124th NATIONAL ACS MEETING
A Challenge T© Chemists , . . . To ensure the continuation of energy sources and material supplies for the use of future generations . . .
to be
intelligent and responsible citizens Farrington Daniels, president of t h e ACS, delivers his address, "A Challenge to Chemists" A N HIS presidential address of a generation ago, President J. F. Norris of the A M E R I C A N C H E M I C A L SOCIETY pointed
to
the advances in coal tar chemistry which had been made by German and British chemists and challenged American chemists to develop our great raw material— petroleum. This challenge has been abundantly met, and the past three decades have brought extraordinary achievements in die science a n d technology of petroleum. T h e challenge which 1 give you in 195-> is a long range challenge—to start seriously the research which will ensure that our children's children may have a continuation of the iuel, food, metals and materials which we arc so freel> enjoying and so rapidly consuming. Let us consider first our energy resources. Attempts have been made to measure the progress of material civilization in terms of dollars of gold, tons of sulfuric acid, and numbers of automobiles manufactured. It seems to me that the consumption of energy in kilowatt-hours or kilocalories is a better criterion. How m u c h energy do we require to maintain our present American standard of living? W e need about 30(H) kilocalories of food per day to feed ourselves, hut we need 50 times as much, or 150,000 kilocalories of fuel to feed our machines. Some experts say that we will need twice as much within 25 years. It is difficult to estimate how long will our supply of fuel last; according to optimistic guesses, in a few hundred years, or at t h e best a couple of thousand, the world's supply will be nearly gone. Natural gas -will give out first and petroleum second, b u t as long as coal lasts the chemist can give us gas and oil. Some European coal-producing countries will feel the pinch of exhaustion within decades, and
3868
according to some authorities, t h e depletion of American coal reserves may be felt within a century. H o p e f o r Future Fuels Lies in A t o m i c Energy a n d Solar E n e r g y
W h a t will we do then for our fuel? W a t e r power and wind power can be expanded somewhat. Tide power from the moon is restricted and rather impractical. Our hope lies in atomic energy a n d solar energy. But whereas o u r combustion fuel is right for our present engines, b e cause we designed them so, atomic energy is too hot because of its radioactivity and solar energy is too cold because of its ^iffuseness. Here is our first challenge, to convert directly t h e energy of t h e atom and of the sun into kilowatt hours of electricity. A good beginning has been made in atomic energy, but in my opinion w e could have moved considerably faster toward atom-generated electricity by following the original plans for early construction of an experimental plant in t h e successful American tradition of learning b y building. Unfortunately these plans h a d to be set aside for more emphasis on military defense. I have been interested in atomic power for nearly a decade now, a n d I am convinced that it will come surely b u t slowly, and that in the lifetime of many here tonight it will be a significant factor in the industrial work of t h e world. In this development the chemist will play an important role in solving two problems which are now bottlenecks to progress: first, the cheap chemical processing of partially-spent, radioactive, atomic fuel so that we may salvage the unfissioned uranium; and, second, the practical recovery of uranium from low grade ores. T h e Atomic Energy Commission says that the world's energy resources of ura-
CHEMICAL
nium exceed those of coal. In theoretical heat values, one pound of uranium undergoing total fission is equivalent to a trainload, or 1500 tons of coal. If we can find a w a y of extracting uranium from very low grade ores containing less t h a n 0.01 of 1% uranium, the potential resources of uranium-generated heat will become enormous. In my opinion, atomic power plants of t h e future will operate w i t h gas turbines at very high temperatures of 3000° to 4000° F., thus giving a h i g h thermodynamic efficiency. T h e nonoxidizing gases which are possible with atomic fuel, though impossible with combustion fuel, open up to t h e alert chemist possibilities of new materials which may withstand these high temperatures a n d still retain t h e necessary physical properties. A t o m i c Power W i l l Be Used in Large Stations, Solar Energy in S m a l l e r Units
Atomic power will require large capital investment both for t h e uranium necessary to propagate a nuclear chain reaction and for t h e expensive equipment necessary for safe control a n d handling of the radioactive material. For this reason, atomic power will be used in large central stations. Solai energy on t h e other hand will be more suitable for smaller units widely dispersed. Atomic energy a n d combustible fuels alike are pretty insignificant in total heat when compared with solar energy. The sun will still be going strong when all our chemical and nuclear fuels are exhausted. One atomic bomb gives off no more heat than a day's sunshine on two square miles. An acre of any land receives of the order of 2 0 million kilocalories per day no matter whether it is arid land, costing tens of dollars, or farm land costing hundreds of dollars, or city property costing thousands of dollars.
AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
PRESIDENTIAL Dividing t h e l a n d area of t h e United States b y the population gives about 13 acres of land per person, on which falls about 2 6 0 million kiloealories of solar heat. I said w e need only about 150 thousand kiloealories t o feed ourselves and our machines. B u t unfortunately thus far w e have learned how t o use only a very small fraction of t h e solar h e a t received. T h e trouble is that the temperature of sunshine is not high enough to b e interesting t o an efficient engine, and t h e cost of standard focusing devices necessary to obtain a high temperature seems now to b e prohibitive. To convert heat into work w e need a difference in temperature just as we need a difference in level in order to obtain work from falling water. Tin- situation is not unlike that of a dreamer at the seaside seeing t h e ocean and saying if we only h a d a lower level we could get a lot of water power out of the ocean. If we only h a d the sun's radiation at a higher t e m p e r a t u r e we could get a lot of energy out of it. A s far back as 1884, solar engines h a v e been built and operated, but t h e capital investment per horsepower is very large for an efficient engine. Possibly in isolated areas small, inefficient solar e n gines of low cost could b e used a d v a n tageously in spite of unfavorable t h e r m o d y n a m i c s a n d economics. Research along these lines is desirable. Then we can think of thermocouples a n d photovoltaic cells a n d electrochemical cells with t e m p e r a t u r e gradients for t h e direct conversion of solar energy into electricity—but again t h e capital investm e n t for an acre of metal, or an acre of glass, o r an acre of anything becomes so lar^e a s to be impractical. Here again n e w ideas m a y well change this p i c t u r e . F o r example, thin plasties can be t h o u g h t of in acre areas. One of t h e important requirements for any solar engine or direct electrical converter is a n e w t y p e of cheap storage b a t tery or storage system of enormous c a pacity t o carry t h e solar energy over t h e night period. If solar engines do b e c o m e practical, perhaps those areas will b e a d vantageously situated which have high p l a t e a u s nearby for p u m p i n g water up t o a reservoir a n d letting it flow back t h r o u g h a w a t e r wheel. Solar Prosperity Is Just Around the Corner T h e r e is n o n e w era of solar prosperity just around the corner. A pessimistic r e port o n the use of solar energy has b e e n issued in England. House heating and t h e evaporation of sea w a t e r a r e areas of promise for solar researchers and engineers. But the most promising long-range a p proach to solar energy utilization lies in t h e hands of chemists. If o n e considers light in terms of q u a n t u m calculations, t h e visible sunlight varies from 4 0 to 6 0 kilncalories per mole for photochemical reactions w h e r e a s for use as heat energy it V O L U M E
3 1,
NO.
38
corresponds to only a small fraction of o n e kilocalorie. In other words t h e abund a n t heat of the sun can operate rjbotochemically w i t h a high intensity factor a n d high work efficiency w h e r e a s if it operates in a heat engine t h e unfocused s o h i r r a d i a t i o n has a very low intensity factor. What w e need is a cheap solar chemical which will absorb most of the sunlight a n d effect a n endothermic, heat absorbi n g , chemical reaction which can b e later reversed, at will, to give u p all the absorbed h e a t . For example, iodine vapor is dissociated into atoms b y light. On r e c o m b i n a t i o n the atoms give off as much hecit as t h e y absorbed in the dissociation— b u t the r e c o m b i n a t i o n takes place instantly w h i l e t h e exposure to light is going on a n d the n e t effect is merely t h e immediate conversion of light into h e a t . T h e n e w m a g i c s o l a r c o m p o u n d should b e able to absorb m o s t of t h e light and give products which a r e stable and nonreactive until w e heat t h e m to say 200° C , or in some o t h e r c h e a p w a y bring about t h e exothermic reverse reaction w h e n a n d where w e want it. It is not easy to find a mater i a l which meets these specifications. A good b e g i n n i n g has been m a d e by L a w r e n c e J. H e i d t of t h e Massachusetts Institute of Technology, w h o has obtained b o t h h y d r o g e n a n d oxygen b y t h e photoly s i s with ultraviolet light of eerie and cerous p e r c h l o r a t e in w a t e r . Obviously t h e s e t w o gases could b e stored indefinitely a n d c o m b i n e d at will t o give a flame of high t e m p e r a t u r e for operating an efficient engine. Research along these l i n e s should continue looking toward other solutes w h i c h might decompose water not o n l y w i t h ultraviolet light b u t with light of all t h e w a v e lengths of sunlight. There is a n intriguing challenge h e r e to find the ideal solar c o m p o u n d b u t it is a difficult challenge. But t h e quest for the solar c o m p o u n d is n o t hopeless. N a t u r e has already provided u s with o n e which is truly marvelous. Chlorophyll acting in photosynthesis meets a l l our specifications even t h o u g h an abstract p h y s i c a l chemist, unfamiliar with reality, w o u l d h a v e said t h a t photosynthetic c o m b i n a t i o n of carbon dioxide and water b y sunlight is impossible. But photosynthesis h a s been going on for millions of years a n d has provided us with all our food a n d fuel. The efficiency of energy storage in our agricultural crops is much less than this b e c a u s e t h e growing season in temperate zones i s only one third of t h e year, because t h a t half of the radiation which is in the infrared is not absorbed, because the carbon dioxide content of t h e air, 0 . 