THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK
H u g h Parker, the new president-elect of the AACC; J. A. Shellabarger, t h e new president; a n d F . C. Hildebrancl, the retiring president, pose with W. F. Geddes, Osborne Medalist and editor of Cereal Chemistry
Geddes Receives Osborne A w a r d C & E N REPORTS: A m e r i c a n Association of C e r e a l Chemists, Annual M e e t i n g
C H I C A G O . - W i l l i a m F. Geddes, chief of t h e division of agricultural biochemistry of the University of Minnesota, was honored b y the American Association of Cereal Chemists with its highest tribute, during t h e organization's thirty-fifth annual meeting here, May 15 to 19. Fie received the Thomas Burr Osborne Medal of the AACC for his "distinguished contributions to cereal chemistry." This was the eighth presentation of the award, t h e first having been in 1928 to the man for whom it was named. Dr. Geddes, a Canadian by birth, was educated in both his native country and in the U. S. and lias divided his work b e tween the two countries. At the present time, in addition to his university position, he is editor of Cereal Chemistry, t h e official scientific journal of the AACC, as well as its Transactions. Fie has held these positions since 1943. Dr. Geddes' extensive accomplishments were praised by A. W . Alcock, Western Canadian Flour Mills Co., who pictured him before t h e banquet guests as a m a n of great energy and enthusiasm: "He is not satisfied to burn t h e candle at both ends; he cuts it into quarters and keeps eight flames buzzing merrily." Mr. Alcock spoke of him as an outstanding research man w h o h a d published 119 scientific papers on research work, in addition to a n u m b e r of technical articles and contributions to several technical books. In his 14 years with Cereal Chemistry, during the last half of which h e has been editorin-chief, he has been the chief influence in shaping t h e editorial policies of the
1816
journal and is now largely responsible for t h e high reputation it enjoys as an original source journal, said Mr. Alcock. Among specific fields of scientific work for which t h e speaker cited Dr. Geddes were researches on the staling of bread and studies of respiration in grains, including experimental work showing that the decomposition of moist grain on heating in storage is caused b y microorganisms rather than germination. But it w a s made clear that t h e medalist's work w a s far too extensive to b e s u m m e d into a few categories and that in spite of his doing this great amount of scientific research, he found time to accept m a n y responsibilities in service in offices a n d o n committees of scientific and professional societies. Dr. Geddes' first j o b as a chemist was that of control ohemist in an explosives plant during World W a r I, just after h e had received his B.S.A. degree from t h e University of Toronto. L a t e r h e b e c a m e
The Week's Events Sesame O i l Outlook Considered Promising Unpublished Work o n Ferroalloys Recognized "Coordination" Threatens Scientists' Position in Research . . . Kirkwood Reporis New Method f o r Separating Protetus New Method of Manufacturing Cetyl Alcohol Reported . . . Cosmetic Safety Stressed . . . . > lazardous Chemicals A r e Classified
1818 1819 1820 1822 1824 1825 1870
CHEMICAL
assistant professor of agricultural chemistry in the University of Manitoba. In 1924, on a leave of absence, he returned to Toronto to earn a n M.A. d e g r e e . Adfter another period at Manitoba, a s head of his old department, he went to the University of Minnesota for the M.S. degree and stayed on through t h e Ph.D. He returned to Manitoba a n d stayed -until 1933, when he became chemist-in-charge of the Dominion Grain Research Laboratory in W i n nipeg. His next move w a s t o the University of Minnesota, where b e holds his present position. Dr. Geddes, in his medal address, looked back over t h e development of cereal chemistry during t h e past 50 years to trace the general p a t t e r n a n d assess the maturity of that particular b r a n c h of scientific work. Choosing some of the characteristic problems -which have been attacked b y t h e chemists w h o work with cereals, he showed that the methods employed in conducting a scientific inquiry vary with the status of the knowledge of t h e problem and he emphasized that science is not merely concerned with the collection of facts, but also with ideas and with the formation and verification of newconceptual schemes. T h e material benefits of science are constantly emphasized rather than its concepts, c o n t e n d e d Dr. Geddes, because they are more easily understood and appreciated. But, i t was pointed out, practical advances usually r e sult from t h e application of basic principles. Here the speaker called attention to t h e d a n g e r of placing too much, emphasis on the practical and not enough o n pure research without building up truly new knowledge, until Ave are working s o closely, in