educational notes and correspondence. - ACS Publications

Delivery,” by L. R. Dutton, Wyncote, Pa. “Valuation of Public Utilities,” by H. C. Abell,. New Y ork City. There will also be some interesting C...
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T H E 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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District Holders and their Place in a Distribution System,” b y R. M. Griswald, Denver, Col. “Flow of Gas in Mains,” by J. W. Battin, Detroit, Mich. “ U . S. Government Report on Electrolysis,” b y S. W. Stratton, Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. “ Pacific Coast Conditions,” by John A. Britton, San Francisco, Cal. “ Photometric Work,” by C. 0. Bond, Philadelphia, Pa. Cost and Results Obtained from Automobile Delivery,” by L. R. Dutton, Wyncote, Pa. “Valuation of Public Utilities,” by H. C. Abell, New Y ork City. There will also be some interesting Committee Reports, and the Report of the Editors of the Wrinkle Department and Bureau of Information. It is possible t h a t arrangements may be made for a lecture on Some Recent Developments in Gaseous Combustion.” I ‘

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The Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers will be held in Washington, D. C., Wednesday to Friday, December 20-zznd.

A number of important papers on the general subject of pdtents; the manufacture and testing of explosives, etc., together with a number of other important subjects relating to chemical engineering. The 59th Annual Meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association was held in Boston during t h e week of August 14th, under the presidency of Prof. E. G. Eberle. The following new officers were installed: President, J. G. Godling; F i r s t Vice-President, Wilhelm Bodemann ; Second Vice-Presidewt, Ernest Berger; Secretary and E d i t o r , J. H. Beal; Treasurer, H. M. Whelpley. The next meeting will be held in Denver, Colo. The twenty-eighth annual convention of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists will be held in Washington, D. C., from November zo-nznd.

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The Fifth Annual Meeting of the Italian Society for the Advancement of Science will be held in Rome from October 12-18th under the presidency of Prof. G. Ciamician. The section on pure and applied chemistry will meet under the presidency of Prof. E. Paterno.

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EDUCATIONAL ~~

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Professor Albrecht Kossel, of the University of Heidelberg, t o whom was awarded the Nobel prize for his discoveries in medical chemistry, will deliver the annual Herter lectures a t Johns Hopkins University this year on October 4th, 5th and 6th. Professor Raymond C. Benner, of chemistry of the University of ciated himself with Professor R. University of Pittsburg, a t which a study of the smoke problem.

of the department Arizona, has assoK. Duncan, of the place he will make

Professor Alexander Smith, of Columbia University, has been elected honorary member of The Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa, and honorary member of the Sociedad Espanola de Fisica y Quimica. (Madrid).

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Dr. F. B. Dains has been elected associate professor of organic chemistry a t the University of Kansas and has resigned his position of professor of chemistry a t Washburn College.

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Oct., 1911

Dr. John E. Ekeley, professor of chemistry a t t h e University of Colorado, has been appointed State Chemist by the Colorado State Board of Health. Dr. William McPherson, professor of chemistry a t Ohio State University, has been elected dean of t h e new graduate school of t h a t university. The new Radium Institute was officially opened in London on August 7th. I t possesses radium salts of about $2 j o , o o o value. Professor J . I . D. Hinds, of Peabody College, Nashville, Tenn., has been elected professor of chemistry a t Cumberland University. Dr. Karl Diewonki, a manufacturing chemist has been elected professor of chemistry a t the University of Cracow, Poland.

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Dr. K. Auer von Welsbach has been elected a n active member of the Academy of Sciences in Vienna.

NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE.

