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Vol. 9, No. 7
W o r l d - W i d e Chemistry Scandinavia C. A. ROBAK, Horten, Norway Research Institute for Pulp and Paper Industries Inaugurated O n January 31 a new research institute for the pulp and paper industries was inaugurated in Oslo, Norway. T h e institute, founded and financed by the cooperation of the majority of t h e Norwegian pulp and paper manufacturing companies, has three divisions—(1) for the testing of cellulose and paper, (2) for cooking experiments and studies on the cooking liquids, and (3) for research on mechanical wood pulp. The purposes of t h e institute are to carry out research for improved methods of manufacture and testing of products, to keep the industries informed of the progress made in foreign countries b y supplying interested parties with abstracts of foreign papers, and to conduct regular testing of the products of the associated companies. Special stress will be laid upon improved methods of classifying the products according t o their quality. Xow-Temperature Hydrogénation of Wood According t o a patent taken out by a Swedish chemist, A. R. Xindblad, wood can be hydrogenated and converted almost •completely into gaseous and liquid compounds by the following procedure : Wood materials, such as sawdust and forestry wastes, after impregnation with suitable catalysts, such as metals of the iron group or oxides and other compounds of these metals, are -treated with reducing gases, such as hydrogen, hydrocarbons, •carbon monoxide, or mixtures of these gases, a t increased temperature and pressure. T h e reaction temperature is kept below that a t which exothermic decomposition of the wood begins— that is, below 270-280° C.—till most of the material has been •converted into a mass which is liquid or at least plastic at the prevailing temperature. T h e pressure is kept between 10 and 100 atmospheres. The resulting tar and oils are discharged from the reaction vessel in a liquid state, and the gas is all or in part returned t o the process, preferably after separation of the carbon «dioxide and other undesired compounds. Scandinavian Cellulose and Wood Pulp Industry Fighting General Depression T h e Scandinavian countries Sweden, Norway, and Finland are large producers of cellulose and mechanical wood pulp. In t h e past year the production of the three countries amounted t o 1,400,000 (English) tons of mechanical pulp (50 per cent moisture), 1,800,000 tons of sulfite cellulose, and about 900,000 tons of sulfate cellulose, nearly 90 per cent of which was exported. The production capacity is much higher, particularly that of the mechanical pulp mills, which are at present working a t a substantially reduced rate. The bad market situation, with prices below t h e average cost of production, is felt very keenly by these industries, although the usual remedial measures have been taken—technical rationalization, financial consolidation, and joint production regulation. The mechanical pulp mill*; have united to form cooperating associations, one in each country. These associations have agreed to reduce production b y 45 per cent during t h e present year, and they are prepared t o go to further reduction if necessary. In this way they have succeeded in maintaining the market price at a level which will cover at least the bare production cost, although not interest and profits. The sulfite mills have formed similar organizations which have recently made an agreement with the corresponding associations in Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia for a common reduction of production by 15 per cent provisionally till t h e end of 1932. T o Sweden alone, which is the largest producer of sulfite pulp, this regulation means a reduction of exportation b y some 150,000 tons, with a value of Jabout 25 million kroner. In the sulfate pulp industry the situation i s still worse, the present market price being about 8 5 to 90 per cent of the pre-war price and being insufficient to cover the bare cost of production e v e n in the best cases. As yet the attempts t o form organizations for the regulation of production and sales have not been successful, but^several mills have been forced to shut down for shorter or longer periods. The high wages paid to the workers in industry and forestry naturally add t o the difficulties. The wages per hour average a b o u t 280 per cent of the pre-war wages for industrial workmen and 180 t o 200 per cent for the forestry people, ^whereas the prices obtained for t h e products are about 90 to A 120 per cent and the cost of the raw material, wood, about 125 per cent •of t h e 1913 prices. This is, however, a condition which is well k n o w n in other countries too.
