JAMES E. CLUSKEY Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois G o m m showed active interest in many fields of natural science. It is quite well known that he was a botanist, an anatomist, and a physicist, and in his writings we find also a concern for mineralogy and geology. It is therefore not surprising that his interests also extended along chemical lines. Let us trace this thread of chemical interest which is woven into Goethe's l i e history. Although chemistry was hardly his chief scientific forte, it was a subject which a t times truly captivated his diversified mind and enlisted his active participation. In his early youth Johann Wolfgang Goethe received much of his education from his father. The lad was schooled in the ancient and modem languages and had access to the enclyclopedic works of Bayle, Morhof, and Gesner2in the large library at his home. I t may be assumed that young Goethe was, after a fashion, fitted with chemical fundamentals before he left home for Leipzig in September, 1765 (8). After almost three years, Goethe returned home a sick young man. It was a t this point that be became interested in alchemy through the influence of his attending physician, a Dr. J. F. Mete who was a supporter of Paracelsus. The good doctor was an abstruse man. In "Dichtung und Wahrheit" (Book 8), Goethe recorded (3) ~,:J With certain powders, which may have been some kind of digestive, he was not so reserved, hut that powerful salt, which could only be applied in the greatest danger, was only mentioned among believers; although no one had yet seen it or traced its effects. 'fa excite and strengthenpur faith in the possibility of such a. un~versalremedy, the phys~c~an, wherever he found any susceptibility, had recommended certain ehemico-alchemical books to his patients.
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To know more of the %on-failing salts'' (possibly Glauber salts) Goethe read with his mother and a friend of the family, FrSulein Suzanna yon Klettenberg, a book by Welling, entitled "Opus Mago-cabhilisticum et Theosophicum," in which, among other things, the This article was a term paper written for the German Proseminar class, conducted at Bradley University by Professor Robert Rie. a ~ ~ ~ l ~ y l~e ' i~ ~~ t i i ~et ~ critique" t~ ~ was i ~ an ~ iencyclo~ ~ pedia devoted almost exclusively to biography. Morhof's "Polyhistor Literarius, Philosophicus, Practicus," s. popular handbook which first appeared in 1688, contained a vast amount of bibliographical material, a. history of most of the soiences, a methodology, rhetoric, poetics, and a. systematic, though short, treatment of physics, astronomy, chemistry, botany, and zoology. Gesneis "Primae Lineee Ipogages in Eruditionem Universalem" (Gottingen, 1756) gave an introduction to philology (embracing also a treatment of the arts), history, and philosophy (I). a Translated by J. OXENFORD, "Autobiography of Goethe," S. E. Crtssino & Co., Boston, 1884, Vol. 1, p. 283.
salts were described. Goethe also refers in "Dichtung und Wahrheit" to books by Paracelsus, Basilius Valentinus, van Helmont, and Starkey, as well as one entitled "Aurea Catena H ~ m e r i . " ~ Imagine the enthusiasm which Goethe exhibited as he set up a small laboratory in his attic room. Here, amidst alembics and retorts, we see him standing before his wind furnace, or poring over the chemical compendium of Boerhaave. This picture of Goethe reminds one of the alchemist of old who believed that a secret ingredient or some magic factor was all that was needed to perform the transmutation of mercury to gold, and whose twentieth century descendant at Oak Ridge has just recently accomplished the transformation of gold to mercury (5). Experiments and studies brought Goethe closer to methodical chemistry, that is, they led him from the older ideas of alchemy toward the concept of experimental scientific chemistry (6). In March, 1770, Goethe left Frankfort for further study of law a t the University of Strassburg. His interest in chemistry had not waned, for here he attended lectures on chemistry given by Professor Jakob Spielmann. His attention to "Chymie" is also exhibited in a letter to his friend, Fraulein von Klettenberg. In this letter, dated 26 August, 1770, Goethe writes. "Und die Cbvmie ist noch immer meine heimliche deliebte." During his stay in Strassburg, Goethe had opportunities of taking several trips into Alsace and ~orraine. On these journeys he visited some chemical concerns ineluding alum factories, glass works, coal mines, and iron works, H~~~~~~~b~ got a into the practical applications of chemistry as contrasted with the "chemistry" of "Aurea Catena Homeri." In the summer of 1771 Goethe returned home with his law decree to settle down and becin vractice as an attorn&. During the next five yea; chkmistly played no recorded part in Goethe's life, but in 1776, having become an official a t Weimar, we find h i visiting the glass makers of his territory in Schleusingen, Stiitzerbath, and llmenau, H~ also visited charcoal burners, and went into coal mines and iron works, noting in his "Viel von Bergwerkssachen geschwatzt" ~daybook: ~ (August 1, 1776), also (in Ilmenau): "Siiberprobe bei Heckem selbst gemacht" (August 4) and on August 10: z ' ~ ~eui H~~~~ ~ t chymie (7). In 1777 made his first journey the mountain district which further directed his attention to mining, and soon he was given direction of the war His work in mining md road-building
' A bookin which the cycle of nature is described in a beautiful, half-mystic, half-scientificway (4).
