iii»·» is to be discontinued. I >r Ch irlcs H. Herty presented the greetings of Mr. Francis IV Garvun who was unable to attend the meeting and the council voted to thank Mr. Garvan and the Chemical Foundation for their financial assistance in the publication of the golden jubilee issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The Council also voted its t h i n k s to Dr. Browne for his labors in producing this historical volume Dr I*. X. I.eech. chairman of the Chicago Section, asked the council to consider the matter of substituting intersectional meetings for the annual spring meeting of the Society This matter was referred to the executive committee. The Council voted its thanks to the Philadelphia Section and all others concerned in making this Convention a success. Adjournment was taken at 1 1 : .SO A. M.
The Pilgrimage to Northumberland Although the elements were not exactly favorable at the start of the pilgrimage of members of the American Chemical Society to the grave of Joseph Priestley at Northumberland, Pa., on Sunday, September ">, the rain stopped just about the time the special train reached the last resting place of the discoverer of oxygen. About 200 chemists proceeded from the Priestley House to the grave. The local residents supplied automobiles for the trip and also a red rose for each visitor which was reverently laid on Priestley's grave. At the Priestley House, about 500 were gathered to pay tribute to the memory of the great pioneer chemist. Mrs. Joseph
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Priestley Forsythe, great-granddaughter of Priestley, as well as a great-great-grandson of Priestley represented the Priestley family. After inspecting the restored laboratory and the museum of apparatus in the Priestley mansion, those present gathered under the huge evergreens in front of the home to listen to a number of addresses made from trie porch of the house. This meeting was in commemoration of the visit of American chemists to this shrine fifty years ago which resulted in the organization of the American Chemical Society. W. H. Teas, a n alumnus of Pennsylvania State College, who had been largely instrumental in preserving the Priestley home and relics, presided at the meeting. Rev. Dr. H. K. Bender of Northumberland gave the invocation and State Senator Charles Steele made the address of welcome President Jaines F. Norris responded on behalf of the visiting chemists. William H. Walker, representing the G. G. Pond Memorial Association spokie on t h e "History of Priestley House, the Movement for I t s Preservation a n d Dedication of the Priestley Museum." S. A. Goldschmidt and A . A. Breneman, surviving members of the group which visited the Priestley home in 1874 spoke on " T h e Birth o>f the American Chemical Society at the Priestley House in 187-1." C. A. Browne, chairman of t h e American Chemical Society Committee on t h e historical program for the fiftieth anniversary, spoke on "Priestley's Life in Northumberland and Discussion of the Priestley Relics on Exhibition in the Museum." The group returned to Philadelphia early in the evening. Tests conducted at the Pittsburgh, Pa., experiment station of the Bureau of Mines, Department of Commerce, have demonstrated that oil shale dusts a r e explosive ; and that their explosiveness increases with ttieir combustible content. The formation of dust during the mining and handling of oii shale is almost unavoidable, and the Bureau considers t h a t the same precautions against dust explosions should be taken in the industries producing o r working with oil shale as are taken in safely operated coal mines.
The Meeting on the Lawn of the Priestley Home a t NOrthumberland, Pa.
September JO, 1926
INDUSTRIAL
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Chemistry's Viewpoint Presented to Public through Institute of Politics Chemistry's case as a power in the economics of world affairs was plead a t the b a r of public opinion a t t h e Institute of Poli tics, WilUamstown, Mass., July 29 to August 25, and t h e world, a s represented by t h e students of political affairs there present, was given a new point of view on its problems. Science and scientists abandoned for the time much of their congenital reserve and drew a vivid picture of t h e immense force now working toward world peace through the removal of material barriers to international accord. N o precedents existed for such a communion of chemical thinkers en masse with what m a y be considered the general public, and its results can only be surmised although n o one can doubt t h a t they will be of far-reaching consequence as one b y one the prophecies hazarded, or even greater marvels, and their effects on nations are realized. The fears of alarmists t h a t this or t h a t natural resource, ap parently irreplaceable a n d for the moment essential to civili zation, would be used u p and t h a t suffering and international irritation would follow were effectively answered without go ing beyond t h e conclusions logically to be drawn from present knowledge and accomplishment. T h e idea of t h e permanence of present affairs so firmly implanted in the minds of economists has frequently led t o conclusions entirely erroneous and it was t h e effect of chemical thought and action in continually altering t h e material bases of civilization t h a t filled the discussion of the group at the round table and general conferences on " T h e Role of Chemistry in t h e World's F u t u r e Affairs." It will be well first t o consider the plan of the Institute and t h e various points of view there represented. Some three hundred thinkers, including political economists, lawyers, phy sicians, teachers,, lecturers, clergymen, and writers, gather each August at WilUamstown, Mass., to discuss developments in world affairs. This large group is divided into a number of smaller groups called " r o u n d tables" a t which some particular phase of the major problem is discussed under the leadership of some especially qualified person. The round tables are made up of not more than fifty members each and are designed to promote full and free discussion by those present. In addition t o t h e round tables there is each day a general conference at which all its members from all the different round tables are present and at which all take p a r t in the discussion of some larger problem, shedding light upon it from various points of view. These two major types of meetings are supplemented by lectures of general interest by speakers of international prominence. T h e schedule of the Institute's day begins with concurrent sessions of t h e various round tables at nine in the morning. These continue until just before t h e general con ference each day at eleven and the general conference closes before lunch. T h e afternoons are occupied with informal discussions of various kinds and formal lectures are scheduled for the evening. Into this general plan of the sixth meeting of t h e Institute, just closed, were fitted a round table, meeting three times a week, a n d a general conference, meeting once a week, devoted to " T h e Role of Chemistry in the World's Future Affairs" under the leadership of H. E. Howe, a series of informal