France Buying Soviet Gasoline According t o a report from the official Soviet-Russian agency, Tass, a contract w a s signed in Paris o n December 17 between the Russian petroleum syndicate and the French oil group, Petrofine, for a regular annual delivery of 300,000 tons of Russian gasoline to France. The French oil group and the Russian syndicate are essentially in agreement concerning the supply of considerable quantities of crude oil a n d gasoline to France up t o 1938. Moreover, the o l d importers of .Russian lubricating oils have renewed their contracts for t h e supply of these products. Soviet-Russia. Takes up Domestic Production of Rubber The Soviet-Russian agency also reports t h a t recent scientific expeditions have l e d to t h e discovery of a large number o f rubberproducing plants, some of which are able to compete with the rubber trees in thie industrial production of rubber. Two of the five rubber plants discovered within t h e territory of the Soviet Union—namely, the Hondrilla a n d t h e Taus-Aanguyz— are especially rich, in rubber latex. T h e investigations have thus far been insufficient for the exact estimation of t h e extent of the area where these plants are found in abundance. However, according to preliminary estimates there are 180 million rubber plants, capable of producing about 30,000 tons of rubber. During the past year five large plantations h a v e been established besides a scientific research institute. This year twelve other rubber plantations and factories are to b e started. March 7, 1931
Society of Chemical Industry Jubilee London, July 13 t o 18, 1931 Our readers will recall ( N E W S E D I T I O N , N O V . 10, 1930) that a party of American and Canadian chemists is being organized to attend t h e jubilee o f the Society of Chemical Industry next July. From t h e advance program t h e London, meeting should be exceptionally entertaining and of the greatest interest. The meetings will be addressed by some of t h e foremost technologists of the -world; the entertainment offered is lavish and varied; and the visits to works and such places as Oxford and Windsor are exceedingly well planned. The American a n d Canadian party sail from Montreal on July 4 (embarkation on t h e night of the 3rd), proceeding directly from Liverpool to London. Accommodation is being reserved at the Hotel Great Central, whicn is t n e officiai headquarters of the jubilee meetings. The party will leave London o n July 19 for a sight-seeing tour a n d will sail from Glasgow for N e w York July 26. The total cost, with room a n d breakfast in London, is $345. Bookings for this tour are being made at a very satisfactory rate, a n d those w h o are interested are urged t o make their reservations w i t h o u t delay, a s cabins are allotted strictly in the order of application. Hotel accommodation in London, etc., is at a premium in. July and must be reserved well in advance; all hotel bookings are made a t the same time as the steamship passage. Reservations m a y b e made at any office of t h e White Star Line. Further information m a y b e procured from, the secretary of the Canadian Council of the Society, H . P. Foran, Shawinigan Chemicals, Ltd., Sb.awinigan Falls, Que.
Antimony Minerals in Russia Various deposits of antimony h a v e been discovered i n Russia. The deposit a t Aramaschewsk in the Urals h a s been most exploited and i s rich i n gold, with reserves calculated t o b e at least 140,000 tons. Stibine also occurs a t Suo Sioni near Kasbek, and veins have been found i n the Kurtatinsh defile leading to the valley of Fiag-Dou, some 60 kilometers from Wladikawka. T i n deposits at Nlkitowk in the Ukraine also contain antimony. A deposit of antimony in Akwolinsk i n the Urals is believed to be 3 meters thick. Tung Oil—The Eupharbia tree, of trxe species Aleurites, is a native of Sikkim, Nepal, Assam, and northern Burma. When five years old the tree produces seed containing 3 7 per cent of tung oil and from i t s tenth t o its fiftieth year bas a period of full fruition. T h e tree is being reintroduced into India.