0 3 % , i s too low, and because t h e sunlight is much t o o intense for o p t i m u m efficiency. Actually, t h e farmer with his average crop o £ a c o u p l e of tons of dry organic matter p e r acre does q u i t e well. W h e n all this organic material is b u r n e d in air the heat evolved is 0.1 or 0.2 of 1 % of the total year's s u p p l y of solar energy falling o n the
» SEPTEMBER
2 1,
1953
ADDRESS
acre. Agriculture h a s a n d will continue to improve these yields per acre. However, t o get really big increases ol ten-fold o r so a bolder approach t h a n that of conventional agriculture is necessary. O n e possibility which has been exp>lored is to grow algae in cheap enclosed t r o u g h s or plastic b a g s w i t h high concentrations of carbon dioxide. The total mass of these single-celled algae is involved in p h o t o synthesis with n o nonphotosynthe*>izing p a r t s . Perhaps n e w types of algae c a n he d e v e l o p e d genetically which will be more efficient in bright sunlight. An attractive possibility in algae culture is the ixse of c h e a p land w i t h o u t good soil or large w a t e r supply. There a r e serious difficulties in this a p p r o a c h t o increased i i s e of solar energy, but some research has been d o n e a n d more should follow. Needed: New Ways t o Recover Low Grade Ores Some of o u r metals and our minerals, like cobalt a n d nickel and tin and high g r a d e m a n g a n e s e , a r e ahead, short. O t h e r s will b e c o m e short in t i m e . An excellent report on this situation h a s been p r e p a r e d by the President's Ma-Serials Policy Commission. Here again the c h e m ists are t h e h o p e of your descendants, yet u n b o r n , for their supply of m e t a l s and materials. N e w m e t h o d s for the recovery of low g r a d e ores are needed. Already achieved are beneficiations t h r o u g h size distribution, ore flotation with sel-ective surface w e t t i n g agents and gas b u b b l e s , m a g n e t i c and electrostatic separation^ separation of dense a n d light materials by liquids of t h e proper density, new explosives, n e w c h e m i c a l m e t h o d s of m i n i n g , a n d selective adsorptions on ion exchange resins. T h e s e past successes give u s confidence that there are many other techn i q u e s now k n o w n or y e t to be disccovered in t h e laboratory which alert c h e m i s t s of t h e future c a n p u t to good use f o r the c h e a p e r recovery of needed materials from low g r a d e ores. S o m e elements are highly concentrated in growing p l a n t s such as iodine i n sea w e e d a n d selenium in certain desert x ^ n f o Experiments are u n d e r way on the concentration of u r a n i u m in growing algsie. It is not b e y o n d the realm of possibility that l o n g range research might lead to an u n d e r s t a n d i n g of this biological concentration and t h a t w e m a y sometime find it •worth while to grind up low g r a d ^ ores, dissolve t h e m a n d grow algae on a large scale in the solutions, harvest t h e algae a n d obtain both fuel and rare elements. T h e recovery of one element a l o n « may be uneconomical, but if several elements a r e all concentrated at once, the? algal operation might b e c o m e worth w h i l e . T h e pegmatites, the last parts of granite to crystallize, can give supplies of s o m e of t h e r a r e r elements which d o not fit into t h e crystal lattices of the materials which crystallize o u t first. In considering cheap acids a n d r a w materials to react w i t h low g r a d e ores, w e m i g h t like to kno-%v that 3869
1 2 4 t h N A T B O N A L A C S rWEETJMG
nitrogen oxides in concentrations of 2 % in air can be obtained cheaply by a new thermal process for the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. Classic examples of recovery from cheap raw materials are Oi course tn-c recovery of bromine and magnesium from sea water. Other elements may perhaps be obtainable also from sea water or selected river waters as a result of new lines of research. Xatnre has tried many different ways of concentrating valuable deposits of minerals for our use, solution by water and precipitation or evaporation, thermal diffusion through cracks, mechanical transportation bv glaciers and flowin0- water, and volcanic eruptions. Understanding the geocheinical origin of these materials helps us to know better where to look for new deposits. The atomic energy program has poured money into research on isotopes and the results have been remarkable. Likewise, the intensive search for new sources of uranium, and the fact that uranium can be reliably determined in parts per million, will lead to a greatly increased understanding of the geochemistry of uranium, and through it to a better knowledge of the geochemistry of other elements. Mot only will the chemist supply the civilization of the future with materials which are now known, but he will develop new materials and new technologies which will take the place of the older ones and which will often be better than anything heretofore available. T h e rapid development of plastics is an example of this way of solving the problems of the supply of materials. Progress Depends on Good Supply of Chemists and Fundamental Research
