Microchciiiical Symposium Held in Jew York A STAFF REPORT
A HK third annual mi croche mi cal sym posium of t h e Metropolitan Microchemical Society was held at t h e American Museum of N a t u r a l H i s t o r y in New York City on Feb. 27 to 28. T h e two-day meeting which drew over one hundred microchemists from t h e metropolitan area consisted of t h r e e technical sessions each of which was presided over b y a former chairman of t h e organization: D. B . Sabine, R o b e r t A. H a r t e , Leo K . Yanowski.
College presented some discussion on t h e use of microchromatography employing filter paper partitioning. T h e author said t h a t although this technique was suggested in 1861 by Schonbcin it received little attention until 19-14 when Consden, Gordon, and M a r t i n published their paper o n the qualitative analysis of pro teins i n which t h e y employed a partition chromatographic method using paper. The latter application differed somewhat from t h e original b y using t h e paper only as an inert support for the two solvents, Block revealed. Statistical methods, a field that h a s been receiving increased attention a t most technical meetings, was the t h e m e of t h e paper b y John Mandel of t h e National Bureau of Standards. T h e author indi cated that such methods serve a twofold
purpose in analytical chemistry research: the design of experiments and t h e analysis of data. For this* r e a s o n , it i s necessary t h a t t h e statistician be consulted in both the planning a n d t h e evaluation stages of experimental work. Some of t h e diversifiecl applications of the automatic recording; spectrophotom eter were revealed in th-e paper by E . I. Stearns of t h e American* Cyanamid Co. Among the illustrations u s e d by the author were the determination of a reaction b y the formation of a chemical complex between a dye molecule and a rmetal, the deter mination of a reaction ra,te by the inver sion of sucrose and t h e determination of the optical constants of &, printing ink by the determination of the refractive index and the extinction coefficient o f an alkali blue ink.
We Need a National Agricultural Policy Bella Littrnan, and F. A. Meier, Works, secretary,
JIoffmann-LaRoche, American Platinum chairman, MM S
After a welcome t o t h e gathering b y F. A. Meier, of the American P l a t i n u m Works, t h e present chairman of t h e Metropolitan Microchemical Society, t h e technical sessions got under way with a paper b y Iv. J . Heinicke of Bausch a n d Lomb, λνΐιο spoke of recent developments in t h e field of microscopy. T h e author declared t h a t ultraviolet microscopy h a s been revived b y more efficient screens for focusing, more suitable light sources, a n d optical developments covering a greater range of ultraviolet wave lengths achromatically. T h e a u t h o r concluded his paper b y stressing t h e importance t h a t developments of chemicals fluorescing in t h e infrared will h a v e in use of t h e same for focusing screens in infrared photo micrography. Infrared spectroscopy was t h e topic dealt with in t h e paper b y K o n r a d D o b riner of t h e Sloan-Kettering I n s t i t u t e . H e pointed o u t t h a t with t h e increased availability of a d e q u a t e instruments with which t o make infrared absorption meas urements, i t i s expected t h a t infrared techniques will play larger roles in bio logical research. T o prove his contention, t h e a u t h o r described t h e use of infrared spectrometiy a s an analytical tool in t h e determination of small quantities of steroid metabolites isolated from urine. N o t only did i t prove useful in recognizing these compounds, t h e a u t h o r concluded, b u t i t gave helpful information on t h e position of functional groups in t h e steroid molecule. R. J . Block of t h e New York Medical V O L U M E
2 6,
NO.
11
»
W I L L I A M J . H A L E , P r e s i d e n t , N a t i o n a l Agrol Co., Washing-ton 6 , D. C . W HY is it t h a t so many chemists a r e lacking in chemical vision, seemingly u n able t o see t h e forest of mighty a n d grow ing carbohydrates for their insignificant fossilized residues of hydrocarbons scat tered here a n d there? C a n it b e t h a t chemists would lead a life undisturbed b y new a n d far-reaching discoveries destined to displace the old order of things? Or is it t h a t many of our profession are, chemi cally, suffering a compound myopic astig matism? D a y after d a y we read of t h e approach ing crisis in gasoline a n d fuel oil shortage. On F e b . 9 appeared an editorial by Walter J. M u r p h y in CHEMICAL AND E N G I N E E R
ING N E W S entitled " W e Need a National
» M A R C H
15,
1948
Fuel Policy.'' In this article general ap proval was given to the proposal of Sec retary of the Interior Kring to fctie Congress of the United States for expenditure of $9 billion over t h e next five years in con struction of synthetic fuiel plants specifi cally for the synthesis of gasoline and fuel oil. Y e t I find no word 03:1 the t r u l y sound program based upon fenra.enlation alcohol. I t is to be regretted thiat authorities in Washington a r e totally olbliviotis to chemurgic progress and especially t o enzymatic studies. Only oflate h a v e they become at all cognizant of the passing of petroleum! Since i t s introduction in 1859 i n Pennsyl vania somewhat over 20 îbilliori barrels, or less t h a n one cubic mile, o f the liquid have been consumed; and o n l v about 24 billion barrels remain in our prov^ed reserves, t o be increased, f r o m time to fcimc, b y new and always more costly findiogs, T h e present rate of consumption of petroleum i n this c o u n t y amounts to 1.8 trillion barrels annually, which is slightly above our present annual explorational findings, The calculated home requirements of 2 billion barrels of liquid fuels b y 1949 m a y well stir national authorities t o ponder t h e predictions and promises of w a price as $2.00 {Continued on p*age 8O6) 743
