I S D C S T R I B I ; d S D E S (7 I S E E R I X G C H E X I S T R Y
October, 1926
too high for number 1 unless it is a black oil, hardly possible in an automotive cylinder lubricant. Other inconsistencies in the carbon residue figures would be more apparent if the colors had been stated. But in checking. back these figures given against the other physical tests, inconsistencies nearly as great as the one given are apparent. I
I
1
1
I
1
I
1
I I
/
I I
1
1
I
1 l
1 i
1 1
1 1
I
I
l l O l
I
1
700
z
b
e
I
I
I00
~
140
-
I
/80
Temberature O F -1. B , C-naphthene-base oils; D , E ,F-paraffin-base oils. 1 . 2 , 4 , 12-naphthene- or paraffin-base oils; 6, 9, 11-paraffin-base oils
The material insoluble in petroleum ether after the fire test of an oil is determined is called the “fire-point carbon.” The authors divide their samples into three groups: heavy oils, 0.010-0.011, as evidenced by numbers 1, 3, and 4; heavy medium, 0.0064009, their numbers 2, 5 , and 11; and medium and light oils, 0.004-0.005, numbers 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12. Comparison of the Conradson carbon residue of automotive lubricants is generally admitted a fair gage of their relative carbonforming propensity under similar engine conditions. If these two columns in the table of fire-point carbon and Conradson carbon are compared, there seems very little connection between the two. Taking these latter comparisons and the criticism of their other data above, I do not believe, as stated, t h a t the authors are in any way justified in the last clause of their paper that this test “should be used as the oxidation test for automobile lubricating oils.” R O C H E S T EN. R, Y . I,. R . ADKIXS -4ugust 20, 1926
“Experts” Editor of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: A41waysa careful reader of your journal, I am moved t o comment on an editorial controversy for the first time, by the open letter of Ford LV. Harris, printed in your July issue on page 764. I do not care where Jlr. Harris is a n engineer or a lawyer; he is wrong in many of his views if I read his fairly clear statements correctly. I t is amazing to learn that there is a man, much associated with legal life, who wishes t o challenge the generality that chemical, technical, or even ordinary civil clisputes as a rule result in the wealth of the attorneys and the poverty of the contestants. He knows of an exception or two; but the wide and unnumbered mass of cases where the truth of this fact is without a question should govern the policies of men t o harmonize rather than fight. It is an economic fact that there is nothing productive, constructive, or profitable in fighting, and your editorial was very well taken. I honestly do not think that professional men despise the arer#
1093
age lawyer because he does not understand Einstein-most of us do not and admit it-but rather, as in my own case, despise the average lawyer because of his lack of principles, ethics, and honesty, Perhaps this is a natural result of daily contact with a lawyer’s duties as described by Mr. Harris, who justifies misrepresentation, distortion, and suppression of the truth because the lawyer is not under oath, and further is paid to advance the interests of his client. It would appear, if this is a true measure of legal duties, that any scorn of an honest man toward a legal light is well placed. I have never known that a man must be honest, true, and sincere only when he is a technical expert or under oath. I believe Mr. Harris will have some trouble in trying to justify several degrees of honesty. I want t o feel, and believe, that this admirable quality in men has but one analysisone brand of honesty only. Honesty applies in every way and the same way to the attorney in his deliberate acts not under oath as i t does to the “expert” under oath. There certainly is a persistent undertone of bitterness in Mr. Harris’ recital against technical men (which I hope will not creep in here) leading him into very rash statements. If he means that he can select three “experts” who are truly professional men-men who have no doubt that they are chemists, surveyors, or biologists, as the case may be, that can defend either side equal chance of success, I of a technical-or any case-with believe he ought to be better known t o both our technical societies and the Bar Association. If such a statement is ever true, it is far more applicable to a purely nontechnical case where the excessive verbiage-the bottomless pile of precedent and the utter lack of any exactness to the “law”-have full influence. The statement of Mr. Harris about three crooked experts doing some high and fancy perjury to each crooked lawyer is unfortunate and silly. I n practically admitting that lawyers do seduce the honesty of fellow men, hlr. Harris seems to imply that he condemns those so seduced only because they received a small sum for their honor, but a large sum perhaps would justify