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
A p r i l 10, 1931
T h e April Number of Chemical Reviews I n t h e April n u m b e r of Chemical Reviews will be published the papers which were presented at the symposium o n "NonA q u e o u s Solutions/* lield b y t h e Division of Physical and Inorganic
Chemistry o f
the
AMERICAN
Cincinnati, Ohio, September, 1930. t h e names of the authors follow:
CHEMICAL SOCIETY in
T h e titles of t h e papers and
"Introduction t o the Symposium," b y W. V. Evans, Northwestern University. "An Introduction t o t h e Chemistry of Acetic Acid Solutions," by A . W. Davidson, University of KLanssLs. "Acid-Base Equilibria i n Non-Aqueous Solvents with Particular Reference t o Glacial Acetic Acid," b y N. F . Hall, University of "Wisconsin. "Hydrogen Fluoride a n d Its Solutions," by J. H. Simons, Northwestern University. "Liquid Hydrogen Sulfide a s a Reaction Medium," by J. A. "Wilkinson, I o w a State College. "Non-Aqueous Reduction Reactions," b y C. A. Kraus, Brown University. "A Study of the Reducing Action of Sodium upon Salts in Liquid Ammonia Solution," b y W. M. Burgess and £ . H. Smoker, University of Cincinnati. "The Properties o f Solutions of Metals in Liquid Ammonia*," by W . C. Johnson, University of Cbdcago. and A. W. Meyer, D u Pont Ammonia Corp. "The Behavior of Electrolytes in Dilute Methyl Alcohol Solution," by J. W. "Williams, University of "Wisconsin. "Equilibria in Non-Electrolyte Solutions in Relation to the Vapor Pressures and Densities of t h e Components," by George Scatchard, Massachus e t t s Institute of Technology. "Electrodeposition of ^Metals from Non-Aqueous Solvents," by L . F. Audrieth a n d H. W . Nelson, University of Illinois.
Experiment i n Handling Technical Society Meetings M e e t i n g s of technical societies are often wearisome and irritati n g because the programs are crowded and t h e authors u s e so m u c h time in presenting their papers that none i s left for discussion. I n order to m a k e the printed transactions most useful for reference, t h e number of papers should increase rather than decrease, b u t t o allow discussion, which is often more valuable t h a n the paper t h a t produced it, some means must be found to diminish t h e t i m e taken i n presentation of papers. A n attempt t o solve t h i s problem will be made at the June meeting of the American Society for Testing Materials (June 2 3 , Hotel S t e v e n s , Chicago), a t which two sessions will b e dev o t e d t o a joint s y m p o s i u m of the A. S. T . M. and A. S. M. E . on t h e engineering problems involved in t h e use of metals at high temperatures. T h e s y m p o s i u m will deal w i t h t h e engineering trends in the needs o f trie power plant, oil, chemical, metal, a u t o m o t i v e , a n d ceramic industries for metals for high-temperature service, and w i t h the properties of available materials for such service. There will be nearly thirty papers, but they have been written with the express understanding that n o author i s t o present, o r even t o summarize, h i s o w n paper. The high spots o f all t h e papers on t h e engineering needs of the industries will be summarized at t h e first session by a representative of the Joint C o m m i t t e e of t h e A. S. T . M. and A. S. M. E . o n the Effect of Temperature o n the Properties of Metals, which committee is sponsoring the symposium. Another representative of the committee will summarize the papers o n t h e properties of the various alloys, f o r t h e second session. · Neither representative h a s written a n y of the papers, b u t the task of each is t o s e t forth a general picture of t h e engineering situation a s it is brought o u t i n the individual detailed papers. T h e subjects will t h e n be thrown open to discussion, with the authors ready t o answer questions that will be fired at them, b u t otherwise b e i n g "seen b u t not heard." I t is thus hoped to combine t h e a d v a n t a g e s of giving, for reference, a complete picture of the engineering situation in t h e printed transactions, w i t h i a c t i v e and interesting discussion a t the meeting itself. If t h e scheme works, it s h o u l d offer a w a y out from the boredom of many overcrowded technical meetings. Of course, the papers m u s t b e preprinted a n d b e in t h e hands of t h e society members a n d guests w h o will wish t o discuss t h e m well in a d v a n c e of t h e meeting. This is being arranged, a n d copies of the preprints can be obtained from t h e secretary of t h e A . S. T . M., C . L . Warwick, 1315 Spruce St., Philadelphia, P a . , a b o u t M a y 10.