T o the Editor of the J o w n a l of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. I n Mr. Gardner’s paper in the September number of THISJ O U R K A L he says, t h a t in m y tests barytes, etc., appeared to accelerate the drying of linseed oil films, and t h a t “ t h e point a t issue seems t o be whether the inert pigments really have any chemical action

when enveloped in linseed oil.” Reference to my brief paper shows t h a t nothing was said about either of these matters, except to call attention to the curves and suggest t h a t more might be known by future study, also to the fact t h a t the effect of pigments “ m a y perhaps” be due to hindering peroxidation, both of which are obvious. The paper is a record,

Oct.,

1911

Y’tl;; JOUR,VAL OF I N D U S T R I A L AiYD E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y .

and until the !+acts : re questioned, there is no “point at issue.” Very l . l k < l ythe effects which all pigments have on oil, whet1,c.r as stimulators or inhibitors of oxidation or any otlirr ;x-ocess, are due t o catalytic or contact action; I do n o t “feel” t h a t , as Mr. Gardner does, but I think i t ; so we will not quarrel. I think all pigments have some effect on oil, not depending on their fineness but on their chemical qualities; and t h a t i t is incorrect t o call one inert to oil if it has a noticeable effect on i t , whether t o retard drying, like gypsum or lampblack, or t o hasten the destruction of the film, like CaCO, or BaSO,. We do not regard spongy platinum, as used in making H,SO,, as an inert substance, although it does not dissolve or undergo a chemical change. All pigments are, b y definition, nearly or quite insoluble in oil; PbO and oil form a cement rather than a paint. PbO is considerably soluble in oil; and it is likely (but not certain) t h a t the minute amount of P b which was found in oil which had been mixed with white lead was from a t.race of PbO in the pigment. I can in no other way understand why oil stops dissolving lead when the basic carbonate (containing hydrate) is present in unlimited amount. I n practice we add P b or hln compounds to white lead paint to make it dry, in about the same amount t h a t we do t o other paints; for all practical purposes the quantity of P b dissolved is of no account. It is the same way with red lead; true red lead does not combine with oil in the way Mr. Gardner describes; t h a t with which he experimented probably contained as much as 2 0 or 30 per cent. of PbO. Orange lead, which is red lead nearly or quite free from PbO, will remain uncombined with oil for years, and good ordinary red lead made b y modern methods will do so for a month or more. When saying t h a t white lead is alkaline, Mr. Gardner doubtless means basic; lead is not an alkali metal. If he has any evidence, or knows of any, t h a t white lead or zinc saponify oil a t ordinary temperatures, he should publish i t ; i t would be new and important; also how I O per cent. of a chemically inactive substance can hinder saponification. A. H.SABIN.

To the Editor of the Journal of I9zdustrial and E+t z e e r i q Citeniistry. SIR: I n the July number, 1 9 1 1 ,of THISJ O U R I ~ A L there is a description b y Mr. George P. Meade of a continuous sampler for condenser waters from evaporators. There is an advantage in such an apparatus, it seems t o me, for taking samples of condenser water throughout a strike. Where the entrainment is likely t o vary much, as in vacuum-pan boiling, i t - is quite necessary t o take a continuous sample or a great many samples throughout the strike, in order t o make an accurate determination of the entrained sugar. But this is the only case, I believe, in which a n apparatus of this kind is of any especial advantage. In multiple-effect evaporators the entrainment is usually quite constant, so t h a t a few samples taken intermittently are as of much value as a continuous

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sample. There are, moreover, some objections t o the use of a sampler of this kind. It is quite as important in determining the loss of sugar t o know the amount of water leaving the condenser as t o know the percentage of sugar in it, and it is usually necessary t o determine this from the temperatures of the water entering and leaving the condenser. In order t o do this the temperature of the sample must be taken immediately as i t is drawn from the tail-pipe, or . a thermometer must be inserted into the pipe. It is also important that the sample of water shall be evaporated and polarized very soon after i t is taken since, on account of its being such a dilute solution and warm, the sugar in it will ferment quickly. A continuous sampler may therefore very easily be misused. I n view of these considerations, it seems t o me t h a t a short piece of pipe, with two valves or corks on i t , which can be used on either the vertical or horizontal part of a tail-pipe, is more generally applicable and more likely t o give accurate results than a continuous sampler. R. S . SORRIS. HONOLKLU. July, 1911.

