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I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY
260
Dallas High Lights a n d Low Downs
moths in Dallas let the potash symposium run 50 minutes late. Reference. T h e Division of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry. OTE t o textbook authors and A. I. Ch. E. N Add photoconcentration t o unit operations.
»
* *
N
AMING bible classes for t h e First B a p tist Church of Dallas must be a fulltime job, like naming Pullman cars or standardizing chemical nomenclature.
A
TTENDANCE record: A. C . S., 1093;
First Baptist Sunday School, 2431; which should mean something. MEXICAN FLOWER GIRLS
R
EGISTRATION, 1093; papers, 230;
au-
thors, 329; divisions meeting, 14; students, 205 from 47 institutions. That for the record.
Star State is bigger almost than all outdoors was staggering. El Paso was found to be just about as far from Dallas as Dallas is from Chicago and half as far as from Dallas to New York.
ND they all went to church. The First Baptist Church provided all the meetA ing rooms needed. Only t he Council and
W
ATER in Dallas, as those learned who used it, is a dilute soda solution and thus very different from the hard stuff elsewhere used for similar purposes. E HARD drinks, many serious investigaR tions of the liquor laws of Texas revealed that bars have had t o follow the precedent of water systems and serve only soft drinks. Anything else has t o be bought b y the package from stores not always open for business.
the Golf .Tournament of the serious business of the meeting went elsewhere.
* * *
* * *
IR CONDITIONING in the guest rooms of the Adolphus saved many lives when the thermometer rose above 80° F . (26.67° C.) b y the middle of the week.
A
ALLAS must share with Atlanta the distinction of taking chemists to church. D As this is written no figures or reports are available on the salutary effects of either attempt.
DD advantages of air conditioning. A Dallas newsboys, automobile horns, and trolleys, which achieve full voice only about midnight, can barely be heard through closed windows.
To LUNCH
LL that geography had to be explained A often to those who wanted to see cowboys in chaps and pistols, sage brush and cactus, oil wells and orange groves, mesquite and coyotes in Dallas, but didn't.
U. N. HOLMES OP OBERLIN
ALLAS, itself, was an eye opener to D most. Actually it is a real metropolis, boasting the highest percentage of native born, white, English-speaking people of any comparable American city.
D
ALLASITES, too, have their peculiarities. For instance, they like crowds and so have made their sidewalks narrow enough t o be crowded most of the time. Perhaps that is because Texas i s so cramped for space?
D
EEP ROOTED in the Dallas people is respect for traffic officers. They do cross crossings with t h e lights and not against them! A model people, modeled, be it noted, by frequent and generous distributions of tickets by traffic cops. Somehow that makes a person feel important, like a taxi or a V-16 or a circus parade or something.
DISTANCES visitors.
in Texas bewildered most The idea that the Lone
EETING in the room of a bible class M had a good effect on the Division of Paint and Varnish Chemistry for a while at least. Everything was calm and peaceful for most of its session, but before the end the old Adam gained ascendancy and a good, old-fashioned argument made everyone feel at home again. HE prize story related how moths had T contributed t o the building of Ameri can independence in potash by serving as fuel in the New Mexican desert. By proper handling of lights in the potash refinery at night, according to Cramer, moths were lured into the fire boxes of the plant boilers and supplied enough B. t. u.'s to keep steam up during shortages of other more orthodox fuels! Maybe Tack of
HENFY GILMAN
B
HUEBONNETS are the state flower of Texas, and not sunbonnets or other millinery creations. Numerous excursions, formal and informal, visited Dallas gardens and found them in full flower. Roses were particularly beautiful. ORE than a score of miniature cameras M were in evidence at the Dallas meeting and some of the fruits have been used in this
NEWS
EDITION.
We
are
grateful to all the photographers, amateur and professional, who gave us this assistance.
NEWS EDITION
M A Y 10, 1938
261
RADITION has i t that only funerals get T police escorts and flowers in Dallas. That tradition fell completely before the Dallas-Fort Worth committee when visiting ladies were escorted through red lights b y the dozens and showered with flowers. ORE than 100 ladies were present t o M enjoy excursions, luncheons, teas, and talk. Although many were thrilled over the lectures on Dallas and singing of Texas songs by their official escorts o n bus excursions, talk led all other amusements with ladies, as well as with chemists.
P
RESIDENT-ELECT K R A U S was fitted out
with a resplendent 10-gallon (37.854liter) hat, presented to him a t the dinner of the Division of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry.
*
# *
T
ORTILLAS and tamales were introduced at Monday evening's entertainment. Both were shown a t the Baker in the process of preparation by Mexican damsels in bright colors who claimed t o speak no English. A s the evening progressed t o dancing, it became evident that certain chemists had set speed records in learning
T H E SECRETARY CONGRATULATES TUB PBEBIDENT-EUECT ON H I S 10-GALLON HAT, THE G I F T OP THE DIVISION OP PHYSICAL AND INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
HE Linz cup for low net score a t golf AN JACINTO D A Y , which is the anniS versary of Texas independence and Thas been properly christened "the serves somewhat t h e same purpose a s Chiseler's Cup, wnich fact may be useful July 4 for the rest of us, falls on April 21. N o t all the chemists participated in celebrating it in Texas style.
if it fails to reappear at future contests.
