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T H E J O I:R N A L 0 F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
Vol.
IO,
No. 4
of its earliest days, and of the association a t that time with plished something which his colleagues recognize as a valuable my friend Dr. Charles F. Chandler, we two being the only sur- contribution to science. viving charter members, it seems like a romance that its memBy conferring this honor on me to-night I see such a recognibership now should exceed I 1,000; and I have been informed to- tion of the value of my work, and I assure you that I deeply night by the secretary of the New York Section that within appreciate the honorable distinction. I also desire to express the past two years this Section, at that time the largest Section my heartfelt thanks for the kind words the representatives of of the Society, had increased in membership fifty per cent. your Section have spoken. What a striking commentary is furnished by these figures on the The credit for the work upon which you have made this increased appreciation of chemistry ' in this country! award to-night does not belong to me alone. The investigations are the result of the energy of several men who have studied I n looking around for the duties I might have to perform I have been amazed a t the remarkable piece of organization under my direction. I take pleasure a t this opportune time in machinery which my predecessors have constructed. So ad- expressing my appreciation of their support and spirit of comirably has this work been done that there seems little left operation. Ior me to do. While I cannot hope t o do-much to better the fine record they have alTHE DEVELOPMENT ready made, nevertheless OF PYRIMIDINE 1 pledge myself to every CHEMISTRY effort to prevent any retMEDAL ADDRESS rogression. By TREAT B. JOHNSON As to the subject of the evening, I must be frank We are celebrating toin saying that I know night the one-hundredth n o t h i n g of pyrimidine anniversary of the discovchemistry, but am expectery of the first pyrimidine ing to learn much from compound to be described Dr. Johnson's address toin the chemical literature. night. I h a v e b e e n One hundred and fortyd e e p 1y interested, howtwo years ago, in 1776, ever, in the account of his Scheele made the interestcareer, and in looking over ing observation that, if the list of his numerous uric acid is treated on a publications, that which porcelain dish with a few has impressed me most of drops of nitric acid, the all has been the fact that uric acid dissolves and in the great majority of after drying leaves behind his papers his name apa characteristic, r e d , pears in joirt authorship amorphous residue. In with those of his students. 1817, or forty-one years This fact is a clear indiafter this historical obcation of his magnanimity, servation, the behavior of of his willingness to share uric acid on oxidation was high honor, to give every investigated by Brugnacredit to those associated te1li.l He showed that with him, and to encourthis naturally occurring age his y o u n g e r cosubstance is destroyed by workers. I desire to conoxidation with nitric acid gratulate Professor Johnand chlorine water and son on the fine influence a c t u a 1 1y succeeded in he is exerting through isolating from the prodthis evident close and ucts of reaction a definite c o n g e n i a 1 association oxidation product, which with the young men who was afterwards proved to TREATE. JOHNSON, WILLIAM H. KICXOLSMEDALIST,1918 come under the influence b e t h e pyrimidine -alof this great teacher, and loxan. it gives me the utmost pleasure to present to him herewith The following year, in 1818, Brugnatelli's publication was this medal which has been unanimously awarded to him by the followed by that of the English chemist, Prout,2also dealing with Committee. the chemistry of uric acid. Prout had repeated the work of NEWYORK CITY Scheele and observed that the product obtained by interaction of uric acid and nitric acid reacts with ammonia, giving an intense red color which is destroyed by acids. This observation led to ACCEPTANCE OF MEDAL the development of the well-known murexide test for uric acid By TREATB. JOHNSON and related purines. Prout believed that he was dealing here MR. CHAIRMAN, LADIESAND GENTLEMEN: with the ammonium salt of a complex acid and found that his I thank you heartily for this honor the New York Section has deeply colored product interacted with mineral acids with formaconferred upon me. tion of a colorless, crystalline substance. It was afterwards The reward of a scientific man is not in the money he gets shown that Prout was not dealing with the true nucleus of murexfor his services, but more than anything else, in the feeling of 1 Phil. Mas., 62, 30; A n n . chim. phys., 8 , 201. satisfaction that comes from the knowledge that he has accom8 Phil. Trans., 1818, 420.