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afternoon lectures b y a n u m b e r of qualified experts designed to inform those present o n chemical subjects, and a series of formal lectures on " C h e m i s t r y in World Affairs." T h e round tables and general conferences were devoted t o four major sub jects, " E n e r g y , " "Industrial R a w Materials," " F o o d . " and " H e a l t h " and qualified experts, leaders in their respective fields, addressed each session. T h e papers read will be pub lished in subsequent issues of T H I S JOURNAL. T h e members of the round table were a few chemists, a number of publicists, lawyers, physicians, manufacturers, teachers, and newspaper representatives. T h e discussion of energy brought out several interesting points. I t was stated t h a t t h e process of low temperature carbonization of coal, enabling a nation to convert solid to liquid fuel in time of national emergency, was of greater importance in avoiding international conflicts than any of the disarma m e n t conferences y e t held, for a nation whose chemists can supply its essential need for liquid fuel need not send out its armies to fight for i t . T h e fact t h a t it is cheaper to transport energy over long distances in t h e form of manufactured products t h a n to carry it over an electric circuit was emphasized as a force tending to center industrial operations requiring large amounts of energy i n those nations where hydroelectric power is relatively cheap and plentiful. T h e need, in spite of lowtemperature carbonization, for conserving t h e world's petro leum reserves beneath the ground b y the passage of special laws to prevent present wasteful methods of exploitation and to promote the development of oil pools as units was pointed to as a factor of great importance in preventing premature ex hausting of the world's oil. T h e speakers on these subjects were R. T . Haslam, F . H . Newell, A. C. Fieldner, L. H. Davis, and H. L. Dougherty. The sessions devoted to industrial raw materials brought out our dependence upon the re-use of metals t o eke out the comparatively small deposits of many of them upon which the world's work depends, t h e inadvisability of present efforts to save resources for t h e future when it is doubtful whether the civilization of t h e future will require t h e m or not, and the ability of the synthetic chemist t o render us independent of particular raw materials. T h e speakers on these subjects were F. W. Willard, J o h n E . Teeple, Roger Adams, and Charles L. Parsons. Food was discussed from the points of view of soil conservation, the economics of food surpluses, and food utilization. Measures of soil conservation can increase the agricultural productivity of the world immensely. Present methods of transporting food and preserving it between seasons for places of plenty and those of dearth and famine can go a long way toward the relief of human sjffering. T h e ultimate economical feeding of t h e world will necessarily force a reduction in the raising of animals purely for me i t purposes, an increase in the raising of milch cows and other dual purpose animals for converting roughage into human food, and an increasing dependence upon plants for the protein of our diets. T h e speakers on these subjects were J. O . Lipman, H. E. Barnard, H. C Lythgoe, and Ε. Β . Forbes. T h e economic value t o a nation of health and long life and
Participante in the Chemical "Rcwnd Table" at WilUamstown, Mass.
4
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Vol 4
SEPTEMBER
10. 1926
No. 17
the possibility of increasing this national asset b y public health measures, the ability of our increasing knowledge of nutrition to a d d years to t h e average life of peoples, and tlie opening up t o human exploitation of vast areas of t h e world b y the con quest of diseases which now render them uninhabitable were the points particularly emphasized i n the discussion of health. The speakers on these subjects were L. I. Dublin (Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.), H. C. Sherman, A. S. Loevenhart, and W.M.Clark. Afternoon lectures dealing with the present conception of chemical combination were given by Wheeler P . Da.vey, Ger ald L. Wendt. and Frank C. IVTiitmore, and these proved so popular t h a t three others were called for in addition to the four originally scheduled. U m b e r t o Pomilio of Naples lectured on " I n d u s t r y w i t h o u t Coal," J u s t i n du Pont of Paris on "Syn thetic and Natural Perfumes," and James F . Ν orris o n "Chem istry in National Defense" on afternoons during the Institute. One can only guess a t t h e effects which this meeting will have, but it is interesting t o note t h e widespread attention directed toward it by the press. Certainly a belter under standing of chemistry's p a r t in tlie work of t h e world will be given to the general public a s a result of it. The idea t h a t our present civilization is a constantly changing one, t h a t its bases are not fixed, and t h a t the future depends as much, if not more, on the proper use of things now valueless as upon those things now essential, is entirely new to the average person, accustomed to think of the world from the point of view of the present only. The introduction into the thought of t h e world of the point of view of chemistry and t h e freedom from the dominance of material things which it involves c a n n o t b u t afïect profoundly t h e future of civilization. I t m-ust not