Chapter 767 (Third update, please subscribe)

In fact, it is not difficult to become a Ming Dynasty person!

As long as they are good enough, the Ming Dynasty has always opened its doors to outstanding talents.

For example, Friedrich Wöhler, a professor at the University of South China, can become a naturalized citizen if he wants. As a chemist, he was hired to teach at the University of South China six years ago.

He is also an outstanding talent listed on the "Emperor's List". For such outstanding talents, the Ming Dynasty will give special treatment - he can even become a citizen without changing his name.

However, Friedrich Wöhler never became a citizen because, as the inventor of synthetic urea and a pioneer in organic chemistry, he liked the scientific research environment of Nanhua University very much.

Here, there are both world-class facilities and sufficient funding, which allows him to conduct many researches that interest him together with his students. In fact, this is exactly why Daming can attract many people here - a better scientific research environment.

As a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of South China, Wheeler of course also needs to take on teaching tasks, and this is his main job.

Although roll call was not required at the University of South China, Wheeler unexpectedly discovered that the student had skipped class again, so he specifically asked about it.

"Does anyone know Li Xuecun? Why didn't he come to class today?"

"Teacher Wheeler, he may still be in the laboratory. Xuecun has been living and eating there recently."

In the lab?

Wheeler raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. He was very impressed with Li Xuecun, a student who was very talented and extremely hardworking.

Is he conducting some experiment?

After class, Wheeler went straight to the laboratory. As soon as he arrived, he saw Li Xuecun busy in the laboratory.

When he walked into the laboratory, Li Xuecun, who was immersed in the experiment, did not notice his arrival. He was just taking notes there. After observing for a while, Wheeler asked curiously.

"Yukimura-san, are you conducting an experiment with electrolysis?"

"Ah, Mr. Wheeler."

When he turned around and saw the teacher, Li Xuecun remembered that he seemed to have a class today.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Wheeler, I was so engrossed that I forgot about today's lesson."

"It's okay. You are conducting an electrolysis experiment, right? What do you want to produce?"

"chlorine!"

Li Xuecun answered directly.

"Until now, the production method of chlorine has always been based on the method invented by Berthollet in 1789. This method is to put a mixture of sodium chloride, manganese dioxide and sulfuric acid in a lead distiller and produce chlorine after heating. This method is too expensive, and chlorine is widely used, such as producing bleaching powder. If the electrolytic method is used instead, its production cost should be reduced."

"Chlorine produced by electrolysis?"

Seeing that the teacher seemed a little confused, Li Xuecun explained.

"Teacher Wheeler, the electrolysis method for producing chlorine dates back to 1833, when Faraday, after a series of experiments, discovered that chlorine can be produced when an electric current is applied to an aqueous solution of sodium chloride, that is, when an aqueous solution of sodium chloride is electrolyzed. However, since there were no practical generators available at the time to generate enough current, Faraday's discovery could only remain at the laboratory scale and could not be put into large-scale production. But now that we have a stable supply of electricity, we can try to produce chlorine using electrolysis."

Li Xuecun discovered the electrolytic method of producing chlorine while reading materials in the library. Although there were only a few simple written records and no details, he still achieved extremely rich rewards through a series of experiments.

"In the process of extracting chlorine, hydrogen and by-products such as sodium hydroxide and metallic sodium can be obtained."

When Li Xuecun showed his experimental results, Wheeler couldn't help but sigh in his heart. At the end, he looked at his students and said.

"This is an invention worth more than $100,000!"

"What?"

"Xuecun, you can ask the school's lawyer to contact the chemical company. I believe they will be very interested in your invention."

Why should the school lawyer come forward? Because the school has the right to share the patent money for the inventions made by students and professors at the school. After all, the school provides them with experimental equipment and venues, and the school can also maximize their interests by coming forward.

Now, the patent inventions of teachers and students have long become another extremely important source of income for the University of South China. As early as last year, the income exceeded one million. The saying "knowledge is wealth" is very appropriate for the University of South China. A seemingly inconspicuous practical invention can make a person a millionaire.

A few tens of thousands of yuan may seem like a long way from becoming a millionaire, but it can definitely allow ordinary people to squeeze into the rich industry. Besides, Li Xuecun is only a 21-year-old young man.

A seemingly insignificant invention, while changing Li Xuecun's fate, will also change the fate of many people in the near future. This is beyond the expectations of these scholars.

On the campus of South China University, various inventions are made every day. Some of these inventions will be put to use, while others may be shelved due to their low practical value. However, many changes in the Ming Dynasty started from here. Even the legendary "Imperial Central Laboratory" cannot catch up with this place in value to a certain extent. Compared with those "inventions" of the "Imperial Central Laboratory", the inventions here are the real inventions of the people of the Ming Dynasty, without any external help.

A few days later, when Li Xuecun signed the patent authorization letter and received a check for 60,000 yuan from his lawyer, and before he even finished his work, Associate Professor Xu Lin from the Department of Chemistry walked up to him and said.

"Congratulations, Li Xuecun!"

"Thank you, Professor Xu, it's just luck."

"Scientific inventions themselves require a bit of luck, which means you're pretty lucky. By the way, you should graduate next month!"

Xu Lin asked with a smile.

"Yes, I am preparing for my graduation thesis defense now."

"What are you going to do after the defense? I just heard that Manager Chen from Imperial Chemicals has offered you a job. Imperial Chemicals seems to be a good choice. After all, it is the largest chemical company in the empire."

The teacher's question made Li Xuecun smile.

"After the defense is over, I plan to travel around Daming. After all, I have money now."

"Yes, indeed. While you are still young, you should travel around. Oh, right..."

Xu Lin took out a business card from his pocket and said.

"After your trip, if you are interested, you can come here and he will provide you with a new job opportunity!"

"Job opportunities?"

The moment Li Xuecun took the business card, he was stunned. There were a few words written on it.

"Imperial Central Laboratory".

(End of this chapter)