Within the high walls of the Chemistry Branch, the originally separate mansions are now all connected to each other. Originally, it was a whole lakeside neighborhood, and because of its geographical location, it was close to the back gate of Miyagi, so the people who could live here were either rich or expensive, and there was no small door at all.

The smallest of these mansions covers an area of about one or twenty acres, and basically there are bluestone paths between the houses, so each house naturally becomes an independent part.

The Chemistry Branch took advantage of this advantage and housed a different research institute in each house. In front of this small house is a research institute for the study of microorganisms and alcoholic fermentation.

The essential medicine for every traverser is penicillin. Therefore, Zhu Youzhen is no exception, from the beginning of the preparation for the establishment of the chemical branch, people began to look for work on penicillin.

But after spending countless sums of money over the past year, relying on the invention of the microscope, what they were able to do was to prove that the suppuration of the human body was caused by a golden staphylococcal infection.

It took them almost 8 months just to see the staph bacteria. This is still due to the rapid development of optical research in the Physics and Mathematics Divisions over the past year, coupled with the excellent hand feel of several manual lens grinders, and finally assembled a compound microscope with a magnification of more than 1,000 times.

In order to assist in the observations, the researchers of the Chemistry Branch also invented oil microscopy and staining methods. Using the iodine solution extracted from seaweed ash and the saffron extracted from the saffron stigma, the researchers of the Chemistry Branch finally saw the clear appearance of the golden yellow dot.

As a result, it was discovered that staphylococci could not be present in the vicinity of Penicillium. However, from penicillium to penicillin is another problem, how to isolate effective bactericidal substances from penicillium, the researchers of the chemical branch have not yet found a way. It took them a year and nearly 300,000 yuan, but it proved that Chongzhen said that Penicillium can be sterilized.

Although there have been no results in the research of penicillin, it has provided great help for the study of starch saccharification to make alcohol by studying microscopes and other experimental equipment made of penicillin, as well as staining observations, and mold culture.

Alcohol brewed from corn, sugarcane molasses, and dried sweet potatoes can be used as edible alcohol, but also processed into medical alcohol, and of course, there is nothing wrong with industrial alcohol used in the printing industry, but the cost is higher.

In addition, they also extracted a white crystal from grape juice, soluble in water, with a very light sweetness, the most valuable place is that it can replace maltose for the silver mirror reaction, although the cost of maltose is not high, but it is very consuming of grain. This crystalline powder extracted from grape juice can greatly reduce the loss of grain, and the quality of the mirrors is better.

Li Ciyu described to Chongzhen for a long time, and Chongzhen thought about it before he said uncertainly: "Isn't that glucose?" ”

"Your Majesty's name is really apt, and the ministers will label this white crystal with glucose." Li Ciyu paused for a moment, and then said to Chongzhen without hesitation.

"Oh, I named the glucose." Zhu Youzhen also froze, and couldn't help laughing at himself in his heart.

However, he quickly changed the subject and said, "Then let's take me to see the gas generator, I want to see if it can be used for lighting." ”

Looking at Chongzhen's excited appearance, Li Ciyu wanted to say something, but finally held back. In fact, he took the emperor around, in addition to letting Chongzhen know more about the work done by the Chemistry Branch, but also to let the emperor reduce some expectations for the use of gas.

Although he slightly exaggerated the future of gas research and utilization in his report in order to ensure the funding of gas research, in fact, the use of gas can only exist in the chemical branch at present.

It's not that they don't have any results in gas research, but in order to use gas, they need to make pipes, retort furnaces, connections and valves in various parts, and the entire set of gas generators plus supporting facilities, and the silver taels cost about seventy or eighty years of burning gas to earn back.

As Li Ciyu expected, the thick and bulky stove and the huge double-layer gas storage iron box, as well as the pipelines that could not transport gas over long distances, suddenly made Chongzhen lose most of his interest.

This thing is used in coking plants to turn the otherwise useless waste gas into fuel for combustion, which is about good. But when used as a street lamp, I'm afraid it's too extravagant and ugly.

Zhu Youzhen shook his head and circled around it, and immediately lost interest. He couldn't just run away, so he could only casually ask Li Ciyu if they had made any progress in the research of coke.

Seeing that Chongzhen didn't even mention the word gas, Li Ciyu finally breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and he hurriedly replied in a low voice: "After careful comparison and classification, we have divided coal into several types, among which gas coal, fertile coal, coking coal and lean coal are the best for coking.

In terms of coal origin, Tangshan, Shandong, Shanxi and Henan all have coal that can be used for coking. Among them, the coal coking produced by Jingcheng is the best..."

