to the Bureau. Some who came directly from high school had the ability and energy to make good, and they supplemented their school training by taking college courses evenings. The best of all the chemists had graduated from colleges where they had received a good, all-around training in chemistry. Nothing better than that can be suggested for the chemist who intends to specialize in any branch of chemistry. The rubber analyst, if he is to employ existing methods intelligently or devise new ones, must know more than the mechanical technic of safely transferring a precipitate to a filter paper and finally igniting it.
Development of New Quick-Drying Finish Explained by Dr. Stine. The progress of chemical research in develorring a new finish for domestic pumoses was evdained before the Ontario Retail ~ a r d w a r eAssociation for the first time by Dr. charlei M. A. Stine, director of chemical research of the du Pant Company, under whose direction the Duco finish for automobiles, furniture, and industrial uses was developed and perfected. Dr. Stine, who is recognized as one of the leading industrial research chemists in the United States, told the story of the creation of a quick drying finish which can be brushed t o produce a film'which would be "durable, waterproof, tough, hard, elastic, have good adhesion t o the surfaces to which i t is applied, which would have no tendency to lift off the old paint and varnish surfaces, which would have good gloss and hiding power and above all, be fast drying." a f t e r years of painstaking research and a background of experience in which each ingredient had to be originated, perfected, and made chemically pure, Dr. Stine declared that the product developed was certain t o have a ready market because of the domestic needs which it would serve. Unlike paints, varnishes, and enamels this new product is made from nitro cellulose. "Cotton linters," said Dr. Stiue, "are obtained from the cottonseed mills. Before nitration all impurities have to be removed. This purification begins with the digestion with chemicals under pressure, followed by bleaching treatments and a long series of washings to remove all traces of the chemicals used. The next step in the manufacture is the nitration of the cotton. The nitrated cotton is then bailed, with frequent changes of water, until exceedingly delicate chemical tests show that the pyroxylin has attained a chemical stability sufficient to insure extremely long life of products made from it. "After same vears of experimentation. we fortunatelv hit upon a good workable method for the treatment of pyroxylin which enables us t o produce pyroxylin solutions pyroxylin so that these more concentrated solutions dewith the necessaw content of .~ posited much thicker films upon evaporation. They yielded finishes which showed a good build." Dr. Stine, in explaining each stage of the research development told of the experiments to produce the requisite brushing properties, of the concentration of the solutions and development of chemically pure pigments and of the accurate control of every step in the manufacture in order that the finished formula, when applied to furniture, floors, walls, or any household use, would deposit an odorless, as well as a fireproof film which would outlast any finish product ever developed before, while a t the same time haying the polish and gloss of ancient lacquers. Thus, chemical research created a new product for home use out of substances which had never been used before and possessing qualities which satisfied home needs. ~
