December 10, 1929
INDUSTRIAL
AND ENGINEERING
The Chemistry of Christmas BY HOWARD A. MARPLE Fisher Scientific Co., Pittsburgh, P a .
Christmas Spirit is a neutral chemical that builds new com pounds and rejuvenates old. It is a reversible compound, for Christmas Spirit returns to its original state, ready to begin anew. I t has an affinity for good, and attacks the bad. Large or small quantities of it can be handled, depending on the capacity of the mind that dispenses it. Let us analyze the chemical and physical properties of Christ mas Spirit as we do any chemical, element, or compound. It has, at times, an odor of frankincense and myrrh, the odor of evergreens or of burning tapers. This depends on the place and the heat of reaction. On mixing, it has a tinkling, joyful sound, full taste of all good things. Its energy is unbounding, dividing itself a million times, it becomes more powerful, creating in most all it meets a feeling of light-heartedness; in some, a wistful sadness. More often it is like new wine—it refreshes, stimulates, makes happiness and smiles, increasing generosity and good nature. The world is its laboratory, and all those that inhabit this planet may use and enjoy its benefits. Its wave length covers the entire scale of the spectrum. It is a force that cannot be meas ured in meters or tons and can be transmitted with the speed of light to extreme corners of the earth, using an ether wave as medium. Christmas Spirit is the Universal Solvent or Alkahest sought by the alchemists of old. "If it were found," they reasoned, "there would be no vessel strong enough to hold i t . " Is it not true with Christmas Spirit? Rightly administered, it pervades the innermost recesses of the stoniest hearts, and adds new life to drooping, discouraged spirits. Christmas Spirit is the elixir of life that materially influences the chemistry of all human life.
I n d i a n a S e c t i o n Gives T w o A . C . S. Memberships
Student
The Indiana Section has the pleasure of announcing that, be ginning with February, 1930, it will award two student member ships to the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY.
These memberships
will be given to that senior in chemistry who has the best allaround record for three and one-half year's work. In 1930 the award will go to a student at Indiana University and at Earlham College; in 1931, to a senior from Butler University and from Franklin College; and men a t De Pauw University and Rose Polytechnic Institute will be the recipients in 1932.
I o d i n e Research Program Since January 1, 1928, Mellon Institute of Industrial Re search has had in operation a multiple industrial fellowship founded for the purpose of investigating the properties and uses of iodine. This fellowship, which is sustained b y the Iodine Educational Bureau, 64 Water St., New York, Ν. Y., is headed by George M. Karns, formerly a member of the chemical faculty of the University of Illinois. Ail results of the fellowship studies will be published. Recently, through a n additional appropriation from the fellowship donor, Mellon Institute, acting for the Iodine Fellow ship, has made arrangements for the study of certain iodine problems in other institutions that have special facilities for such types of work. On October 7, 1929, a scholarship was founded a t the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science by a research grant from the institute. This scholarship, which for the college year 1929-30 will be held by L. F . Tice, will have for its aim a broad investigation of vehicles and sol vents for iodine, especially for external use in medicine. A large number of new organic chemicals will be studied a s sol vents to evolve, if possible, a more satisfactory preparation than the alcoholic tincture now in use. The research, for which a definite program has been laid down, will be supervised by Charles H. LaWall, with the advisory collaboration of other faculty members of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and with the direct cooperation of Doctor Karns. Another phase of the research program includes a grant made on September 26, 1929, to the Pennsylvania State College for a comprehensive investigation, under the direction of Β. Β. Forbes of the Institute of Animal Nutrition, of the nutritional place and value of iodine in the feeding of livestock. Despite the large amount of work which has been done on the role of iodine in metabolism, especially with reference to the thyroid, very little is known regarding the specific dietetic aspects of this element. Doctor Karns and his co-workers are cooperating
CHEMISTRY
3
closely with Doctor Forbes and his staff, mainly by preparing standardized feeds. The findings of this research also will be made available t o the public. Mellon Institute is giving consideration t o the founding of a research scholarship in a medical school for the purpose of aiding in the solution of incompletely answered questions respecting the utility of iodine in internal medicine. A number of pharma cologists are aiding the institute in determining a program for such pharmacodynamic inquiry.
Cleaning Volumetric Glassware BY E. A. VUILLEUMIER Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa.
The standard bichromate "cleaning mixture" of the analytical laboratory has long since deserved to be displaced. It is danger ous, destructive, and inefficient. Trisodium phosphate as a possible laboratory detergent has been investigated exhaustively in this laboratory b y O. A. James, and has much to recommend it. A 15 per cent solution, heated to about 70° C. has been used here for more than a year for clean ing burets and other volumetric glassware with very satisfactory results.
