HEADLINES of the Month Events of Interest to Chemists, Chemical Engineers, and Executives--Reviewed
7 AUGUST26. House of Assembly, Capetown, South Africa, passes atomic energy bill which establishes an atomic energy board to control prospecting, mining, and treatment of uranium, thorium, and other substances containing these elements.-n’ational Military Establishment lists publicly for first time immediate plans for enlarging national security stockpile of 28 “strategic and critical materials” and says reserve increase will have “minor impact” on national economy.--American Viscose discloses it is participating in organization of J. Ketchikan Pulp and Paper Co., which will build pulp mill in Alaska capable of producing 300 tons daily of alpha pulp.
11 AUGUST16. Francis C. Frary, director of research, Aluminum Co. of America, is chosen to receive 1948 Gold Medal of American Society of Metals.--U. S.Bureau of Mines reports recovery of zinc for first time from Alaska ores.
7 AUGUST17. Visking Corp. announces it will start immediate construction of $1,000,000 Visking Ltd., in Lindsay, Ontario. --Cattle rancher discovers uranium in lonely mountainous Marshall Canyon north of Beaumont, Calif.
7 AUGUST19. U. S. Rubber Co. announces salt-treated tire treadsd eveloped for use on ice-covered roads.--Ledede Laboratories Division, American Cyanamid Co., develops new sulfadrug, phenosulfazole, for anti-virus use.--Department of Commerce announces initial allocations of army-produced anhydrous ammonia to four fertilizer plants completely or partially shut down for lack of this material. 7 AUGUST 20. Eugene Higgins, once known as wealthiest bachelor in New York, leaves $40,000,000 to Columbia, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton Universities for “education in natural and physical sciences” and the promotion of “the general advancement of science by investigation, research, and experimentation.”-NStanolind Oil & Gas Co. discontinues plans for synthetic gasoline and chemical plant near Garden City, Kans.1 7 AUGUST 21. David E. Lilienthal, chairman, U. S. Atomic Britain, and Canada are expandEnergy Commission, says U. S., ing wartime cooperation and exchange of atomic research. 7 AUGUST 23. Du Pont adopts trade name “Orlon” for synthetic textile fiber, a polyacrylonitrile fiber on which it has been conducting research for several years.--Earl Bunting, managing director, National Association of Xanufacturers, makes public list of 30 strategic materials essential to stockpiling for nation’s military security.--New York City’s Golden Anniversary Exhibition, Grand Central Palace, displays model atomic power plants and the changes atomic energy is expected to make in the next 50 years in a typical American industrial town.-Esso Standard Oil Co. says newly developed continuous process of making lime soap greases will go into large-scale operation early this fall at its Baltimore refinery1.--Celanese Corp. completes tanker facilities for shipment of bulk chemicals from its Bishop, Tex., chemical plant to eastern seaboard.
7 AUGUST24. Rubber Study Group (London) reports 120,000 long tons increase in world’s natural rubber output during first half of 1948.--Union leaders say agreement has been reached to end 7-day strike of 3300 members of the American Federation of Labor, at Los Alamos, N. Mex., atomic energy project.
7 AUGUST25. Monsanto announces its Lockport plant will be moved to company’s plastic division a t Springfield, Mass.-Lederle Laboratories Division, dmerican Cyanamid Co., announces extraction from a microbe of a vitamin that builds red blood cells in victims of pernicious anemia.--Department of Scientific Industrial Research in New Zealand bars move of the Senate of the University of New Zealand to make results of research public.--White House releases statement of National Security Resources Board that “draft industry” provisions of Selective Service law are unnecessary a t this time. 1 Chem.
b y the Editors
7 .kUGUST 30. h E R I C A N CHEMICAL SOCIETY Opens 114th Ilational meeting in Washington, D. ( 3 . 2 , a t which following awards are made: $1000 El Lilly and Co. Bward in Biological Chemistry to Dilworth Wi. Woolley, 34, Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, for studies relating to vitamins and antivitamins; Paul-Lewis Laboratories Award of $1000 in Enzyme Chemistry to Albert L. Lehninger, 31, University of Chicago; Francis P. Garvan Medal honoring women in chemistry to Gerti T. Cori, Washington University, St. Louis, for work in biochemistry. --A.C.S. President Thomas tells chemists Selective Service should defer science graduates to maintain steadv flow of qualified specialists and that such a procedure will assure U. S. security. --Rear Admiral Thorvald A. Solberg a t general meeting tells A.C.S. Navy is developing motor fuel, hydrozine, out of air and w a t e r . - 4 . A. Savitt, M. W. Kellogg Co., and R. 8. Aires, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, tell A.C.S. meeting, research aimed at producing synthetic cresylic acid is being intensified to correct critical shortage of cresylic acid. -yl\lississippi farmers enter into cooperative agreement to construct $13,000,000 plant for production of low-cost fertilizer with charter approved for Mississippi Chemical Corp. capitalized a t $8,000,000.--Munitions Board reports to Congress, Government will pursue a “more aggressive policy in draining key industrial materials from civilian economy into national stockpile.”-Women’s Bureau, Labor Department, issues report showing 5000 to 6000 women are employed in chemistry, which is more than are employed in any other science.--National Munitions Board lists uranium and radium among strategic materials not being stored because storage problems outweigh advantages of stockpiling. --Chicago Section A.C.S. announces 5th National Chemical Exposition and Kational Industrial Chemical Conference, to be held in Chicago October 12 to 16, will feature industrial chemistry3.
