W o m e n Chemists at Convention 1 0 3 in M e m p h i s
report included a short review of the compilation of t h e statistics on employment of women a s given by t h e W P A group; her conclusion w a s t h a t this survey was t h e most complete reference material at hand concerning t h e employment of women in t h e chemical a n d allied professions. Plans for keeping t h e report by the W P A u p to date were also discussed since the business and professional women are expecting t o complete yearly surveys in order t h a t t h e report m a y be continuous and a
fair cross-section dealing with women's employment. The climax of t h e convention for the women chemists occurred with t h e speech a t t h e subscription dinner Wednesday evening when Dr. W h i t s i t t gave an excellent summation of the challenge the prese n t crisis presents and i t s acceptance by t h e women in chemical professions. T h e gist of her talk was that "the o p p o r t u n i t y h a s presented itself and w e are glad t o be here a n d ready at a time when w e are most needed".
'^.Άν
A. C. S. Committee Reports η
V
Advisory to t h e Bureau of M i n e s and the Bureau of Standards on Nonferrous M e t a l s
M a y Whitsitt, Southern Methodist Univer sity; Florence W a l l , N e w York consultant
O W I N G to the present emergency, there were no meetings held during 1941 of these committees, nor do I believe there will bo any held during t h e war. WM. B. PRICE,
Representative
specifications. T h e committee continued i t s cooperation with the Subcommittee on Reagents of the Committee of Revision of t h e U. S. Pharmacopoeia in t h e prepara tion of specifications for reagents for the current revision. W. D. COLLIN'S,
Cooperation with
Chairman
thc Chemical
THE keynote of t h e women chemists Warfare Service group a t M e m p h i s was t h a t t h e women are ready, waiting, a n d anxious t o d o their A n a l y t i c a l Reagents THΕ committee lias n o t met a s a group p a r t in t h e present emergency. W o m e n since our last report. There have been are now going t o have t h e chance they DURING the y e a r t h e committee confrequent contacts between officers and h a v e been waiting for a n d it is u p t o tinued the preparation of specificatechnical personnel of t h e Chemical War t h e m t o prove their value and t o contions for analytical reagents a n d t h e confare Service and individual members of the t r i b u t e their s h a r e t o chemistry a s a p r o sideration of corrections to published committee in regard to problems that arise fession. from time t o time. Naturally the n a t u r e I o t a Sigma P i held its convention meetof this work is sucti that no detailed report ing a t breakfast on Tuesday. Kathryn can b e made. H. Hicks was t h e chairman a n d Evelyn II. Ε . HOWE, Chairman McBain, n a t i o n a l president of t h e sorority, t h e principal speaker. D r . McBain gave Economic Status a review of t h e present s t a t u s of the opportunities for women in THE committee was appointed chemistry. M r s . Hicks followed Λ in September 1941. with a s u m m a r y of t h e position -η A comprehensive survey of the held by women chemists in t h e \ economic status of m e m b e r s of / southern area t h e SOCIETY w a s selected a s t h e M r s . Hicks a n d her committee first major project. W i t h t h e aid also proved themselves excellent of Dr. Parsons, the interest of t h e hostesses for t h e women chemists U. S. Bureau of Labor Statis « r o u p of a b o u t 75, a n d t h e me tics was enlisted, and a coopera m e n t o s — a b o t t l e of gardenia per tive arrangement with t h a t fume a n d souvenir cotton bolls bureau w a s worked o u t . A com from Memphis—were pleasant pletely precoded questionnaire reminders of t h e luncheon on was developed covering annual T u e s d a y . Miss Wall, t h e prin incomes and monthly earnings cipal speaker for t h e occasion, in of t h e m e m b e r s h i p for nine her own unsurpassed way, told her selected years during thc period experiences a s a pioneer in t h e \ 1926-41 i n relation to educational profession of chemistry for women. level, years of professional experi \ H e r talk was a n inspiration a n d ence, geographical location, size of was thoroughly appreciated, as community, occupational status, ,/ one woman t o another. source of employment, a n d field As a conclusion to t h e women of specialization. chemists luncheon, a survey on Questionnaires were mailed on the e m p l o y m e n t of women in N o v e m b e r 25, 1941, t o the 24,490 chemistry u n d e r t h e chairmanship members of t h e SOCIETY located in of D r . Whitsin was reported by t h e United States a n d its possesOutside the old slave quarters at Walter Place, H o l l y Mildred Graflin. Miss Graflin's Springs, where the A . C. S. ladies saw the O l d South sions. The questionnaire was
D
r
V O L U M E
2 0,
N O .