After chatting with Li Ciyu for a while, and encouraging the researchers who study coke and gas. Zhu Youzhen wanted to go to the headquarters of the Academy of Sciences on Chengxian Street with Xu Guangqi and others.

Sitting on the side, Li Zhizao, who had not made much noise, suddenly said to Chongzhen: "Since Your Majesty is here today, please go to the lake and take a walk." It is the most dangerous experimental place for the research of the Chemistry Branch, and if His Majesty can visit it in person, I think those researchers will be greatly boosted. ”

"Your Majesty over there, don't go, although the experiment has been stopped today, but after all, there are still a lot of dangerous drugs stored at the site, with Your Majesty's current attire, I'm afraid it's not suitable to go in." Xu Guangqi hurriedly blocked.

Li Zhizao hesitated for a moment, and finally didn't insist anymore. In the process of studying three acids and two bases, many researchers and technicians have been injured to a greater or lesser extent because they do not understand the characteristics of acids and bases.

Although Chongzhen ordered the establishment of a special medical clinic and hospital to study how to treat the injuries caused by chemicals, the new researchers and technicians in the chemical branch still regarded that place as a tiger's den in Longtan and avoided it one by one.

The Dangerous Goods Research Institute by the lake is also one of the smaller laboratories in the chemistry branch, but it is one of the most arduous research institutes.

Li Zhizao obviously did not want this situation to continue, so he hoped that the emperor would personally visit and inspect it, so as to break the inexplicable fear of those researchers and technicians for the lakeside research institute.

However, Xu Guangqi does not see it that way, as the head of the Royal Academy of Sciences, he has great enthusiasm for the existence of the Royal Academy of Sciences, and he believes that the existence and development of the Academy of Sciences will one day be able to change the attitude of scholars and doctors who despise practical learning.

Xu Guangqi always believes that the main problem why the Ming Dynasty has been defeated by a border clan like Houjin several times is that the doctors of the Ming Dynasty talk too much and are willing to do too few practical things.

Even if there are occasionally one or two officials who dare to pinpoint the evils of the times, they can only criticize them verbally, and they cannot find a way to solve the evils of society.

In his contact with the Jesuits, he admired them for their foreign missionaries from thousands of miles away. Not only because they have noble personal character, but also because of their diligent pursuit of knowledge.

Xu Guangqi felt that if the Chinese scholars could become outstanding scholars like these missionaries, then the party strife in the imperial court would undoubtedly subside.

The study of various practical studies can not only increase the income of the people of the Ming Dynasty, but also allow the imperial court to have enough food and materials to deal with those internal and external enemies.

In a country like Daming, if you want to do anything, you need a huge push. Decades of individual power alone may not be productive.

Even a figure like Wang Yangming, in order to defeat the science of mind founded by Lixue, is still not recognized by the mainstream of society to this day. In the final analysis, it was because of the lack of support from the imperial court.

In just one year since the establishment of the Royal Academy of Sciences, the practical learning, known as Xinxue, has become a prominent study that scholars are keen on in Hebei and Shandong. What he relies on is nothing more than the strong support of the great tomorrow.

In Xu Guangqi's view, as long as Chongzhen can have no accidents on the throne, then within ten years, Daming's style of study will inevitably get a great change. Therefore, he did not want the emperor to come into contact with those dangerous medicines and thus cause problems for the Royal Academy of Sciences.

However, he just stopped Li Zhizao, but he couldn't stop Chongzhen. Zhu Youzhen looked down at the clothes on his body, and couldn't help but smile and said, "Dean Li is right, since I am here, I naturally want to go and see those heroes who have worked hard.

They stay there every day, can't I even go and see? Go get a lab coat, I'm going to change into it. ”

Under Chongzhen's strong insistence, Xu Guangqi and others finally did not stop the emperor.

The lakeside research institute is surrounded by a blue brick wall more than 2 meters high, and there is only one gate to enter and exit the research institute, and there is a guard guarding the place.

In the locker room near the gate, Zhu Youzhen changed into the white coat of the later generations, changed the hat on his head, looked in the mirror at the entrance and exit of the locker room, and only walked out after making sure that there was no problem.

The site of this institute was originally a noble garden, but now it is no longer visible, except for a few large trees, the rockery and garden have been bulldozed, and a few bungalows have been built along the lake.

The bungalows were invariably fitted with large glass windows to get good lighting, and ditches were created around the bungalows to serve as partitions and as a source of water for extinguishing fires.

As Li Zhizao expected, the arrival of the emperor made the staff of these research institutes feel extremely excited, and after Chongzhen and them condoled with them, they had time to look at the layout in the laboratory.