The technical applications will keep pace with the material needs, provided only that we keep u p our supply of chemists and of fundamental research. We know that we are already short in our supply of graduating chemists for replacements and expansions in t h e chemical field, and we know that it takes from four to eight years to train entering freshmen to b e chemists, chemical engineers, or Ph.D. research chemists. W e look with concern a t the dwindling freshman enrollments in chemistry in our colleges and universities. W e know too that the military selective service and the Reserve Officers Training Corps will take a good many chemists and potential chemists. The full effects of these influences will not be evident at once, but the technical manpower situation will become worse before it can become better. The AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY has taken an active
part in trying to encourage more young men of ability and potential interest to take up the training for chemistry and chemical engineering and in trying to place the trained men in the military, in industry or in research in whichever capacity they can be of the greatest value for ihe welfare and safety of the country. Applied research feeds on fundamental 3870
or basic research, and one of our important challenges is to see that this important asset does not tend to dry up. European laboratories suffered badly during the war and much fundamental research in this country also was temporarily sidetracked. Thanks to rapid recovery and to large government subsidies, in the United States the quantity of fundamental research is now at a high level. More Emphasis Should Be Placed on Risk Research
I want to emphasize, though, the importance of quality as well as quantity in research. I also want to advocate more emphasis on bold research, which might be called risk research, analogous to risk capital investment which may be lost but which on the other hand may bring in large returns. There is a natural tendency to pick sure research problems so that a graduate student will be certain of a Ph.D. in three or four years. There is a tendency also to choose subjects in sponsored research which will lead to tangible results in a year or two so that a good showing can more easily lead to the renewal of a research contract and continuation of personnel. Industry, too, has to be governed in its selection of research programs by an ultimate showing in dollars. There is nothing wrong with this situation and excellent research is being done, but there is a danger here in multiplying the quantity of mediocre research and not placing enough emphasis on risk-taking research which, if it pans out, will open up whole new areas of research activities—both fundamental and applied. It would be interesting indeed to try to classify published researches into pioneering investigations of outstanding promise and investigations of substantial and valuable, fact-finding material that is not likely to be stimulating for further research. But it would be difficult to find the wisdom to make such a classification. I wish that there were more funds in support of research like a recent one by the Guggenheim Foundation for research on the utilization of solar energy in which there is complete freedom from reports and accounts. Any unspent balance for a year can be carried over for expenditure in later years. The scientist can indulge better in the fun of risk research with this kind of support. Lab Results Should Be Expanded More Rapidly to Larger Scale Operation
While advocating more risk research, I want to go one step further and advocate more rapid expansion from laboratory results of promise to larger scale operations, a procedure sometimes called a crash development. I realize that I am on dangerous ground here, and I know that pilot plants are very expensive to build and operate. There is a philosophy according to which hasty developments of new processes do not pan out. We should C H E M I C A L
