INDUSTRIAL
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NOVEMBER 20. 1923
A Forward Step in Lay Journalism When a great metropolitan newspaper like the New York Times devotes columns of its space to reports of the lectures on "The Atom and the Natural System of the Elements," recently delivered by Niels Bohr at Yale, it is an indication of the rising popular interest in science. Newspapers are supposed to print what, in their judgment, is of interest to the general public» Many of them take the scientific "stories" prepared in popular language by press bureaus and search fur a more or less sensational statement with which to head line the article and then let it go. We have all met the type of newspaper reporter who wants to know just what bearing our contribution to the program of a section or to the general meetings of the American Chemical Society will have on prolonging human life, curing this or that disease, reducing the cost of living or getting more mileage out of a gallon of gasoline. Frequently we are unable to connect our scientific findings even remotely with any such "human interest" subjects and then the newspaper man turns to other sources for his "story." In marked contrast to this method of getting scientific information before the public we have the reports of the Bohr lectures mentioned above. They were evidently written by a writer with scientific training and he succeeded splendidly in making readable "stories" out of a subject which even chemists admit to be rather technical. Our reason for commenting on the subject here is to com pliment the newspaper for its enterprise and the writer for his skill in acquainting the public with the most recent de velopments in the field of chemistry and physics without becoming too technical in his language and, further, to draw the attention of our readers to the gradual development of a greater appreciation of science and particularly of chemistry on the part of the public. We can now see that the ulti mate development of the work of such agencies as the A. C. S. News Service will be the assignment of special technically trained men to "cover" scientific meetings and events. I t
CHEMISTRY
News Edition
will be a long while before the average newspaper will reach that point but we are surely headed that way. I n the meantime we ought to give all possible encouragement and assistance individually and through our respective local sections to the newspapers and their reporters in producing accurate and impartial accounts of chemical and other scientific topics. Many members of the American Chemical Society as well as section officers are not taking the fullest advantage of the assistance which the A. C. S. News Service can offer along this line.
W h a t Next? The ramifications of the chemical industries are indeed myriad. One never knows what form they will assume next and it is most interesting to speculate about its possible future. Only the other day word was received that a certain large chemical company had purchased some twenty thousand acres of land in Florida, in addition to its previous holdings of ten thousand acres in Texas, for the growing of peanuts. I t was interesting to recall that this company had been formed with the sole idea of utilizing a small amount of surplus water power at a saw mill, and t h a t in so doing it had branched out into almost every branch of electro-chemistry. The occasion for the purchase of the peanut-growing land seems t o have been nothing more in the beginning t h a n the utilization of an excess of hydrogen which it was decided to market as hydrogenated fat. Just on the heels of this announcement, we received a beau tiful lead pencil made from the condensation product of phenol and f ormaldehyde. Here lay hidden another interesting story. Many years ago a chemist was endeavoring to prepare a supergermicide by combining phenol and formaldehyde, the most powerful antiseptics then known. However he was looking for a crystalline product and he got a resinous mess. Dis couraged by this he published a negative result and went on to other work. Certainly it required vision of the finest sort to see in this unholy mess a substance which would go so far to replace amber .and to aid industry in thousands of ways, and above all it required foresight and courage to bring these possibilities into being. What will be the next step?
I n Memory of Edward W. Morley Word comes to us from Professor William McPherson of Ohio State University that the local chapter of the Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity has offered a prize cup for the fresh man student in chemistry who is.regarded as the leader of the class, judged from cla&Sroom and laboratory records and general interest in the science. This cup is to be known as the Edward Williams Morley Cup, in honor of that great American teacher and investiga tor whose work was carried on largely in the state of Ohio. The cup is to be awarded annually a t the end of the spring quarter and the recipient is to be i t s permanent possessor. The committee of award is to consist of Professors Mc Pherson and Evans and an active member of the Lambda chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma. Thus will the memory of Edward Williams Morley be kept green and a valuable stimulus given to freshman interest in chemistry. It was a happy thought t h a t brought about the decision to make this award and to name it in honor of t h a t distinguished investigator -who contributed so much to the sciences of which he was a master.
