St Louis College of Pharmacy - Prescripto Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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Dnfsclzilnio Progress of Chemistry zxgrn Chemistry had its beginning with early primitive man. Primitive man knew that skins of animals could be preserved with salt, and that they could be rendered soft with tallow: that clay became hard on heating: and that rubbing Hint stones together would cause sparks to start a fire. lVith the advance of civilization, about Tutankhamens time, linen, silverware, bronze, gold, glass, and many other things became known. Still later, in our modern day, all of the elements have become known but one, and science is advanc- ing very rapidly. . Alchemy began in the Middle Ages and continued to Queen Elizabeths ti1ne. The alchemist believed that he could transform any metal into gold or whatever he wished. He thought this could be done by divesting a metal of its true proper- ties and substituting new ones. The alchemist was very optimistic though unsuccessful. Alchemy continued to Queen Elizabetlfs ti1ne. It was then considered Black Magic, a power given by the devil, and was ridiculed and denounced by several of the Popes. Interest was thus lost in alchemy. In the beginning of the Seventeenth Century, men became very inquisitive about science, and the experimental method was introduced. Sciences. such as anatomy, physiology, and astronomy, made rapid progress. Robert Boyle, an Irish chemist, recognized that the universe is composed of a limited number of elements which are not transformable into another, but that they may combine with others to form compounds with different properties. John Black, of England, made the first quantitative studies of chemical compounds by accurately measuring the con- stituents of chemical compounds. Following Black came the great Swedish experi- mentalist, Scheele, the discoverer of oxygen and chlorine, and other important elements. The French chemist, Lavoisier, explained the process of respiration, combusition, rusting, and decay. Sir l-lumphery Dany discovered six elements, the greatest number discovered by any man, and Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, discovered live elements. For two centuries, inorganic chemistry advanced very rapidly. By 1830 methods of analysis were so good that accurate statements of the qualitative and quantitative constituents ot compounds could be given. About this same time organic chemistry had its beginning. The compounds urea, potassium cyanide, oxalic acid, and acetic acid were synthesized. Until 1860 some of the most important dyes, such as indigo, were obtainable only from plants, but these dyes are now derived from coal tar. The theory that organic chemistry pertained only to compounds obtained from living things, such plants and animals, was now exploded. bp to the present fCoz1Ii1mUd on Page 102.2 X ei ri 9 3 2 at ' LID Page One Httndred

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Z---Li D IQ If 5 cf. ID I lf? to rc--i-1 ti1ne, two hundred and fifty thousand organic compounds are now known, whereas only twenty-five thousand inorganic compounds are known. Almost all of our synthetic organic compounds are obtained either from petro- leum or coal. The number of products obtained from coal far exceeds the number obtained from petroleum, although, next to steel, petroleum is the world's largest manufacturing industry. Coal tar was probably first used in the production of lamp black. The most volatile products were first drawn off and collected and then lamp black was de- posited on the walls of the vessel. The light volatile liquid was found to be useful for lamps and as a solvent for rubber, and creosote, a less volatile liquid, was found to resist decay of wood. The residue was used for roofing. In 1845 the first coal tar dye was produced by VVilliam Perkin as a result of the oxidation of aniline with chromic acid. Alizarin and indigo, two natural occur- ring dyestuffs, were synthesized twelve years later. Perfumes, explosions, and medicinals were also synthesized. In the perfume industry, all synthetic products have been made to imitate the odors of roses and flowers, but blending the products is as important as their synthesis. In the ex- plosive industry we find use for dyestuff intermediates, nitro compounds, which are set off by the shock of detonator caps, such as mercury fulminate. In the synthesis of medicines, we find that many of our drug principles, which were very expensive to extract from plants and animals, are now synthesized at a much lower cost. In the synthesis of medicinals, many new compounds have been found which are very useful in combating diseases. The structural formulae of local anesthetics have also been altered to yield products which have lower toxicities. And so chemistry goes on. New methods are constantly developed for lower- ing-tlie cost of manufacture of a product and at the same time to make a better product. Chemists have become specialists. They may specialize in the manu- facture of dyes, perfumes, explosives, anesthetics, petroleum, and many other things. Some chemists are experts in the detection of poisons in the body, and are called toxicologists. Others may be experts in the detection of food adulterants, or they may work only with structural formulae of compounds. The field of Chemistry enters into almost all kinds of manufacturing enterprises, and science will advance only with the advance of Chemistry. ,-X ,N ff tp Page One Hundred Two