) N1, however, furnished ata in which the optical — 
activity was due to no cther element than an asymmetric 
quinquevalent Nitrogen atom. Similar instances were ma 
added by the resolution of other types of nitrogen compounds 
of enantiomorphous molecular configuration by AMoinanheitss 
and the oe writer. 
oneeee attached to four or five different atoms or radicles ; 
n other words the enantiomorphism of molecular configuration 
nae be detected by the presence of such an asymmetric atom. 
n 1874 Van’t Hoff had already peciicted that molecular 
poo erehe RS and coe activity should be realizable by 
the allene type of molecule 
b> C:C:C ¢ § 
in which there is no individual asymmetric atom present. 
Previously this case had escaped realisation ser ee ce 
be 1 1909, reo a and Wallach furnished an example 
ulfilling similar conditions by resol ]- 
Ry ioral e y resolving “wnethig! ioyolohaxs 
CH3 Yc 6 ees 7 H 
\ CH, — cH, as rn 
into its optically active components. This substance although 
necessarily possessing enantiomorphous molecular configuration 
contains no atom which is asymmetric in the sense of the 
original definition, The optically active complex cobalt, 
chromium, rhodium and iron compounds obtained by Werner 
