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THE HESPERIAN
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Fling and Caldwell. A detailed account of
the changes made in the faculty will be found
on another page.
The return of Professor Edgren to the
University is the most encouraging eveut of
this year. The professor's former work in
the institution is beyond praise, and during
his rectorship in Sweden he has done work
equally as excellent. He is certainly one of
the best linguists in America and his work in
philology ranks with the widest research of
the times. The professor himself is needed
as much as his work. There is something
infectious about the greatness of a great man ;
there is an influence in the knowledge he
never tells, in the wisdom he never teaches.
It is the grand enthusiasm that higher cul
ture leaves in a man that makes even dull
minds quicken by mere contact.
The decision of the regents t6 bring the
law college into the University hall must be
regarded in the light of an experiment. The
interests of the students in the University
proper, and of those in the law school will
now be brought more closely together, we
hope for the mutual good of both parties;
though we do fear that if the word lawyer
be synonomous for politician, the amount of
wire pulling that will result from a union of
the two elements will be enormous.
There is a movement on 'foot to organize
a Glee Club. This ought to meet the en
couragement of all singers in the University.
Cause the roofs to quake with melody.
AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.
The discovery by Prof. G. B. Frankfor
ter, of a new and simple way of producing
the opium alkaloid, known as narceine, will
be of great importance to the chemical world.
Narceine is a very rare opium alkaloid.' It
has been known for a number of years, but
.ts rarity has prevented its extensive use.
As it is the strongest of narcotics, a method
that would produce it' in a simple manner,
and at the same time cheaply, would prove
a boon to the possessor of the secret of its
manufacture. Mr. Frankforter, in the
course of his investigations, which were quite
extensive, discovered what had always been
thought impossible by all chemists viz ; the
existence of alkali salts, C 23, H 26, N O 8,
M. (M equalizing any alkali metal.) By
treating for instance, a sodium salt of nar
ceine with carbon dioxide; the sodium split
off as sodium carbonate and liberated chem
ically pure narceine. Pure narceine had
never before been obtained. So by means
of one discovery (the alkali salt) another
(pure narceine) was obtained.
But the real importance of the discovery
was brought out by further investigation.
An artifical way was found for manufactur
ing the narceine from narcotine, by taking
narcotine together with methyl iodide and
substituting iodine for the hydroxyl group.
The substance thus formed proved to be
pure narceine. The value of the discovery
s easily seen. Opium contains only 2-10
of one per cent of narceine, valued at $600
per kilo, and 10 per cent of narcotine, val
ved at 7 per kilo, from which narceine may
be made very cheaply by this new method.
The medical value of narceine lies in the
fact that substances possessing the qualities
of morphine may be made from it. It may
also be turned to innumerable other uses.
The very fact that narceine will form an al
kali salt, proves that it will form ethers.
This has been proven by actual experiment.
Mr. Frankforter took out a patent in
Europe as soon as he made his discovery,
and on September 19 received one for the
United States. He has discovered thirty
five new compounds in the course of his
studies, and has opened up a limitless field
for investigation by his new experiments.
Recently he has found out that anii-spos-mine,
a medicine which is attracting much
attention on the continent, is nothing more
than an alkali salt discovered by him, long
before the appearance of the medicine.
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WWRfcfl