9
»
»
M A Y
10,
1 9 4 2
595
closed on January 25, 1941, by which date 19,008 returns had been received, representing 77.6 p e r c e n t of the number mailed. The d a t a from the questionnaires were transferred to punch cards by the Hureau of Labor Statistics. Early in February the machine tabulations were begun by the bureau. T h e data from the machine» tabulations were analyzed by a clerical staff engaged by the committee. A comprehensive report on the results of the survey was presented on the general program at t h e Memphis meeting of the SOCIKTY. T h e manuscript will be ready for publication shortly. T h e committee contemplates supplementary studies as warranted by the findings of the present survey. L. W. BASS,
Chairman
Exchange ^ ^ ^ A R T I M E irregularities have had a strong effect on the work of the committee during the past year. Exchanges actively in effect now total 351 as contrasted with 490 last year and 663 in 1940. Efforts to maintain the foreign exchanges in spite of warfare were fairly successful up t o the time of t h e happenings in last December. Now communication with most of the countries of Europe a n d Asia is blocked and the exchanges are at a lowebb. T h e committee h a s made 14 new exchange arrangements since its last report (made March 2 1 , 1941). During this period 167 exchanges have been discontinued; 45 were Japanese, 31 were German, 11 Rumanian, 10 Fininsh, 8 Ukrainian, 4 Latvian, 2 Estonian, 2 Hungarian, 2 Philippine, 2 Yugoslavian, and 1 each Austrian, Belgian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Manchurian, and Norwegian. T h e discontinued German exchanges and a few of the others had been reinstated after temporary discontinuance during the earlier days of t h e war in Europe. F -en old exchanges have been resumed during t h e past year. Fourteen exchange proposals by others have been refused and all exchange requests which we have made have been granted. The office of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry receives 16 of t h e exchange periodicals and the remainder come to the office of Chemical Abstracts. Though its effectiveness is much curtailed now, the exchange plan is of great service in obtaining papers for abstracting. (The committee Chairman asks the privilege of stating parenthetically, as Editor of Chemical Abstracts, t h a t diligent effort t o obtain by other means papers nee::.»d for abstracting from t h e countries affected by the war has m e t with some, though de creasing, success during t h e past year. Difficulties have increased, b u t t h e effort is being continued.) I t is t h e policy of the committee to reconsider all of t h e existing exchanges 596
twice each year t o see t h a t the}' are in good order and to determines whether or n o t continuance is justified. Besides this systematic check spocïal attention has been paid to war developments a n d their effect on journal deliveries in both directions. E. J. CRANE,
Chairman
Hazardous Chemicals and Explosives T ^ H E committee reports that it has been active in its capacity as consultant t o a similar Committee on Hazardous Chemicals and Explosives of t h e National Fire Protection Association during t h e past year. T h e committee has answered t h e usual inquiries submitted by various officers a n d members of the SOCIETTY and other individuals interested in hazardous chemicals and explosives. In cooperation with t r i e committee of t h e National Fire Protection Association, authoritative d a t a have been prepared on additional hazardous clhemicals and revisions have been made on m a n y of t h e chemicals listed in the 1939 edition of t h e Table of Common Hazardous Chemicals. Because of t h e numerous manufacturing plants now using hazardous chemicals in connection with the w a r effort and t h e many new chemicals having toxic a n d combustible properties being developed and used in large quantities in t h e chemical industries in connection with national defense, the functions of our committee are becoming of increasing importance. These newer chemicals arc critically reviewed with respect to their life, fire, a n d storage hazards. Recommendations are made relative to proper fire-fighting methods when the hazardous chemicals are involved in fires. G. W. JONES,
Chairman
Industrial A l c o h o l Π Ρ Η Ε committee has held n o meetings and has not been active during t h e past year. N o major industrial alcohol prob lem has been presented to the committee, and none such h a s arisen. M A R T I N II. ITTNEK,
Chairman
Licensing Inquiry Π Ρ Ι Ι Ε committee reports that the only important item u n d e r observation dur ing the year was a new bill that was intro duced into the New Y o r k State Legislature somewhat modified in comparison with previous attempts and purporting to be permissive in character only. This bill was killed in committee. I t is not y e t certain whether or not it will be reintro duced during t h e present year. The committee is watching trends in legislation and is of t h e opinion t h a t t h e state legislatures generally are not likely CH E M I C A L
to give much attention to matters of this kind during t h e present emergency. F. W. WILLARD,
Chairman
Membership r
I HIE committee is pleased to report that the membership again increased in 1941. A detailed statement follows:
Individual members elected 1941. . . Corporation members elected 1941. . Members resigned during 1941 Deceased members 1941 Total membership at end of year 1941 Members dropped for delinquency on December 31, 1941 W . D . COLLINS,
4,428 38 410 79 28,738 782
Chairman
Nomenclature, Spelling, and Pronunciation T N T E R E S T in America in t h e use of good chemical nomenclature is growing. T h e committee sees much evidence of this growth. Inquiries concerning good usage received by t h e committee are numerous. T h e r e is gratifyingly strong demand for copies of printed nomenclature rules. Cooperation is easier to obtain. I t is en couraging t o observe a fuller realization t h a t exactness should characterize t h e re porting of scientific results as well as the obtaining of them. During t h e past year the committee has distributed, a t 10 cents per copy, 755 re prints of Rules for N a m i n g Inorganic Compounds, which is the" latest report (1940) of t h e Committee for the Reform of Inorganic Chemical Nomenclature of the International Union of Chemistry. T h e committee has provided a n American version of these rules by a limited amount of editing of spellings and of t h e transla tion, done with t h e understanding t h a t it was n o t t h e i n t e n t of the International Committee t o interfere with t h e written forms peculiar to the languages of indi vidual countries. Demand for t h e rules for naming organic compounds (Definitive R e p o r t of t h e Commission on t h e Reform of t h e Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry of t h e International Union of Chemistry, issued in 1933) h a s also been strong, so t h a t the committee has had t o provide it self with a supply of an additional 2,000 copies. Sales of t h e organic rules, also at 10 cents per copy, total 2,836 t o date. T h e r e is a steady demand for t h e com mittee's other nomenclature and pronun ciation pamphlets also. Leonard T . Capell a n d Austin M . Pat terson have been t h e most active members of t h e committee in answering the numer ous nomenclature questions which come from individual investigators, editors, and representatives of other organizations. T h e committee, with the cooperation of t h e Chemical Abstracts office staff, en deavors to maintain a clearinghouse for information on good nomenclature usage, A N D