* * *
E
MMA P. CARR, back from Australia, was present t o receive the first award of the Garvaji Medal. She shared honors with Abraham White, awarded t h e Eli Lilly prize.
* **
r ,
r HK ladies received their just due a t the J. hands o f President Whitmore, who introduced tfiem a t Wednesday's banquet instead of their more chemically famous husbands.
P
THE
HARVARD CHEMISTS LUNCHEON
Spanish enough to persuade the senoritas to dance. Or was it sign language?
* * *
A
DD gastronomic nomenclature. Tortillas (Mexican version of pretzels) are salty corn-meal cakes made of dough dispersed at high viscosity between stones, atted flat and thin, cooked over charcoal raziers, and later toasted or not a s desired. Tamales are made of meat (any kind) and hot red pepper, encased in corn-meal mush, wrapped in corn husk (Mexican cellophane and eaten only b y hogs) and finally cooked by boiling or steaming. If the tamale itself is not hot enough (a remote possibility for any but habitues), more red hot pepper is included in the olive oil sauce poured on it before eating. In Mexico, the effect of hell fire is heightened by washing tamales down with tequilla. In Dallas, this emphasis was unnecessary, and beer was the fluid used.
g
C. D . LOWRY ENJOYED THE HARVARD LUNCHEON; EDITOR LAMB ALSO
RECORD has come t o light of hitchto Dallas. N o hikers ROFUSION of golf prizes was blamed for P the only lapse in a perfect weather record a t t h e meeting. This is how it happened. Early arrivals were shown an array of handsome, valuable, and useful prizes, provided o n the persuasion of the local committee. Thereupon said early arrivals and others fell victims to the sin of covetousness and prayed (stet) both early and late that clouds would come on Thursday and that rain would descend t o dampen the spirits of would-be contenders. Never were prayers more copiously answered! The heavens opened and poured forth their contents on the earth beneath, even upon the golfers themselves, but too late to dampen stout spirits tainted with covetousness. For the record: Low gross, Raymond F. Bacon (Wilson Cup); 2nd low gross, A . E . Osterburg (Cenco barometer); low net, W. H. Koch (Linz Bros. C u p ) ; 2nd low net, R. C. Wackher (Fisher barometer). Fifteen blind bogey prizes: John Waldo (Coleman pH meter); Cyrus Fleck (golf bag); N . C. Hamner (Precision instrument stirrer); Albert Green (fitted toilet case); F. W. Jessen (Chemical Rubber Handbook); George Lines and D . H . Killeffer (Merck's Index); Robert Potter, W. R. Kirner, M. Weber, E . R. Hansen, W. J. Frank, A. J. Osman, Geo. P. Meade, and E. J. Crane (golf balls).
* ** RESIDENT1 WHITMORE, characterized by
the ventriloquist's red-headed dummy on Monday evening as a "bag of wind," was accused of trying t o live up t o that reputation l>y speaking a t every group breakfast, luncheon, and dinner during the entire meeting. Questioned o n t h e subject, he stated that his objective was misunderstood and that his multiple attendance applied only to luncheons and dinners where ice cream was served a s dessert. Speech-making, he said, has already lost a n y charm, real or imaginary, it may have had for him but ice cream has not.
* **
W
ITH due allowance for the short comings of Pitt alumni, 5 breakfasts, 10 luncheons, a n d 5 dinners were scheduled and held by groups at Dallas.
TBZ
DISCUSSION CONTINUES
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
262
VOL. 16. NO. 9
*>* NDUSTRIAL trips presented some serious I U the wilted rose award without serious problems of geography, but Texans are competition. For their luncheon on accustomed to long distances. Denton, NIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH aluilini will*
Wednesday no ticket was sold, no alumnus showed up, no food was served. N DESCRIBING the wonders of Dallas, one of the guides of the ladies' party Iexpanded at some length on a golden bath tub in one of the houses on the route. He took pains, however, to point out that even golden bath tubs get rings in them just like the ordinary ones.
Fort Worth, Dallas, and the East Texas oil fields drew good crowds. Texas lignite, petroleum, natural gas, cement, water, and other activities were visited.
Dallas bottles contained soft drinks."— E. Emmet Reid.
M
IDGLEY'S aphorism for the meeting and other occasions states that one lives many years for the sake of a few scattered seconds.
EXAS seems to go in for colleges and far T travelers were able t o visit many of apparently knows nothing of any D ALLAS "recession" or "depression" since them. East Texas oil began t o flow. Lucky which is rare in some parts of Texas and the Southwest, is plentiful W/"ATER,
dogs!
ONGHORN, once the name of L a variety of cattle, is now the term applied to University of Texas alumni, the cattle, but not the alumni, being practically extinct. *
*
•
L
ACKING red tape and gold seal, this is nonetheless an official appointment of Frank Clifford Whitmore to the advisory committee of this department.
