THE J O U 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 Y .
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t o be hampered b y restrictions. I n the case of wood spirit of turpentine less objection was encountered b u t in both cases it was felt t h a t in order t o draw stringent specifications i t would be necessary t o carry on considerable experimental work in order t o determine the effect in practice of the variation in gravity, boiling points, etc. It will undoubtedly be possible, however, t o prepare a general specification which will enable the consumer t o obtain a fair quality of material free from adulteration and escape the gross adulteration which has been practiced in the case of turpentine. The CommRtee on Nitric and Mixed Acids has found some inertia on the part of its members, b u t is of the opinion t h a t specifications for these materials are superfluous and unnecessary. So far as mixed acids are concerned your committee is inclined to agree with its sub-committee, since the strength and quality vary in almost every case where they are employed. I n the case of nitric acid, however we are of the opinion that a general specification should be prepared covering the usual grades for the guidance of those who have only general knowledge regarding the material. The Committees on Muriatic Acid and Sulphuric Acid have submitted progress reports and i t is to be hoped that communications from the other committees will be received in time to present a t the Washington meeting. Your committee feels that it is unwise t o submit further specifications a t this time, owing to the fact t h a t * considerable discussion has arisen as to the proper procedure to be followed in the case of specifications involving methods of analysis. This matter has been made the subject of a communication t o the Executive Committee of the Industrial Division, who will undoubtedly outline a definite order of procedure for its committees. H. J. SKINNER, Chairman; F. G. STANTIAL, ROBERTJ O B .
COMMITTEE ON DEFINITION OF INDUSTRIAL TERMS. INDUSTRIAL DIVISION.' REPORT O F C O M M I T T E E .
Your Committee on the Definition of Industrial Terms has the honor t o report t h a t i t has, by correspondence and otherwise, made continued efforts since our last report of a year ago, t o determine whether'it will be possible t o accomplish the objects for which the Committee was formed. In t h a t report it was shown that the efforts of the Committee had met with little support and approval, and in many cases with direct opposition. Since that- time there 'has been no improvement in the situation. The general inertia and decided opposition t o the definition of industrial products, especially by manufacturers, has continued. I n ad1
1911.
Presented at forty-fifth meeting A. C.
s.,Washington, December,
Mar.,
1912
dition, the requests of the Committee for the expression of individual opinion on this subject and approval of the project have met with no general response. It seems t o the Committee that the difficulty arises from the fact that neither it, the Division of Industrial Chemists and Chemical Engineers, nor the American Chemical Society have any authority to define industrial terms, nor to enforce their use after they are defined. We are in much the same position as if the Society, before the passing of the Pure Food Act by Congress, had attempted t o define and enforce definitions of what constitutes pure' food. If industrial terms are t o be defined, this will have to be done so that definitions can be enforced, or at least accepted. It is suggested that the Bureau of Standards can take this matter up and make recommendations to Congress, but it hardly seems possible that the American Chemical Society can do much in this direction, unless it sees fit t o memorialize Congress on the subject. The Division of Industrial Chemists and Chemical Engineers has a Committee on Standard Specifications, covering materials for which definitions are in almost all cases necessary. I t seemed t o your Committee on the Definition of Industrial Terms that in drawing specifications for various materials that definition of the material would be necessary, I t has, therefore, communicated with the various subcommittees on specifications, with a view of obtaining an expression of opinion from their chairman, as to whether, in preparing their specifications, they would undertake t o define industrial terms, and as t o whether they thought i t practicable t o do so. Replies to the inquiries have been received from the chairmen of all the sub-committees, and in general are unfavorable. Under the circumstances, your Committee can do no more than make a statement of the present situation to the Division for its information. It is possible that some lines of less resistance than have been encountered in the past may be developed in the future, and the Committee does not, therefore, ask to be discharged a t the present time, unless it is the opinion of the Division that this would be the most satisfactory thing t o do. At any rate, the subject should be discussed carefully by the Division, and an expression of opinion given in regard t o what is considered the best method of procedure in the future. If no general interest in the matter develops, it would seem that i t had better be abandoned. CLIFFORDRICHARDSON, Chairman, GEO. P. ADAMSON, J . B. F. HERRESHOFF.
-----COMMITTEE ON PROFESSIONAL CODE OF ETHICS. INDUSTRIAL DIVISION' Received January 5 . 1912.
Your Comm3ttee beg t o report that after a careful consideration of the subjects, i t is their belief 1
Presented at the forty-fifth Meeting A. C. S . . Washington. Decem.
bur. 1911.