Litigation I m p o r t a n t to Fruit Interests in P a t e n t Office Litigation of vital interest to the fruit industry is now pending in the Patent Office, Washington, D. C., regarding rights covering the use of a dilute solution of acids or alkalies in removal of spray residue from fruits and vegetables. The U. S. Department of Agriculture and a California firm, Brogden and Trowbridge, has each made application for the rights. This process, which has been extremely useful in preparing fruit for market, has been in almost constant use in various fruit regions since 1925 and, according to claims of t h e Department of Agriculture, i t was first conceived and put into practice by its employees. The Department of Agriculture, acting through Arthur M. Henry, chemist of the Philadelphia station of the Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration, has applied for a patent on the process with the avowed intention that if the patent is granted to Mr. Henry it will be dedicated to the service of the public and may be used by anyone without royalty charges or other costs. The Henry patent application has been declared by the Patent Office t o be in interference with the application of Brogden and Trowbridge. Depositions are now being made by representatives of the Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration of the Department of Agriculture to establish as a fact the contention of the Depart ment of Agriculture that Mr. Henry conceived the process and put it into operation before Messrs. Brogden a n d Trowbridge did.
Universal O i l P r o d u c t s Co. Charges Infringe m e n t of Patent The Universal Oil Products Co. has recently brought suit charging infringement against Cosden & Co., t h e Globe Oil & Refining Co., LaSalle Petroleum Co., Orient Petroleum Co. of Delaware, South Texas Gas Co. and United Gas Co., and White Eagle Oil & Refining Co. The suits were filed in the United States District Court, Delaware District. The patent alleged t o be infringed is No. 1,281,884, applied for July 19, 1915, by Milon J. Trumble, assigned by him to t h e Shell Petroleum Co. and by t h e latter assigned, in 1925, to the Universal Oil Products Co. Claims 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this patent are claimed to be infringed. This is the same Trumble patent on which final decision was rendered against the Skelly Oil Co. and in favor of Universal Oil Products Co. The infringement action was brought by Universal against Skelly in connection with the operation by the latter of the Jenkins cracking process.
P h i l a d e l p h i a C h e m i c a l Club t o Aid S t u d e n t s The Chemical Club of Philadelphia is raising an amount suf ficient to provide an income to bestow one or more annual prizes of $50 each to students in Philadelphia institutions of learning "to that student who, in the opinion of the faculty of the depart ment of chemistry and chemical engineering, shows the greatest promise of future leadership in chemical industry." Subscriptions to the endowment fund are now being taken, payable over a three-year period.
NEWS
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Chicago Section The section announces the following as the program for its meeting on Friday, December 20, at the City Club of Chicago, 315 Plymouth Court. The dinner will be held at 6:15 P. M., sharp, so that the meeting may start at 7:30. H. W. GILLUETT, director of the Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, "Metallurgical Research from the Chemical Point of View." INORGANIC
AND
G R O U P M E E T I N G S , 9:00 P. M. ANALYTICAL:
H . W. GILLETT, "Modern Metallurgical Research Laboratories." tern.)
(Lan-
ORGANIC:
W. E. VAUGHAN, University of Chicago, "Photochemistry and I t s Relation to Organic Chemistry." PHYSICO-CHEMICAL:
W. C. JOHNSON, University of Chicago, "Properties of Solutions of Metals in Liquid Ammonia." (Lantern.) BIOLOGICAL: A. C. IVY, G R A N T K L O S T E R , H. C. L U E T H , and
G. E . G R E W Y E R , N o r t h -
western University, "Preparation of Purified Solutions of Secretin a n d Cholecystokinin." CHEMICAL EDUCATION:
B R U C E K. BROWN, Standard Oil Company of Indiana, " T h e Avoidance of the Obvious." ELECTROCHEMICAL:
E M A N U E L LOEWENHERZ, vice president and general manager, K. W . Battery C o . , "Storage Batteries." Postponed from last month.
Indiana Section The monthly meeting for December will be held on Friday, December 13, at the Chamber of Commerce Building at 8:00 p. M. The speaker of the evening will be J. H. Mathews, of the University of Wisconsin, who will talk on "Forensic Chemistry.'' The program of Tuesday noon luncheons is as follows: December 3—L. L. ISENHOUR, Van Camp Packing Co., "Crystallography." December 10—Program t o be arranged b y the American Legion. December 1 7 — M I L T O N BBRGSTEIN, P. R. Mallory & Co., " T h e Catalytic Effect of t h e H+ a n d OH- I o n s . "
These luncheon meetings are held at the Chamber of Commerce dining room at 12:15 P.M. every Tuesday. Chemists visiting Indianapolis are invited to drop around.
Lehigh Valley Section The next meeting of the section will be held at Palmerton, Pa., on Friday, December 13. The speaker, L. T. Work, will address the meeting on "The Industrial Significance of Particle Size." Doctor Work is assistant professor of chemical engineering at Columbia University. A t the dinner meeting at the Horsehead Inn, J. IT. Ross, of J. T. Baker Chemical Co., will give an "over the coffee cups" talk on "Recent Developments in Color Photography."
