INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
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Divisional Reports Agricultural a n d F o o d Chemistry HE division held five sessions. In co operation with the Divisions of Medici T nal and Biological Chemistry, the Sym
posium on American Patent Practice and Procedure was held on Tuesday morning. Three eminent patent attorneys discussed the American system in the light of vari ous foreign systems of patent protection of discoveries. The new German system was given the credit of being the most satisfactory on the whole. The usual Vitamin Symposium in co operation with the Division of Biological and Medicinal Chemistry was appreciated by a large audience numbering well over 200. The contributions were in general of an unusually high caliber, one of the more important being an apparently satisfac tory fluorometer method for the deter mination of vitamin B t . The Symposium on the Industrial Utilization of Agricultural Products spon sored by the division was particularly successful, with an attendance between 250 and 450 all day Wednesday. At the business session it was voted to arrange for the publication of the symposium and the binding of reprints for sale to the members of the division and other inter ested parties. Notices will be sent out to members of the division as soon as an estimate of cost is obtained. The general program consisted of 17 papers, including a history of the divi sion's activities since 1908, when, as the Division of Agricultural and Food Chemis try, it was one of the five original divisions formed upon the segregation of the SOCIETY into divisions. The attendance ranged from 40 to 60.
Emily Gueppert in press room of raw cotton, of the swelling action of several quaternary ammonium hydroxides on cellulose, and of the pattern of basswood ash. Investigations of cation ex change in cellulosic materials, of the prepa ration of cellulose ethers, of the micro scopic structure of viscose, and of the exothermal decomposition of wood were reported. A study of the reaction between thioglycollic acid and spruce lignin was reported. The results indicate that, con trary to certain previous results, the re action of thioglycollic acid with spruce lignin does not result in the formation or disappearance of hydroxyl groups. G. L. Clark, the newly elected chairman of the division, presented an informal re port from recent personal observations on chemistry in Europe with special reference to cellulose chemistry. The European controversy on the structure of cellulose was discussed and a solution of the contro versy was submitted.
VOL. 16» NO. 18
tary-treasurer revealed that the upward trend in the number of registered members noticeable last year has been successfully maintained and the number nearly doubled. In accordance with the bylaws, new officers were elected for the coming year as follows: Chairman, L. H. Reyerson; Vice Chairman, E. A. Hauser; SecretaryTreasurer, A. M. Buswell. The terms of A. M. Buswell, J. W. Williams, and A. J. Stamm on the Executive Committee ex pired. The following members of the di vision were elected to act for a term of two years: H. L. Davis, R. C. Williams, and G. E. Cunningham. The term of E. O. Kramer on the Colloid Symposium Committee expired and was replaced bv H. V. Tartar. It was definitely decided to hold a di visional session during the fall meeting of 1939, besides the Sixteenth National Colloid Symposium at Palo Alto, Calif., in July. The division will probably not hold a special session during the spring meeting. Thefinaldecision will be an nounced later. E. A. HAOBBR, Secretary-Treasurer
Fertilizer C h e m i s t r y
ALTHOUGH Milwaukee is a considerable distance from the heavy fertilizerconsuming territory 75 members of the division attended the meetings, which were held in the Milwaukee Auditorium, September β to 7. A symposium on secondary elements essential to normal nutrition of plants was the principal feature of the meeting. W. O. KENTON, Secretary-Treasurer Members availed themselves of the invitation of the 8ewage Commission to inspect Milwaukee's famous sewage dis posal plant and partake of a complimen Chemical Education tary luncheon. Η. Β. SIBMS, Secretary HE Division of Chemical Education held four sessions, as well as a joint G. A. FITZGERALD, Secretary-Treasurer symposium with the Division of Sugar G a s a n d Fuel C h e m i s t r y Chemistry and Technology on the Nomen clature of the Sugars. A small Symposium Biological C h e m i s t r y HE Division of Gas and Fuel Chemistry on the Place of Science in General Educa two sessions on Tuesday, at which HE division held 6 scientific sessions. tion was included. A round-table dis timeheld 10 papers covering the subjects of Three featured the presentation of 32 cussion of ways and means by which the the oxidation and