Duty orjL Edible Gelatin Reduced I n response t o an application from the N e w York agent of t h e Delft Gelatin "Works i n the Netherlands, t h e principal foreign producer o f edible gelatin supplying t h e United S t a t e s market, t h e Tariff Commission instituted a n extensive investigation on costs of production o f edible gelatin. The commission h a d in-
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vestigated t h e commodity under t h e tariff a c t of 1922, but had made n o report prior to t h e enactment of the tariff a c t of 1930, in which t h e specific rate of d u t y o n gelatin valued a t less than 4 0 cents per pound was increased from 3.5 to 5 cents per pound, t h e ad valorem rate of 2 0 per cent remaining the same. A s a result of t h e investigation, the commission found that on edible gelatin valued a t less than 40 cents per pound t h e duty' should b e reduced to 5 cents per pound plus 12 per cent ad valorem, in order t o equalize production costs. No change i s recommended for edible gelatin valued at 40 cents o r more per pound. Nearly all imports, a s well as United States production, consist of gelatin valued a t less than 40 cents per pound. The new rates recommended by t h e Tariff Commission have been proclaimed b y the President, to become effective April 15, 1931
Development of Synthetic Resins Secured by Patent Agreement For several years the paint, varnish, lacquer, a n d enainel industries have shown great interest in the phthalate and similar synthetic resins of t h e polybasic acid type, variously designated a s alkyd, glyptal, and rezyls. Development of these resins and their uses has been retarded, however, because of t h e patent situation. Each of the three groups which have been responsible for the development of these resins and are actively engaged in research in this field—namely, General Electric Co., du Pont Co., a n d American Cyanamid Co.—has been faced with the possibility that resins a n d products from resins which they have developed and placed on the market might come under patent control of one of t h e other groups as a result of some patent obtained upon a n application now pending in the U. S. Patent Office. There are a large number of these applications, besides a considerable number of issued patents controlled by the three groups. T h e patents and pending patent applications cover both t h e resins and their uses, a n d are not limited to the field of coating compositions. It is now announced that t h i s restraint upon the development of these synthetic resins has been removed by a series of agreements. T h e parties to these agreements are General Electric Co. and its controlled companies, E . I. d u Pont d e Nemours & Co. and its controlled companies, American Cyanamid Co. and i t s controlled companies (including the Rezyl Corp.), and the Ellis-Foster Co., which, together with Rezyl Corp., controls the inventions of Carleton Ellis in this field. T h e purpose of these agreements is t o make it possible for each group to pursue its technical and commercial development in this resin field with the assurance of immunity against prosecution of itself o r its customers under t h e patents t h a t are at present owned or may shortly be obtained by the other groups. Greatly increased activity in synthetic resins is expected to result.
Mêlions Awarded Institute of Chemists Medal _^On Tuesday, March 2 4 , t h e 76th birthday of Andrew W. Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury, the American Institute of Chemists announced that its medal, which is awarded annually t o individuals outside the profession of chemistry for distinguished a n d outstanding services t o the science a n d profession o f chemistry, had been awarded jointly to Andrew W . and Richard B. Mellon. T h e medal will be presented t o the Mellon brothers a t the annual meeting of the institute t o be held on Saturday, M a y 9 , at Washington. The Mellon brothers a r e perhaps best known i n t h e field of science as the founders a n d patrons of t h e Mellon Institute of Industrial Research. T h i s institute now occupies t w o buildings, and a third, announced some time ago in the N E W S EDITION, is being erected t o replace the older facilities and to bring together under one roof the various home activities of the institute. It is generally recognized t h a t Mellon Institute of Industrial Research has been one of t h e great constructive forces i n the advance of American chemical industry and of industries utilizing t h e results of t h e chemical science.
Protein Crystals Isolated from Trypsin John H. Northrop and M . Klunitz, of t h e Rockefeller Institute f o r Medical Research, Princeton, N . J., have isolated protein crystals of great digestive power from commercial preparations of trypsin. The discovery i s considered to be a n important step i n the understanding of t h e chemical mechanism of digestion. Both pepsin, previously crystallized b y D o c t o r Northrop, and trypsin are now known t o belong t o the class of proteins. T h e digestive power o f the crystals i s reported t o be about ten times t h a t of t h e most active commercial preparations of trypsin. The crystals are very unstable and easily lose some of their activity.
