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Show Wood Long in Use , but Forever Doomed Doomedby Doomedby Doomedby by Other Materials ; Charcoal Replaced Wood has found a wide variety varietyof of uses as a raw rlW : material in the thepast thepast thepast past , but it seems forever doomed doomedto to be replaced by something else elsewrites , wrItes Dr Thomas M Beck in the theChIcago theChicago theChicago ChIcago Tribune It was the first firstfuel firstfuel firstfuel fuel that men burned , but now it ithas Ithas ithas has been largely replaced by coal coaland coaland coaland and petroleum The first houses houseswere houseswere houseswere were made of wood , but now brIck brickglass , glass , concrete , and steel are grad gradually gradually gradually ually taking takmg Its place The wooden woodenships woodenships woodenships ships of a century ago have gIven gIvenway givenway givenway way to the iron ships of today . chemical chemicalmdustry chemicalindustry chemicalindustry So it has been m in the important importantdlITerence Importantdifference importantdifference mdustry industry , but with one dlITerence difference Wood has been the thesource thesource theLsource source of a number of important importantraW importantraw importantraw raW materials which have later laterbeen laterbeen laterbeen been produced more economically economicallyfrom economicallyfrom economicallyfrom from other sources However , the thechemical thechemical thechemical chemical importance of wood itself itselfhas itselfhas itselfhas has not declined , , for new uses have havecontmually havecontinually havecontinually contmually continually been discovered to take takethe takethe takethe the place of the old onesFor onesFor ones onesFor For example , the first chemical chemicalreagent chemicalreagent chemicalreagent reagent to be made mnde from wood prob probably probably probably charcoal , . which is the thefaIrly thefairly ably was carbon leftfairly faIrly good grade of carbon left when the other elements of wood woodare woodare woodare are driven off by intense heat . . Car Car- Carbon Carbon - bon is an excellent reducing reducmg agent agentwhich , which means that it can readily readilycombme readilycombine readilycombine combme combine , when hot enough , with the theoxy theoxygen theoxygen oxy oxygen en of metallic metal11c ores to form gas gas- gaseous gaseous gaseous - eous carbon 0-tides 0 tides o'Cides oCides o ' - cides , thereby leavmg leaving leavmgthe leavingthe leavingthe the metal in a tree free state At ono one onotime onetime onatime time practically pracbcally all the iron pro pro- produced produced produced - - , . duced was done so with the help It of Itcharcoal ofcharcoal ( f > fcharcoal charcoal Now coke has bas taken its itsplace itsplace itsplace place almost completely . Almost simultaneous with the doclues do- do doclu1e do-cline do cline - - clu1e clues of the metallurgical applica applIca- applIcation application application - - tion of chircoal ch"1rcoal ch1rcoal charcoal " has been the devel devel- development development development - opment of another important use use usealthough , altbough although one more limited IImltcd In vo- vo voume vol volume ) - . ume Carbon has an unusualabillty unusualability unusual abillty ability abilityto abilltyto to absorb organic matter mattcr on its sut-- sut sus- sus sutt.ace susface sulf-face sulf face ' - ' - - t.ace tace face . The porous nature or of o ( wood woodcharcoal woodcharcoal woodcharcoal charcoal gives It a great amount of ofexposed ofexposed ofexposed exposed surface , so that it possessesthrs possessesthis possesses possessesthis this thrs absorptive power to an unusuul unusual unusualextent unusuulextent unusuulextent extent |