everything? Is this the opinion of a legal mind, or is Mr. Harris just spitting on technical men in another way? In the last paragraph Harris has covered such a mass of misguided criticism, all toward technical societies and scientists, that I do not ask the space to straighten him out. He should travel. While so grandly putting the whole system of expert testimony in the waste basket, where perhaps it belongs as it is mostly a legal development, he should also study the whole system of legal testimony, and machinery, comparing it with that in England, where many of the ills we have in this country, born of the efforts of our thousands of useless rascally lawyers, are totally lacking. Lawyers, like experts, should sit in a semijudicial capacity-honestly advising a man if he is right or wrong and if he ought to go into court or go away and be ashamed of his intentions. I do not see any point to, or benefit from, his proposals t o correct the situation. Our national technical societies are already well organized and there is no law preventing a judge from retaining a competent chemist or other scientist to aid him if he desires and the chemist would welcome the work. The technical societies are ready to name competent men, always, for specialized work. CHAS.0. BROWX 331 M A D ~ OAve. N , N. Y . August 17, 1926
S E W YORX,
Estimation of the Unsaturated Content of Petroleum Products In the article under this title, THISJOURNAL, 18, 821 (1926). in the formula and definition of bromine number, N (page 822) change 0.08 to 8 and grams to centigrams per gram of sample. In Table I under “Bromine No.” and in the legend a t the right of the figure the numbers should be multiplied by 100.
9. W. FRAXCIS
I N D VSTRIAL A N D EXGINEERING CHEMISTRY
1096
“Experts” Editor of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: Your editorial re “Experts” which appeared in the May issue, together with the letters which it provoked, brings to mind the terse statement on this subject inserted by Judge Hand in his decision in the case of Parke Davis as. H. K. Mulford Co. (Circuit Court S. D., New York; Federal Reporter, Volume 189, page 115). The case was a patent infringement suit relating to adrenaline. Expert witnesses were called on both sides-men of unquestioned eminence, honesty, and reputation. At the close of a carefully weighed, ably-written, decision Judge Hand said: I cannot stop without calling attention to the extraordinary condition of the law which makes i t possible for a man without any knowledge of even the rudiments of chemistry to pass upon such questions as these. The inordinate expense of time is the least of the resulting evils, for only a trained chemist is really
Vol. 18, KO. 10
capable of passing upon such facts-e. g., in this case the chemical character of Von Furth’s so-called “zinc compound,” or the presence of inactive organic substances. In Germany, where the national spirit eagerly seeks for all the assistance i t can get from the whole range of human knowledge, they do quite differently. The court summons technical judges to whom technical questions are submitted and who can intelligently pass upon the issues without blindly groping among testimony upon matters wholly out of their ken. How long we shall continue to blunder along without the aid of unpartisan and authoritative scientific assistance in the administration of justice, no one knows; but all fair persons not conventionalized by provincial legal habits of mind ought, I should think, unite to effect some such advance. The fifteen years that have elapsed since this statement was written have brought but little improvement in the situation. COMXERCIAL SOLVEKTS CORPORATIOX TERREHAUTE,TND. August 6, 1926
BRUCEK. BROWN
BOOK REVIEWS Lubricating Oil Salesman’s Primer. BY CLAUDE ETTELE. 118 pages. 33 figures. The Chemical Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., 1926. Price, 83.00. While written primarily for the lubricating oil salesman, this book would serve well as a general primer upon the subject of lubricating oils. The title selected by the author may unduly limit the class of readers. The book is amply illustrated with plain and easily understandable drawings. The subject matter covers a wide variety of subjects relating to manufacture, testing, and particularly the various applications and uses of lubricating oils. As would be expected in a book of this kind, there are some departures from a rigid treatment of the subject. For example, the writer repeatedly refers t o perfect lubrication as a usual occurrence. The factor of oiliness or the film-forming tendency is not given the place it deserves in lubrication alongside of viscosity. Under manufacture, it is wrongly stated that the heavy hydrocarbon still residue which solidifies on cooling is known as petroleum coke, and that cracking is the resu1.t of a sudden retardation in the rate of heating. Methods of treatment are cited in an