A music by chemists was e m p h a s i z e d by the full atGAIN the
T H E SECRET\RY AND PRESIDENT CAUGHT AT WORK
NE of the chemists remarked to the girl at the newsstand, "Do you notice any O difference between this bunch of chemists
in Dallas where they even use it to fill a good-sized lake.
and the lumbermen that U were here last ADIES were treated t o receptions, teas, week?" Said the girl, I sure do." a style show, sight-seeing, and shopThen she paused and added, "but of ping, in addition to singing bus drivers. course you chemists know what you are drinking." N THE argument in the Council meeting about training for chemists, a motion ARD WATER was at a premium except to urge students to plan on taking doctors' during the rain Thursday afternoon, degrees was amended to make public but that was a hard rain. speaking a required subject. Evidently some one of the Council had heard a divisional program! LDSTERS were given special attention * * * at the dances when waltzes and other staid pieces were interspersed with rhumEVER give advice. If you do you may bas and big apples. find yourself on the advisory committee of something you advise against.— F. C. W. MPLOYMENT attracted good attention in • * * Parlor D at the Adolphus. Soon someone will be making a Section and then ONE-DRY'S were given lessons, badly a Division of this subject which draws as needed by many, in opening bottles good a crowd as many divisions. and drinking from them. N . B. "Some
L
H
O
E
I
N
B
appreciation
of
tendance at the Tuesday evening musicale in the McFarlin M e m o r i a l A u d i t o r i u m of Southern Methodist University. Mr. and Mrs. Paul van Katwijk, pianists; Miss Dora Poteet, organist; Mrs. Ethel Rader Evans, soprano; Philip Williams, violinist; and Morgan Knott, accomanist, succeeded in demonstrating that . M. U. is entitled to laurels for other things than football.
g
GROUP of students from various Texas A universities appeared on the program of the Division of Chemical Education at Dallas. This innovation was well received and probably will be repeated. ESPITE the distance of the cattle counD try from Dallas, its flavor was given the meeting by a group of cowboy songs expertly rendered by a male quartet a t Wednesday evening's banquet. Lest the illusion be broken, your reporter refused to inquire about the personnel of the quartet which had every appearance of real cowboys.
NEWS EDITION
MAY 10,1938
263
T LEAST one wife of one chemist admitted that the trip to Dallas was her first overnight journey on a railroad train.
A
* * • ALLAS papers in ecclesiastical surroundings were heavenly, according to one chemist. In explanation, he said many of them, particularly in the Division of Organic Chemistry, were over his head.
D
r
p H E microchemical luncheon tried to J. live up to its micro ideals. It was held in a room so large that the luncheon was dwarfed to a t least semi-micro size. Special, running over the Missouri T Pacific Lines on the schedule of the SunHE
AMERICAN
CHEMICAL
SOCIETY
shine Special, carried 9 cars of chemists and the like (if any) to Dallas. Two cars from New York, one from Chicago, one from Washington, and five from St. Louis reached Dallas on the special train in time to crowd hotels and registration headquarters on Monday morning. These, in addition to automobiles by the dozens, two special cars arriving Sunday morning, and many rugged individualists who chose their own trains. o COLD print can convey the hearty hospitality of the Dallas farewell: N '*Y all come again soon!" 9
MISSOURI
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY PACIFIC
A . C. S . A w a r d for 1938
T Chemistry
HE committee of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Award in Pure
(financed in 1938 by James Kendall) consisted of Charles A. Kraus, chairman, Harrison Hale, E. H. Volwiler, Herbert S. Harned, Hugh S. Taylor, Roger Adams, and James F. Norris. After carefully considering the qualifications of all candidates nominated, it was decided that the award for 1938 be made to Paul Doughty Bartlett, of Harvard University, for his notable progress in the important borderline field between organic and physical chemistry, and in particular for his research in stereochemistry and the mechanizations of organic reactions. The recipient of the 1938 award, which will be made at the Milwaukee meeting, was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., on August 14, 1907. He prepared for college at Shortridge High School, Indianapolis, Ind., and in 1928 graduated summa cum laude from Amherst College, receiving the A.B. degree. He received his A.M. from Harvard in 1929 and his Ph.D. from the same institution in 1931. While a student a t Amherst he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He held a National Research Council Fellowship in 1931-32, working at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research and in the summer of 1932 at Columbia. He served as instructor of organic chemistry at the University of Minnesota in 1932-34, after which he returned to Harvard as instructor, becoming
an assistant professor in 1937. He is a member of Sigma Xi. Dr. Bartlett is employing physical methods for investigating some of the most fundamental problems in organic chemistry—enolization, acid-base catalysis, the mechanism of addition reactions, and the Walden inversion. Dr. Bartlett and his students have supplemented the classical methods of organic chemistry with those of kinetics, obtaining information which neither method alone would have been able to give. Dr. Bartlett has published a number of papers, but this award was made on the* basis of his two papers on the "Mechanism of Addition Reactions" and on the discussion of the "Relationship of the Walden Inversion to the Mechanism of Molecular Rearrangements." These papers demonstrate the precision of his experimental technic, the clarity of his mental operations, the adequacy of his mathematical ability, and the significance of the results which he has already obtained, in this special field. Dr. Bartlett is the eighth to receive this award. The previous recipients were: Linus Pauling, 1931, for work on the structure of crystals and the nature of the chemical bond; Oscar Rice, 1932, for studies of the mechanism of chemical reactions; F. H. Spedding, 1933, for the application of spectroscopy to the study of atomic and molecular structure; C. Frederick Koelsch, 1934, for researches on the chemistry of condensed ring systems; Raymond M. Fuoss, 1935, as the author of the first comprehensive theory of electrolytic solutions which, at lower concentration, applies t o all solvent media and to all electrolytes; John G. Kirkwood, 1936, for his work with the dielectric properties of matter under high pressures; E. Bright Wilson, 1937, for his work in physical chemistry.
