XXV 



chemist. All this earnest and arduous work did not, however, pre- 

 vent him from joining in the various amusements going on in his 

 family. He had a good voice and was fond of singing, and in such a 

 musical city as Strasburg there was plenty of scope for this accom- 

 plishment. In the year 1843 he took the degree of Doctor of Medicine, 

 and on this occasion he read a thesis " Essai sur l'albumine et la 

 fibrine," which gained him a medal from the Faculte. He now ob- 

 tained the permission of his family to go for a year to Giessen, where 

 Liebig had opened the first laboratory for students. At Giessen he 

 became acquainted with Dr. A. W. Hofmann, with whom he main- 

 tained a friendly intercourse through life. Here also he became in- 

 timate with Strecker, with Hermann Kopp, and others. Liebig 

 received him in the most friendly manner, and entrusted him with 

 the translation of some of his papers into French. These translations, 

 which were sent to Paris for insertion in the " Annales de Chemie 

 et de Physique," were the means of bringing Wurtz into contact with 

 some of the leading French men of science, and in particular with 

 Dumas. 



It was in Liebig's laboratory that Wurtz began his investigation of 

 hypo-phosphorous acid. 



On leaving Giessen he made a rapid trip to Vienna before return- 

 ing to Strasburg. In 1844 he left Strasburg for good, and went to 

 Paris with letters of introduction from Liebig. There he worked 

 for a short time in Balard's laboratory, but very soon removed to the 

 laboratory of Dumas, in the Rue Cuvier, where were also working 

 Messrs. Cahours, Mellens, Lewy, Leblanc and Bouis. 



In 1845 he became assistant to Dumas at the Ecole de Medecine, 

 and it was whilst assisting Dumas that he made his great discovery 

 of the compound ammonias, which had such an important influence 

 on the progress of chemistry, and which gave the clue to the consti- 

 tution of the vegetable alkaloids. It was also in Dumas' laboratory 

 chat he completed the beautiful investigation which he had begun at 

 Giessen of the constitution of the hypophosphites. 



About this time he gave some instruction to M. Eugene Caventou, 

 who became one of his most intimate friends. The father of this 

 young man, M. Caventou, the discoverer of quinine, was not slow 

 to perceive the merits of young Wurtz, used frequently to invite him 

 to his house, and did his best to support him by his influence on 

 various occasions. 



From 1845 to 1850, Wurtz held the appointment of Chef de 

 Travaux Chimiques of the 3rd and 4th year students at the Ecole 

 Centrale des Arts et Manufactures. 



In the year 1847, Wurtz distinguished himself greatly at the com- 

 petition for the Agregation de Chimie. One legon which he gave on 

 this occasion, " Sur les Corps Pyrogenes," earned high praise. 