THE DETERMINATION OF CAMPHOR,

The extensive use of camphor in medicine and the fact t h a t the Pharmacopoeia includes preparations which must contain definite quantities of camphor make it imperative t h a t there should be a reliable method of assay. There have been in vogue for some time procedures depending on the rotation of a n alcoholic, benzol, or oil solution and on the loss b y evaporation, but they are open to objection, and in certain instances the results might easily be misinterpreted. Artificial camphor is without rotatory power, natural camphor might contain a portion of the levo body, the rotation varies with the strength of the solvent, and fixed oils themselves on heating often undergo loss or gain in weight. These are a few of the reasons which call for a method based on a more substantial foundation. Camphor, being of ketonic character, forms with hydroxylamin a well defined oxim, C,,H ,,NOH, and advantage has been taken of this property in assaying camphor preparations, the procedure being based on Walther’s carvone* estimation and on the work of Nelson,z who determined in essential oils by the hydroxylamin method a number of ketones including camphor. The procedure is simple and may be applied directly t o spirits of camphor. Of the sample 2 j cc. are measured into an Erlenmeyer flask of r o o cc. capacity, 2 grams of sodium bicarbonate are added, and then, accurately, from a burette, 3 j cc. of a hydroxylamin solution ( 2 0 grams NH,OH.HCl 30 cc. H,O 1 2 j cc. absolute alcohol aldehyde-free). The flask is connected with a reflux condenser, and heated to gentle boiling for two hours; it is then cooled t o 25’ C., treated with a mixture of 6 cc. hydrochloric acid ( 1 . 1 2 specific gravity 6 cc. water), transferred t o a 500 cc. volumetric flask,

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Phnrnr. Cenlrulhdle. 41, 613 (1900). U . S. Dsgt. Agr., Bureau of Chemistry, BILL/.137. p. 186.

T H E J O U R N A L OF I i V 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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rinsing out the condenser and flask with water, and finally made up to volume; 5 0 cc. portions are filtered off and titrated as follows: Methyl orange is added and the mineral acid neutralized with normal alkali, then phenolphthalein is added and the hydroxylamin hydrochlorid titrated with tenth-normal alkali. A blank must be run,using the same amount of hydroxylamin solution and 2 5 cc. of alcohol t o correspond with the spirits of camphor, the difference in titrations representing the hydroxylamin converted into camphor oxim. Each cubic centimeter of tenthnormal sodium hydroxid is equivalent to 0.01509 H. C. FULLER. gram of camphor.

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DEPARTMENT O F AGRICULTURE, BUREAUOF CHEMISTRY

GENERAL NOTES.

Professor Charles L. Parsons, Secretary of the American Chemical Society. has been appointed Chief Chemist of the Mineral Division of the Bureau of Mines, and has been placed in charge of the work in mineral technology. Professor Parsons will take immediate charge of the investigations along the lines of conservation development and use of the mineral products of the country and make special studies of the processes used in their manufacture. As soon as the plans for the development of this work are completed headquarters will be established in Washington.

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Dr. F. G. Cottrell has resigned his professorship in the University of California in order t o accept the position of Physical Chemist with the U. S. Bureau of Mines, with headquarters for the present a t the Aston House and Appraiser’s Building, San Francisco. Up t o the present time the work of the Bureau of Mines has centered around the coal mining industry, b u t this year it is beginning in a modest way some work aimed directly a t the metalliferous field. Professor Cottrell’s work will start with the general fume investigation, b u t i t is felt, in view of the interest of the mining and metallurgical communities, t h a t appropriations will be made later which will make possible the growth and development of work in the metallurgical industry.

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Statistics compiled by the United States Geological Survey show t h a t the production of spelter or metallic zinc from ore for the first six months of 1911 was 140,196 short tons, a gain of more than 5 , 0 0 0 tons over half the record output of 1910. Of this production, 5,135 tons was made from foreign ore. Spelter stocks were reduced from 23,232 tons to 17,788 tons. Imports remained about the same but exports were nearly double those of half the preceding year. The apparent consumption of spelter was 135,497 tons, an increase of more than 1 2 , 0 0 0 tons over the half of 1910 b u t about the same as in half of 1909. The average price of spelter a t St. Louis for the period was 5.36 cents per pound, the London average being 0 . 2 cent less per pound. During the