hydrogénation of coal, papers of general biochemical interest. division might help promote the teaching cracking of coai tars, measurement of The wide range of studies summarized of high-school chemistry culminated in the the plastic properties of coals, and the retypified the highly diversified research in the establishment of a committee to follow moval of carbon monoxide from mine terests of the membership. this question further. The divisional fire atmospheres by bacteria were preOn Tuesday morning the division took luncheon was attended bv approximately sented. Much interest was shown in the part in a two-hour Symposium on Ameri 100. The student breakfast, sponsored that bacteria have been found can Patent Practice and Procedure spon by the division, brought out more than finding mine waters which appear to remove sored by the Division of Medicinal Chem 40 students and older members as well. in carbon monoxide and hydrogen from mine istry. Following this symposium a number NORMS W. RAKESTRAW, Secretary fire atmospheres and which may therefore of the members took advantage of an in lead inspectors to the erroneous conclusion vitation to lunch with the Division of that a fire is out. Hydrogénation tests Medicinal Chemistry. The remainder of of 9 Canadian coals of increasing rank Colloid Chemistry the day was devoted to the usual joint in continuously operated equipment were Vitamin Symposium with the Divisions of by the Canadian Bureau of Mines LEVEN papers, followed by interesting reported Agricultural and Food Chemistry and the results of many different tests and valuable discussions, were pre and Medicinal Chemistry. Nineteen papers under different conditions on one coal sented. The attendance averaged 150. were presented. the Bureau of Mines Expérimental Besides its own session, the division in The division joined on Wednesday with Continuous Hydrogénation Plant were the Divisions of Agricultural and Food joined in a Symposium on the Physical reported from the U. S. Bureau of Mines. Chemistry and Industrial and Engineering Chemistry of the Proteins with the Di The possible production of trimellitic acid Chemistry in a Symposium on the In vision of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry by the oxidation of coal with oxygen at dustrial Utilization of Agricultural Prod and in a Symposium on Surface-Active elevated pressures was indicated. Maxiucts. A series of 11 papers was presented Agents with the Division of Industrial mum attendance was about 70 persons. by various authorities in the field. All and Engineering Chemistry. The firstGILBERT THIESSEN, Secretary the sessions of the division were well at mentioned symposium, which had origi nally been suggested by J. W. Williams, tended· The annual business meeting with elec chairman of the Division of Colloid Chem H i s t o r y of C h e m i s t r y tion of officers was held Tuesday at istry, averaged 400 to 500 in attendance during the entire day. The latter sym TΗE division held one half-day session. A 5:00 P. M. J. J. PPIPPKEB, Secretary posium, presided over by F. E. Bartell, printing from a gloss plate etched with was attended by an average of 125 and fluoric early hitherto unpublished proved the interest and need for closer letters acid, of Liebig, the preparation of contact between pure science and industry quintessence Cellulose C h e m i s t r y and aqua vitae as described and the value of such joint meetings. The Ulstad of the loth century, the new HE two sessions of the Division of discussion in both symposia was, as far by Finnish Gadolin Medal, and the dualistic Cellulose Chemistry were very well as time permitted, very inspiring. or alchemy of Chang Po-Tuan of The business meeting was held at the theory attended and papers dealing with a variety of subjects were presented. These in close of the morning session, with a large the 11th century were among subjects (Continued on page 517) cluded x-ray investigations of the strength number attending. The report of the secre
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pressure of 50 atmospheres, a 09 per cent acid is obtained. Liquid nitrogen peroxide may be obtained in three ways: (1) beginning with the solid form (N2Ô4); (2) nitrogen peroxide gas can be absorbed in concentrated nitric acid at a low temperature, then expelled and liquefied; (3) ammonia may be burned with the theoretical amount of oxygen and the resultant highly concentrated nitrogen peroxide can be liquefied. Alcohol and Paraffin Discovered in Field Poppy The unsaponifiable material of the field poppy has been investigated by L. Schmid. He has found an alcohol, C M H M O , and a paraffin, C27H50, which has been proved to contain an odd number of carbon atoms. Other paraffin hydrocarbons, probably C24H50 and CMHU, have been separated chromatographically. Translation by COLIN W. WHITTAKBR June
