June, 1917
T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A iV D E N GI LVE E RI N G C H E M I S T R Y
IVhile the government itself uses comparatively little platinum, our sulfuric acid industry, especially for the strong acid used in the production of high explosives, is dependent upon it, and its high price makes it almost prohibitive for scieritific research. hToAmerican man or woman will wish to feel that by wearing platinum they are interfering with the development of the country’s industries and scientific standing, but such is inevitably the case. CHAS.L. PARSONS, Secretary The resolutions passed by the Platinum Committee of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee are as printed below : RESOLUTIONS
WHEREAS,the Secretary of Commerce has requested the Platinum Committee of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee to bring to the attention of the jewelry trade of the United States the advisability of conserving platinum in order that our government may h a r e larger supplies to draw upon for war purposes, and WHEREAS,the jewelry trade has already clearly expressed its desire and determination to assist our government to the
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extent of its ability in bringing the war to a successful termination, B e It Resolved that we pledge ourselves to discontinue and strongly recommend to all manufacturing and retail jewelers of the United States that they in a truly patriotic spirit discourage the manufacture, sale and use of platinum in all bulky and heavy pieces of jewelry. B e I t Further Resohed that during the period of the war or until the present supplies of platinum shall be materially augmented, we pledge ourselves to discontinue and recommend that the jewelry trade discourage the use of all non-essential platinum findings or parts of jewelry, such as scarfpin stems, pin tongues, joints, catches, swivels, spring rings, ear backs, etc , where gold would satisfactorily serve. B e It Further Resolved that the jewelry trade encourage by all means in their power, the use of gold in combination with platinum, wherever proper artistic results may be obtained. B e I t Further Resolved that copies of these resolutions be handed to the Secretary of Commerce, to the trade press, and be sent to all our trade organizations, and to the daily press, in order that they may have the widest possible dissemination.
NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION OF OLEIC ACID CONTAINING IRON
Editor o j the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: -1 recent case engaging the attention of this laboratory was concerned with spontaneous combustion of oleic acid when applied to wool. The circumstances of the occurrence have enough of general interest to warrant publication. The wool or other hair fibers were first oiled with I O per cent of their weight of oleic acid, after which the oiled fiber was conveyed to bins through a tinned iron pipe by a current of air. The conveying pipes were very near a bank of heating pipes, the latter being employed to heat the mill. This, of course, was bad practice, but the investigation was continued by an analysis of the oil employed. The iodine value was normal for commercial oleic acid, and the other constants showed nothing of a suspicious nature. Samples of the various fibers employed-wool, mohair and the like-were then oiled with the oleic acid, and tested in Slackey’s Cloth Oil Tester, as described in Vol. 11, Allen’s “Commercial Organic Analysis.” The rise in temperature against time was normal, but the fact was disclosed that the finer fibers gave the greater rise. This fact we ascribed to more surface for oxidation k i n g exposed for equal weights of fiber with similar weights of oil. If the investigation had ended here, we should not have discovered the true inwardness of the case, but we were sufficiently interested to follow up the clue of more rapid oxidation the finer the fiber to which the oil was applied. To test this point, we next used cotton, and found a rapid and dangerous rise. This should not have been the case, if the oil were suitable. We checked the apparatus, using technically pure oleic acid of pharmaceutical grade, and got no dangerous rise. Thus, i t was obvious that something about the oleic acid was wrong, notwithstanding the correct constants. Briefly, we found it to contain iron equivalent to 0. I O per cent ferric oxide. We next made a n oleate of iron, and dissolved it in the pure oleic acid, so that it contained the same amount of iron as the commercial sample. When this oil was applied to cotton, we found that it gave the same dangerous rise in the Mackey Tester as the comniercial sample. Here, then, was an adequate explanation of the matter. The small amount of iron had functioned as a catalyzer to promote oxidation. Since this work was done, we have tested samples of oleic acid
from other sources, and have found in them amounts of iron of the same order of magnitude. Experiments have shown that the dangerous rise applies to these also. We tried to remove the iron by shaking the oils with diluted hydrochloric acid, but without success. To do this successfully would probably necessitate getting the oil and acid in very fine emulsion. CHARLESE. SWETTAND WALTERS. HUGHES LABORATORY O F ARTHURD. LITTLE, INC. APRIL28, 1917, BOSTON,MASS.
THE INCOMPLETE HYDROGENATION OF COTTONSEED OIL-CORRECTION Referring to the article under the above title (THIS JOURNAL, g (191j), 451) the following corrections should be made: P. 451, Foot-note I : second reference in third line should be
dated 1906 instead of 1916. P. 456, Table 11: amount catalyzer in Run F was z per cent instead of 4 per cent. P. 458, Table IV: iodine number of Sample 2, Run Ih, should read 83.6 instead of 83.1. Iodine number of Sample 6, Run II, should read 54.6 instead of 5.46. Catalyzer referred to in Tables I1 and IV as “No. I ” should be understood to represent the t y p e of catalyzer referred to in paragraph “2” of the section on “Catalyzers,” rather than as one batch of material: several batches, of differing degrees of activity, are represented by it. The catalyzer referred to in the tables as “No. 2” is described in paragraph “ I ” of the section on “Catalyzers.” H. K. MOORE,G. A. RICHTERA N D W. B. VAS ARSDEL THE MANUFACTURE OF LINOLEUM AND ITS VALUATION-CORRECTION In the article under above title printed in THISJOURNAL, g, the following corrections should be made : Page 13, column I (tabular matter, under “Linoxyn”) the sentence “By I per cent aqueous NaOH in the acid” should read “By I per cent aqueous NaOH in the cold.” Page 17, column 2, paragraph 4, line 30, “. . . . . . . . poison the solution” should read “. . . . . . . . poison the sol.” ARMANDDE WAELE (I 9 I j), 6,