Central Pennsylvania Section The section held two meetings in November, as follows: November 4—W. H. Rodebush, professor of physical chemistry, University of Illinois, " I s There a Super-Dry State of M a t t e r ? " November 22—Victor K. La Mer, professor of physical chemistry, Columbia University, " S t r o n g Blectrolytes and Reaction Velocity."
Kansas State College Section The January meeting will be held in the Chemistry Building of t h e Kansas State Agricultural College on January 10 at 7:30 p. M. The speaker of the evening will be H. W. Brubaker, whose subject will b e "Water Treatment."
EDITION
Vol. 7, No. 23
given talks and who are scheduled to speak in the near future, together with their subjects, are: November 12 November 19 November 26 December 3 December December
H . N. Calderwood, " T h e Chemical Fire Extinguisher." F . C. Krs.uskopf, "Chemistry in World Flights." C. H. Soxriam, " 3R.ain W a t e r l i a s a Competitor." R . W. Getchell, "Little K e y s to Mighty Doors—The Knzymes." 10 H . Dittmar, " O u r D e b t to Sulfur." 17 F . Daniels, " T h e Fields of Chemical Research."
Sioux Valley Chemists Club Meets A meeting of the Sioux Valley Chemists Club was held in Sioux City November2. The program arranged was as follows: " R e p o r t of the National 3VIeeting of t h e AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY at .Minneapolis," by A. M. Pardee, head of the Department of Chemistry, University of South Dakota. " C h e m i s t r y in t h e Meat Packing I n d u s t r y , " by C. E . Shepard, chief chemist, Armour & Co., Sioux C i t y P l a n t . "Some Problems i n High School Chemistry," by H. W . Baker, Central High School, Sioux City, Iowa.
Society of Rheology t o Meet The first meeting of tîae Society of Rheology, which grew out of the Third Plasticity Syirposiiim held at State College in December, 1928, will be held a t the TJ. S. Bureau of Standards in Washington on Thursday and Friday, December 19 and 20, in accordance with plans worked out at the preliminary meeting at Columbus, Ohio, in April. There will be fifteen or more papers of scientific nature, presented in three sessions; there will be two sessions devoted to the business of organization and the development of plans for the future. The afternoon of Friday will be given over to a specially arranged trip of inspection through the Bureau of Standards. Titles of papers o r inquiries should be sent to A. Stuart Hunter, Du Pont Rayon Co., Btifïalo, K. Y. The headquarters of -the society will be at the Wardman Park Hotel, which is located near the Bureau of Standards on the Chevy Chase car line. The rates will be $4.00 per day for a single room and $8.00 p e r day for a double room.
Historical and Educational Exhibits Wanted for Heatitxg-Ventilating Show Historical and educational exhibits showing the progress of heating and ventilating are being sought by the management of the International Heating and Ventilating Exposition, to be held a t the Commercial Museum, Philadelphia, during the week of January 27 to 31. A special section is being set aside to make the exhibit one of the most complete and comprehensive ever gathered together. An appeal is being made not only to those within the industry but to the laity for information which will lead to the location of both historical and educational exhibits which would be available during the progress of the exposition. Such information will be thoroughly appreciated b y Charles F . Roth, manager of the exposition, whose offices are Grand Central Palace, New York, Ν . Υ.
Chemical Engineering Society Elects Officers Frank W. Rose, Jr., of Washington, D. C , has been elected president of the Chemical Bngineering Society, student pro fessional organization at the University of Virginia. Other officers are: vice president, G. V. Moore; secretary, Richard W. Quaries; and corresponding secretary, H . S. Dunham. A constitution has been adopted and a committee appointed to arrange a program for* a meeting to be held the second Monday in January, at which time a chemical engineer of national reputa tion will deliver an a,d.dress. The Chemical Engineering So ciety includes members attending the School of Chemical Engi neering from eleven states extending from New Hampshire to Alabama.
Northeastern Section In January the Northeastern Section will entertain another distinguished guest, G. P. Thomson, of the University of Aberdeen, who is visiting lecturer at Cornell University this year. Professor Thomson will address the section on "The Waves of an Electron."
Radio Talks by Our Wisconsin Section Members Radio talks will be given by members of the Wisconsin Section over WHA. during the present school year. WHA operates on a frequency of 940 kilocycles. The talks are given each Tuesday at 12:05 p . M. Members of the staff who have recently
Convention o f American Foundrymen's Association The next convention of the American Foundrymen's Asso ciation will be held in. Cleveland, Ohio, May 12 to 16, 1930. One of the features will be a non-ferrous shop operation course for brass foundrymen, along the lines of that given in recent years for the gray iron interests. The subjects dealt with will include crucible, open fire, and electric furnace melting practice. The matter of gating will be discussed, as well as the effect of pouring temperature and pouring practice. Each subject will be in charge of a leader who i s an authority on that particular phase of brass foundry practice.