Women's Award i n Chemistry— the Garvan Medal to E m m a Perry Carr "To Honor an American Woman for Distinguished Service in Chemistry" THE above inscription engraved around its edge describes the purpose of the Garvan Medal, named in grateful acknowledgment of the donor, Francis P. Garvan. The shape is significant, for the hexagon or "benzene ring" denotes a fundamental concept of organic chemistry. Civilization's dependence upon chemistry is the theme of the medal design. From the fumes rising out of the chemist's caldron, which bears the alchemical symbols for earth, water, fire, and air, emerge
t he smoking stacks of a factory (industry), t he towering skyscrapers of a community (culture and progress), and the Caduceus of Hermes, representing transportationmedicine-peace. The symbol of electricity, or communication, flashes across the medal's face, disclosing the close relationship of the physical and chemical sciences. The medal was designed by Margaret Christian Grigor, a student of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. It is 2.125 inches in diameter, of 18-karat gold, and was struck »iv the Medallic Art Co. of New York, \ \ Y. The medal was awarded for the first time at the Dallas meeting t o Emma Ferry Carr for her researches in physical chemistry, especially o n the structure of organic molecules by means of absorpt ion studies in the far ultraviolet. The recipient of this award was born in Holmsville, Ohio, and prepared for college at Coshocton, Ohio. S h e began the study of chemistry under William MacPherson during her freshman year at Ohio State University, and continued her undergraduate work at Mount Holyoke College for two years, transferring to the University of Chicago for her senior year after having served a s an assistant in the Department of Chemistry a t Mount Uolyoke for two and one-half years. She received her B.S. and P h . D . degrees from the University of Chicago and during her three years at that institution w a s assistant t o Alexander Smith and t o Julius Steigiitz, doing her thesis work in physicoorganic chemistry under the tatter's direction. During her graduate work she held the Mary £ . Woolley and Lowenthal Fellowships. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, honorary member of Sigma Delta Epsilon and Iota Sigma Pi, a member of the American Association of University Women, AMERICAN CHEMI-
CAL SOCIETY, American Physical Society, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and was an official delegate to the International Chemical Union at Bucharest in 1925 and at Lucerne in 1936. After completing the work for her doctorate, Miss Carr returned t o Mount Holyoke and was made chairman of the Department of Chemistry i n 1913, which position she still holds. Under the inspiration of her leadership the department has become outstanding. She studied spectrographic methods for one semester in 1919 with A. W. Stewart a t Queen's University in Belfast and for a half year in 1925 with Victor Henri a t the University of Zurich. In 1929-30 Miss Carr held the Alice Freeman Palmer Fellowship awarded by the American Association of University Women and spent the year in Professor Henri's laboratory working in
264
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING
vacuum spectroscopy. She was one of the cooperating experts in charge of absorption spectra d a t a for t h e International Critical Tables. In collaboration with other members of the Department of Chemistry a t Mount Holyoke Miss Carr has been engaged in a group research study of t h e simple unsaturated hydrocarbons. This investigation, which involves t h e preparation of a series of highly purified hydrocarbons and the examination of their ultraviolet absorption spectra in liquid and vapor phase, is giving important new experimental data which, it i s believed, will lead t o a more satisfactory theoretical interpretation of t h e energy relationships involved in t h e carbon-carbon double bond of organic chemistry. This work has received support in grants from t h e National Research Council and from the Rockefeller Foundation. T h e medalist was guest of honor a t the dinner sponsored by the women chemists' -oup, held on Tuesday evening a t the dolphus Hotel. Speaking of t h e inspiration she had gained from personal contacts with Mr. Garvan, Miss Carr referred t o a discussion she had had with him during the period of formulation of t h e rules of award. At that time he had emphasized the thoughts which had motivated him in proffering t h e medal at t h e notable gathering of women chemists a t luncheon during t h e SOCIETY meeting in New York, N . Y., in April, 1935. Miss Carr said he had expressed the hope t h a t this gift would serve a helpful purpose in directing more attention t o the actual contributions being made by women in t h e chemical profession and subjecting their work to critical survey b y an unbiased committee of men and women appointed by t h e SOCIETY'S officers. This would b e comparable t o t h e methods of selecting for especial honors outstanding workers from other specifically defined groups within t h e broad field of chemistry. Furthermore, M r . Garvan had believed t h a t such a n honor for distinguished service in chemistry would n o t only b e regarded a s a reward for accomplishment, but would stimulate American women to greater achievements in t h e science which in all his thoughts was so closely related to h u m a n interest and human welfare. T h e medalist also described briefly the research work in t h e adsorption spectra of simple hydrocarbons a n d paid tribute to her associates in this work in t h e Department of Chemistry a t M t . Holyoke College. Miss Carr emphasized t h e inspiration to h e r a n d t h e vitalizing influence on both staff and students of such a cooperative research problem carried along in conjunction with teaching activities.