Oct., 1 9 r r

latter part of May and the first part of June the average London price was about 0.1 cent higher than the corresponding St. Louis prices. Under this stimulus the May exports of spelter, zinc ore, and dross were largely increased over those of the preceding months. The Bureau of Standards has recently issued Circular No. I I , entitled “The Standardization of Bomb Calorimeters.” It contains some very valuable suggestions and instructions relative t o the manipulation of bomb calorimeters and also points out the important features t o be considered with respect t o the type and construction of bombs, water equivalent, and method of calculating results. The Bureau is now prepared t o furnish standard combustion samples of about j o grams each of sugar, naphthalene, benzoic acid, etc., accompanied by a certificate giving the heat of combustion of the sample, a t $2 each. They are also prepared t o determine the water equivalent of any type of calorimeter including corrections to the accompanying thermometers. This question is of very great importance, and every chemist who has anything t o do with the use of calorimeters should avail himself of the opportunity of a t lea’st securing a standard sample and have the thermometers properly standardized. Cement production in the United States during 1 9 1 o has been officially reported upon b y Mr. Ernest F. Burchard, of the United States Geological Survey. These figures compared with those for 1909 are as. follows : Barrels. 1909.

S a t u r a l and puzzolan . . . . .

Portland. . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . .

Total.. . . . . . .

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1,698.284 64,991.431 66.689.7 15

1910 1,235,190 75,699,485

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Prof. James R. Finlay in his report t o the State Tax Commission on the Lake Superior copper mines places their total value at $69,815,000. The Calumet and Hecla mines are appraised a t $31,400,000, and, it is estimated, have a life of twenty years. The tailings dump of this company contains 37,000,ooo tons of rich conglomerate sands with a value of $4,500,000. Six lodes support profitable operations : the Kearsarge, Osceola, Pewabic, Isle Royale and Baltic amygdaloidal beds and the Calumet conglomerate bed. The Lake Superior district stands alone as a low cost producer of copper.

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The price of platinum has continued t o advance and a t present quotations an ounce of the refined metal is worth 2 ’ l P ounces of gold. Moreover, the tendency is still upward and further advances are expected. Advices from Russia indicate t h a t the present season will see a decrease rather than an increase in the output from the older placers of the Urals. The Fidelity Chemical Corporation of Houston, Texas, has been incorporated with $60,000 capital

Qct.. 1911

T H E J O U R N A L OF I , V D U S T R I A L i l N D ELYGI-VEERIL\'G C H E h f I S T R Y .

stock t o erect and run a fertilizer plant in Houston. The officers are: Jas. D. Dawson, President; G. 0. Haskell, Vice-Presideiqt; R. F. Isbell, Secretary- Treasurer. Dr. D. W . Fetterolf, of Philadelphia, has been commissioned b y the U. S. Senate to take charge of the

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Chemical Dept. of the U. S. Army Medical Supply Depot in New York City, Mr. George W. Priest has accepted a position with Messrs. Lloyd & Richards, Inc., as General Manager in their works in Camden, N. J .

BOOK REVIEWS. Austrian Food Code. Codex Alimentarius Austriacus. Vol. I, pp. xiv 461.

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191I ,

208, 43/4X 73/s inches. Price, $z.oo. Nostrand Company. 191I .

New York: D. Van

Numerous books treating this subject in some of its aspects have appeared in England and European continental countries, but none recently ; and, so far as the reviewer knows, this is the first book on the subject written b y a paint manufacturer. Mr. Toch brings to the work a large fund of experience, and ways of looking a t the subject which ought t o stimulate intelligent thought among those for whose especial benefit it was written. About half the book is given t o discussion of some of the more important topics. and the remainder t o descriptions of about 1 5 0 pigments, with reasons for the author's conclusions as to their merits. If it contained nothing new it would not be valuable; so it is no disparagement to say t h a t not all will agree to everything the author says; but looking a t it in a large way, the chief merit of the book is the novel and expert manner in which C. F. LANGWORTHY. the subjects are handled. It is handsomely gotten up and well illustrated. A. H. SABIX. By ~ ~ A X I N I L I A K TOCH. pp.

