782
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERIATG C H E M I S T R Y .
Oct., 1911
considered typical for the average bismuth ores mined ashes in the roasting furnace. They also contained in Leadville, Colo. I n examining the table, it will be some sediment from the refuse liquors from chlorine observed that 1410.20 ounces silver and I 2 . 5 2 ounces stills which were used in place of sulphuric acid, 60° of gold were lost in the transaction, while $626.16 BC., and were calculated a t the value of free acid were obtained for 20,872 pounds of lead for which no contained in them. money was paid to the mine. Taking these three In the calculation given in Table VII, no charge is values together, the account stands, $15,255.44paid made for interest on capital invested, insurance and out against $15,009.40received, which is a minus of devaluation on the plant, but the gross profit made $246.04 on the lot. Out of the 29,503 pounds which on the lot would seem sufficiently high to justify is equivalent to 6.26 per cent bismuth contained in even an expensive plant, including labor-saving mathe ore b y analysis, only 22,436 pounds were paid chinery, provided a regular supply of ore and a steady for, the difference of 7,067 pounds, equal t o I * / ~market for bismuth can be arranged. per cent. bismuth, having been deducted to compenThe plant was in successful operation for more sate for treatment charges. But 23,403 pounds of than a year. Then all of a sudden the bismuth ores bismuth were extracted from the lot. This amounts in the mines were reported exhausted. The plant t o only 4.97%. The tailings were carefully analyzed burned down and was not rebuilt. Later on I was and a score of analyses proved them to contain from told that bismuth ores were mined the same as before 0 . 2 5 to 0.35 per cent of bismuth. There was no but that they were taken up by the smelters and that material loss in working and there were no errors in the bismuth was wasted. analyses, t o the best of my judgment. The only There is no tariff on bismuth, neither is there any conclusion remained t h a t the average samples by duty on bismuth ore. One-third of a million dollars which the ore was bought did not represent the true annually go to England which might be kept in this average, but showed more bismuth than the ore country if bismuth metal and bismuth ores were actually obtained. properly protected by tariff. Bismuth ore is one The weight of the tailings, namely 437,991pounds, of the natural resources of the United States and, in would seem high, but it must be considered that my opinion, our Government should see that it is iron and alumina were rendered insoluble by roast- not wasted. ing and that the weight was increased by the flue (Continued in the next number.)
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. DEMONSTRATIONS OF THE BUREAU O F MINES' AT THE ARSENAL GROUNDS, PITTSBURG, AND AT THE EXPERIMENTAL MINE O F THE BUREAU NEAR BRUCETON, PA., OCTOBER 30, 1911.
PROGRAM. At the Arsenal Grounds, 40th and Butler Streets, beginning a t 9.00 A . h i . . October 30, 1911,and closing a t 1 2 M. a demonstration of the work of the Bureau with exhibit of detonation of permissible and other explosives, in the steel-lined gallery, filled with dust and gas. Exhibits and tests of mine safety lamps in lamp gallery; of electric sparks in gallery No. 2 in the presence of inflammable mixture of air and gas; of training in rescue work with oxygen helmets; of investigations and tests of explosives. Views of smokeless combustion of coal. Briquetting of coal and lignite, etc. Actual explosion a t the experimental mine of the Bureau of Mines a t Wallace Station, near Bruceton, Pa. Train leaves B. & 0 . R. R. depot, Pittsburg, a t 1.45 P . M . and, returning, leaves Wallace Station a t 3.47. This mine has been opened and equipped b y the Bureau of Mines with instruments for recording pressures, speed of travel of detonation wave, with various equipment for the making of actual mine explosions due to gas and dust and their observation and study; also of conducting tests of coalcutting machines, gasoline motor, electric motor and
other mine locomotives, and apparatus under working conditions within a mine. Demonstration under the joint auspices of the American Red Cross, Pittsburg Coal Operators' Association, and the United Mine Korkers of America. The demonstration under the management of the United States Bureau of Mines. Parade of miners under the auspices of the United Mine Workers of America. At 9 . 0 0 A . M . , October 31st a t Forbes Field (Pittsburg), Pa., an exhibit of skill in first aid to the injured by teams of five miners from various coal operations in the United States, five separate events to be exhibited. At 11.00 A . h i . demonstration by the Bureau of Nines in steel-lined mine gallery 2 0 0 feet long, of a permissible shot, followed by an explosion of black powder detonated in the presence of coal dust, with a resulting explosion of coal dust ignited by the nonpermissible explosive. Demonstration of rescue work: men equipped with oxygen helmets will enter the gallery stair still filled with smoke and poisonous gases, will bring out injured men, and give them artificial respiration and first aid. Dem.onstration in dangerous practices within gaseous or dusty mines. ,4t 1 2 h i . , President W.H . Taft will deliver souvenir prizes to participants. Short addresses by the Presi-
Oct.,
1911
T H E J O C T R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R 1‘.
dent, Governor J. K. Tener, of Pennsylvania, Secretary Walter L. Fisher, of the Department of the Interior, and others. At 1.00 P.M. the President proceeds to the river front to review marine parade in honor of the Centenary of Opening Navigation on the Ohio River. Parade of miners will proceed from Forbes Field down Fifth Avenue to a reserved reviewing stand on the river front, passing, en route, in review of President Taft and accompanying officials.