f
Employment
Clearinghouse
T T H E suggestion of an unemployed member of t h e SOCIETY, facilities A were provided at t h e Chapel Hill meeting for bringing together representatives of industries looking for chemists and those convention attendants wishing to make such contacts. T h e experiment was such a success t h a t the scheme was continued a t Rochester and again a t Dallas. Under the present procedure, members of the SOCIETY or students, duly registered a t t h e meeting and seeking employment, call, a s early as possible after arrival, a t t h e designated office and fill o u t data sheets regarding themselves. T h e information requested includes t h e person's permanent address, convention address and telephone number, personal data, present position, type of connection de-
CHEMISTRY
sired, collegiate training, experience, p u b lications, a n d references. Registrants a r e asked to a t t a c h a small photograph. These d a t a are available for inspection by employers' representatives a t a n y time. If t h e qualifications of any m a n , a s d e tailed on his vita, are of interest t o t h e employer, a n interview is arranged b y t h e secretary in charge of t h e clearinghouse. One hundred a n d seventy-two interviews were arranged for 7 7 company representatives at Rochester. I n Dallas 25 e m ployers scheduled 56 interviews. These figures a r e roughly proportional t o registration a t t h e two meetings. These statistics cover only those interviews arranged through the Employment Clearinghouse. M a n y direct contacts of which we have n o record have been made by the employers' representatives with individuals whose vita have been inspected, since their local address is given o n the form. I t is believed t h a t the service has proved its value a t t h e past three meetings a n d it will be continued. T h e plan, however, can be a success only if companies will avail themselves of t h e opportunities offered. Announcements will b e published in t h e N E W S E D I T I O N in t h e pre-
liminary a n d final programs of national meetings. This should serve a s a reminder t o all w h o wish t o utilize these facilities, either a s an aid in securing a position or in finding competent employees.
Divisional Reports
VOL. 16. N O . 9
T h e remainder of t h e d a y was spent i n a joint symposium with t h e Division of Agricultural a n d Food Chemistry o n t h e " N u tritive Value of Feeds for Domestic Animals." A series of 15 papers w a s p r e sented before a n audience of about 75. I t was found unnecessary t o call a business meeting o r a meeting of t h e executive committee. All business was deferred u n til t h e Milwaukee meeting. J. J . P P I F F N E R ,
Secretary
C h e m i c a l Education
T
HE Division of Chemical Education held four sessions, two of which were devoted t o student papers. This s t u d e n t program, attended b y about 7 5 , w a s the first of its kind in t h e history of the SOCIETY.
T h e Symposium o n t h e
Teaching of Elementary Organic Chemistry drew a n audience of about 150, of which 100 remained throughout t h e afternoon. T h e high point in attendance w a s Thursday morning when t h e papers o n helium brought a n a t t e n d a n c e of 200. A division conference about t h e breakfast table T h u r s d a y morning was attended b y 16 a n d t h e luncheon Wednesday noon h a d 45 present. B. C L I F F O R D H E N D R I C K S ,
Chairman
Gas a n d Fuel Chemistry HE Division of G a s a n d Fuel ChemT istry held o n e session, a t which 5 papers were presented on t h e dehydration
of lignite, carbonization properties of a Colorado subbituminous coal, t h e activation of lignite char, t h e relationship b e Chemistry tween t h e volatile m a t t e r content a n d t h e hydrogen-carbon ratio of coals, a n d H E various meetings of t h e Division of a modified method for determining t h e Agricultural a n d Food Chemistry were very well attended—namely, 25 t o 3 5 a t forms of sulfur in hydrogenated coal. T h e t h e General Session, 4 0 to 7 5 a t t h e N u - paper o n t h e dehydration of lignite with oils was a noteworthy contribution t o t h e tritive Value of Animal Feeds Symposium, technology of these fuels. Maximum a t and 60 t o 300 a t t h e Vitamin Symposium. tendance was 35 persons. A t the luncheon meeting held Tuesday, it was voted t o have a 3-day session a t G I L B E R T T H I E S S E N , Secretary the Milwaukee meeting. Three symposia are in prospect. T h e usual vitamin symposium in cooperation with t h e Divisions History of Chemistry of Biological and of Medicinal Chemistry, a short symposium with these two divisions ACH of t h e 7 papers on t h e program of on the