November 20, 1923
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
(Continued from page j ) tion t h a t t h e sum of t h e known parts is equal to t h e whole. I t is n o t to be assumed, for example, because codliver oil has appeared in t h e tests t h u s far made to contain 100 times as much vitamin A as butter, t h a t therefore t h e reinforcem e n t of other fats with a little codliver oil will constitute a nutritive equivalent for butter. Recent evidence is against this assumption for Evans and Bishop have described sterility due to dietary deficiency and curable by butter b u t not by codliver oil. T o those who have been i n position to follow closely t h e literature of t h e vitamins it will doubtless appear t h a t what has been said is little more t h a n a n introductory review and t h a t I am ending where such a s t u d e n t of the subject would wish me to begin. This is true, b u t there is a reason for it. Since most chemists presumably have n o t time t o read the very voluminous original literature of this new branch of chemistry, a n d since the tendency to exaggeration on t h e p a r t of a few enthusiasts has produced in t h e minds of m a n y a n undue skepticism regarding t h e whole subject, i t has seemed to me t h a t it would be· of value to state clearly and merely t h e present position of the vitamins as factors in food values and not touching upon t h e Hiscussion of their quantitative determination, their thermostability, and t h e relative amounts of t h e different vitamins in different foods and in t h e same food under different conditions. M u c h time a n d labor are now being devoted t o these problems because we believe t h a t t h e vitamin supply is too important a m a t t e r t o be left t o chance or to t h e guidance of merely qualitative information; t h a t t h e needed vitamins are best obtained through a right selection and t r e a t m e n t of our staple articles of food; and t h a t a quantitative knowledge of t h e relative a m o u n t s of vitamins present should enter into all future considerations of food values.
Editorial Board Selects Experts for Critical Tables T h e Editorial Board of International Critical Tables m e t a t t h e National Research Council on October 29, 1923, with t h e following members present: E . W. Washburn, chairman ; G. 3v. Bùrgess, S. Dushman, J. Johnston, S. C. Lind, C. E . Mendenhall, N . E. Dorsey, and C. J. West; a n d by invitation, D r . E. C. Brown, Assistant Director of t h e Bureau of Standards. 'Cooperating Experts for 37 topics in Physical Chemistry, 85 topics in Physics and 16 Industrial Subjects were recommended t o t h e Editorial Staff.
Paraffin S u b s t i t u t e Discovered A substitute for t h e paraffin used t o impregnate matches to insure their inflammability is said t o have been discovered in Germany. This is said to be 8 0 % cheaper t h a n the paraffin now used for t h e purpose. I t is also claimed t o have other advantages, namely, t h a t it m a y be used at ordinary temperatures without first being molten and, further, t h a t it does not cause discoloring of t h e wood and is odorless. Its composition is as yet a secret.
Meetings of Chemical Societies i n N e w York A meeting of the New York Section of t h e American Chemical Society was held a t the Chemists' Club on t h e evening of November 9th. Prof. Lauder W . Jones, of Princeton University, addressed the meeting on "Bonds between Atoms in Molecules." The remaining schedule of meetings to be held by the various chemical societies a t the Chemists' Club during t h e 1923-24 season is as follows: 1923 Dec. 7th—Society of Chemical Industry. Regular Meeting. Dec. 14th—American Chemical Society. Regular Meeting. 1924 J a n . 4th—American Chemical Society. Regular Meeting. J a n . 11 th—Society of Chemical Industry. Perkin Medal. Feb. Sth—American Electrochemical Society (in charge). Society of Clicmical Industry. Société de Chimie Industrielle. American Chemical Society. Joint Meeting. Mar. 7th—American Chemical Society. Nichols Medal. Mar. 21st—Society of Chemical Industry. Regular Meeting. Apr. 18th—Society of Chemical Industry (in charge). American Electrochemical Society. Société de Chimie Industrielle. American Chemical Society. J o i n t Meeting. M a y 2nd—American Chemical Society. Regular Meeting. M a y 9th—Société de Chimie Industrielle (in charge). American Chemical Society. American Electrochemical Society. Society of Chemical Industry. Joint Meeting. May 16th—Society of Chemical Industry. Regular Meeting. June 6th—American Chemical Society.
