The 1920's

The decade opened with the publication of Davy and Farnham's (1920) book on Microscopic Examination of the Ore Minerals.  [(Davy and Farnham (1920)].  What is uncommon about this book (Figure 29), is that it is thumb-indexed by microchemical reagent.  Here (Figure 30) is a page from the Determinative Tables giving the reaction to HNO₃, HCl, KCN-N, and FeCl₃.

click image to enlarge (91K) Figure 29. Title page of Davy and Farnham’s Microscopic Examination of the Ore Minerals (1920).

click image to enlarge (242K) Figure 30. A page from the Determinative Tables in Davy and Farnham’s Microscopic Examination of the Ore Minerals (1920).

The 1920's saw the reissue of older books, such as the second edition of Chamot's Elementary Chemical Microscopy [Chamot, É.M. (1921)], but there were several new books of some interest. The first one that comes to mind is Some Microchemical Tests for Alkaloids [Stephenson, Charles H. (1921)], by Stephenson and Parker.  At the back of this book are 26 plates, each with six photomicrographs illustrating the microcrystal tests for the alkaloids.  There is also a fold-out Table of Microchemical Reactions of 51 Alkaloids With 35 Reagents, which is still being used in current drug identification courses.  Other useful features of this book include a Table Showing Best Tests for Each Alkaloid, and a Scheme for 21 Identification of Alkaloids.

In 1922, Chamot reported on microscopical researches involving problems with small arms ammunition primers that were coincident with the entrance of the United States into World War 1. Small arms ammunition, especially .30 caliber cartridges intended for field and aircraft machine-guns, was characterized by a disturbingly high number of misfires traceable to the primers.  Mercury fulminate had been used in some compositions, and azides were being considered; the "souring" of some primers was ultimately attributed to bromate contamination creating a chemical reaction in potassium chlorate priming mixtures.  At any rate, Chamot reported on his researches in a now scarce booklet, The Microscopy of Small Arms Primers [Chamot, É.M. (1922)].

In 1923, Fritz Pregl (1860-1930), who earned an M.D. degree at the University of Graz in 1894, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  His work is traceable back to 1909, when he visited Emich's laboratory in Salzburg, and heard him lecture on micro methods.  This inspired him to develop a variety of quantitative micro methods.

1923 was also the year that saw the publication of the first edition (Figure 31) of Mayrhofer’s Mikrochemie der Arzneimittel und Gifte  [Mayrhofer (1923)]; the microchemical reactions are illustrated with line drawings (Figure 32).  Part 2 of this work on the microchemistry of pharmaceuticals and poisons (Figure 33) was published in 1928.  Part 1 deals with the microchemistry of the “official” inorganic and organic acids and their salts, and Part 2 is devoted to the microchemical analysis (Figure 34) of organic pharmaceuticals.

click image to enlarge (129K) Figure 31. Title page of Mayrhofer’s Mikrochemie der Arzneimittel und Gifte (1923).	click image to enlarge (197K) Figure 32. Two of the 53 text figures in Mayrhofer’s Mikrochemie der Arzneimittel und Gifte (1923).
click image to enlarge (130K) Figure 33. Title page of Part 2 of Mayrhofer’s Mikrochemie der Arzneimittel und Gifte (1928).	click image to enlarge (101K) Figure 34. Photomicrographic illustration of microchemical reactions in Part 2 of Mayrhofer’s Mikrochemie der Arzneimittel und Gifte (1928).

In 1921, the third edition of Kley’s earlier Behrens-Kley Mikrochemische Analyse was published [Kley, P.D.C. (1921)].  This edition (Figure 35) contains 146 text figures, illustrating not only microchemical reactions (Figure 36), but discussions on the optical investigation of mineral grains (Figure 37), use of compensators (Figure 38), etc.

click image to enlarge (153K) Figure 35. Title page of the third edition of Kley’s Behrens-Kley Mikrochemische Analyse (1921).	click image to enlarge (199K) Figure 36. Microchemical reaction illustration from Kley’s Behrens-Kley Mikrochemische Analyse (1921).
click image to enlarge (174K) Figure 37. Refractive index determination from Kley’s Behrens-Kley Mikrochemische Analyse (1921).	click image to enlarge (187K) Figure 38. Use of compensator from Kley’s Behrens-Kley Mikrochemische Analyse (1921).

In 1925, Heffer published a charming little book called, Practical Chemistry by Micro-Methods [Grey, Egerton C.(1925)], written by Egerton C. Grey, Professor of Chemistry at the Government Medical School in Cairo.  The frontispiece (Figure 39) consists of a photograph of a Student Examining the Effect of Mixing Two Drops.  Reference is made to a color plate (Figure 40), which shows the reaction of eighteen different common metal ions using three different reagents (ammonium carbonate, potassium iodide, and ammonium sulfide).  The book was intended for schools or for the earlier part of a university course, so as "to give the student a taste for this fascinating subject."

click image to enlarge (138K) Figure 39. Frontispiece from Grey's Practical Chemistry by Micro-Methods (1925), showing "Student Examining the Effect of Mixing Two Drops."

click image to enlarge (170K) Figure 40. Color plate showing reaction of 18 different metal ions using three different reagents. From Grey’s Practical Chemistry by Micro-Methods (1925).

Joseph B. Niederl took courses with Emich and Pregl, and then started teaching quantitative organic microanalysis at New York University in 1925.

The entire subject of quantitative microanalysis requires a survey all of its own. Some highlights, however, must include Pregl's Quantitative Organic Microanalysis [Pregl, Fritz (1924)], translated by Fyleman; the Julius Grant books (five editions) Quantitative Organic Microanalysis, Based on the Methods of Fritz Pregl [Grant Julius (1924, 1930, 1951)], Niederl's text, Micromethods of Quantitative Organic Elementary Analysis [Niederl, J.B. and V. Niederl (1938)], Paul Kirk's Quantitative Ultramicroanalysis [Kirk, Paul L. (1950)], and Korenman’s Introduction to Quantitative Ultramicroanalysis [Korenman, I.M. (1965)].