XXV111 



yielded to his wish to devote himself wholly to chemistry ; and Liebig 

 took the only means thenavailable of cultivating the science and placed him- 

 self under the tuition of a druggist at Heppenheim. He remained there, 

 however, for only ten months. His taste for analysis found there no 

 scope, and at last an explosion of fulminating silver in the house of his 

 master suddenly terminated his pharmaceutic career. He then returned 

 to Darmstadt, where he passed half a year in further study. At the age 

 of eighteen we find him at the University of Bonn, and he afterwards 

 studied at Erlangen, where he took a degree, and where he published 

 his first chemical paper in 1822. 



This paper first appeared in Biichner's ' Eepertorium fiir die Phar- 

 macie,' Band xii., under the title " Ueber die Bereitung raid Zusam- 

 mensetzimg des Brugnatellischen unci Howard'schen Knallsilbers, von 

 Herrn Liebig, der Chemie Beflissenen aus Darmstadt." Prof. Kastner 

 accompanies this paper with the following notice : — " The readers must 

 receive with indulgence this first attempt of a young chemist. The 

 author has already studied chemistry zealously in Bonn, and has pursued 

 his studies here in Erlaugen in the same spirit." 



Liebig had felt while at Erlangen the necessity of going to Paris to 

 complete his education ; and he was fortunate enough to obtain from the 

 Grand Duke of Darmstadt a travelling stipend for that object. In 1823 

 we find him in Paris. It was his earnest wish to be admitted to Gay- 

 Lussac's Laboratory ; this, however, could not be, as Gay-Lussac at that 

 time admitted no young people. He succeeded, however, in entering 

 Thenard's Laboratory, and there he resumed his investigation of fulmi- 

 nating silver. 



This research brought him to the meeting of the Erench Academy of 

 Sciences in July 1823, which was to form an era in Liebig's life. He 

 read a paper " On an Analytical Examination of Howard's Eulminating 

 Silver and Mercury Compounds." At the conclusion of the meeting, as 

 he was engaged in packing up his preparations, a Member of the 

 Academy came forward and entered into conversation with him. With 

 the most captivating friendliness the stranger made inquiries about 

 Liebig's studies and other occupations and plans, and invited him to 

 dinner at the Palais Eoyal. They separated without Liebig having 

 had courage to inquire who the stranger was. It was Alexander 

 von Humboldt, who had returned to Paris the day before from Italy 

 after a long absence. Humboldt now recommended his young country- 

 man, who had so quickly and completely won his heart, to his friend 

 Gay-Lussac, for Humboldt knew too well from his own experience the 

 value of working under Gay-Lussac. 



The time which Liebig spent with Gay-Lussac is indisputably the 

 most interesting part of his student life. We may imagine the pleasure 

 these two men must have had in their intercourse : the one 45 years of 

 age and at the summit of his fame, the other scarce 20 years old, but full 