wait, according to this philosophy, for technology* to catch urp with us. By spending enough money and scientific and engineering manpower we could have gotten Diesel engines and gas turbines much sooner, hut they wouldn't have been significant in the economic and industrial life of the nation, according to this view, because the materials of construction were not easily available and the quick adaptation to existing conditions would have been difficult. We did come through with a crash development in atomic energy which went much faster than a normal development because of the large sums of money and technical manpower that went into it—and "see," say the proponents of this philosophy, "we got into trouble because the political and social conditions of our civilization were not ready for it." Now there is an element of truth in this, but 1 still want to speak in favor of the bold venture in industrial developments as well as in fundamental research. It has been my good fortune to be associated with some of these crash developments—atomic reactors for industrial power, nitrogen fixation by quick chilling of air heated with fuel gas to very high temperatures, utilization of solar energy, and the recovery of uranium. One of these rapid developments has been sidetracked, one is getting ready for production and the others are quite unpredictable—but I assure you that they are a lot of fun, and I am convinced that eventually all of them will have been worth while. The more conservative researches are fun also. It is well to have both types of research going on, just as it's well for an investor to have both stocks and bonds. In arguing for bolder approaches in some industrial developments, I would like to point out that years of painstaking laboratory research may in the long run cost more than a pilot plant and that much valuable time may be lost. In chemistry, the obsolescence rate is very great, and those who wait may be too late. The problems which are uncovered by the actual running of a complete machine or process may be quite different from the problems which were emphasized in the laboratory. What if calculations did show that the bumblebee and the heavier-than-air flying-machine couldn't fly. Perhaps some of the basic assumptions were incomplete. Let's try the experiment and see if it works. Sometimes we don't know that the experiment won't work and accordingly go ahead and do it. Some say that we shouldn't try to crash through the ceiling of technological advancement in new experiments and new developments. Just wait for the steadily rising ceiling to rise high enough, before we try our developments. We'll save headaches and money. I say, however, let's keep bumping our heads against the ceiling. The ceiling doesn't rise automatically—it rises only because some pioneers are willing to keep bumping their heads against it.A N D
E N G I N E E R I N G
NEWS
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS While discussing progress i n research laboratories let me point out that floor space, facilities and equipment, technicians, secretaries and janitors, salaries and overhead go on just the same whether the laboratory is productive or comparatively nonproductive. Everything depends on the vision, the inspiration, and t h e freedom of a small number of leaders. These are some challenges and some philosophies for meeting them. The chemist and the chemical engineer can probably take care of our material wants and those of our descendants, but our real concern is for our human problems of t h e present. W e can g e t by in a material way for the indefinite future if the world's population can b e kept in reasonable check, provided w e can solve the international, political, and social problems of the next few decades. If the following three stories bear any resemblance to the situations o f real life, the resemblance is not entirely coincidental. First is the story of the frightened rabbit running away from Washington. No one could catch u p with him. Finally, a squirrel stopped him, "What's the matter, Mr. Rabbit?" "Oh," said the rabbit, "They're going to call m e a snake." "Why, you're n o t a snake and you know you're not a snake. What are you afraid of?" "Yes, I know," said the rabbit, "but how can I prove it?"—and h e kept on running. I told this story at a student forum on academic freedom and sMd, "Isn't it tragic that in Wisconsin in 1953 there should be any point to telling such a story." I was followed by a professor of history who is an expert on eastern European affairs. He said, "This story is even more tragic than Professor Daniels has indicated because I heard exactly the same story 15 years ago in a country which was soon afterwards taken over by a dictatorship." In our siipreme efforts to stay free let us beware that we do not fall into the ways of dictator-dominated countries. The second story has to d o with the filling of a hypothetical vacancy in the chemical laboratory of a hypothetical foreign country, A committee was appointed to examine candidates and o n e of the questions was, "What is the formula for sulfuric acid?" This seemed t o o easy and the candidates thought that there must be a catch in it. Some said H 2 S0 4 , some said H0SO5 and others said H 2 0.xS0 3 . They were all failed. Along came a smart candidate who said "What formula d o you want?" H e got the job. Very happily a notable victory against such procedures has been won for democracy, and it has been won because thousands of citizens understood t h e issue and protested. It h a s been won also because Americans know how to work through representative committees (this time with the help of the National Academy of Sciences), and because our Government wants to do the right thing. VOLUME
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NO.