7 AUGUST31. Sales of chemical process industries during first half of 1948 soared to all-time high of $4,500,000,000 or 20y0 above total for same period of 1947, according to survey reported a t A.C.S. meeting in Washington.--International control of atomic energy will be chief problem before coming session of United Nations Assembly, Philip C. Jessup, U. S. representative on Security Council, says as he boards liner for meeting. SEPTEMBER 1. War Assets Administration receives two bids for Government’s $3,000,000 wartime experimental wood alcohol plant a t Springfield.--Secretary Marshall says U. S.has taken ZIbid., 2676 (Sept. 13, 1948). 8 Ibsd., 2782 (Sept. 20, 1948).
Eng. News, 26, 2660 (Aug. 30, 1948).
1999
2000
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
u p with Britain and France further dismantling and removal of German industrial plants as viar reparations. (I SEPTEhIBER 2. hfilt,on Harris, Harris Reeearch Labmatories, at A.C.S. meeting in Washington, D . C., describes chemical development to rebuild wool molecules which chemically improves the wool, increases it,s resiliency and weara slashes cost.--Walter A. TVinsten, Food Research ries, Long Island City, N. Y., a t same meeting describes synthetic process to increase supply and lower procluction cost of vitamin D on big scale. --Europe’s rapidly rising petroleum requirements prompt Arabian-American Oil Co. to increase capacity of its 1200- nile trans-Arabian pipeline to 500,000 bbl. dai1y.NAlvin E. Enrich, acting president Stanford University, announces plans for building an atom-smashing 160-foot “cannon” designed to fire nuclear projectiles with energies of more than 1,000,000,000 electron volts4.
ri SEPTEMBER 3. President Truman names commission headed by William H. Davis of N. Y. to study and report on labor relations problems as they affect atomic energy; other members are Aaron Korwitz of X’. Y., and Edwin C. Witte of TTisconsin.-YPermanente Metals Corp. leases big aluminum mill at Sewark, Ohio, from \J7A-4.--Stratcgic materials mission of Economic Cooperation rldministration concluda agreement nith Brit,ish authorities for supply of ran- rubber. c[ SEPTEMBER 4. Harvey Firestonu, Jr., chairman, Pirestone Tire and Rubber Co., announces $1,000,000 expansion program to more than d.ouble output of foanied latex a t its Fall River, Mass., plant.--Beneficial radioactive isotopes from U. S. atomic energy laboratories are available to 21 countrics, hEC announces5.
T SEPTENBER 5. Paul L. Day, biochemist’rp department, University of Arkansas, School of Xedicine, receives Midwest Award St. Louis Section A.C.S. for discovery of vitamin M.
li SEPTEXBER 6. A.C.S. opens I\fidrrest session of its 114th meeting a t St. Louis and malres following aaards: $1000 A.C.S. Award in Pure Chemistry, sponsored by Alpha Chi Sigma, to Saul Winstein, University of California, for fundamental research on displacement reactions; $1000 Fisher Ax-ard in Analytical Chemistry to S. Howell Fnvman, Russell Wellman Moore professor of chemistry at, Princeton University; Priestlcy Medal to E. R. Weidlein, director hIellon Institute, for distinguished services to chemistry. I n medal address Veidlein m r n s that atomic energy must not be relied upon as final answer to country’s fuel program.--Eight leading U.S.atomic scientists in celegranis to President Truman and Governor Deirey charge Thomas Un-American lctivities Coininittee has endangered national security through its “objectionable smear tactics.” Signers include Karl T. Compton, president, l I I T ; Harold C. L-rev, University of Chicago; George B. Pcgram, Columbia University; Philip 34. Morse, M I T ; ‘l’horfin R. Hogn tute of Radiobiology and Biophysics, Chicago; John C Carnegie Institute of Technology; Cha C. Lauritsen, California Institute of Technology; and H a on Brown. professor of nuclear chemistry, Chicago. 1T SEPTEVBER 7 . Five scientists from U. S.Bureau of Mines tell chemists a t St. Louis meeting X.C.S. fuel oil from coal process will €I. Bruner, be economically practical in the near future. --F. Texas Co., at same meeting says gasoline and fuel oil can be produced from other than petroleuni resources and for about same price.--House Committee on Un-American Activities calls more than score of witnesses for questioning in closed session as preiude to public investigation into yhether Russia has obtained atomic secrets from American scientific projects. 5
Chem. Eng. News,26, 2709 (Sept. 13, 1948) Ihid., 2821 (Sept. 20, 1848).