ENGINEERING
NEWS
and our most active year in this work has just been completed. E. J. C R A N E ,
Chairman
Paper TΗΕ practice of checking each delivery of paper made to the printer to determine whether or not it conforms to the specifications has been followed, as in past years. N o serious deficiencies were found in any delivery, and in no case did the de ficiency affect either permanence or print ing quality. The committee, with the cooperation of the paper mills and the printer, made a study of some of the papers in an effort either to improve the quality of the print ing or to obtain a satisfactory paper of a lower grade than formerly used. As a result of this work, the committee has approved the following changes in specifi cations: A. General Requirements. Owing to the War Production Hoard's restrictions on the use of chlorine and other chemicals, it may be necessary t o relax somewhat our requirements that the stock used in cer tain papers be free from unbleached or groundwood fibers. Thus far all papers have complied with the specifications, but future restrictions m a y make it necessary that we permit the use of some unbleached stock. It is not probable that the use of groundwood will have to be considered. Rather than alter the specifications to permit definite changes in stock require ments, the committee is of the opinion that a new item, A-3, under general require ments will allow ample leeway to permit only such deviations from the specifica tions as may later prove necessary. Fur thermore, when restrictions are removed after the war, it will be a simple matter to drop this one item, thereby restoring the original requirements. The new item A-3 is to read, "Stock re quirements shall be subject to such modi fications as may be required by the orders of the War Production Board. All modi fications must have the approval of the Paper Committee." Supercalendered Book Paper. Item B 1-f. Oil penetration to be 125 t o 150 sec., instead of 75 to 100 sec. With the equip ment available for preventing offset, this change aids in getting more brilliant and sharper printing. T h e effect has been particularly noticeable in recent issues of CHEMICAL
AND
ENGINEERING
2 0, N O . 9
As in past years, the committee has maintained close contact with the Mack Printing Co. and the mill which sup plies the paper used in printing the body portion of the SOCIETY publications. T h e Chairman of the committee made two trips to the printing plant and Mr. Fleck, vice president of the Mack Printing Co., met with one of the committee members at the Bureau of Standards to discuss the above changes. Following our established custom, the committee held a luncheon meeting at the annual T. A. P. P. I. convention, at which both the printer and paper mill were repre sented. We have found this annual gettogether to be of considerable value to all concerned. B. L. WEHMHOFF,
Chairman
Patent and Related Legislation THΕ committee has been unusually ac tive this year, but has carried on its work entirely by correspondence between the members, the Chairman, and Η. Τ. Stowell in Washington. Mr. Stowell, member of the committee, has furnished much valuable assistance in keeping the members advised of pending legislation and hearings thereon before congressional committees and in appearing personally at some of these hearings. The procedure followed has been gener ally the same as last year. With respect to all important proposed patent legislation, the views of the committee members were obtained either by questionnaires or by ex change of letters, and reports of the opin ions so expressed were distributed to all the committee members. Also, whenever it appeared advisable, the recommendations and views of our committee were com municated to the Chairman of the appro priate Congressional Committee, either by letter, telegram, or by personal appearance at hearings. It is gratifying to report that none of the proposed legislation which was considered by the committee to be dangerous or illadvised has been enacted into law.
NEWS,
where there has been a definite improve ment in the printing of the halftones. Coated Cover Papers. Items B-3 and B-4. This was changed last year from a No. 1 to a No. 3 grade. The smoothness specifications, Items B-3-e and B-4-f, have been lowered slightly. T h e new specifica tion requires a minimum smoothness of 500 sec. as compared with the old require ment of a range of 600 to 800 sec. The N o . 3 grade is proving satisfactory in use and the quality of the printing is good. Envelope Paper. Item B-7-a. Elimi nate "unbleached.'' Item B-7-g. N e w item. Minimum p H value 5.0. This change was made unofficially some months ago and is in fine with the findings and experience of the Government Printing Office and the U. S. Bureau of Standards. Section C. Methods of Testing. The method of making the Dennison wax test is clarified by specifying a 15-minute cool
VOLUME
ing period for the wax after application to the paper.
New Laws The important legislative measures relating to or affecting patents, enacted into law during 1941, may be summarized briefly as follows: Public Law No. 221, approved August 18, 1941. This act revises Section 4989 of the Revised Statutes. It authorizes the assignment of applications for patent and provides for recording such assignments on the same basis as assignments of patents. Public Law No. 239, approved August 21, 1941. This act amends Public Law No. 700 of the 76th Congress, under which the Commissioner of Patents is authorized to issue secrecy orders. The act prohibits the filing in any foreign country of an ap plication for patent on any invention made in the United States without license from
» » MAY
10, 1 9 4 2
the Commissioner of Patents and provides for fine or imprisonment for violation of a secrecy order or for filing a foreign applica tion without a license. Public Law N o . 274, approved October 16, 1941. This act provides for the requi sitioning of "military or naval equipment, supplies, or munitions, or component parts thereof, or machinery, tools, or materials necessary for the manufacture, servicing or operation of such equipment, supplies, or munitions" which are needed for the d e fense of t h e United States. The bill fur ther provides for the primary determina tion of fair and just compensation for t h e property by the President subject to re view in the Federal Courts. The original bill, S. 1579, specifically provided for the taking of patents and patent rights, but this provision w a s eliminated from the bill by t h e Senate Mili tary Affairs Committee before the bill w a s reported. Public Law N o . 354, approved Decem ber 18, 1941. Title I. Authorizes t h e President to coordinate, consolidate, a n d transfer duties and powers of a n y execu tive department, commission, * bureau, agency, governmental corporation, office or officer, except the General Accounting Office. Title I I . Authorizes the President t o authorize entering into any contract for war purposes without regard to legal re strictions, but prohibits "cost-plus" con tracts. Title III. Amends the Trading with the Enemy Act of October 6, 1917, to give the President complete control over trans actions involving any property or right in which any foreign government or national has any interest, including the power t o take over any such property or interest; and grants full power of censorship over all communications between the United States and foreign countries.