be understood t h a t this single e v e n t will complete ttie thing it has started, b u t t h a t it has m a d e a start in this direction no one can gainsay. One must not neglect in his surmises the possibilities opened by thus persuading the political economists of the world to listen to the presentation of so different a point of view from their own, nor should one overlook t h e fact that m a n y who were persuaded almost against their will a t t h e beginning remained to hear more. T h e possibility t h a t a particular kind of knowledge and ability may form an immense economic resource of a nation and t h a t t h e activities of chemists m a y convert national liabilities into international assets appears to be a new point of view in political economics. Of all those who will be affected b y this gathering and its consequences probably t h e chemists themselves will be most benefited. It is n o t often t h a t a group of chemists indulges in surmises as to t h e future and looks beyond the immediate needs of t h e m o m e n t upon the great problems of civilization We often hear of s t a t e m e n t s glorifying t h e work of this profession b u t it is usually necessary for someone else t o interpret its work in the broad terms of civilization. I t nxay be t h a t gatherings of chemists are too much inclined to fear t h a t attention to details of their statements -will prevent a n understanding of their broader aspects. Certainly they a r e inclined to avoid taking t h e world into their confidence. At the I n s t i t u t e of Politics a comparatively small group of chemists, n o t by any
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means all of one mind, indulged in discussions of t h e things t h a t have been and m a y be accomplished by the acti\itics of their profession in an atmosphere essentially different from t h a t of most chemical gatherings. The freedom of imagination and of expression afforded by such a discussion is seldom realized elsewhere, and whether one agrees or disagrees with t h e many thoughts expressed, the fact that chemists were persuaded to look into the future and at their accomplishments from the broad alible of h u m a n i t y rather than the cramped point of view of the laboratory cannot be without profound effect on the whole profession and its future. Chemists, like all other scientists, are inclined to devote t h t i r attention wholly to details and an opportunity of this kind for them to think in terms of nations and peoples instead of mere atoms and molecules must make itself felt to the good of all concerned.
Trade Commission Reopens Baking Powder Case A t a regular session of the Federal Trade Commission held at its office in Washington, July 7, the order of dismissal of the case of the Royal Baking Powder Company issued M a r c h 23, ltilit), was vacated. Pending motions tiled by counsel for the C o m p a n y were denied and the motion of counsel for the Commission to reopen the case was granted as follows: " T h a t the proceeding be and the same hereby is reopened solely for the purpose of taking testimony with respect to misleading advertising, anonymous advertising, the circulation of erroneous extracts from the book Ά Collation of Cakes' by Claudia Quigley M u r p h y , and t h a t no evidence be taken with respect to the state ments published by the respondent Royal Baking Powder Com pany relative to the deleteriousness of alum Baking Powder, and " I t is further ordered t h a t the dismissal of t h e complaint with respect to t h e slogan ' N o alum n o bitter taste' be and the same hereby is confirmed, it being the opinion of the majority of the Commission t h a t the same, as before the Commission in this case, is not an unfair method of competition." Mr. Van Fleet, a member of the Commission, refrained from voting and made the following statement for the record: " I refuse to vote because it is apparent t h a t a majority of the full Commission will be in favor of the motion to reopen the case. I a m still of the opinion first, t h a t the Commission has n o juris diction to set aside its dismissal, and second I t h i n k the pro cedure is irregular and t h a t matters presented before the Com mission have been presented in an irregular way a n d not accord ing to our procedure as provided by law and the rules and pro cedure of the Commission "
Manufacture and Uses of Trimethylamine and Dimethylamine A novel process of manufacturing trinielhylamine and di methylamine has been developed by D. K. Tressler and his assistants a t Mellon Institute of Industrial Research of the University of Pittsburgh. These amines will be marketed as the hydrochlorides, which will be very pure, and will not be mixtures of the amines. T h e new process will reduce the cost of production of these amines considerably and will thus make available large quantities of these amines at relatively low prices. T h e principal use of dimethylamine is in the manufacture of rubber accelerators. I t is an a t U a c t a n t for t h e cotton boll weevils and may find use in the preparation of poison baits. Trimethylamine or mixtures of trimethylamine a n d dimethyl amine m a y be used for the same purpose. Both trimethylamine and dimethylamine m a y be used for the preparation of methyl chloride. I n E u r o p e crude trimethylamine, which contains much dimethylamine and monomethylamine, has been used for this purpose for some time. Trimethylamine has been suggested for use in t h e preparation of potassium carbonate according to a process resembling the Solvay process for the manufacture of sodium carbonate except t h a t trimethylamine is used in place of ammonia. T h i s amine possesses a n advantage over a r a r a c i i a inasmuch as it is much more soluble in water and therefore a larger yield of t h e car bonate may be obtained. Low priced trimethylamine will make this process economically feasible. T h e researches concerning the properties and uses of these amines are being continued at Mellon Institute and probably will disclose other commercial applications. A number of positions at salaries of $1860 a n d upward are now open on t h e editorial staff of t h e U. S. Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. Applications should be addressed t o R. C. T u t t l e , in charge, Publication of Results, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin.
