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Th-E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E A T G I S E E X l S G C H E M I S T R Y
trisection of the angle a r e nothing t o it. Chemical equations a r e sometimes reversible, and I am hoping t h a t a state of equilibrium will in time be reached between the reagents of truth and money. But Treasurers seldom a t -
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Vol. 13, No, 9
taiii t o this state, they rise in the morning repeating “Take the cash and let the credit go,” and they ‘go t o bed niurmuring “A fool and his money a r e saon parted.” I was once a Treasurer myself. AUGUST 1 ) 1921.
A B y C H A ~ L LORMAND, LS 4 Avenue de I’O’oservatoire, Paris, France.
The French government is at present making a study of the better utilization of coal and lignite. The prospecting for petroleum, which I have already discussed, does not seem to have given the hoped-for results. Therefore, search is being made f o r a solution of the fuel problem along some olher line. It‘is desired to produce what is known as the “national carburetant,” a mixture of different hydrocarbons and alcohol, especially benzene and ethyl alcohol, each in the proportion of 33 per cent. A competition has been instituted by the Agricultural Society of the Department of the Herault, which specifies that the mixture shall contain amounts of alcohol varying between 10 and 50 per cent., to be used with motors of the prevailing type or with modifications, these motors being devoted to motor culture, agricultural industries, motor vehicles, navigation, or aviation. If any American chemist o r company is interested in this competition, I can send him the announcement. Along this same line, distillation tests carried out on 100 tons of lignite have given the following yield per ton of lignite: 1 25 kg. benzene 25 kg. paraffin 25 kg. ammonium sulfate Although t h e United States is very rich in coal and petroleum, it is not neglecting lignite distillation, and is utilizing to the full the by-products of the coal. I n France, at the present time, many small gas-works are not recovering their by-products, but a law, passed at the end of June, now obliges the gas-works to remove benzene, and also authorizes them to increase the proportion of water gas. A quantity of 15 or 18 per cent in illuminating gas has been pronounced inoffensive by the Conseil Superieur d’Hygiene. It is estimat7d that t 5 e application of this law, whic5, of course, s u b s t i d e s coke for coal for the manufacture of the water gas, will reduce imports of coal by a million tons per year. On the other hand, considering all the gas-works, it is estimated that the benzene production mill be from 25,000 t o 30,000 tons per year. Further, the calorific value has been fixed at a maximum of 4700 calcries and a minimum of 3500 calories.
THE RABER AND CLAUDE PROCESSES The members of the committee appointed to estimate the coniparative value of the Haber and Claude processes a r e not giving out the results of their investigation, and although the report has been submitted i t is very difficult to find out what its conclusion ~ 7 a s . French chemists are unanimous in deploring the fact t h a t the private interests of the companies make such precautions necessary. There a r e involved here questions of a purely scientific sort, t o which should be given the greatest possible publicity. All one can say at present, from ceitain indications and with reservations, is that the committee has not pronounced itself clearly in favor of one or the other of the two processes. They seem to be equivalent, and the economy which would result from one 01‘ t h e othev is of small value on account of the fact that the same difficulty exists in either case, that is, the cost of pure hydrogen. According to different engineers, it appears that this question of nitrogen needs to be studied in the industrial laboratory for some time longer. HYDRCGENATION O F FISH OILS Following the example set in the United States, more and more research is being directed toward the utilization of sea products. Mr. Marcelet has just been studying the hydrogenation nf fish oil. It was already known t h a t hydrogenation
removes thc odor which has made the oil unusable. Mi-. Marcelet has been able t o follow the lowering of the iodine number and the elevation of the melting pint, and to draw from this practical conclusions as to the utilization of the oil from the point of view of foods. T H E UNITED STATES T A R I F F A certain excitement has been manifested in France a t the announcement of the appearance of t h e new United States customs tariff. The Chamber of Commerce of Paris, the president of which, Mr. Pascalis, is a manufacturer of chemical products, has issued a protest, based on the fact that the application of this tariff would necessitate annoying inquisitorial measures in French factories on the part of American tariff agents, and by a natural recoil American banks which have interests in Paris wourd have to expect to lose part of their clients. The explanations from various sides which have appeared in the press reduce the apprehension to i t s true value. The list of substances admitted free to the United States is still relatively important, and it appears t h a t the protective system adopted applies especially to the dyestuff industry, and is in a way legitimate on account of the considerable effort which is being made in this field in the United States, a n effort which evidently needs a cei-tain protection, a t least f o r some years t o come. AUGUST 1, 1921. Laboratory Fire at Tulane university Fire which resulted in damage to equipment of approximately 520,000 and to the building of about $28,000 was discovered in the attic of t h e Richardson Chemistry Building, Tulane University, Kew Orleans, on the morning of July 6. No cause has been determined as to the origin of the fire. The top story of the building was completely destroyed, the second floor badly damaged, and the equipment on the main floor w2s damaged by water. An interesting observation in connection with the fire is that “two shelves in theattic, which had been treated 10 years ago with aniline hydrochloride and copper sulfate were not even scorched although brass melted within three feet of them, and they were within 10 feet of where the fire is supposed to have originated.” Reconstiwetion has already comnenced and i t is hoped that the building will be back in shape in time for the opening of the fall term.
The latest report of the British Alkali Committee, which covers developments during 1920, outlines the present status of the industry as follows: During the year t h e number of registered chemical works was 1383; of these, 58 were registered as “alkali works,” that is to say, works in which salt is decomposed with evolution of muriatic acid. There has been a decrease of four in the number of alkali works registered and of 16 in the number of other w ~ o ~ k sa, total reduction of 20. The number of works by no means indicates the number of processes under inspection, as many works are registered f o r more than one process; in some instances the number of regi&erabte processes in one works is as high a s 10.
