ON  SOME  POINTS  OF  CHEMICAL  THEORY,  ETC. 
391 
the  four  eqs.  of  hydrogen  in  ammonium  may  undergo  a  quasi- 
displacement  by  four  eqs.  of  radicals,  all  of  them  the  same  or 
all  different,  or  partly  the  same  and  partly  different,  it  is  easy 
to  understand  that  the  ammonium-bases,  if  all  discovered,  would 
be  very  numerous.  Already  a  large  number  of  them  have  been 
obtained,  chiefly  through  the  labors  of  Hofmann.  What  is 
most  singular  in  regard  to  these  bases  is,  that,  when  converted 
into  hydrated  protoxides,  they  form  compounds  analogous  to 
the  hydrated  protoxides  of  potassium  and  sodium,  that  is,  to 
caustic  potassa  and  soda  ;  for,  they  have  a  caustic  taste,  saponify 
oils,  and  are  capable  of  neutralizing  acids.  They  have  the  bitter- 
ness of  quinia,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  they  may  hereafter 
prove  to  be  valuable  remedies. 
Organic  chemistry,  or  the  chemistry  of  the  compounds,  pro- 
duced, for  the  most  part,  under  the  influence  of  the  vital  force, 
forms  the  most  interesting,  and,  at  the  same  time,  difficult 
department  of  the  science.  The  compounds  known  are  very 
numerous,  and  but  imperfectly  understood ;  and  the  number  of 
possible  combinations  is  almost  infinite.  The  great  problem  of 
modern  chemistry  to  be  solved,  is  to  determine  to  what  extent 
it  may  be  possible  to  produce,  artificially,  the  products  of 
vital  action.  The  production  of  the  animal  base,  urea,  by 
Wohler,  was  the  first  example  of  an  organic  product,  arti- 
ficially formed,  if  we  except  oxalic  and  hydrocyanic  acids. 
Two  other  bases  of  animal  origin,  namely,  glycocin  or  sugar 
of  gelatin,  and  kreatinin,  have  been  artificially  produced  ;  and 
more  recently,  a  number  of  vegetable  organic  bases  have 
been  formed  by  art.  The  discovery  of  these  artificial  bases  is  a 
step  in  the  right  direction,  and  well  fitted  to  throw  light  on  the 
nature  of  the  natural  bases,  as  to  the  manner  in  which  these  are 
built  up  under  the  influence  of  the  vital  force.  The  usual  pro- 
cesses of  the  chemist  have  the  effect  of  reducing  more  complex 
to  less  complex  molecules;  but,  in  order  to  succeed  in  producing 
the  natural  bases,  his  mode  of  proceeding  must  be  reversed, 
He  must  build  up  more  complex  molecules  from  those  that  are 
less  so,  and  thus  imitate  nature.  This  has  been  done  in  the 
formation  of  the  bases,  furfurine  and  amarine ;  and  is  there  not 
room  to  hope,  that  the  time  will  come  when  we  shall  be  able  to 
produce  quinia  and  morphia  artificially?     Indeed,  the  attempt 
I 
