468  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry.  {^dobev^m100' 
France  gave  a  wonderful  impetus  to  scientific  and  technical  chemis- 
try; it  boasted  the  greatest  chemists  of  the  ending  eighteenth  and 
beginning  nineteenth  centuries.  To-day  it  is  as  active  as  ever  in 
promoting  chemical  and  the  allied  pharmaceutical  research,  and  that 
it  makes  itself  felt  is  seen  from  the  great  interest  taken  in  the  scien- 
tific exhibits  by  professional  men. 
In  examining  the  wooden  manner  of  exhibit  made  by  the  German 
chemical  commission,  I  saw  such  important  discoveries  as  the 
hydrides  of  barium  and  strontium  overshadowed  by  crude  strontium 
sulphide!  Why  should  such  important  work,  by  the  Nestor  of  Ger- 
man chemical  science,  Clemens  Winkler,  be  hidden  from  the  eyes 
of  American  chemists  ?  Have  the  French  made  the  great  mistake 
of  showing  a  so-called  "educational  exhibit,"  that  hides  research 
work  of  highest  importance  among  common  everyday  articles  ot 
chemical  manufacture  ?  Not  by  any  means.  The  French  show  the 
important  research  work  by  itself  in  a  very  prominent  manner.  It 
would  be  impossible  to  miss  the  separate  exhibits  of  the  Societe 
Chimique  de  Paris,  M.  Behal,  M.  Moreau  and  others,  showing  in 
separate  cases  to  great  advantage. 
The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy's  representative  had  the 
great  pleasure  of  meeting  Monsieur  le  Professeur  Auguste  Behal,  a 
gentleman  of  unassuming  and  pleasing  personality.  Upon  my  re- 
quest that  he  point  out  a  few  of  the  many  discoveries  made  by 
himself  in  organic  chemistry,  he  consented  to  give  me  those  illus- 
trating class  reactions.  By  a  class  reaction  is  meant  one  that, 
followed  up,  will  lead  to  the  production  of  many  new  compounds. 
Professor  Behal  is  the  author  of  an  extended  organic  chemical 
text.  He  is  professor  in  the  Paris  School  of  Pharmacy  ;  many  of  his 
discoveries  relate  to  pharmaceutical  products.  I  copy  from  the 
notes  written  by  him  in  my  note  book  :  Analysis  of  officinal  creosotes 
and  studies  on  derivatives,  guaiacol,  studies  on  a  new  class  of  dice- 
tones,  derivatives  of  chloral  such  as  mono-  and  di-chloralantipyrin, 
derivatives  of  chloralimide,  on  the  isomers  of  estragol,  mixed  anhy- 
drides of  formic  acid  and  their  ethers,  on  campholenique  series,  etc. 
I  find  in  Actualites  Chimiques,  Tome  II,  pp.  377-407,  his  very 
complete  exposition  of  the  structure  of  camphor.  In  a  separate 
case  will  be  found  several  hundred  organic  compounds  made  by  M. 
Behal. 
On  the  4th  of  June,  1857,  three  young  chemists,  Arnaudon, 