continuation of t h e subject of the Division of t h e History of Chemis"Medicinal P a t e n t s , " and a tentative t r y was presented by t h e author o r by one symposium with t h e cooperation of the of the authors. A number of questions Division of Industrial a n d Engineering followed t h e various papers. Interest Chemistry have been suggested for the was well maintained a n d t h e attendance Tuesday a n d Wednesday sessions. Bewas good, t h e maximum during t h e session cause of t h e great interest in agricultural approaching 100. a n d food subjects in t h e Middle West, the HARRISON H A L E whole of T h u r s d a y will be reserved for the division's general papers. Members contemplating presentation of papers a t MilMedicinal Chemistry waukee are requested t o signify such intentions to t h e secretary a s soon as possible. HE Division of Medicinal Chemistry G E R A L D A. FITZGERALD, Secretary met with t h e Divisions of Biological Chemistry and Agricultural a n d Food Chemistry o n Tuesday morning i n a joint Symposium on Vitamins a n d on WednesBiological C h e m i s t r y d a y morning t o hear Dr. White's address a s recipient of t h e Eli Lilly a n d C o m p a n y H P HE Division of Biological Chemistry X held 3 sessions. O n Tuesday morning Award in Biological Chemistry. T h e Divia joint meeting was held with the Divisions sion of Medicinal Chemistry t h e n a d journed t o its own quarters for a program of Agricultural a n d Food Chemistry a n d of Medicinal Chemistry t o hear a short of 14 general papers. As in former meetings, there was particular interest shown in program of 5 papers dealing with vitamins. There were about 100 in attendance. t h e papers dealing with chemotherapeutic Seven papers of a general character were m a t t e r s , especially i n compounds of t h e delivered at t h e Tuesday afternoon session. sulfanilamide t y p e . On Wednesday morning t h e 3 divisions T h e chairman advised t h e members of mentioned above again met in joint session t h e division t h a t t h e changes in t h e t o hear Abraham W h i t e give the address of Bylaws adopted a t Rochester have been t h e Eli Lilly a n d Company Prize in Bio- approved b y t h e Council of t h e SOCIETY. logical Chemistry for 1938. This w a s e n - According t o t h e new provisions, t h e imtitled "Protein Hormones." About 300 mediate past chairman becomes a member chemists were in attendance. of t h e Executive Committee, b u t t h e
Agricultural a n d Food
T
E
T
MAY 10, 1938
NEWS EDITION
265
change t o which t h e attention of t h e members was particularly directed is the requirement that all authors in the future must submit t o t h e secretary one copy of the complete manuscript, together with three copies of the usual abstract, before their papers may be accepted to appear on a program. W A L T E R H. HARTUKG,
Microchemical
investigated has raised a problem of properly naming them. This lack should be met before further complication arises and with this i n view the following r e s o l u t i o n w a s adopted:
Secretary
Section
As SEEN IN MANY A MEETING
W.
R . KlRNEB
BSFOBB T B S MlCBOCHEMlCAL SECTION
S
IX papers were presented before t h e Microchemical Section, 2 of which were in t h e field of chemical microscopy, 2 o n quantitative organic analytical methods, and 2 on microchemical apparatus. T h e attendance during t h e session varied from about 35 to 80. Following the presentation of papers there was a lively discussion of microchemical technic, in which a large number actively participated. Judging from t h e favorable comments received, it would appear that the continuance of this feature of the program is desirable. A business meeting was held following the section luncheon. The present activities of the section were outlined, and plans for the meeting a t Milwaukee were discussed. I t was suggested that t h e section sponsor a Symposium o n the Use of Micro- and Semimicro-methods in Industrial Control Processes a t the Milwaukee meeting, and plans for such a symposium are actively under way. W. R. K I R N E R ,
Chairman
Organic Chemistry H E Division of Organic Chemistry held a one-day session at Dallas. In spite T of the short program the attendance was very good and considerable interest displayed i n the program of 22 papers on a variety of subjects. The Executive Committee of the division is starting to plan for the next Organic Chemistry Symposium t o be held in December, 1939. Suggestions concerning laces for holding the symposium should e sent t o the secretary before the Milwaukee meeting. The chairman has appointed Nathan L. Drake, Carl R. Noiler, and Everett L. Wailis a s Nominating Committee for 1938.