This important volume contains definitions, descriptions and specifications for food materials, beverages, and petroleum, together with legislative enactments and similar material, a n d as a whole is the official source of information regarding the examination and valuation of foods and certain other materials in Austria. ,4 large number of experts have participated in the preparation of material for the codex. The preface is b y F. W. Dafert, who is the head of the commission having the work in charge, a n d there is also a n historical introduction explaining the development and extent of the Austrian work with respect to judging of quality and the suppression of adulteration and sophistication of foods and other materials. The present codex is the outgrowth a n d completion of an enterprise begun under different auspices in 1891 which bore the same title.

Materials for Permanent Painting.

NEW PUBLICATIONS. BY D. D. BEROLZHEIMER, Librarian American Chemical Society.

By F. H. NOFFITT ASD S. R . CAPPS. Bulletin 448, U. S Alcohols. By I,. CXLVET. Bvo., 3 76 pp. $ I . j O . Ch. Beranger, Geological Survey. Paris. (French.) Handbook of Mineral Chemistry. By C. DOELTER. Vol. I. A Method for the Separation of the Seven Permitted Coal-tar L. ~ v o . 160 , pp. $I.jo. Th. Steinkopff, Dresden. (German.) Colors when Occurring i n Mixtures. By T. M. PRICE. Circular 180, Bureau of Animal Industry. Industrial Chemistry. By H. BLL-ECHER.Translation. Bvo., Analyzed Iron and Steels- Methods of Analysis. C.rcular j 79 pp. $7.50. Gresham Pub. Co., London. No. 14, 2nd ed. Bureau of Standards. Introduction to the Chemical Methods of Examination of Food and Food Materials. By H . BAUER. 8vo. So.j , j . F. Enke, Chemistry of the Albuminoids. By 0. COHNHEIM. 3d Ed. Stuttgart. (German.) 8vo. $3.00. F. X'iexeg & Sohn, Brunswick. (German.) Manual of Clinical Diagnosis by Means of Laboratory Methods. Chemistry for Engineers and Manufacturers. Vol. 11. Chemistry By CHARLESE. SIXON. j t h Ed. 8vo., j j 8 pp. Lea & of Manufacturing Processes. By B. BLOUKTASD A . G. Febiger, Philadelphia. , pp. $4.00. C. Griffin, London. BLOXAM.~ v o .530 Methods of Analysis and Chemical Control for Use in the FacCoal, Oil and Gas of the Foxburg Quadrangle, Pennsylvania. tories of the Cuban-American Sugar Co. By GUILFORDL. . ~ N Dhl, J . MUXK. Bulletiit 454, U. s. GeoBy E. TT. SHAW SPENCER. ~ v o . ,3 2 pp. $1.00. The Cuban-.kmerican Sugar logical Survey. Co., New York. Color Mixing Theories and their Practical Applkation. By Methods for the Examination of Bituminous Road Materials. , pp. $1.25. J . Springer, Berlin. KARLMAYER. L. ~ v o . 83 HUBBARD A S D CHARLES S. REEVE. Bulletin By PRBVOST (German .) 38, Office of Public Roads, U. S.Dept. of Agriculture. Drying with Air and Steam. By E. HAUSBRAKD. Bvo., 142 pp. Mineral Oils. By H. DELEHAYE.8vo., ~j pp. $1.00, Ch. $1.2j. J . Springer, Berlin. (German.) Beranger, Paris. (French.) Elementary Treatise on Analytical Chemistry. By C. BLAS. Mineral Production of Canada during the Year 1909. B y J O H X Vol. 111. 500 pp., 8vo. $ 4 . 2 5 . Gauthier-Villars, Paris. MCLEISH. Publication 88, Canada Dept. of Mines. (French.) Mineral Resources of the U. S. for the Year 1909. U. S.GeoExperimental Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry. By H. logical Survey. BILTZ. L. Bvo., 130 pp. $1.00. Veit & Co., Leipzig. (German.) New Chemical Apparatus Introduced during 1911. By C. Geology and Mineral Resources of the Nizina District, Alaska. POULENC.8\70,, 354 pp, h . 8 0 . Ballihre, Paris. (French.)