THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK Generally, it is felt that the areas studied contain large resources of titanium and niobium. Because of public urgency, copies of the preliminary report o n niobium and ti tanium in these deposits are available for public inspection only at the following offices: General Services Library, Wash ington D . C ; Public Inquiries Office, New Custom House, Denver, Colo.; Public In quiries Office, Joplin, Mo.; and the Ar kansas Resources and Development Com mission, Little Rock, Ark.
Munitions Board Studies Critical Materials Reduced usage of certain critical metals, obtainable largely from sources outside the continental U . S. and necessary for produc tion of strategic importance, has been recommended by the Munitions Board of the Department of Defense. T h e categories of materials covered i n the study include strategic metals, additive alloying mate rials, nonferrous alloying materials, and metals used as protective coatings. T h e study, it i s hoped, will act as a guide in the selection o f materials for mili tary engineering and design. The study provides possible bases for setting up re search and development programs for al ternate materials or n e w uses for existing materials. It also pin points areas for pos sible plant expansion and demonstrates set-ups in salvage or reclamation programs for critical materials. Copies of the Study? Munitions Board Conservation Bulletin, Vol. II, No. 2, are available on request from the Press Branch, Office of Public Information, Room 2E765, Pentagon, Washington, D , C.
M i n e r a l Exploration Program Revised T h e regulations under which t h e D e fense Minerals Exploration Program has helped finance t h e cost of exploration for n e w deposits of strategic minerals has been amended to restrict t h e program t o those minerals still in critically short supply. The amendment .to DJMEA Order 1 is in com pliance with the directive issued by the Office of Defense Mobilization, which eliminated 19 separate metals or minerals from the list of 3 7 previously eligible for assistance. For contracts which were in effect o n o r before April 15 and which cover minerals now excluded by the amended regulations, D M E A will continue to provide assistance required by the con tract to complete the work or achieve the original purpose of t h e contract. Government assistance is now available for the following three groups of metals and minerals only: Group A. Chromium, copper, molyb denum, and bauxite (refractory grade o n l y ) . DMEA will contribute 50% of ap proved costs. Group B . Manganese and tungsten. D M E A will contribute 7 5 % of the ap proved costs.
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Group C . Asbestos, beryl, cobalt, columbium, tantalum, industrial diamonds, mica, nickel, platinum, thorium, and ura nium. D M E A will contribute 9 0 % of the approved costs.
H M D U S T R I A L Μ0Π1Ι IZATIOfNJ | N e w Symbols a n d Numbers Issued for Defense M a t e r i a l s The Office of Defense Mobilization has issued a revised list of program identifica tion symbols for u s e under the defense materials system. These symbols identify the defense program contract for which the materials will b e used. All defense orders placed for delivery in the third and subsequent quarters will bear one of these symbols. Copies of the listing may b e had from the Office of Defense Mobili zation, Washington 25, D . C.
Beryl f r o m Brazil and Manganese From Mexico Sought by DMPA Short supply beryl will b e somewhat relieved in the future b y the develop mental contract just signed by the D e fense Materials Procurement Agency and the firm of Proberil, S. A., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The contract calls for development of deposits in the state of Minas Gerias. DMPA has an option on $150,000 worth of beryl at a price of $ 5 0 per metric ton unit contained i n concentrates, f.o.b. DMPA will advance an initial $50,000 to help get the project under way. As pro duction proceeds this will be repaid with interest. As insurance against loss of manganese supplies from abroad, DMPA has under taken seven more purchase contracts for the development of new manganese de posits in Mexico. This brings the total of contracts of this t y p e to twelve. They will assure 416,500 tons of the 550,000 tons the program calls for, 136,000 tons com ing from t h e seven new contracts. The deposits under t h e n e w contracts are in five Mexican states: Chihuanhua, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, and Jalisco. T h e Mexican companies under contract are: Fierro Manganese; Minero Fernandez; Yacomo, Inc.; and Exploradora de Minérales. American companies under contract are: Minas Consolidadas, S. Α., El Paso, Tex.; Ore and Ferro Corp., N e w York; and Continental Ore Corp., N e w York.
DMS Nickel on Monthly Basis; I M C Releases French Nickel Fonte With the change-over from the con trolled materials plan to the defense mate rials system, nickel will b e allocated on a monthly basis instead of quarterly, com mencing July 1953. With the amendment to Direction 1 a n d Schedules 2, 4, and 5 of Order M-80, t h e National Production Authority said there will be greater flexi bility in allocating procedures than that
CHEMICAL
provided b y quarterly distribution. Ap plications for nickel must n o w be filed b y the first day of the month preceding the month in which the applicant proposes to melt or process. Melters and processors, however, will continue to receive quar terly allocations of cobalt, molybdenum, columbium, and tantalum. The nickel committee of the interna tional materials conference has declared 500 metric tons of nickel fonte ( 3 0 % nickel cast iron) to b e available for sale outside the second quarter IMC alloca tions. The excess v/as produced i n N e w Caledonia and has been made available lor export by the French government. The quantities, if purchased, will be in addition to, and will not affect, t h e fonte quotas which were recommended for dis tribution this quarter.
