Census of Graduate Research Students in Chemistry'

to send blanks to all universities, colleges, schools of engineering and of agriculture .... California. Wisconsin. Iowa. Minnesota. Pennsylvania. Ohi...
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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERINGCHEMISTRY

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43-Percentage of total sulfur corrected = percentage of total sulfur percentage of sulfur as barium sulfate percentage of sulfur as antimony trisulfide. When barium carbonate is found the percentage of sulfur necessary to convert it to sulfate must be added to the total sulfur (corrected). 44-Percentage of ash (corrected) = percentage of ash percentage of sulfur in ash (+ percentage of sulfur as barium sulfate) - percentage of antimony in ash, calculated to Sbz04. 45-Percentage of rubber hydrocarbon = 100 the sum of the following percentages, except when it is determined by the J. R. I. C. method as in Paragraph 34.

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Organic acetone extract Chloroform extract A!coholic alkali extract Total sulfur corrected

Ash, corrected Carbon Glue Total antimony as trisulfide

46. RUBBERAS COMPOUNDED-Percentage of rubber hydrocarbon plus 5 per cent of its weight is taken as “rubber as compounded,” except when the sum of the percentages of the acetone extract (corrected), chloroform extract, and alcoholic alkali extract is less than the figure represented by the arbitrary 6 per cent, as in many high-grade compounds. Percentage of rubber as compounded is then: percentage of rubber hydrocarbon

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plus the sum of the percentages of the organic acetone extract, the chloroform extract, and the alcoholic alkali extract. 47. RUBBERBY VOLUME-Percentage of rubber by volume = Percentage of rubber as compounded (Paragraph 40) X specific gravity of compound 0.94 (taken as the average specific gravity of crude rubber) 48-Ratio of organic acetone extract = Percentage of organic acetone extract Percentage of rubber as compounded x 100 49-Ratio of sulfur to rubber = Percentage of total sulfur, corrected Percentage of rubber as compounded x 100 STATEMENT OF RESULTS PER CENT PER CENT Organic acetone extract Sulfur as barium sulfate Waxy hydrocarbons Total antimony Chloroform extract Sulfur as antimony trisulfide Alcoholic alkali extract Carbon Free sulfur Glue Total sulfur corrected Rubber hydrocarbon Ash corrected Rubber as compounded Cellulose Rubber by volume Ratio of acetone extract to rubber as compounded Ratio of sulfur to rubber as compounded Specific gravity

Census of Graduate Research Students in Chemistry’ By J. E. Zanetti DIVISION OB CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL TBCHNOLOGY, NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL, WASHINGTON, D. C.

HE present census of graduate research students in chemis-

Of the 369 universities, colleges, schools of engineering and of try was undertaken with the object of determining the agriculture that replied, only 139 reported research students; relative importance of the various fields of research in of the 52 medical schools, 32 reported research students; and of chemistry as measured by the number of students who were at- the 31 schools of pharmacy, 13 reported research students. The total number of graduate research students in chemistry tracted to the particular fields. It is hoped to make this census a yearly one, so as to follow the development of various fields and reported was 1700, distributed in the various fields, as shown in the effect of discoveries and outstanding personalities in attract- Table I: 863 of these, or 52 per cent, were reported by 12 universities and colleges, including all their departments (medical ing research students. The census was limited to educational institutions, and these school, school of pharmacy, etc.); 1193, or 70 per cent, were were requested to report the number of registered graduate reported by 25 universities and colleges, including all departstudents actually doing research at the beginning of the calendar ments; 1357, or SO per cent, were reported by 40 institutions, including all departments. year 1924. The graduate students reported included, therefore, those doing research not only for a Ph.D. degree, but for a masTABW I-NUMBEROF GRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENTS IN VARIOUS FIELDS ter’s, chemical engineer, medical or pharmaceutical degree. OR CHEMISTRY General & Physical 240 Inorganic 101 Pharmaceutical 20 As this census was the first of the kind, i t was judged necessary Colloid 69 Analytical 71 Nutrition 48 to send blanks to all universities, colleges, schools of engineering Catalysis 51 Metallur ical 38 Food 35 and RaOrganic fAliIndustrial and Enand of agriculture, medical schools, and schools of pharmacy Subatomic 20 phatic) 172 gineering 203 dio 38 Organic (AroAgricultural 91 Electro-inorganic listed in the Educational Directory of the Bureau of Education Electro-organic 18 matic) 280 Sanitary 9 Physiological 172 of the Department of the Interior (1922-23), though i t was felt Photo and Photog24 Pharmacological 30 r w h y that the majority of these would have no research students to 460 834 406 report. Accordingly, a census card and circular letter explainTotal number of research students reported.. . . . . . . . . 1700 ing the purpose of the census were sent to the heads of the department of chemistry of 615 universities, colleges, schools of engineerIn the group of twelve universities and colleges which reported ing and agriculture, 82 medical schools, and 66 schools of phar- 52 per cent of the total number, the highest number reported by macy, making a total of 763 institutions. Replies were received any individual institution was 122, followed by 115 for the next from 369 universities, colleges, schools of engineering and of competitor, The numbers fell rapidly, the third and fourth reagriculture, or 60 per cent of those to whom cards were sent; 52 porting 93 and 91, respectively. The lowest number of research replies were received from medical schools, or 62 per cent; and students reported by any one institution in that group was 47. 31 from schools of pharmacy, or 47 per cent. The distribution of these 1700 students among the various Although these percentages seem,quite small, i t is felt that the fields of research’ is of interest. The physico-chemical group accuracy OF the census has not been seriously impaired by the (general, colloid, catalysis, subatomic, electrochemistry, photonumber that sent in no reply. As will be shown below, most of chemistry) appears to attract more students than any other; the research students come from a very limited number of insti- 460 research students are working in this group. There appears tutions, and the number of scattered students who may not have to be only a very small number working in subatomic and radio been reported can hardly constitute more than a very small chemistry, but this is doubtless due t o the fact that most of the fraction of the whole. work in subatomic phenomena is being done in the physical rather than in the chemical laboratories. Organic chemistry 1 Received March 4, 1924.