38
A Credo for Chemists: Unswerving Adherence to Truth The medical profession has a sacred code of ethics, the Hippocratic oath, to which all doctors subscribe. Chemists don't have a formal code, but they have an unwritten c o d e just as strong. They aren't usually responsible for the lives of their clients as a doctor is, but they are responsible for t h e welfare and safety of all the people. They are often thought of as working only with material things. But they can't meet their responsibilities without adhering to the highest ideals. If w e did have a code it might be simply, "The unswerving adherence to truth without regard to personal prejudice, professional progress, political pressure, or money." As scientists and as Americans w e have a priceless heritage of freedom and justice based on centuries of Christianity and democratic government paid for dearly through the lives of men of vision and high ideals. W e have seen these sacred principles suffer in other areas. W e of the midtwentieth century are the present guardians of this freedom and justice. Shortly after the war I w a s peacefully reading the newspaper in Oak Ridge when my eye caught the headline "Scientist Advocates Uranium Dollar." I said to myself, "now w h a t fool-scientist is shooting off his face and getting us all in wrong." I read on and found that they were quoting me. I had been asked by CHEMICAL
AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
to
write one of the first articles o n peacetime atomic power and after giving all the unclassified material available, I stuck in, with qualifications, a brief suggestion that since a gram of uranium on fission gives a very large and very definite number of kilowatt-hours of heat this could be a standard of value independent of fluctuating prices and economic conditions. It was a cute idea—or so I thought at the time. But I k n e w nothing of economics, and I should not have spoken on the subject while I was speaking as an authority in my own field. I learned, too, what every chemist ought to know—that unimportant parts of a public statement can b e taken out of context and put into headlines. Scientific knowledge has been built b y the contributions of scientists of all nations and so it is easy for chemists to see the need for international cooperation and good will. It has been my privilege and pleasure this summer to attend two important scientific meetings in Europe—the 50th anniversary of the Netherlands Chemical Society at the Hague and the XVIIth Congress of Pure and Applied Chemistry in Stockholm. I cannot in so short a time bring any expert impressions from those who look at us from the outside. I can say, however, that some thoughtful European chemists, who saw personally the creeping paralysis of dictatorship in the making, are plainly worried at the attempted interference with government service and personal justice
. SEPTEMBER
2 1,
1953
which they think they see starting in the United States, the country which has been for them a bulwark of freedom and democracy. They are troubled also w h e n they see some of their scientists denied admission to the United States and w h e n they hear occasional military boasting. While they are likely to exaggerate the influence of loud-mouthed or irresponsible persons in. our country, they nevertheless know from sad experience the danger o f that influence. We know that all sorts of people speak out freely in our country, but it is difficult for an outsider to distinguish between the voices that are irresponsible or warlike and the voices that are significant. We have seen some loyal government workers and other professional men attacked irresponsibly, but it is gratifying to note that w h e n the integrity of certain government scientists was attacked unjustifiably the scientists of the country of all political affiliations stood u p and declared, "You can't do this to Science." The
AMERICAN
CHEMICAL
SOCIETY
with
its 70,000 members carries great weight. It must speak out officially only with great caution, but it has the right and the duty to express itself on important, scientific matters of public concern. In this case the Society, after due deliberation, did speak out officially and legally through its Board of Directors. I am pleased to report that this action has had far-reaching approval. S u m m a n . ' " ^ the chemist has many challenges and much pioneering work .to do, to ensure the continuation of energy sources and material supplies for the use of future generations. I've made some suggestions as to how these challenges may b e met through long-range research, and how this research may b e effective. But my real concern is for our political and social problems and I've pointed to some danger signals which should b e watched by chemists, acting in their role as intelligent and responsible citizens. As I leave, shortly, this high office with which you have honored me, I want to express my sincere appreciation for the effective committee work done b y so many of you and for the fine administrative work carried on by our hard working staff under the able direction of our Executive Secretary. Few people realize the enormous amount of conscientious work that goes on behind the scenes in order that your Society can meet its obligations and operate smoothly. We carry a heavy responsibility not only for the advancement of chemistry and for the training and welfare of chemists but also for national and international welfare and the advising of governments. Perhaps the greatest satisfaction of m y trip abroad was to have chemists from different countries around the world come up to me and proudly say "I am a member of the
AMERICAN
CHEMICAL SOCIETY."
We
are all proud to b e members of the AMERICAN C H E M I C A L
SOCIETY.
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