§
R. L. SHRINER,
Paint a n d Varnish
the Federation of Paint and Varnish Production Clubs was he! d. This was feat ured by an address b y the agricultural editor of the Dallas News, Victor H. Schollenmayer, who spoke on t h e desirability of developing uses for cottonseed oil—for example, b y converting it t o a drying oil— and for planting tung trees on the land known t o be suitable for it. G. G. SWARD,
Water,
S e w a g e , ajrid S a n i t a t i o n Chemistry
O
NE full-day session w a s held with the presentation of 13 papers. These papers considered the industrial characteristics of water in t h e Southwest area, general water softening, and methods of analysis. The application of optical methods t o the study o f water problems was of particular interest. An average of 72 persons wa*t in attendance, with a maximum of 89. Inspection trips to the municipal water plants at Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, were undertaken on Thursday as a part of t h e divisional program. EDW. S. HOPKINS, Acting Secretary W. L. BADGER PRESIDES
Petroleum Chemistry HE interest in the sessions of the DiviT sion of Petroleum Chemistry was evidenced by an attendance of nearly 30 per cent of the chemists registered at t h e Dallas meeting. The discussion of the papers was free and active and contributed greatly to the value of the meeting. The chairman reported a notable increase in the membership of the division and many new members joined at this time. Bound preprints of the papers were in decided demand. The division's dinner on Tuesday evening was attended b y more than 110. Entertainment was provided by feature singers of Jack Denny's Orchestra and by local talent. L. M. HENDERSON, Secretary, pro tern Sugar Chemistry and Technology
HE meeting of t h e Division of Sugar w o sessions were held, in which 10 T papers were given. Most of them were TChemistry and Technology was characterized by the wide range of the papers very well delivered, all were well received, and spirited discussions followed many of them. Considering the distance from producing centers, the attendance was very good, as many as 90 being present for some papers. A joint dinner with the Dallas Club of
E. W. RICE, Secretary
Secretary
Secretary
Chemistry
Inasmuch as we, the mernfcera of the Division of Sugar Chemistry and Technology, feel that the nomenclature of the sugars and their derivatives is in an unsatisfactory state and that s t e p s should be taken towards the adoption of a uniform system of nomenclature, it is moved that a definite part of the time of the IMilwaukee meeting of the Division of Sugar Chemistry and Technology be devoted t o an open discussion of the subject, that members of other divisions be invited to take part, and that the officers of this division are hereby instructed to make the necessary arrangements.
presented. All papers were of much interest and covered scientific, technical, economic, and analytical features of the ever enlarging field of sugar chemistry. The rapid development of scientific research and t h e number of substances
Future A . C.S . Meetings Fall of 193S Spring of 1939 Fall of 1939 Spring of 1940
Milwaukee, Wis. Baltimore, Md. Boston, Mass. Cincinnati. Ohio
S y m p o s i u m o nU n i t Processes T THE Milwaukee meeting, the DiviA sion of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry is arranging for another Symposium on Unit Processes. The papers of a similar symposium, held at t h e Rochester meeting, were published in full in the December issue o f INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY.
The object o f such symposia is to present the results of the study, under the caption of Unit Processes, of industrial chemical reactions, t h e equipment in which these reactions function, and t h e conditions necessary t o make such reactions pay. Anyone having sucli papers for presentation a t this symposium should communicate with t h e undersigned. R. NORRIS SHREVE Purdue University Lafayette, Ind.
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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
A m e r i c a n Council o n Education Cooperative C h e m i s t r y Test F o r m 1938 HIS test was prepared jointly by t h e TCooperative Test Service a n d t h e AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY through i t s
hearted cooperation from producers' organizations. I n this connection a letter from Ch. Dufraisse, of the Institut Francais d u Caoutchouc, h a s been acknowledged; also a letter from H . J. Page, director of t h e Rubber Research Institute of Malaya, who has asked six searching questions which constitute an excellent starting point for the development of specifications for uniform smoked sheets. These questions will be brought to the attention of t h e members of t h e rubber division for thorough discussion.
Division of Chemical Education. T h e test for 1938 has been shortened. I t s parts a n d the time allotted t o each a r e : I. Information and Vocabulary, 23 minutes; I I . Problems a n d Equations, 30 minutes; I I I . Scientific Method, 37 minE . B. BABCOCK utes (total 90 minutes). T h e pages a r e L . M. FREEMAN arranged so t h a t t h e parts may be adminR. H. GERKE {Chairman) istered separately. G . A. SACKBTT All parts are strictly objective. Part I I . C WALTON is entirely multiple choice. T h e response Crude Rubber Committee in I I is made by choosing from a list t h e correct numerical answer t o a problem or one item which appears in a completed A b s t r a c t s o f the Dallas M e e t i n g equation. P a r t I I is answered by choosing from lists: (a) t h e results following a described experimental procedure, (6) t h e reasons or explanations for these results, or (c) by placing general statements a s sociated with a table of d a t a in one of four ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS classes: (1) based on t h e data, (2) con- | tradicted b y t h e data, (3) t h e d a t a make it seem probable, (4) t h e d a t a neither affirm nor contradict the statement. Some of t h e exercises refer to simple qualitative analysis. Eight teachers assisted in writing i this test, a n d 23 others have offered criti- 1 95th Meeting cisms. T h e subject m a t t e r of t h e test has been given to about 400 students in three states t o determine t h e difficulty and validity of t h e items. In each section these items have been arranged in t h e ?; AMERICAN CHEMICAL S O C I E T Y order of increasing difficulty. Scores made on this test should arrange students substantially in t h e order of their achievement in chemistry. A very few brilliant students who a r e a p t in mental calculations m a y complete t h e test in t h e 2 DALLAS. TEXAS time allotted. If t h e test is given as planned, each teacher m a y a d d questions to occupy t h e remainder of his examination period. By proper choice of t h e added questions any well-balanced course in chemistry could be adequately covered by a two-hour examination.
