VOL. 4, NO. 7
THECHEMICAL LABORATORY AT UNNERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON 817
IMPRESSIONS OF THE OLD CHEMICAL LABORATORY AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON W. A. PATRICK, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIYRRSITY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
My impressions of University College must be tinged with the same unrealities as those of a doughboy's of France, for I too was observing through the mists of the great war. During the Easter holidays of 1914, acting upon the advice of Professor Freundlich, I visited London to meet Professor Donnan of University College with a view of arranging to become his research assistant in the following academic year. I was delighted with Donnan's personality and looked forward with great eagerness to the prospect of working with such a man. The outbreak of the war chilled my hopes and I was keenly disappointed a t the thought of missing the chance of spending a year in this most famous English laboratory. Donnan, however, insisted that he would "carry on" in spite of the war, so in the fall of 1914 I began the most instructive and pleasant year of my scientific life. The old chemical laboratory in those days was the one in which Sir William Ramsay did most of his work. It was housed in one of the wings of the main college building which itself was a most imposing edifice. As usual the chemists were crowded in subways and cellars in order that their volatile fumes and gases might more easily penetrate the entire wing of the building. The laboratory consisted of a series of widely separated cold rooms (at least to a Yankee) connected by a maze of long, dark corridors. I had luxurious quarters in Donnan's office itself. I use the word luxurious because this was the only room boasting of any heating facilities. Fortunately for me, however, my work table was screened from the fireplace by a huge cabinet. This shutting off of radiant energy produced a temperature in my end of the room that compelled me to frequently migrate around the screen. This motion brought me in touch with two fires, the more important of which was Professor F. G. Donnan. During that cold, hard year I basked in the personality of this truly great chemist. A description of the man is surely unnecessary a t this time, for no chemist is more widely known throughout the world than he. He studied in Germany, finally becoming van't Hoff's assistant. He has traveled extensively in Russia, South America, all western Europe, and has made many visits to this country and Canada. He is the most sociable of all chemists. At home he is constantly attending dinners, functions of all sorts, presiding a t this society, and directing the affairs of that committee. When in the laboratory his time is entirely a t the disposal of his students. A casual word from a student is sufficient t o start his active mind. Out will come the ever-present cigarette and perhaps hours
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JOURNAL OOBC E E ~ I W EDUCATION
JULY,
1927
later you will find him in the same spot eagerly following the problem of the moment. Donnan is the most unselfish chemist that I know of at the present time. His fertile ideas are given to his students with no reservations whatsoever. In f a d his first thought is the development of his students, his own scientific reputation apparently being a subject of indifference to him. This is one of the many reasons why he has to such a large degree the permanent love and well wishes of all his students. In my day work began about 9 A.M. and continued until luncheon, which was served in the college building in a large refectory. After a solid English meal consisting of plenty of meat washed down with copioui draughts of brown ale, the instructing staff repaired to the Professors' smoke room for chats around pungent cups of black coffee and still more pungent pipes of bity tobacco. When the mutual antagonisms of the above combination of drugs had sufficiently subsided, work was resumed for a few hours until tea was s w e d . This was prepared by the laboratory "Diener" very simply by boiling together for an hour or so the proper quantities of black tea and water. Admission to the tea was in the hands of Professor Collie, and it was a rare privilege indeed to become a member of this group. Every day Donnan, Collie, Smiles, and frequently Ramsay, would gather together. In addition, guests from other departments and other universities would drop in; Baly, Lewis, Allemand, Porter, Bayliss, Bragg, etc. The talk covered the whole gamut of intellectual ideas from Ido, which was a great hobby of Donnan's, to the new Bohr atom. Donnan's knowledge of chemistry, physics, and mathematics was marvelous and one wondered how he managed to keep up with these subjects in view of his constant daily activity. Such daily gatherings represent the highest type of instruction, surpassing easily any form of lectures, textbook, or lahoratory forms of imparting knowledge. The chemical work in progress during the first year of the war was necessarily overshadowed by the great events outside the laboratories. Today chemistry at University College is housed in the large new Ramsay memorial lahoratory. w s is a most modem and splendidly equipped building which was entirely designed by Donnan. It is evident that University College today, possessing as it does a magnificent research chemical laboratory under the direction of Donnan, constitutes one of the important world centers of chemistry.