Pending Legislation In addition, some 15 or 20 new bills were introduced in Congress, and are still pending, which relate to various aspects of patents and patent rights. Some of the more important of these pending bills are the following: S. 674, S. 675, and S. 918 (all introduced by Senator Hatch) are the administrative procedure bills. S. 6^5, proposed by the majority of t h e members of the Attorney General's Committee, specifically ex cludes patents and trade-marks from most of its provisions. Extensive hearings be fore a subcommittee of t h e Senate Judi ciary Committee have been concluded. A favorable report on a bill in the form of S. 675 is anticipated. H . R. 3360 (Kramer) would prohibit issuance and enforcement of injunctions on patents when necessary in t h e national de fense. Substitute proposals which would grant authority to the President t o requisi tion patents or any interest therein were submitted by the Department of Justice. Extensive hearings on t h e bill and the Justice Department proposals were held by the House Committee o n Patents. N o action has been taken on this bill since the hearings terminated in April 1941. It may be assumed that the House Commit tee was convinced that the proposed legis lation is not necessary. B u t a new bill, namely : S. 2303 (O'Mahoney) has recently been introduced in the Senate. This new bill would provide for granting of licenses by the President under any patent with re spect to any material or article which he 597
might find and declare t o b e in the interest of national defense, during any war in which t h i s country is engaged, and would prohibit injunctions with respect t o any such material or article during the period specified by t h e President, and limit recovery b v the patent owner to a reasonable royalty fee. Section 2 of this bill would go still further and authorize the President, during a n y period of national emergency declared by him and whenever he determines it to b e in the interest of national defense, t o acquire patents and inventions by various means, including a declaration of taking, the only recourse of the patent owner in that event being t o bring suit in the Court of Claims for compensation. This new bill has not yet been set for hearing, but a hearing thereon before the Senate Committee on Patents is expected shortly, and t h e matter is receiving careful consideration by our committee. S. 892 (Bone) and H. R. 3211 (Kramer) limiting t h e life of a patent t o twenty years from t h e application, and S. 928 (Bone) establishing a circuit court of appeals for patents, appear t o be the most controversial items o f the legislative program proposed b y t h e Commissioner of Patents more than t w o years ago. I t does not appear t h a t a n y action has been taken on these bills in either house of Congress or in either of the Congressional Patent Committees during t h e present session, although t h e other items of the Commissioner's program were enacted, as reported in our committee report of March 1940. Court Decisions T h e committee has also followed certain trends which have become apparent in recent litigation involving patents and also involving alleged unlawful monopolistic practices by patent owners and b y those operating under patents. These trends include a notable raising of the standard of invention required to support validity of patents, resulting in a marked increase in t h e proportionate number of patents held invalid because of failure t o meet this standard; and a restriction of the scope of t h e monopoly afforded by a patent, both with respect to the exercise of control over the prices or distribution of goods n o t directly covered by the patent but resulting indirectly therefrom, and also with respect t o contributory infringement b y others w h o furnish material or equipment that does not directly infringe but which is t o b e used in operations that do infringe. A further outgrowth of this last-mentioned trend is apparent in a number of recent Supreme Court decisions to t h e effect t h a t where a patentee has attempted unlawfully to extend his patent monopoly so a s t o control t h e sale of unpatented articles, i t is contrary t o public policy t o grant t h e patentee any relief in court, under t h e patent, even against others who directly infringe, until such improper practice is completely abandoned and the consequences thereof "have been fully dissipated". There have been numerous suits recently under t h e anti-trust laws, based on alleged improper uses of patents for the control o f prices and stifling of competition. T h e above noted trends, and the 598
effects of some of these recent decisions, have been reported more fully in an article by Nelson Lit tell, member of our committee, in the January 1942 issue of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. N o n l a w y e r Patent A t t o r n e y s Finalty, we report t h a t our committee has given much time and thought t o the agitation which presumably started with members of the bar to prohibit practice before the Patent Office by nonlawyer patent attorneys. This agitation h a s been particularly pronounced in t h e states of Illinois and California, and several bills were introduced in Congress which, if they had been enacted, would have prohibited the continued practice of nonlawyer patent attorneys before the Patent Office. State measures such as have been proposed in Illinois and California would not b e binding upon the Patent Office, but would regulate the activities of patent attorneys within the state. More recently similar agitation has been started in the State of Pennsylvania. Our committee is of the opinion that many chemists who are not members of the bar are doing valuable and constructive patent work, and we are pleased to report that n o adverse legislation has yet been passed. Patent Planning Commission President Roosevelt has appointed a Patent Planning Commission t o study the problem of stimulating invention and also to study the question of constructive improvements in the patent statutes. Membership of this commission i s as follows: Charles F. Kettering, representing science; Owen D . Young, representing industry; Chester C. Davis, representing government; Eilward S. McGrady, representing labor; and Francis P. Gaines, president of Washington and L e e University, representing the public. W A L T E R A. SCHMIDT,