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and road-building directed his thinking to geology and mineralogy, while that in forestry and agriculture led to a considerable interest in botany (8). We find in a letter to Frau von Stein (August 16,1786) his appreciation of the need for chemistry in mineralogy: "In der Mineralogie kann ich ohne Chymie, nicht einen Schritt weiter, das weiss ich lange. . . ." (7). In 1789 and several years following, Goethe concentrated his scientific efforts toward his "Farbenlehre." In the third division of the work Goethe treats the "Chemischen Farben." As chemical colors he designates those "welche wir an gewissen Korpern erregen, mehr oder weniger S e r e n , an ihnen steigern, von ihnen wieder wegnehmen und andern Korpern mitteilen konnen, denen wir denn auch deshalb eine gewisse immanente Eigenschaft znschreiben" ( 8 ) . V t is interesting to note that Goethe was quite familiar with the literature of his time which pertained to this subject. In the section 'Ton der chemischen Aktion des Lichts und der farbigen Beleuchtung," we find him telling of some work done by Scheele, the noted Swedish chemist (1742-86). In weimar, Goethe had, through the years, three chemical advisors: Bucholz, Gottling, and Dobereiner. Wilhelm Bucholz (1734-98), chemist, botanist, and Weimar's court apothecary, served also as a member of the council of mines and as doctor of the court. On matters botanical and chemical, he was Goethe's advisor for 20 years, and earned the latter's friendship and respect. It is fitting that the reader should be reminded of the state of chemical knowledge existing a t this time. Around the middle and the second half of the eighteenth century many important chemical discoveries and phenomena were being uncovered. The death blow came to the phlogiston theory about 1785 and the development of systematic chemistry was starting. Changes were being made in the universities of Europe to cope with this advance in chemistry. Recognizing this, Carl August, Duke of SaxonyWeimar, with the collaboration of his Privy Councillor, Goethe, established a professorship in chemistry a t the Gesamt Akademie of Jena in 1789. The first man to hold this chair was Johann F. Gottling (1753-1809). A student of Bucholz, he was a fine experimenter and had become acquainted with Carl August and Goethe through their many visits to the court apothecary shop. In 1785 the duke had sent Gottling to Gottingen for two years of study, followed by a student trip to England and Holland, from which Gottling returned to find the professorship in chemistry awaiting him a t Jena. Goethe greatly aided the new teacher in getting st,arted and, over the years, consulted with him on many chemical matters of official and private nature, taking active part in some of his chemical experiments, and
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Translation: . "which we can excite in certain substances, more or less fix, intensify in them, take away from them again and impart to other substances, to which we then therefore also ascribe a certain immanent property."
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conferred with him on the studies on "Farbenlehre" (9). When, upon the death of Gottling, the position a t Jena was again open, Carl August wanted a successor who was also a man of practical chemistry. Gehleu, professor of chemistry a t Munich, was asked for suggestions and proposed Johann W. Dobereiner. Dobereiner (178(t-1849) was also an apothecary in the beginning of his career but later acquired considerable practical knowledge in other chemical lines. Dobereiner met with Goethe, who was now Privy Councillor and Mmister of State, on November 8, 1810, and the two spent two days discussing plans for equipping the chemical laboratory a t the university. A laboratory was first established in the former Jena palace, using old chemical apparatus on hand a t Weimar, material from Gottling's incumbency, and books obtained from the ducal library (10). The experimental work soon outgrew the space provided in the palace and in 1816, a house was acquired and fitted for Dobereiner's needs (Hellfeld Haus). In 1833 a new technical-chemical Iabo~atory(plans previously drawn by Goethe) was built in the garden. Under Goethe's management the chemical Lehrkanzel of the University of Jena developed into the "Chemischen Anstalt." Dobereiner's experiments and studies at Jena were varied and numerous. He introduced practical chemical instruction into the laboratory. Some of the topics which were discussed in correspondence between Goethe and Dobereiner included (I1) :
Potassium in felspar, gypsum in corals Sulfur water of Berka Coal tar Iron content of a sandstone Experiments with plant juices Siliceous earth in Carara marble "Feuergas" from coal and water
Probably Dobe~einer'smost brilliant work was with platinum in which "he noticed a glowing of platinum in a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gas" (11). From this finding he fashioned a new chemical lighter-the Dobereiner Feuerzeng. Also noteworthy was his discovery of the "Dobereiner Triads," forerunner to the periodic table and preceding the work by Pettenkofer, Meyer, and Mendeleev. Goethe was also acquainted with other chemists of the times, some personally, some through correspondence, and others through their writings. Included in this group are such personages as Josef Gmner, Anton Lavoisier, Heinrich Wackenroder, Carl Scheele, Berzelius ( I $ ) , Mitscherlich, Rose, Bergman: and others. Goethe's interest in alchemy and chemistry is reflected in many of his works, for example, in "Faust" and in "Dichtungund Wahrheit." a I t is said that Bergman's theory of double and simple chemical affiities zave Goethe stimulus for his "Wahlverwandschaften."
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
And so we see that an interest in chemical phenomena ran quite consistently throughout Goethe's life. Although chemistry seemed to play a minor role among his scientific endeavors, it was nevertheless, a subject which he held in high regard. LITERATURE CITED (1) BIELSCHOWSKY,A., "Life of Gwthe," York, 1905, Vol. 1, p. 421.
G.P. Putnam, Sew
(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12)
ZEKERT,O., Pharmamutisehe Monalshefte, 14, 131 ZEKERT,O.,ibid.,p. 132. . p. 93. BIELSCEOWSKY,A., ~ p ni., T h e L a b o r a t o ~17, , No. 4,130. WALDEN,P., 2. angm. Chem., 43, 794 (1930). WALDEN, P., ibid., p. 796. ZEKERT,O., op. eit., p. 133. ZEKERT, O., ibid., p. 134. PuNDTL, W., J. CHEM. EDUC.,27, 177 (1950). , 135. ZEKERT,o., ~ p . n t . p. Barr~lscn,D., J. CHEM. EDUC.,27, 68 (1950).