exclusive manner where alternative methods may be used. I n relating the flash test to the temperature of decomposition and completeness of burning (page 69) the writer has given this test a significance it does not deserve. Other like misconceptions occur in the book. The chapter on tests is excellent. The writer stresses a point which should be more commonly recoanized-namely, that the tests are performed by definitely prescribed methods standardized by general agreement, the results varying where variation in the method of performance occurs. Sumerous tables and curves are shown in this chapter. The writer’s line of lubricants refers more to the Pennsylvania type. For example, the 140-150 viscosity, 212 O F., steam cylinder oil, gravity 24-26, if of average midcontinent origin would have a 21-23 gravity with viscosity even up t o 170 seconds. This book is recommended to those desiring an elementary and first-hand knowledge of the subject of lubricating oils. JACQUE C. MORRELL Metallographie. BY W. GUERTLER.Vol. 11-The Properties of Metals and Their Alloys. Part IV-Technical Metallurgy. BY M. KEINERT. iv 483 pages. Gebr. Borntraeger, Berlin, 1926. Price, 38 marks. A new part of Professor Guertler’s well-known work on metallography has appeared and covers a systematic arrangement of alloys. The object of the author was to gather information regarding alloy mixtures that have been developed up to the present time. The arrangement of alloys is made up of three large groups. The first group includes heavy alloys of high melting point, t o which have been added steels, brasses, and bronzes as subgroups. The second group includes heavy alloys or white metals of low melting point. The third group covers the light alloys composed chiefly of magnesium or aluminum.
+
In each table or group is given the composition, name, general use, properties, and the authority from which the data were taken. The works of sixteen German authorities on alloys were used in compiling most of the data. Patented alloys have the number of the patent given. X description of the alloying properties of the chief constituents entering into the allovs is given a t the end of each group. Comments are made regarding mixtures that can be usefully applied and mixtures that are of doubtful value. Graphical representation of the alloys in each group is given when such happen to be ternary alloys. I n most of the diagrams the portions occupied by brittle and ductile alloys are indicated. In other ternary diagrams additional data such as uses, color, alloying properties, and eutectic points are given The various industrial applications of the alloys listed are indexed. Another index is made up of the trade names of the alloys. In an appendix we find German specifications for aluminum. copper, nickel, tin, brass, solders, and Babbitt metals. This list of al!oys is the result of a large amount of careful and thorough work. The arrangement of the tables has been well planned, which makes it a convenient and very valuable reference work for metallurgists who are concerned with alloys. L. P. WEBERT W. H. BASSETT Stainless Iron and Steel. BY J. H. G. MOXYPENNY.304 pages, illustrated. 6 X 9 inches. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., hTew York, 1926. Price, $6.00. The public has recently become conscious of the enormous annual world’s bill for corrosion. Chemists and engineers have been trying to solve the problem for many years by coatings, paints, etc. The present interest is in alloys that are in themselves very resistant to corrosion, but there has been great confusion in the minds of prospective users, due to excessive enthusiasm and claims of makers, coupled with ignorance of facts. The writer of this timely book has gathered together much of this detached and confusing information from many sourcescatalogs, technical articles, etc.-and supplemented it with a wonderful amount of research of his own laboratory. He does not deal in opinions, theories, or speculation, but in facts. Specific compositions under specific conditions or treatments are ably presented with text, tables, diagrams, and cuts. The book covers in a practical way the making, composition, and fabrication of many types of alloy steels to meet many sets of conditions in service. hTaturally,he deals most fully with the chromium steels with which Harry Brearley’s name is associated. but he treats of other classes of alloys as well and makes liberal reference to the researches of other workers upon the chromiumnickel and the chromium-nickel-silicon alloys and other combinations. The information about the effect of small variations in analysis or heat treatment upon physical and corrosion-resisting properties to various media is particularly valuable, and it is the lack of just such information that has led to many misapplications of these materials in the past, and this in turn has produced a prejudice in the minds of prospective users.