Chairman
Professional Status n p m s committee has found nothing to d o for the past two years. N o suggestions have been made to i t by members or members of t h e Council, a n d t h e committee itself has been quite inactive. There has recently been appointed a committee for the study of t h e economic
CHEMICAL
status of the chemist. I t is believed that this committee will perform most of the functions which the membership expected the Committee on Professional Status to execute. In view of this situation it is respectfully requested that the Committee for Professional Status be disbanded. THOMAS MIDGLET, J R . ,
Chairman
Professional Training o f Chemists Q I N C E the St. Louis meeting, the com^ mittec h a s continued its program of visitation. Many institutions were considered at t h e time of the Atlantic City meeting, and a revised list of institutions was published in the October 25, 1941, N E W S EDITION. That list contained the names of 111 institutions whose graduates, when certified by the chairmen of the departments concerned, are eligible for membership in the AMERICAN C H E M I -
CAL SOCIETY in the minimum length of time following graduation as specified in the bylaws. The statistical data presented on page 599 will indicate the number of institutions which have been considered together with the number which have not been approved and the number on which action has been deferred. T h e committee has also begun a review of those institutions which have been approved o n previous lists. In some instances important changes in personnel or other factors have made it necessary to withdraw approval. T h e present situation arising from the war has changed materially curricula in a large number of institutions. Many colleges and universities are now forced t o operate with reduced personnel and generally speaking, the situation has become abnormal for most institutions of higher learning. T h e committee must consider very careful^, therefore, just what is to be the nature of its activities during the present crisis. I t is planned to complete considerations of all those institutions which have signified their willingness to cooperate with t h e committee but, aside from keeping data up t o date, it may be necessary to restrict consideration of institutions hereafter t o those cases in which marked changes not to b e ascribed primarily to "speed-up programs' ' have considerably lowered the level of instruction and quality of staff. T h e most important problem confront-
A N D ENGINEERING
NEWS
ing the committee lies in the evaluation of the quality of the teaching staff. N o objective standard has y e t been formulated t o meet this problem, but a letter was ad dressed t o the chairmen of chemistry de partments asking for suggestions on this matter. About 93 replies have been received. The following statistical data summa rize the activities of the committee from April 1, 1941, to April 1, 1942:
INSTITUTIONS PARTICIPAT ING IN THE PROGRAM
Number authorizing visits Number deferring authori zation Number of visits unneces sary Number approved without visits Number y e t to be con tacted Number of replies not yet received Number whose status is indefinite Total institutions par ticipating
1 , APR. 1, 1942 1941
APR.
407
436
21
7
18
38
13
13
23
0
8
0 6
490
500
407 323
436 423
VISITATION PROGRAM
Number authorizing visits Number visited Visited previous to Sept. 1. 1941 (Atlantic City meeting) Visited since Sept. 1, 1941
390
Questionnaires In June a questionnaire was sent to each approved department of chemistry and chemical engineering in ordor that the department chairman might indicate to the committee the list of students who had fulfilled the SOCIETY'S minimum re quirements and thereby were eligible to be admitted to full membership in the S O CIETY in the minimum length of time. From this same questionnaire was secured information relative t o staff changes, staff activities, changes in equip ment and facilities, and other information of value to the committee so that it could be familiar with the present status of chemistry instruction in each of the ap proved schools. Again this year, a questionnaire will be sent out, less extensive in form, but which will secure similar information. National Roster of Scientific and Specialized Personnel The committee's secretary has handled the registration of senior student chem ists and chemical engineers and graduate students in both of these fields for the National Roster of Scientific and Special ized Personnel. T h e following students have been registered throughout the United States:
33
CHEMISTS
B.S. M.S. Ph.D
STATUS OF INSTITUTIONS CONSIDERED TO D A T E
Approved Rejected Deferred No action pending further study Total considered
92 141 76
111 235 41
309
3 390
INSTITUTIONS CONBIDERED BY THE COMMITTEE AT ITS MEETINGS
Number considered pre vious to Apr. 1. 1941 Number considered at St. Louis, Apr. 5 to 8, 1941 Number considered at At lantic City, Sept. 1941
211 227 132 570
4,591 718 519 TOTAL
8,105
Soap and Soap Products Y~\ URING the past year the committee sub"^>^mitted to the Supervisory Committee on Standard Methods of Analysis a recom mended revision of the Standard Method for the Sampling and Analysis of Com mercial Soaps and Soap Products, Re vised \Ind. Eng. Chem., Anal. Ed., 9, 2 (1937)], and it has been approved by the Supervisory Committee on Standard Methods of Analysis. F. W. SMITTJEII,
ΤΗ Η Ε committee has continued itscooperation with committees of the Scientific Apparatus Makers of America and of other organizations on problems relating to the standardization of shapes, sizes, and qual ity of laboratory apparatus.