Chemists' Club Celebrates Silver Anniversary The twenty-fifth anniversary of t h e Chemists' Club was fittingly celebrated a t the club house November 2nd by a dinner in which about one hundred and twenty-five members participated. The guests of honor were charter members of t h e club who were instrumental in forming it twenty-five years ago. It was deeply regretted t h a t Dr. Chas. F . Chandler, who wras t h e moving spirit a t t h a t time, could not be present. Or. William H . Nichols presided as toastmaster and called upon several of t h e charter members for reminiscences of t h e early days of the club. Entertainment during the evening was furnished entirely b y local t a l e n t with t h e assistance of the various radio broadcasting stations in New York. Songs written to the tune of "Johnnie Comes Marching H o m e " and t a k i n g off t h e peculiarities of t h e various leading lights of the club were interspersed throughout the evening. Dr. Ell wood Hen drick presided in a most fittingly solemn manner over t h e wedding of Miss National Aniline,
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who was given by Barrett to General Chemical. Special radio entertainment furnished in part by local talent and in part by " W . J. Z . / ' Harlow Hardiuge with his musical saw, and A. K. Buchanan, the club's own magician, completed the program of entertainment.
Hawaii Section Elects Officers The Hawaiian Section of t h e American Chemical Society held its annual meeting a t the Experiment Station of t h e Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association October 24th. T h e following were elected t o the office designated for the ensuing year: Guy R . Stewart, chairman; William Weinrich, vice chairman; R. Q. Smith, secretary; D . Kirschman, treasurer; C. C. James, member of executive committee, and Will T. McGeorge, councilor. The report of the chairman included a statement t h a t it was hoped to receive ballots shortly for t h e general election of society officers and that these ballots would reach the members in time to be distributed by November 1st. Professor F . F . Jewett of Oberlin College, in a most interesting manner, related a few of his experiences as a student and teacher. The difficulties which t h e late Charles M. Hall, who was one of Professor Jewett's students, encountered in his efforts to make aluminium commercially and the success which h e finally attained was a subject of much interest.
A n n u a l Reports o n t h e Progress of Chemistry M a n y of our readers are acquainted with t h e very excellent Annual Reports on the Progress of Chemistry issued yearly b y the Chemical Society (London) and offered upon attractive terms to members of the American Chemical Society. We are informed t h a t t h e Reports for 1923, being Volume X X , can be obtained, bound in cloth, postpaid, for the sum of seven shillings, b u t to obtain this advantageous price orders must be received b y S. S. Carr, Assistant Secretary, Chemical Society, Burlington House, London W. 1, prior t o December 3 1 , 1923. M a y we add t h a t remittance should be made b y post office money order, as other types of exchange sometimes fail t o realize the full amount. We a r e glad t o recommend these Reports heartily to our readers and urge them t o take advantage of t h e courtesies extended t o us by t h e Chemical Society.
Research Work o n Rare Metals In order t h a t t h e utmost encouragement m a y be given to t h e search for and development of deposits of rare metals in this country, specialists of the Department of t h e Interior, located a t the Reno, Nevada, station of the Bureau of Mines, are examining specimens of ores submitted from all over t h e country as possibly containing minerals of which t h e United States lacks essential supplies. Of many samples recently examined for t h e rare metals, a few gave positive results for t h e following elements: molybdenum, uranium, radium, vanadium, tungsten, platinum, titanium, thorium, cerium, rare earths and zirconium.