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April, 1924

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FIG. I-GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF GRADUATE RESEARCE STUDENTS IN CHEYISTRV

comes next, with 420 research students. It is interesting to note that 41 per cent of these are working in the aliphatic series. Opinions expressed by competent observers before the figures were gathered, were to the effect that the proportion of research students in the aliphatic series to those in the aromatic would be at least 1to 3; it is not even 2 to 3. Thislarge number is probably due to the great increase, in recent years, in research in the aliphatic hydrocarbons and in the sugars. The medical group (physiological, pharmacological, pharmaceutical, and nutrition) is unexpectedly large, 270 research students being at work in those fields. Industrial and engineeringcomes fourth, with 203 research students; and inorganic chemistry, with 101research students, appears to be attracting a considerable number of workers. The geographical distribution of these students is also of interest. There seems to be no definite relation between population or industrial development of a state and the number of graduate research students in chemistry in its universities. TABLI:11 -NUMBER OF GRADUATE RESEARCHSTUDENTS REPORTEDB Y New York Massachusetts Illinois California Wisconsin Iowa Minnesota Pennsylvania Ohio

Connecticut Missouri Michigan Maryland Washingtbn Colorado Indiana Texas

New Jersey Nebraska Louisiana Virginia Oklahoma North Carolina Kentucky Alabama District of Columbia

55 52 48 39

31 26 26 25 24 21 18 16 15 14 12

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10 1613

Arizona Kansas Nevada New Hampshire North Dakota West Virginia Vermont Idaho Hawaii Arkansas Mississippi Delaware Montana New Mexico Port0 Rico Wyaming

Total ......, . . ......... 1700

While it is true that the highest numbers correspond to the states of New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois, intensely industrial states, Wisconsin, Iowa, and hlinnesota, which can hardly be compared with Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio so far as industrial development is concerned, outnumber these states in graduate research students. Moreover, in the State of Delaware, intensely industrial, no research students in chemistry were reported. In order to have students, universities with suitable research facilitiesmust be built, of course, and it is well worthy of note that the chiefly agricultural states mentioned above have in the last twenty years built up departments of chemistry that appear to be attracting more research students than similar institutions in more populated and more industrial states. Is it lack of support by the industries or foresight of the agricultural population? Possibly both. Emphasis must be laid on the fact that this census is limited to graduate students only, and that it does not include felIows who are not registered for a degree, instructors, or professors, not to mention the large number of research workers in industrial or Government laboratories; and that it must not, therefore, be interpreted as giving a measure of the research work being done throughout the country. It does, nevertheless, give what is hoped will be a useful indication of the trend of chemical research and of which fields are attracting workers and which are being neglected. Suggestions as to a better method for next year's census, additions or modifications, will be gratefully received. It was felt that the amount of information requested must be a minimum in order to secure an early answer, or even any answer a t all, and for that reason no information was asked as to the specificfields of research. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The writer wishes to express his thanks to all the heads of departments of chemistry who cooperated with him in making this census reasonably complete.