423
2 0, N O . 9
Chairman
Standard Apparatus
W. D . COLLINS,
Total remaining to be considered 13 Total authorizing visits 436 New colleges and universities consid ered through Atlantic City 390 Schools that have been considered more than once through Atlantic City 180 570
VOLUME
1,985 233 59
W. A. NOYKS, J R . , Chairman
TOTAL INSTITUTIONS CONSIDERED BY THE COMMITTED
(These figures exclude review of institutions and show only total number considered at least once by the committee) Prior to Apr. 1, 1941 211 St. Louis. Apr, 5 to 8.1941 108 Atlantic City, Sept. 4 to 8, 1941 71 Memphis, Apr. 20 to 23, 1942 33
CHEMTCAL ENGINEERS
» » MAY
10, 1 9 4 2
Ciiairman
Standard Methods for the Exami nation of Water and Sewage (To Cooperate with the Committee of the American Public Health Association) r
Ι "ΉΒ committee has considered in detail a complete revision of methods for the examination of water including an entire reorganization of the present procedure. These recommendations will be presented to the joint committee of the cooperating societies at a meeting which is tentatively set for the week of June 21 in Chicago. A. M. BUSWELL,
Chairman
Standardization of Biological Stains ALTHOUGH no meeting of the whole • ^ - Executive Committee was held dur ing 1941, two sectional meetings were held, one in Chicago and one in Phila delphia. Both meetings were attended by the chairman of the commission and it was thus possible for him to discuss several important matters with all the members. Practically all foreign subscription* to Slain Technology have been stopped but their loss has been compensated for to a great extent by the increase in domestic subscriptions. In order to overcome in creased costs and the effect of the slight decrease in the number of subscriptions, the listed subscription price has been raised, but a special rate (no higher than the old rate) is granted to individual scientists and to scientific institutions who place their subscriptions directly with the publishing agent. T h e commis sion has continued its biological testing and chemical analyses of stains for certi fication. The increase in this work re ported last year has continued at an ac celerated rate. U p to a few years ago the number of samples of stains submitted for certification rarely exceeded 50. In 1940 this number was 71 and in 1941 the num ber of samples tested was well over 100. This increase has largely been due to orders placed by the Army and N a v y for equipping their many medical units. In addition to the stains which have been tested in the past, a demand for other dyes has developed recently. It is prob able that these are stains which were formerly supplied from Europe and are no longer available from that source. Also many users of stains who have been using German stains in the past have been confronted with the problem of adapt ing their procedures to the equally good or better American stains, a change which usually involves some modifica tion of the technique. The commission has been called upon for assistance in solving many of these difficulties and stands ready, as always, to give what help it can in the solution of any biological staining problems. The chemical testing of the stains
599
which, at the time of my last report, was being carried out in the chemical labora tories of the Philadelphia College of Phar macy and Science, has now been moved to the Eastern Regional Research Labora tory of the United States Department of Agriculture, Chestnut Hill Station, Phila delphia, Penna., where it is being con tinued under a cooperative agreement between the Department of Agriculture and the commission. The great increase in the demand for stains has improved the financial position of the commission considerably and suf ficient funds are now .ailable to con tinue the work for some time, even though the revenue should decline to the . 1939 level. JOHN T. SCANLAN,
Representative
nical schools maintaining courses in chemi cal engineering has been continued and ex panded. In this way the men to whom the process industries must looli for tech nical direction in the future become habituated to the use of t h e catalog at the outset of their careers—a fact of great value to the firms represented i n the book. The committee hopes that t h e users of the catalog will cooperate with the pub lishers by making known at every pos sible opportunity the fact that it is being used by them to obtain information relat ing to purchases. T h e firms -who spend their money for this service are naturally interested in having direct evidence that the publication is producing results for them. Also the committee will be glad at all times to receive suggestions from users of the catalog as to additional data that might well be included in it. The success of the enterprise to date is largely due t o cooperation of tliis kind. W. R .
A. C. S.
Standardized Methods for V i t a m i n Research r
I \ I E committee reports progress in the same sense as in previous years. Meth ods of working with vitamins are not likely soon to reach a point at which the SOCIETY would wish to give official adoption in the sense that it sometimes does t o analytical methods when they have reached a suf ficiently conclusive stage of development. This committee does, however, serve a sort of clearinghouse function which on the whole seems worth while and, if the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY is disposed
to continue its vitamin committee, I have no doubt the members of the com mittee will be glad to serve. H. C. SHERMAN, Chairman
Supervision of Chemical Engineering Catalog Τ Ή Ε committee, which consists of rep resentatives of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, the American Sec
tion of the Society of Chemical Industry, and the Salesmen's Association of the American Chemical Industry, has pre pared a joint statement on the Chemical Engineering Catalog for the year 1941-42 which is as follows: The sudden and rapid development of chemical industries during the First World War stimulated the demand for informa tion which led to the inauguration of the Chemical Engineering Catalog in 1915. A similar, perhaps even greater, emer gency confronts our industries today. With the passage of time the catalog has changed and developed just as have the process industries which it serves. T o meet the urgent need for concise and ac curate information as to equipment, sup plies, and raw materials, the distribution of the Chemical Engineering Catalog has this year been stepped up to 15,000. At all times the demand for the catalog has exceeded the supply. The Book Section has been brought up to date and constitutes a most complete bibliography of chemical technologj'. The redistribution of returned copies of the catalog to universities and tech 600
VEAZET.
