• The barrage of drug advertising promotion aimed at doctors could confuse them and cause many to prescribe irrationally. The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, whose 136 member companies account for 95% of prescription drug sales, took sharp issue with several major proposals and conclusions. Says PMA president C. Joseph Stetler: "The text, especially in the economic and research areas, contains inaccuracies and assumptions that simply do not square with the real world of the pharmaceutical industry. The report fails to cite the significance of declining drug price levels . . . few products are long immune from price competition," he adds. In summary, he says, "the report suggests overly simple and premature conclusions based largely on unsupported opinions and secondary source information." The task force did not propose changes in drug patents and trademarks. It recommended, however, that Secretary Cohen should call for a joint study by HEW, the Department of Commerce, the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission, and other agencies to consider reducing the patent life on drugs from the present 17 years to 10, seven, or five years. Also, the task force asked these agencies to consider permitting drugs to be marketed only under their generic names, together with the company name of the drug maker.
STEEL ANALYSIS:
No Melting Pot Needed • NUCLEAR - Quantitative measurements of stable elements in such materials as steel are possible without first separating the individual elements, according to Atomic Energy Commission chemists Robert S. Morse and George A. Welford of the New York City based health and safety laboratory. The technique, Mr. Morse explains, involves the equilibration of the stable element in question with its radioactive isotope, migration by paper or thin-layer chromatography, and the use of radioactive counting techniques to make the measurements. By use of this methodology, stable element determinations can be made in the microgram range with reproducibility on the order of plus or minus 2%, Mr. Morse adds. For example, the sensitivity of the technique for cobalt in National Bureau of Standards steel samples is 0.01% and the precision is ±2%. The range of the measurement of cobalt is 0.01 to 0.5%, the AEC chemist points out. 16 C&EN SEPT. 23, 1968
THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK
AEC's Robert Morse Determinations in the microgram range
To date, he adds, the technique has been used only on NBS steel samples. Thus the study was aimed at determining whether other elements, such as nickel and chromium, whose concentrations vary greatly from sample to sample, affect the migration and density of the cobalt area during and after chromatographic migration. Initially, a constant amount of cobalt-60 is added to a solution in which 1 gram of steel is dissolved in dilute hydrochloric acid. After equilibration a 25-micro.iter aliquot is used for the chromatographic migration. Migration on the paper strip is effected with a solvent mixture of acetone, hydrochloric acid, and water. After developing the chromatogram there are two ways to determine the amount of cobalt present, Mr. Morse explains. The measurement can be made of the density of the cobalt-60 by beta scintillation counting of a discrete area of the chromatogram using a small plastic phosphor, or the optical density of a radioautograph of the chromatogram can be measured. Although the initial study involved cobalt in steel, the technique should be applicable to other constituents, the AEC team contends. Moreover, they point out, the only limitation of the technique, as far as other matrixes are concerned, might possibly be the availability of the radioactive isotopes. Current efforts by the AEC team involve adapting this technique to thinlayer chromatography.
SYNTHETIC OILS:
Growing Stake for CPI Chemical makers' stake in the automobile engine oils market is expected to grow as synthetic lubricants begin to come into gradual use in the 1970's, Richard A. Sholts, group leader,
research and development, Amoco Chemicals, told more than 400 members of the National Petroleum Refiners Association in New York. Mr. Sholts tells C&EN that diester and polyglycol type synthetic oils have advantages in very low temperature service and are now being used as arctic oils. Synthetics which are claimed to be smokeless are also used in two-cycle engines for outboard motorboats, lawn mowers, and chain saws. Another area in which the synthetics could grow because of their oxidation resistance would be in very high performance cars where oil temperatures might exceed 375° F., he adds. Mr. Sholts also says that all engine oils in the next decade will be formulated to withstand more severe operating conditions, have lower ash contents, and that cross-grading will become more widespread. The improvements will result from development of: • Ashless dispersants of improved thermal stability. • More effective antioxidants and rust inhibitors with lower ash content. • Improved antiwear agents of lower ash content. • Viscosity index improvers with better combinations of thermal stability, shear stability, and low temperature fluidity. Use of improved base stocks made available through superrefining, hydrofinishing, and hydrocracking processes will be complemented by the gradual introduction of synthetic lubricants, Mr. Sholts adds. Engine oils for the 1970's will match engine requirements, agrees Dwane F. Miller, manager, organic fluids and general chemistry department, Chrysler Corp., Detroit. Although a few surprises may develop in the next 10 years, most of the trends have now been established, he contends. These include a shift toward more short-trip, heavy-traffic automobile operations, and more high-speed, hightemperature operation as the interstate highway system increases from 1967's 26,000 miles to more than 40,000 miles by 1980. Vehicle and engine changes will raise oil temperatures largely as a result of such influences as larger engine displacements, growth in convenience options, and exhaust, crankcase, and other emission controls, Mr. Miller adds, and more stringent controls will produce greater reliance on maintenance, including oil quality. "There are problems of record keeping and surveillance that may result in changes in warranty requirements, some of which may make oil quality even more important," he adds.
