Fkdiuaky S, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



163 



from demicleated Ofjgs or fi-agmonts of 

 eggs, is fallacious. Seeliger also brings for- 

 ward positive or direct evidence to show 

 that Boveri's generalization is an error. 

 W. K. B. 



The Rm and Development of Organic i'hcm- 



iMry, bj' Carl Schoklemmer, LL. D., F. 



R. S., revised and edited by Akthvr 



Smithells, B. Sc.. Prof. Chemistrj' in 



Yorkshire College, Leeds, Victoria Vniv. 



Macmillan & Co., Xew York. Pp. 280. 



Price 81. GO. 



The first edition of the late Professor 

 St^horlemnier's history of organic chemistry 

 made its appearance in 1879. Until the 

 publication of the present volume no revis- 

 ion appeared, althoujih a German edition, 

 carefully edited, was printed in 1880. It 

 was while Schorlemmer was engaged in the 

 preparation of this second English edition 

 that death overtook liim, and his unfinished 

 task fell into the hands of Professor Smith- 

 ells, who has ably completed it. 



A brief but exceedingly interesting bio- 

 graphical sketch of Schorlemmer precedes 

 the real subject-matter of the book. From 

 this we gather that the researches which 

 made tlie author famous were first begun 

 in 18(il, as a result of the studj- of oils 

 obtained from cannel coal. From them 

 wei-e isolated the alii)hatic hydi'ocarbons. 

 A large field was ojjcned up in this study 

 of the paraffins, and Schorlemmer's results 

 were of great importance in the development 

 of organic chemistry. 



In the first chapter considerable space is 

 devoted to the discussion of the origin of the 

 word chemistry: attention is directed to the 

 earliest attempts at classification; the labors 

 of Lemery, Stahl, Scheele, Lavoisier, 

 Berzelius and Gmelin are fully reviewed, 

 while a concise account of the aetherln theory 

 closes the <'liapter. 



In the second chapter attention is given 

 to Berzelius' attempt to emphasize the dif- 



ference between orgsinie and inorgiinic 

 bodies as pointed out l)y Gjnelin ; the syn- 

 thesis of urea by Wiiider, which created such 

 a high degree of excitement in the chemical 

 world ; and the beginnings of the contro- 

 versy which was waged between Dumas, 

 Liebig and Berzelius. The presentation of 

 the substitution theory and the attacks to 

 which it in turn was subjected are fully and 

 clearly narrated. 



From time to time the story is interruptt'd. 

 Thus, in the fiftli chai)ter. the author brings 

 together the various definitions of organic 

 chemistry. The early definition of Liebig, 

 viz. : that organic chemistry is the chemi.stry 

 of the c()mjK)und i-adicals, was shown to be 

 inadefjuate through tiie efforts of Williamson 

 and Odling, who demonstrated the existence 

 of the same in inorganic compounds. As 

 carbon was recognized as the element 

 common to all organic bodies organic chem- 

 istry might, evi'n in the early days, have 

 been defined as the chemistry of the carbon 

 compounds, or of radicals containing carbon, 

 had it not been that compounds like carbon 

 monoxide, phosgene, carbon disulpliide and 

 the carbon chlorides were not produci-d in 

 the organism. In 1848 Gmelin, believing 

 that he had found a boundary line, wrote, 

 ' hence organic compoumh are all primary covi- 

 jMitnds containing more than one atom of 

 carbon.' This definition no longer sufficed 

 after the chemical world accepted Gerhardfs 

 atomic weights. In 1851 Kekule, recog- 

 nizing the difficulties in the way of a simple, 

 satifactory definition, recorded himself in 

 these words, " organic chemistry is the chem- 

 istry of the carbon compounds." He held it 

 to be a special i)art of pure chemistry, but 

 because of the great number and importance 

 of the carbon compounds believed that it 

 should be separately treated. Erlenmeyer 

 wrote " their study recpiires in many resiH'cts 

 peculiar methods of investigation, dilVerent 

 from those employed in the study of tiio 

 compounds of other elements, and thus the 