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F . E . BKOWX HARRISON HALE
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April 18 toll. 1138
VOL. 16, N O . 9
ter of medicine opened u p b y contact between t h e Orient a n d t h e Occident, "may some day b e regarded as rivaling in importance t h e discovery of microorganisms a s causative factors in disease." T h e first gram of pure vitamin Bi must have cost a n aggregate of several hundred thousand dollars, Dr. Williams said, relating t h e story of nearly 40 years of efforts by scores of workers in m a n y countries. Frank C . Whitmore, President of t h e AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, presented
the medal, which is given annually by the Chicago Section "for eminent work in, and original contributions t o pure o r applied chemistry." Jacques C . Morrell, chairman of t h e Chicago Section, described " T h e Willard Gibbs Tradition and A w a r d " ; C. A. Elvehjem spoke on "The Medalist." Anton J. Carlson, Frank P. Hixon, distinguished service professor at t h e University of Chicago, delivered the epilogue.
S c i e n c e a t t h e N e w York W o r l d ' s Fair OME of t h e miracles of science foreS casting t h e world of tomorrow were revealed on a six-acre site a t t h e New York World's Fair on April 30 and M a y 1 in a preview program of the fair. This exhibit dramatizes t h e romance a n d magic of modern science and suggests t h e strong influence of laboratory research on the future. Conceived a n d designed by Charles F . Kettering, it was produced under his personal direction in t h e research laboratories of General Motors. Phenomena such a s cold liquid light, frozen motion, t h e bending of a standard railroad rail b y finger pressure, and various miracles of molecular friction were demonstrated with the thought t h a t some of these fantastic experiments m a y point the w a y t o entirely new a n d important future industrial developments. T h e "world's fair on wheels," transported in 24 red-aise^silver trucks, 8 of them gigantic streamliners, h a s visited 113 cities in t h e United States, British Columbia, a n d Mexico, and in more than two years has been enjoyed b y nearly 4,000,000 people.
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F You have not had a set of meeting abstracts a s now supplied b y t h e A. C. S. News Service, 706 Mills Bldg., WashingBroadcasts of Northeastern ton, D . C , it is difficult to describe their r Section greatly improved format. O u r illusJ^HE following report was presented at tration indicates t h e well-printed and J. the meeting of the Division of Rubber NCE each week broadcasts are given bound booklet which contains abstracts Chemistry of t h e AMERICAN CHEMICAL by t h e Northeastern Section of the SOCIETY held a t Detroit, Mich., March 28 from all divisions which met a t Dallas, AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY over Staas furnished b y authors. T h e y are now and 29, 1938: tion W1XAL, 49.6 meters, 6.04 kilocycles, being mailed a t $1.25 a set prepaid. a t 7:30 P . M. eastern daylight saving During t h e past three years your comtime. T h e 295th broadcast was given mittee has developed tentative procedures on April 1, and t h e present program is for testing t h e variability of rubber— R o b e r t R . Williams R e c e i v e s complete through the 303rd, which will be namely, t h e AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY W i l l a r d Gibbs A w a r d the last of t h e season a n d broadcast on recipe, determination of copper, and deMay 27. All broadcasts are now mimeoOBERT R. WILLIAMS, director of chemitermination of manganese. I t is proposed graphed and ready for distribution on the cal research of the Bell Telephone t h a t these procedures shall be adopted as standard a t t h e next meeting of the D i - Laboratories, New York, N . Y., was day of t h e broadcast a n d will be mailed vision of Rubber Chemistry provided there awarded t h e Willard Gibbs Medal of t h e promptly without charge upon request made to t h e Broadcast Committee, John Chicago Section of t h e AMERICAN C H E M I are no further criticisms or suggested A. Seaverns, chairman, 99 Broad St.. CAL SOCIETY a t a banquet of t h e Chicago changes. Boston, Mass.. or t o Station W l X A L , Your committee is now engaged in t h e Section in t h e Stevens Hotel, April 29, University Club, Boston, Mass. development of a procedure for the quan- for his 26-year-long research o n vitamin B, which led t o its synthesis b y him and titative determination of dirt in rubber. now to its commercial manufacture. T h e variability of plasticity has received considerable attention. T h e essential This product is called "thiamin" a n d it is Fortune Reprints—Correction problem in this project is the standardiza- being produced commercially in t h e research laboratories of Merck a n d Co., unF E W reprints are still available of t h e tion of a method of preparation of a der t h e auspices of t h e Research Corporaarticle on the chemical industry which sample from a bale of rubber. tion, a nonprofit organization located in appeared in t h e December, 1937, issue of At this meeting t h e AMERICAN C H E M I New York, N . Y., t o which t h e patents Fortune. These m a y be secured a t 15 CAL SOCIETY Crude Rubber Committee cents each from Fortune, 330 East 22nd Tentative Procedures L I t o L13 for testing have been assigned. the variability of normal and concentrated In addressing the gathering a t the pres- St., Chicago, III. latex have been developed a n d will be entation ceremonies, Dr. Williams spoke published. on "Science East and West" a n d stated The committee is receiving whole- that the deficiency disorders, a new chap-
Report o f C r u d e R u b b e r C o m mittee
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