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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Sulfur to S t o p Nitrogen Waste The loss of nitrogen from compost and manure heaps amounts t o an untold waste of a valuable form of fertilizer. A t the Georgia Experiment Station i t has been found t h a t 60 per cent of t h e original nitrogen was lost from carefully prepared mixtures in a few months. This loss occurred too when there was no possibilitv of loss through washing or draining from the compost mixture, a n d of course had such precaution n o t been taken the loss would have been greater. The point is that nitrogen loss occurs through the conversion of the original forms of nitrogen of t h e compost into ammonia in which form it may be either dissolved out or lost into t h e atmosphere. Kven where one source of loss, washing out, was prevented 60 per cent of the original nitrogen was wasted into the air. Manures a r e valuable not only for the mineral fertilizers they contain b u t also for their carbon compounds which, under proper conditions, may be fixed in t h e soil. One of the necessary conditions is t h a t for every 200 pounds of organic matter in the manure there must be 10 pounds or more of nitrogen, else part of t h e organic matter will be wasted and cannot benefit the crop. I n ordinary farm manure the nitrogen is insufficient to answer this need in combining with all the organic matter. Then t h e proper course is t o boost u p the nitrogen content of manures and composts b y adding nitrogenous material. Where composting in heaps is practiced this additional nitrogen is doubly necessary on account of losses which occur. Nitrogen m a y be added as nitrate of soda, sulfate of ammonia, etc., or, better, in an organic form as cottonseed meal, etc. A compost mixture of 6 parts Florida Soft Phosphate, 3 parts dry soil, 2 parts cottonseed meal, 1 part dried stable manure, kept moist .in glass jars for seven months had lost 60 per cent of the original nitrogen. A mixture similar in every respect except t h a t two pounds of ordinary sulfur (flowers) per hundred pounds of dry compost mixture were added had a n original nitrogen content of 1.535 per cent and after seven months no loss h a d occurred. T h e nitrogen present in actual ammonia form h a d increased from t h e original 0.065 per cent t o 0.767 per cent. Ammonification had proceeded normally b u t t h e sulfur h a d combined with t h e ammonia and prevented its waste into t h e atmosphere. Extensive experiments with use of sulfur as a protection against nitrogen loss have not yet been made, although some further investigations along this line are being made a t t h e Experiment Station. T h e results already obtained and summarized here, seem t o show t h a t there is a " w a y out" and much of the nitrogen loss in t h e feeding lot can b e avoided.
Natural Gas Gasoline Used a s a Refrigerant {By Science Service) T h a t natural gas gasoline may b e used to advantage as a refrigerant is asserted by Iv. D . Wyant, chemical engineer of t h e Bureau of Mines, who has recently completed an investigation of its possibilities in those lines. I n the experiments conducted it was shown that a
temperature in a "cold room" of 14: to 16 degrees above zero Fahrenheit was easily obtained. Natural gas gasoline has the advantage over ammonia, t h e commonly used refrigerant, in t h a t its vapors a r e not poisonous in low concentrations while those of ammonia are dangerous in the concentration of half of one per cent. I t requires less pressure than when liquid carbon dioxide is used as refrigerating agent, and produces more cold than does liquid sulfur dioxide, which also is poisonous. These advantages are believed to» offset its inflammability, as danger from that source, M r . Wyant says, may be avoided by ventilation. I t is asserted t h a t a. concentration of gasoline vapor equivalent to a fatal concentration of ammonia, would not b e inflammable.
News
Recent: Articles of Interest t o Chemists T h e following articles have been selected from re nt numbers of scientific and technical publications as being of special interest t o our readers: C h e m i s t r y of I n s u l i n .
Through the generosity of Frederick: B. Kilmer, of t h e firm of Johnson &: Johnson, there h a s been established at: the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science a research fellowship i n Pharmacognosy and P l a n t Chexnistry. The donation provides an income o f about $400 which is available for the current college session and annually thereafter. This fellowship is to be. used toward defraying the expenses of a graduate student: who h a s h a d adequate preparation fox such research work a n d who has proven fitness for the investigation planned. The work will be carried out under the direction of Prof. Arno Viehoever, the head of t h e Department of Biology a n d Pharmacognosy, who is a specialist in the work contemplated in this new fellowship.