jects of the science group is sufficient t o permit them t o qualify as teachers of science. It is obvious that these projects are designed to help the smaller high schools. The committee believes that improvement is most urgently needed in schools of this type and that the larger schools where less diversity of subject matter is necessary are now on the average doing an excellent job of teaching chemistry and the other sciences. B. S. HOPKINS,
W o m e n ' s Service Π Π Η Ε committee submits the following report:
Representative
Supervisory on Standard M e t h o d s of Analysis Γ
Ι Λ ΗΕ committee has approved the re vised Standard Methods for t h e Sampling and Analysis of Commercial Soaps and Soap Products, which was sub mitted July 18, 1941. I t awaits the a p proval of the Council. Η. Η. WILLARI>,
Chairman
Teaching of Chemistry i n H i g h Schools Π Ρ Η Έ committee has held foirr meetings, at three of which there were three members present. We have ouxlined a pro gram, have established contact with several groups of educators w h o are con cerned with various phases of science in struction, and each member o f our com mittee has undertaken to study conditions and inaugurate reforms i n his own and in adjacent states. We agree that more effective, more complete, and more per manent improvements can b e made b y working with school authorities and teacher-training institutions -than would be possible through legislative action. We hope first to improve the teaching of science in a few states b y building up a better scientific background; then using the experience thus gained t o expand t h e process to other localities. The following projects have been selected as in most urgent need of attention: Grouping of subjects in high school teaching programs so the sciences may be logically associated with eacfa other and with allied subjects such as mathematics. Soliciting the cooperation o f high school inspectors in promoting a reasonable grouping of the sciences. Urging the universities, colleges, and normal schools t o direct fche teachertraining process so the teachers of science in the small and medium-sized high schools may have a t least an. elementary training in all the subjects o f the science group. Arranging a system of licensing of graduates whose training in all the sub
Chairman
Studies 1. Women Registered in the Employ ment Clearing House. T h e committee has made inquiry concerning the number of women securing positions through the Employment Clearing House. I t has been learned from the St. Louis and Atlantic City registrations that the num ber of women taking advantage of the Clearing House is small ; of the total regis tration about 3 per cent a t St. Louis and 5 per cent a t Atlantic City were women. From interviews a t t h e latter meeting, approximately one third of those registered accepted employment; the per centage of men registrants accepting em ployment was the same. 2. Women Chemists Displaced from Foreign Countries. T h e committee has felt concern for trained scientists force fully displaced from other countries. It has found there are no special facilities in t h e AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY for aid
ing foreign chemists in finding employ ment; the difficulties lie largely in the exigencies of the prevailing war condi tions. 3. Graduate Scholarships for Women in Chemistry. T h e committee has in hand some information concerning gradu ate scholarships in chemistry available to women. This study is not entirely com plete; when completed it will be given to the succeeding Women's Service Commit tee.
Advisory Work The committee has acted in an advisory capacity for a number of young women graduating from college seeking employ ment in chemical fields. It has also t o a lesser extent advised with displaced for eign women chemists.
General Meeting At the suggestion of the committee, the local chairmen on entertainment for women chemists a t the St. Louis and At lantic City meetings arranged late after noon sessions at which time many women
CH E M I C A L A N D
ENGINEERING
NEWS
chemists held profitable discussions on problems connected with their work.
Society Officers, Committees, and
Garvan A w a r d
Student Affiliate Chapters
T h e committee h a s designated 1942 a s t h e time a t which t h e next Garvan A w a r d m a y be m a d e . T h e committee t h r o u g h canvassing h a s secured nominations for t h e award, a n d these h a v e been for warded t o t h e Award Committee t h r o u g h
M A Y L. W H I T S I T T ,
M e m b e r s of Council
Officers
t h e S e c r e t a r y of t h e A M E R I C A N C H E M I C A L SOCIETY.
Π Ρ Η Ε list of officers of the SOCIETY a p -
Chairman
pears in CHEMICAL AND E N G I N E E R I N G
N E W S three times a year, usually February 10t M a y 10, and October 10.
The A . C . S. Convention at M e m p h i s
N a t i o n a l Officers and Directors
T H E Memphis convention Is but a memory, An exceedingly pleasant memory— D e a n Rudd, Copson, and Isabel McKinnell. Renewing old acquaintances And winning a friend. A fleeting glimpse of this one With nod of recognition, A friendly glance, A word or two, Or hours of reminiscence. There were meetings, consultations, Inspection trips, and papers. There was the register one peruses A friend t o find. Podbielniak and Baldeschwieler, Per Frolich, Hooker, Jones, and Smith. There were breakfasts, teas, and dinners. There were cocktail parties, too. Some parties were quite private, B u t the banquet was for many. There was dancing on the Skyway, Sociability running high. N o w Memphis is a memory And Buffalo still remote. B u t make a pledge t o be there, A pledge you'll not revoke, And no regrets.
PRESIDENT. Harry N. Holmes, Severance Chemical Laboratory, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. PRESIDENT-ELECT. Per K. Frolich, Stand ard Oil Development Co., Box 243, Elizabeth, N.J. SECRETARY
AND BUSINESS
MANAGER.
Charles L. Parsons, AMERICAN SOCIETY BUILDING,
CHEMICAL
1155 16th St., N . W.,
Washington, D . C Assistant Manager, Alden H . Emery. TREASURER. Robert T. Baldwin, 50 East 41st St., New York, Ν . Υ. DIRECTORS. EX Officio, the President, the President-Elect, the most recent Past Presi dent (William Lloyd Evans), t h e Secretary, and the Treasurer. Regional, L . H . Adams, R. E . Swain (1940-42); Roger Adams, R . E. Wilson (1941-43); Arthur J. Hill, E . R. Weidlein (1942-44). At-Large, Thomas Midgley, J r . (1939-42); Ε. Κ. Bolton (194043); W i l l a r d H . Dow (1941-44); Charles A. Thomas (1942-45). COUNSEL.