Vol. 43, No. 10
7 SEPTEXBER 8. Sir Henry T. Tiaard, president, British Association for the ldvancement of Science, contrasting British and U. S. productivity says greater productivity in U. S. cannot be explained merely in terms of disparity of natural resources.
7 SEPTEMBER 9. Heyden Chemical Corp. acquires all assets of Ruinford Chemical Co.“Diamond Alkali Co.’s plant at Dallas, Tex., increases production of silicate of soda and related silicate products by SO%.---C. S.gets 25,000 tons of high-grade rubber for its stockpile of strategic materials as first return from Marshall Plan investment,.----Frank Carey, science reporter in Associated Press, Washington Bureau, ]Tins $1000 George Westinghouse science writing award for 1948 in newspaper class ---USAEC announces establishment of 6-man Advisory Committee on Personnel Management as follows: Arthur S.Fleming. president Ohio Wesleyan University, chairman; Lawrence A Appley, president American Management Association; Blviri E. Dodd, honorary president American Management Associtttion; L. Clayton Hill, University of Michigan; Wallace Sayre. Cornell University; and Thomas G. Spates, General Foods Corp 11 8EPTEMBER 10. L‘c. General IAeslie R. Groves, wartiinr chief of army’s atomic bomb development, hints there may have been leaks of its wartime secrets t o Russia. -.-Liquid Carbonic Corp. announces its South American expansion program will be completed t,his month ITith opening of new dry ice and carbonic gas manufacturing plant at Rio de Jai1eiro.NShell Chemical Corp.’s new $12,000,000 plant a t Houston makes glycerol by new process which uses only petroleum, salt, and waterG. I/SEPTEMBER 12. Philip D. Reed, chairman GE board, heads U, 9. group of Anglo-American Council on Productivity to heir, Britain increase production.
7 SEPrEiIBER 13. A.C.S. opens Western session of 114th national meeting at Portland, Ore.---V. I,. Herrington r e ceives Borden Award in the Chemistry of Milk a t general meeting of A.C.S. in Portland.N-President, Truman, addressing opening session of centennial meeting tZrnericari Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, 1). C., charges smears and gossip hinder scicntific vmrk indispensable for national security.-.-,Reichhold Chemicals opens new iS1,000,000 phthalic anhydride plant at Ferndale, X c h . Du Pont announces production of titanium metal for indiistrGu cxperiniental use at rate of about 100 lb. a day at its Scvii)ort, Committce on Cn-American Activitj(+ Del., plant.---House reports material progress in buildirig factual case against “oiie of most important Soviet agents” in viartime espionage for Americatl atomic and radar secrets.-,-.First radioactive detecting safet). devices to protect our drnied Forces and t’he public from atomic. varfare are being mass produced and reduced in cost it is disclosed a t rational Instrument Conference and Exhibit in Philadclphitt ---l:pjohn Co. begins large-scale adrenal extract production.
--
‘1 Si?13mmER I& D u Pont begins output of agricultural byproduct, adiponitrile, a t its Niagara Falls plant from corn cobs and hulls of cottonseed, oats, and rice, for use in making nylon -NU. S.Rubber starts production of cotton and rayon apparel cloth.--International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions meeting in N. P.is told by niedical men addressing meeting that occupational ills face atomic energy worliers. 7 SEPTEMBER 15. Senate’s Trade Policy Committee holds first meeting to evaluate multiple basing point system.--Eugene P. Wigner, Princeton University, reveals at. centenary meeting of the American Association for Advancement of Science in TT‘ashington, D. C., that scientists are already studying possible harnessing of the atom in the propulsion of space ships which moiild escape the gravitation field of the earth. 3 T h i d . , 2 6 1 8 (Sent. 6 . 1948).