Investigation of Mineral Fillers T h e investigation of t h e availability of certain minerals for use as fillers, together with a study of their physical and chemical characteristics, a n d their adaptability to commercial uses, i s being continued by t h e Department of tlxe Interior, through t h e Bureau of Mines. The South has extensive deposits o f clays, ochres, bauxite, talc, graphite, etc., and t h e purpose of this study is to d e termine their value for use as fillers i n making linoleum, paper and o t h e r commercial products.
How Pyrethrum Worlcs I t h a s been found experimentally that the flowers of pyrethrum act on t r i e muscles a n d cause t h e death of cold-olooded animals b y paralysis. The lower tfcie animal in the scale, t h e more quickly i s paralysis established. T h e use, therefore, of pyrethrum a s an insecticide in agrictil ture is urged in place of arsenical a n d lead preparations t h a t are dangerous t o man. Crop Protection Institute Circular. More systematic use of calcium arsenate poison b y cotton growers in combating the boll weevil and other insects is shown i n reports t o the United States Department of Agriculture from its crop correspondents. T h e figures show that approximately 10 per cent of t h e cottom acreage this year was treated with t h e poison.
NORMAN E V E R S .
Chemical Age {London), Vol. 9 (1923), No. 2 2 9 , pp. 47S-80. Effect of Salt-Cake in Soda-Lime Batches in Corroding Fireclay Refractory M a t e r i a l s . IÎDITH M . HODKXN, ANTD W .
FIRTH, F. W. E . S . TURNER.
Journal of tite Society of Glass Technology. Vol. 7 (1923), No. 27, pp. 2 2 8 37. Glass ajnd Electricity. F . A. CONNOR. The Class Industry, Vol. 4 (1923), No. .11, PP. 207-12. Notes
Kilmer Establishes Research. Fellowship i n Plant Chemistry
Edition
on
Burettes.
VERNBY
STOTT.
Journal oj the Society of Glass Technology Vol 7 (1923), N o . 27, pp. 16998. Separation of t r i e Components of Petroleum. Part I. Industrial Processes. P a r t II. Physical Condition. F r a c tional Precipitation. P a r t I I I . Surface Tension. P a r t IV. Preliminary Communication. P . F. GORDON. Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry, Vol 4 2 (1923), No. 4 2 , p p . 405/-14/·. Some Chrome Tanning Problems in t h e Light of W e r n e r ' s Theory. Κ. Η . GUST.AVS0N. Journal of t)ie American Leather Chemists Association, Vol. 18 (1923), No. 1 1 , p p . 568-95. T r a i t e m e n t Thermique des Aciers. E . R. SIMMONBT. L'Industrie Chimique, Vol. 10 (1923), N o . 117, p p . 44^-47. N"3w J O U R N A L
La R e v u e Générale des Colloïde set de leurs Applications industrielles. Editorial NIER,
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P . GuiBU. Price, 55 fr. ; single numbers, 4 fr. Published monthly by D u n o d , Paris.
" Freezing*' w i t h H e a t (By Science Service) T h e -use of s a l t w i t h ice t o produce ice is a n old device. Now scientists are using s a l t a n d high temperatures t o counterfeit the action of ice a n d frost in t h e weathering of building materials. I n t e s t s of waterproofing materials and stone preservatives a t t h e Bureau of S t a n d a r d s in Washington, limestone after being -treated with the preservative is soaked in a strong salt solution and then dried a~t a temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.· T h i s drives off t h e water a n d t h e salt crystallizes in .the pores of t h e stone. A s the crystals form they e x p a n d , exerting a pressure and weathering effect similar t o t h a t of frost. A s t u d y of t h e mining, preparation and uses o f silica -will b e undertaken b y t h e Department o f the Interior, through t h e B u r e a u of Mines. T h e investigation will cover -the range of quartzite, sandstone, sands of all kinds, tripoli, diatomaceous earth, flint a n d rottenstone. The investigation will consist of library research, correspondence and field study, leading to possible findings a n d recommendations for improvement in efficiency, safety, and q u a l i t y of products.
