KEEPING UP W 'ITH CHEMISTRY
Pink potash and carbon hlack. W. HAYNE~.Chcm. In-
drcrtrics, 35, 13-8 (July, 1934).-This
article is one of a series describing the itinerary of "A Chemical Tourist through the South." The two mines of the United States Potash Co.. and the Potash Company of America, respectively, near Carlsbad, New Mexico, are described. The strata worked are 8 t o 12 feet in thickness, lie about 200 feet helow the ground surface, and consist of sylvinite, 43% KCI, 56% NaC1. Under the mine lights the deposits have the appearance of rose crystal quartz. Run-of-the-mine product is sold as "manure salts." Refining by recrystallization is also practiced. A visit to a c a r b ~ n ~ b l a cplant, k Like those in the vicinity of Amarillo, Texas, convmces one "that carbon-black makers understate their sales arguments when they talk about 'the smoothest, most penetrating, permanent, blackest black.' " Although the process of burning gas to obtain carbon hlack may appear uneconomical, the industry, under present conditions, must be regarded as a conservator, for it utilizes gas which would otherwise run to waste after being stripped of its gasoline. Methods of handling, de~aerating,and packaging the product have been 0. R. developed to a high degree of efficiency. Application of refrigeration to the manufacture of natural gasoline. F. L. KALLAM. Chem.. & Met. Eng., 41, 355-7 (July, 1934).-Employing refrigeratmn to economic advantage in the manufacture of natural gasoline is very feasible because absorption is a vapor pressure phenomenon and depends on the lowering of the vapor pressure through solution. From the discussion and figures presented it is concluded that for refrigeration in gasoline plants a hydrocarbon mixture cannot be justified because of first cost of equipment. Between ammonia and propane there is little choice, except that propane is readily available a t any gasoline plant. J. W. H. Phenol resin equipment in chemical industries. W. H. ADAMS.JR. Chem. & Met. Eng., 41, 349-51 (July, 1934).Certain properties of phenol resins have caused their increased use in chemical equipment. These are hardness, strength, abilitv t o withstand heat un t o 135°C.. non-crackine with sudden temperature changes, and resistance to moisture,most acids and .;olGnts, weaker bares, nnd numerous chemicals. Two gcncral types of rei?nforct.d resin products have been develon~d. One is a moldinz nowdcr uf resin and fibrous filler. the other consists of layers of'cloth, paper, or asbestos impregJ. W. H. nated with resin. Silver proves effective in water sterilization. ANON. C h m . 6. Met. Eng.. 41, 372 (July. 1934).-The Katadyn process for sterilization has been into this -~~~~~~~ ~ - of - - water ~ - bv ~ -silver -~ -~~~introduced countm from ~ermanv.'where i t has been in use about five (5) years. - The action of-& silver is not immediate but requires 30 minute* to scvcral hours depending un the quality of the d v e r and the nature of the boctrrin. The silver dot., not affect the human svxmn nnd no 1351C. smell. or color is imnartcd to the water. Silver is applied by rontact and electrolytic methods. In the contact rocthod t h e silver is depo4ted on camcrs of porcelatn or ouartr. and is suitable for small in~talla~ionsonlv.\Yith larne au&tities of water the electrolvtic method is used The act& t& consists of a n iron tank, li&l with bprcial insulating mnteri4, in whirl? are placed rlectrodr.; of 4 w r . Polarization is prethe current a r definite interr e~~-~~~~ n t d hv ~~~~~" -,automatirnllv revrrcim vals. The dceree of activation recluired~inthe various aoDlications, exnressa in milligrams of sil& per metric tau of water, is approrir~atelyas follow*: 25-100 for drink~ngpurpoiea, 150_Otlll for qwimrning pools. 401, for ice manufarrtrrc, 2.F100 for mincral watcr. 2>60) for watlring and rinsing in industrial plantc. J. W . H ~
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mew checks on corrosion. ANON. Ind.. Bull. o j Arthur D . Little, Inc., 90, 1-2 (June, lQ34).-Present progress in overcoming corrosion is based upon the growing realization of the electrochemical nature of nearly all corrosion. Corrosion is beinz nttnckcd along two lints; namcly, by preventing inhomogenritiei in metallic ccmpusition or structwc, and by covering bas? metals with orotectivc coatinvr cacludinr moisture. withour wlrirh dcctrolviic corrosion wilf not occc. ~evelGoment of allovs of balanced corrosion-resistant structures is an-example of t h i first method. Other developments include new electrolytic methods of metal cleaning; heat treatment in selected gaseous atmospheres t a provide a more uniform metal structure; use of protective coatings like chromium; but foremost among these new dcvrlopmer~tsis the furmation upon mttallic surfwes of tmnsparent, thin, hut adhcrmt films oi oxides or other relatively i w r t comoounds of the mrtal* nrotcctrd Thus ~~-far this has bwn ~~. apoded or restricted to t h i formation of aluminum oxide on a1;minum and the formation of a n attractive, transparent, "patina-like" copper sulfate film on copper, and of various f i h s on steel. These films are induced by purely chemical means or by electrochemical methods. G. 0. Our chemical cornucopia. ANON. Ind. Bull. of Arthur D . Little, Inc., 90, 3 (June, 19341.-Petroleum, like coal tar, has become a "chemical cornucopia," yielding a vast source of new and important chemical products. By oxidation of petroleum a t elevated temperatures, aliphatic acids are produced which may be converted into solvents, plasticizers, and other industrial chen~icals. Acetylene, closely linked with the electric furnace, may now be produced from petroleum gases by means of cracking. Petroleum products have enjoyed some popularity as ingredients in non-fattening salads. Even the "smell" of petroleum has been put t o use. The mercaptan family is largely responsible for the offensive oddrs. These are separated from t h e petroleum and sold t o producers of manufactured gas as a warning odor in case of leakage. The manufacture of fatty acids from petroleum would release huge amounts of edible oils and fats for food. -. n We may wear glass. ANON. Ind. Bull. of Arthhr D. Little, Inc., 90, 4 (June, 1934).-We have often heard the proverb of long standing about "people who live in glass houses" and have seen i t lose a t least a portion of its truth in a sample a t A Century of Progress in the form of a glass house which showed t h e surprising flexibility of glass fiber. This material, which closely resembles bulk cotton in "feel." is available now only in bulk form, but i t should lend itself t o t h e various textile processes b y which the spinning grades of asbestos are converted into yarns, felts, and woolen fabrics. The finer grades of glass wool are used a t present far heat insulation. The medium-to-coarse wools have been used largely in the manufacture of the unit air filter used in commercial and domestic air-conditioniup service. Fibrous glass productiun was undcrtaken a few yrar%igoby the Owens-Illinois GI*
