The Romance of Modern Chemistry

HOW MAN COMPETES WITH NATURE chemistry. It has been spoken of as “a monumental example of scientific skill, patience, and resourcefulness, and as “ absolutely unparalleled in the recent history o chemical industry.” . The reader will perceive that the advance of chemical science, while it is to the interests of the community as a whole, may involve serious trouble, and possibly extinction, to special industries. There is no partiality in the busi- ness At one time it is France’s turn to suffer from artificial alizarin, then India feels the competitor.of synthetic indigo; now it looks as if Japan and China were to find out in a similar way what the advance o science may mean in connection with camphor. True Japanese camphor is obtained from a tree whic belongs to the laurel family, and which is native to China and Japan. The wood is cut into small pieces and subjected to the action of steam, whereby the volatile camphor is carried off and condensed in a cool vessel. The amount of this crude camphor annually exported from China and Japan has in recent years ran to about 3000 tons. Most of the camphor supplied from these sources is employed in the manufacture of celluloid, but a certain quantity is used up in medicinal preparations and in explosives. An enormous amount of labour has been expended in the study of the chemical nature of camphor, and this has at last borne fruit in the synthetic production of the substance. The starting-point is turpentine—a resinous liquid which exudes from various trees belonging to the pine family. When turpentine is boiled, a liquid known as “oil of turpentine” distils over, and from this liquid camphor is produced by laboratory processes into which we cannot enter here. Synthetic camphor is identical 256