THE CHEMIST AS A CONSTRUCTOR. 807 



like purpose had proved futile. It was Loew who in 1886 suc- 

 ceeded in preparing a more concentrated solution of formaldehyde 

 than could be made before. He found that the vapor of wood- 

 spirit in contact with heated oxide of copper furnishes formalde- 

 hyde in abundant quantities. Moreover, he found that condensa- 

 tion of this aldehyde to sugar is easily achieved by digesting a 

 solution of it with slaked lime. The product, to which he gave 

 the name of f ormose, has exactly the composition of grape-sugar ; 

 it has a sweet taste, and acts on Fehling's solution as sugar does ; 

 the resemblance extends to several further properties ; but still 

 there are some slight points of difference, which have caused a 

 few chemists to raise objections as to its classification among 

 sugars. The question of the formation of sugar from aldehydes 

 would perhaps have remained undecided for the present, had 

 not recent experiments, made by Fischer and Taf el, confirmed the 

 statements before mentioned by giving evidence of the formation 

 of sugar by condensation from other aldehydes. Their state- 

 ments were supported by Grimaux, who, by subjecting glycerin 

 to the oxidizing influence of finely divided platinum, obtained a 

 substance resembling grape-sugar in all its properties, which in 

 contact with yeast even undergoes fermentation, producing alco- 

 hol and carbonic acid, and hereby manifesting the character of a 

 true sugar. 



These results not only enable us to prepare by a chemical pro- 

 cess this substance, formerly only known to be produced by living 

 plants, but they also afford important facts and proofs which jus- 

 tify us in expecting the synthetical formation of other compounds 

 playing a part in the vegetation of plants, thereby acquiring an 

 insight into those complicated phenomena of organic life which 

 science hitherto has in vain tried to explain. By perfecting our 

 comprehension of natural processes we become more and more 

 enabled to utilize them for the advancement and the welfare of 

 mankind — an attainment which constitutes the chief aim and pur- 

 pose of natural science in general. 



The experiments of E. H. S. Bailey and E. L. Nichols, upon the delicacy of the 

 sense of taste, indicate that, the impression derived from bitter substances far ex- 

 ceeds that arising from any other class. The order as to the substances experi- 

 mented upon is bitters, acids, saline substances, and sweets. The potency of qui- 

 nine is very remarkable. Men who tasted could detect on the average one part of 

 it in 390,000, and women one part in 456,000 parts of water ; and to sngar it stood 

 in potency as very nearly 2,000 : 1. The range of individual sensitiveness is very 

 extensive. With all the substances tried, except salt, the taste of the women was 

 more delicate than that of the men. But while some of the persons experimented 

 with could detect with certainty one part of quinine in 5,120,000 of water, others 

 failed to notice one part in 160,000. The sense of taste does not appear to be 

 blunted for any substance by long-continued habitual use of it. 