Mar., 1912
T H E J O C R N A L OF I X 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 Y .
that a code of ethics should be formulated and adopted b y the American Chemical Society. There are many instances which can be cited of unethical practices among chemists, such as: misleading advertisements and interviews in papers and magazines; the lending of certificates for advertising uses; the misuse of our science for the purpose of perpetrating frauds on the public, such as the evasion of a standard of purity or the sophistication of a product; slovenly and unreliable work sometimes revealed by impossibly low prices for analytical tests; expert testimony of a character discreditable to the witness and to our profession; a lack of courtesy towards our fellow chemists: a n d in this respect we stand far below the medical profession. The present committee of three should be retired, and a larger committee, of perhaps seven members, be appointed, representing the various branches of our profession, and with power t o draw up and recommend a code of ethics. Such work should be done deliberately and with the greatest possible discussion, which can not fail
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to have a beneficial effect, in pointing out evil practices and elevating our standards of behavior. This subject has already been discussed at Indianapolis, Louisville and New York, and we believe that each of the several sections would do well to devote one night t o the discussion of this problem. We do not think that for the present, at least, it will be possible or desirable for the American Chemical Society to attempt the enforcement of a code of ethics, still less t o examine members with a view t o certifying their competency as is done by the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain; but we do feel that the adoption of a carefully worked out code of ethics, prominently displayed in our publication, would set before us the standard of professional conduct, which, as members of the American Chemical Society, we would be expected t o follow, and which would greatly tend to emphasize our brotherly relations to fellow chemists and elevate the ideals of our profession. (Signed) A. C. LANGMUIR, C. F. MCKENNA, L. F. BROWN.
NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE serted again as far as it will go, removed, the bleach transferred to a glass fruit jar, etc.” Now when material contained in a package varies appreciably I n the November issue of THIS JOURNAL (3, 861) in composition from the centre to the surface, the rejection of the Committee on Standard Specifications publishes certain a portion of the sample, representing a layer of z or 3 inches provisional rules for the sampling and analysis of bleaching all over the surface, has a vastly greater effect in modifying porn-der, together with a sliding scale of unit prices founded the average content of the accepted sample remaining than is on the percentage of available chlorine a t a base of 3 j per cent. generally realized. In fact the general adoption of such a sysThe directions for sampling there given certainly demand criticism and discussion, not necessarily as regards their appli- tem would introduce what is sometimes termed a “little joker,” the influence of which may be highly prejudicial t o one of the cation to the particular substance for which they were recomparties t o a sale controlled by such a sample. Few seem to mended, b u t because they violate the basic principles of sampling realize the fact that a much larger portion of the contents of -assuming, of course, that the ideal sample aimed at is a segrea package is near the outside than is to be found equally near gated and relatively small portion of material, which shall the centre. have a composition exactly corresponding to that of the average To illustrate the last point it is simplest to consider a concrete mass sampled. example. Let us assume a cask or drum, exactly twenty inches On the other hand, the sliding scale established appears in diameter and thirty inches in length, both internal, the condistinctly favorable to the purchaser. tents of which are to be sampled (Fig. I). The following table shows, in the last column, the percentage of the total material SCALEOF PRICES, vemainzng, when a shell of varying thickness, ranging from 0 . 5 Multiplier for base Relative price per ton. to j.0 inches, is removed from its entire surface-such a portion Percentage. price per unit. as is virtually removed when a similar length is rejected from 31 0.74 22.94 65.5 32 0.82 26 .’24 75 a scoop or tryer sample.
A NOTE ON SAMPLING. B Y W. J. SHARWOOD.
Y
33 34 35 36 37 38 39
0.89 0.95 1.001 1.04 1.07 1.09 1 .lo
29.37 32.30 35 .OO 37.44 39.59 41.42 42.90
83.8 92.3 100.01 107.0 113.0 118.0 122.6
The specific directions for sampling are, in part, a s follows: “The sample shall be taken by boring a one-inch hole through the side of the cask, midway from the ends, or through the head near the centre. The sampler, which consists of a stout iron scoop, about three-fourths of a n inch wide and eighteen inches long, shall be inserted for two or three inches, withdrawn, and the bleach removed discarded. The sampler shall be in-
’ Base.
BASEDON A CYLINDER 20 B Y 30 INCHES. Diameter Approximate Height of Thickness of Area of volume of Percentage of shell remaining remaining CTOSSremaining of total discarded. cylinder. cylinder. section. cylinder. volume In. In. In. , Sq.in. Cu. in. remaining. 30 0 20 314.1 9423 ’ 100.0 0.5 19 29 283.5 8221 87.2 28 1 .o 18 254.4 7123 75.6 1.5 17 27 226 .O 6100 6.5 . O 2.0 16 26 200.6 5200 55.5 2.5 15 25 176.7 4418 46.9 24 3 .O 14 154 3700 39.2 CALCULATIONS
If, therefore, we reject a shell two inches thick, next the surface of the filling of a cylindrical con&iner twenty inches in