Elisha Hanson.
A. B E R N E - A L L E N , J R .
Box 369 WAYNESBORO, VA.
Editors JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL S O
Lost and Found at M e m p h i s Π Γ Η Β following articles were turned in to -*- the Information Booth at the Memphis meeting under the lost and found service. T h e y m a y be obtained by the owners, pro vided sufficient identification is offered, b y contacting Jeff M. Hart, Jr., Laboratory Department, Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. of Tennessee, Memphis, Tenn. Silver and black Parker pencil Checkbook of Ruston State Bank & Trust Co., Ruston, La. Pair of lady's black fabric gloves Brown felt hat, "Richards Clothes" label Gray raincoat bearing name of Alison Smith
CIETY. Arthur B. Lamb, Chemical Labora tories, Harvard University, 12 Oxford St., Cambridge, Mass. CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS.
E . J . Crane, Ohio
State University, Columbus, Ohio. ant Editor, Elmer Hockett.
Assist
INDUSTRIAL AND E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY and CHEMICAL AND E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S . H .
Ε. Howe, 1155 16th St., N . W., Washington. D. C. Assistant to Editor, Ν . Α . Parkinson. PUBLICATION
MANAGER.
Harvey
F.
Mack, 20th and Northampton Streets, Easton, Penna. N E W S SERVICE.
Director, H . E. Howe,
1155 16th St., N . W., Washington, D . C. Managing Editor, James T . Grady, 609 Jour nalism Bldg., Columbia University, New York, Ν . Υ . MONOGRAPHS.
H . E. Howe, 1155 16th
St., N . W., Washington, D . C. Theodore C. Swigert has been assigned t o the Armored Force Research Labora tory, now under construction at Fort Knox, K y . , which will study problems pertinent t o personnel and equipment, with a view t o correcting existing diffi culties and considering the human equa tion in tank warfare. V O L U M E
2 0, N O . 9
»
»
CHEMICAL R E V I E W S .
W . Albert Noyes,
Jr., Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, River Campus, Rochester, Ν . Υ. Assistant Editor, Louise Kelley. Published by Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, Md. JOURNAL O F PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY.
Sam
uel C. Lind, School of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. Assistant Editor, Louise Kelley. Published by Wil liams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, Md.
M A Y 10, 1 9 4 2
Ex OFFICIO. National Officers. Directors. Editors of the Journal of the American Chemi cal Society, Chemical Abstracts, and Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Past Presidents, Roger Adams, L. H . Baekeland, W. D . Ban croft, Edward Bartow, M . T . Bogert, W m . Lloyd Evans, Moses Gomberg, C. A. Kraus, Arthur B . Lamb, Irving Langmuir, S. C . Lind, William McPherson, L. V. Redman, E . R. Weidlein, F . C. Whitmore, W. R . Whitney. Chairmen of Divisions and Counci lors of Local Sections (listed under Divisional and Local Section Officers). Councilors-at-Large. Edward Mack, Jr., C. E . K. Mees, W. Albert Noyes, Jr., H . C. Urey (1940-42) ; Wm. Mansfield Clark, H . B . Hass, J. H . Hildebrand, G. E . F , Lundell (1941-43); George D . Beal, Gustav Egloff. Henry Gilman, Carl S. Marvel (1942—i4).
Divisional Officers AGRICULTURAL
AND
FOOD.
Chairman,
Ellery H. Harvey; Secretary, Roger H . Lueck, Research Department, American Can Co., Maywood, 111. ANALYTICAL
AND
MICRO.
Chairman,
George L. Royer; Secretary, Francis W . Power, S.J., Fordham University, New York. Ν. Υ. BIOLOGICAL. Chairman, B . H. Nicolet; Secretary, Erwin Brand, 630 West 168th St., New York, Ν . Υ. CELLULOSE. Chairman, Elwin E . Harris; Secretary, Charles R. Fordyce, 275 Maplewood Drive, Rochester, Ν . Υ . CHEMICAL EDUCATION.
Chairman,
F. E.
Brown; Secretary, Paul H . Fall, Hiram Col lege, Hiram, Ohio. COLLOID. Chairman, Fredrich Olsen; Secretary, J. W. McBain, 571 Foothill, Stan ford University, Calif. FERTILIZER. Chairman, H . B . Siems; Secretary, Charles A. B u t t , International Minerals & Chemical Corp., Box 69, East Point, Ga. G A S AND F U E L . Chairman, Orin W. Rees; Secretary, G . R. Yohe, State Geological Sur vey, Urbana, 111. HISTORY O F CHEMISTRY.
Chairman,
Har
rison Hale; Secretary, Ralph E . Oesper, Department of Chemistry, University of Cin cinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio. INDUSTRIAL
AND E N G I N E E R I N G
CHEMIS
TRY. Chairman, Lawrence W. Bass; Secre tary, Whitney Weinrich, Gulf Research & Development Co., Box 2038, Pittsburgh, Penna. MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY.
Chairman,
John
H. Gardner; Secretary, John H . Speer, Box 5110, Chicago, 111. ORGANIC. Chairman, Lee I. Smith; Secre tary, Arthur C. Cope, Department of Chem istry, Columbia University, New York, Ν . Υ. P A I N T , VARNISH, AND PLASTICS.
man,
Shailer L. Bass;
Chair
Secretary, Adolf C . 601
