REVIEWS — CHEMICAL METHOD, NOTATION, <fec. 295 



straight lines ; both curves hare for their limiting form the parabola, 

 which itself may degenerate into two parallel straight lines, or into a 

 single straight line, or be wholly imaginary. 



EE VIEWS. 



Chemical Method, Notation, Classification, and Nomenclature. By 

 Auguste Laurent, formerly Professor of Chemistry at the Faculty of 

 Sciences of Bordeaux, &c. Translated by "William Odling, M.B., 

 F.C.S., Professor of Practical Chemistry and Natural Philosophy 

 at Gary's Hospital. London : Printed for the Cavendish Society 

 by Harrison & Sons. 1855. 



Modern Chemistry can boast of few more persevering and success- 

 ful cultivators than the late Auguste Laurent, who occupied so 

 prominent a position among the most distinguished chemists of 

 France. Not only did he enrich the science with the discovery, we 

 might almost say, of an infinity of new and interesting compounds, 

 but he was led during their investigation to propose theories respecting 

 their formation and constitution, which, although, most fiercely 

 combatted on their promulgation, and for a long period by no mean3 

 generally received, have during the last few years attracted a large 

 share of attention, and have been, at least in part, almost universally 

 adopted. 



Dumas first put forward the idea of substitution, or rather of the 

 law which regulates it, but it was Laurent who first pointed out the 

 real value of the discovery, and immensely extended the theory. 

 While the greatest credit must be allowed to the many eminent 

 chemists whose labors in organic chemistry are daily enriching the 

 science with most interesting discoveries, it cannot be denied that in 

 many cases they are but following in the path opened by the investi- 

 gations of Laurent. 



The career of the celebrated French chemist is peculiarly interesting 

 as connected with the history of chemistry and of chemical polemics, 

 for his publications drew down upon him the ponderous and gigantic 

 learning of Berzclius, and the acute and cutting irony of the belli- 

 gerent Liebig. Some of the most learned, but at the same time most 

 polemical papers of the celebrated chemist of G-iessen, arose from his 

 discussions with Laurent. Many who have watched the progress of 

 chemistry during the last twenty memberthe doubt, 



not to say ridicule, with, which many of Laurent's assertions wero 

 received, both in France and Germany, but they will also confess that 