First Agreement in Third Aluminum Expansion Round The Harvey Machine Co., Torrance, Calif., has signed the first agreement with General Services Administration in t h e third round of aluminum expansion. T h e agreement calls for the construction of facilities with a capacity to produce 54,000 short tons of primary aluminum a year. The plant will consist of a two-pot line aluminum reduction facility and an alumina facility with a capacity t o supply the reduction plant for full operation. The plant will b e located near Dalles, Ore. All told, the Government is seeking in the n e w expansion program an additional production of 200,000 tons a year. T w o other firms, OHn Industries, Ν . Υ., and the Wheland Co., Tenn., have been granted tax amortization certificates b y the Office of Defense Mobilization, b u t as yet have not come to agreements with GSA.
Almost All Allocations A r e off Manganese O r e Allocation of manganese ore has been virtually suspended b y the Defense Mate rials Procurement Agency. One provision of mineral order 2, pertaining t o reports to t h e Government, will remain in force until June 30, 1953. After that date the only provision that will b e left in effect will b e the one authorizing D M P A to is sue special directives covering deliveries of the ore. Annual supplies from all sources available to the U . S. under the expansion program is expected to be over 2.8 million long tons by 1955 as compared with about 1.8 million long tons i n 1950.
Aluminum W i l l Continue t o Be Stockpiled f o r the Third Q u a r t e r The Government's aluminum stockpiling program will b e continued during the third quarter of 1953, states the Office of D e fense Mobilization. As a result of the stockpile decision, ODM said t h e amount of aluminum available during the next
AND ENGINEERING
NEWS
quarter for civilian consumption, after setasides for military and A E C requirements, will b e substantially the same as in the current quarter. T h e current quarter has the highest level since t h e beginning of the Korean conflict. Fabricators will be able to maintain their present production levels during the next quarter. Delivery directives for July are now being issued. T h e stockpile metal will originate from special production ear marked for the Government under its vari ous purchase contracts.
Statistical Preparedness Discussed a t Mobilization Meeting One part of the mobilization readiness program, the problem o f statistical pre paredness, especially in relation to wartype production and materials control, has been under discussion b y a group of ex perts headed by mobilization director Arthur S. Flemming. Their first considera tion was for the flow of statistical informa tion from industry. This is needed to permit a rapid establishment of an effec tive production and materials control sys tem in the event of an all-out war. Special attention was given to the problem of basic metals. Among the m e n present were Commerce Secretary Weeks and Budget Director Dodge. Those from in dustry who were invited were men who have been involved at o n e time or another with various aspects of control systems. The m e n did not necessarily represent a cross section of industry but were se lected because of their special background and experience.
Appointments
. . .
Henry Parkman, Boston, Mass., has been appointed assistant director in charge of the nonmilitary defense programs of the Office of Defense Mobilization. D . T. Staples, Tide Water Associated Oil Co., San Francisco, Calif., and Nelson Maynard, National Congress of Petroleum Re tailers, Inc., Decatur, Ga., have been ap pointed as members o n t h e National Petroleum Council. On going to press, William D . Mitchell, Quick-Way Truck Shovel Co., Denver, Colo., has been nominated b y President Eisenhower to be head of the Small Defense Plants Ad ministration and his name has been sent for approval to the Senate.
TECHNOLOGY Meson Beam Shows Nucleus To Be 1 5 % Smaller The nucleus of the atom appears to b e about 15% smaller than its presently ac cepted value, according to techniques de veloped by James Rainwater and Val Fitch of Columbia University's physics department. Because o f the high-energy x-rays given off by the mu meson beams, a n e w kind of x-ray spectroscopy
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Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA*) is a mild, pleasant smelling, high boiling primary alcohol containing the characteristic heterocyclic furan ring. Its reactions are generally those of a primary alcohol. (A reaction chart is yours for the asking.) In addition to the usual reaction character istics of a primary alcohol, THFA can be made to undergo reactions involving the ring such as ring opening to open chain compounds which in some cases may be recyclized to form other important ring compounds. USES 1 · T o m a k e plasticizers such as tetrahydrofur furyl oleate. 2 · As a chemical intermediate. For e x a m p l e d e h y d r a t i o n yields 2 , 3 - d i h y d r o p y r a n which is in turn the precursor o f such interesting com pounds as 1 , 5 - p e n t a n e d i o l , t e t r a h y d r o p y r a n a n d lysine. 3 · Solvent for dyes, resins a n d other interesting compounds. Those having solvent problems in connection with styrene, vinyl a c e t a t e , vinyl b u t y r a l , cellulose a c e t a t e , ethyl cellulose, nitro cellulose, " A " s t a g e p h e n o l - a l d e h y d e resins a n d rosin would d o w e l l t o investigate this solvent.
* Reg. U. S. Pat Off.
Write
for
Technical
The Quaker Qi\\s (bm party
Bulletin
PROPERTIES (PURE Boiling point,°C, (743mm.) Specific gravity, 20/20°C Refractive index η 20/D Flash point (open cup) °C
OF THFA COMPOUND) 177.5 1.064 1.4505 75-80
87-B
'titiitus'-uw.!
333S The Merchandise Mart, Chicago 5 4 , Illinois Room 533S, ISO Wall S t . New York 5, Ν . Υ. Room 433S, P. O . Box 4 3 7 6 , Portland 8 , Oregon In Europe: Quaker Oats-Graanproducten N. V . , Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Quaker Oats (France) S.A., 3, Rue Pillet-Will, Paris IX, France In Australia: Swift & Company, Pty., Ltd., Sydney · In Japan: F. Kanematsu » Company Ltd., Tokyo
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