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THE DETERMINATION OF NITROGEN IN COMMERCIAL AMAONIATES OF HIGH NITROGEN CONTENT. Second Report of the Committee on Nitrogen, Division of ?erti izer Chemists, American Chemical Society,
The attention of this committee was recently called to the fact that the determination of nitrogen by the Official Kjeldahl or Gunning method modified for nitrates in commercial nitrate of soda, does not always give concordant results in the hands of different analysts even if the samples in question are presumably identical, as truly representative samples of the same lot of goods. It was thought advisable, therefore, to ask for co-operative work on the analysis of a carefully prepared sample. The SUJ?MARY
OF AN.4LYSES O F N I T R A T E O F S O D A .
Averages only are given. An- Moisture. Nitroeen.
alyst 1
Per cent. Per cent 1.20 15 .50
Official Gunning Method, approximately 3 hrs. digestion after adding potassium sulphate. 2 1.64 15.18 Moisture a t looo, 5 gm. 3 hrs.. 2 gm. 12 hrs. Modified Kjeldahl Method. .. 15.30 Modified Gunning Method. 3 1.55 15.60 Official Gunning Method Moisture a t 98-99OC. 4 1 .64 15.79 Moisture a t 1 3 O O C . Used 0 25 gm. and let stand for 5-6 hrs. before heating. 5 1.67 15.33 Modified Kjeldahl Method. 15.22 hIodified Gunning Method. 5 0.69 15.48 Official Kjeldahl Method. 2 gm. salicylic acid, 30 cc. H z S O ~2, gm. Zn dust and Hg. Heated 3 hrs. 1/2 g m . material used. KMnO, added 8t completion of digestion, 15.55 Comb. Kjeldahl-Gunning Method 2 gm. salicylic acid 30 cc. H2S0.,, 2 gm. Z n , Hg and K:S04. Heated 2 hrs. 1/2 gm. material used. 2 g m . material used for moisture. Dried 7 hrs. 100-102°, C.in air bath. 1.24 1.5 .09 Official Gunning Method, modified to include nitrates. 8 1.67 15.25 Official Gunning Method. .Moisture a t 130’ C. 9 2.46 15.48 Stood over night with salicylic acid mixture before digestion. 10 1.98 15.43 Official Gunning Method. 11 0.32’ 14.50‘ Official Kjeldahl Method. 12 1.63 15.41 13 1.40 15.45 Modified Kjeldahl-Gunning hlethod, allowing to stand 1/2 hr. before reduction, and 6 hrs. longer before digestion. 14 .. 15.45 Official Gunning Method. modified to include nitrates. Kept mixture very cold with constant shaking ior 30 minutes. .. 15.46 1/2 cc. of water added acid mixture and digested without shaking. 15 .. 15.18 1/2 gm. material used and modified Kjeldahl Method. adding 30 cc. acid wvlth 2 gin. salicylic acid dissolved in samr 15.29 1/2 gm. material used, adding salicylic acid dry to nitrates. 15.48 1/4 gm. adding wet mixture, salicyliL acid and sulvhuric acid. 15.62 Dry salicylic acid and mixing wi h nitrates, using 1/4 gm. Mean. 1.56 15.41 Max.. 2.46 15.79 M i n , 0.69 15.09 1 Omitted from average.
..
..
,
783
letter of instructions sent with the sam:)!e substantially requested that nitrogen be determind tlitsreon b y the Official Gunning or Kjeldahl m e t h d s modified for nitrates as given in Bulletin 107 of the Ilureau of Chemistry and that moisture be determineti on two gram portions of the sample. The reason €or specifying two gram portions was that the samples sent out had t o be small, as the time available before the summer meeting was limited. For the same reason, the amount of work asked €or was limited so that i t represented but a small addition to the routine work of those laboratories to which samples and requests for work were sent. These included state fertilizer inspection laboratories, commercial laboratories and fertilizer manufacturers’ laboratories. Replies were received from 14 out of 2 2 analysts to whom requests and samples were sent. The results of the work are briefly shown in the preceding table. C O M M E N T S O F T H E ANALYSTS.
There is a tendency to higher results in using gram than when using larger quantities. 4. After quoting illustrations from his own practice in which differences between his laboratory and others range from 0.5 per cent. to 2 . 0 per cent. of nitrogen were developed, this analyst adds: “We find that the more nitrogen the goods contain, the longer the digestion is required to stand before heating. We usually p u t it on in the afternoon and let i t stand all night.” 14. “We cannot seem t o get as high results with 0.5 gram materials as with 0.25 gram, especially so when we add the mixture of salicylic acid dissolved in sulphuric acid.” There is a wide range in the results reported by the various analysts in the results on moisture as well as on nitrogen. This variation does not seem to depend on ariy one particular factor. The details as reported vary widely as shown in the table and no definite conclusions can be formed from this preliminary work. Local conditions of manipulation and reagents are probably responsible for as much variation as any other factor. The committee recommends that the study of this subject be continued with a view towards the establishment of a standard sample in sufficient quantity to serve the needs of the members in this division or a t least of those members who are particularly interested in this subject. Respectfully submitted, Committee on Nitrogen, C. H. J O N E S , F. C. ATKINSON, F. L. PARKER, JR., PAULRUDNICK, Chairman. I.
0.2
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-----REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PHOSPHATE ROCK. J U N E M E E T I X G , A. C. S., 1911.
The committee appointed as the Committee on Phosphate Rock, for the better handling of the prob-
