TNT: Trinitrotoluenes and Mono and Dinitrotoluenes

HISTORICAL 7
formula (supposedly) C14H16 had been isolated, and
that, by determining the vapor density, they had proved
it to be just half this molecular weight, or C7H8. On
the other hand, there is no reason why—if they did
know of the previous discovery of this same substance
—they should give it a new name. The dates on
which the above-mentioned men published their article
seems to point to Pelletier and Walters as the discoverers—their
work was completed about 1838,
while Deville's work was published somewhere about
1841. Of course, there is the possibility that Deville
completed his work some years before his results were
published.
In 1843, Berzelius technically accorded the discovery
of toluene to Deville by suggesting the name " toluol "
or " toluene " for the compound, (3) the name being
derived from " oil of tolu."
Some of the scientists of that period (probably
friends of Pelletier and Walters), did not approve of
Berzelius 7 choice of name for this substance, and
two of these, Muspratt and Hoffman, in a research
paper dated 1845, take occasion to remark: (4) " Berzelius
has proposed for this compound the name l toluol
' or ' toluene/ names which are not very well
chosen, but which we shall retain in the following discussion."
The " retinaptha " of Pelletier and Walters and the
tc benzoen " of Deville were proved to be the same substance
by the preparation of the nitro-derivatives, and
by comparing the constants of those, and possibly the
acid nitro-derivatives and corresponding toluidins.
Glenard and Boudalt, at about the same time, probably
later than both Deville's and Pelletier and Wai-