practical investigations o n t h e heels of p u r e research that the work is o n t h e b o u n d a r y limits b e t w e e n the k n o w n and the unknown. Fie urged encouragem e n t of p u r e research by development of a proper climate for it. T h e university is t h e place where basic research thrives best, h e contended, arid such work must b e supported in order that t h e universities can train research workers and continue to b e the fountainheads of science. T h e continuing acceleration of both p u r e a n d applied research, said D r . Geddes, has led to increased specialization. While it is inevitable that w e must have specialists with particular techniques for advancing knowledge in a particular field, he continued, specialization i s detrimental to t h e unity of science and its c o ordination. It encourages the narrowness of outlook, he stated, a n d it is therefore not surprising t h a t today the lone worker is being replaced by" a carefully chosen group of specialists w h o s e talents dovetail together. This brings about a n e e d for a genuine cooperative or interdisciplinary approach and brings about a closer tie
AND
ENGINEERING
MEWS
between science and technology. For ex ample, h e explained, a laboratory for re search on cereals is now staffed with men who have specialized in many of the fundamental branches of chemistry, as well as physicists, mathematicians, chemioil engineers, and microbiologists and there is a joint attack on problems with a combination of skills. Because of this interdependence, stated Or. Gedd.es, it ' is vitally important that fundamental research results be published and made available to all scientific and technological workers. It is the responsi bility of a professional society to support activities which will improve future com petence, and the stimulation and publica tion of new fundamental information is of the highest. Technical Papers Forty-six technical papers were pre sented before the meeting dealing with Baking technology, bleaching technology, enzyme technology, starch technology, and general topics. The nutritional value of dried brewers' grain concentrates, studied by R. D. Seeley and J. F . Brasch, Anheuser r Busch, Inc., was reported to compare favorably with soybean oil meal and cottonseed meal with respect to protein quality. The bio logical value of the protein in whole dried brewers' grains was found to be 87% in tlie adult rat by nitrogen balance methods. I n comparisons of the protein value of a dried brewers' grains concentrate with cottonseed and soybean meals at the 10, 15, and 20%? protein level, they were found to be approximately equal for rat growth. The biological value of the con centrate was approximately 88% of that of casein and equal to that of soybean and cottonseed meal. The proteolytic enzymes of wheat flour were indicated not to be papainases in studies by B. D. Hites, R. N. Sandstedt, and Lorene Schaun burg, University of Nebraska. Studies or Hie activities of these enzymes, both in the presence and a~bsence of the auxiliary suh. v rate bactoKemoglobin showed that they are neither activated >vith thiol compounds nor inac tivated with oxidizing agents. The crystallization of fungal α-amylase and limit dextrinase was reported by L. A. Underkofler and D. K. Roy, Iowa State College. Using the filtrate from a sub merged culture of Aspergillus oryzae, the two materials, free of maltase, were con centrated by repeated precipitation with ammonium sulfate. This gave a mixture o£ crystals which was dissolved in potas sium phosphate buffer at ρ Η 4.6. The limit dextrinase was adsorbed on bentonite and crystals of the pure α-amylase were precipitated from the filtrate with ammon ium sulfate. To obtain pure dextrinase, the amylase, i n solution of the mixed crystals, was destroyed by treatment with mercuric cHloride and the dextrinase precipitated with ammonium sulfate. Some basis for a suggestion that gly ceric acid oxidation may be a step in the mechanism of photosynthesis was offered VOLUME
2 8,
NO. 22
by R. H. Burris, University of Wisconsin. This was based on the observation, during the study of the oxidation of α-hydroxy acids by plants, that the enzymes which effect this reaction are activated by light. Only the green parts of plants were found to be active in the oxidation of glycolic acid. The starch quality as a function of steeping was studied by S. A. Watson, Corn Products Refining Co., who con cluded that although the quality of the starch is generally related to the condi tion of the grain, final starch quality may be affected by steeping time, temperature, sulfurous acid acidity, flora, and rate of draw of steepwater. Methods employed industrially for the wet milling of corn were shown to be satisfactorily applicable to the processing of grain sorghum by R. L. Zipf, R. A. Anderson, and R. L. Slotter, Northern Regional Research Laboratory. To pro duce sorghum starch of comparatively low protein content, it was necessary to increase the pitch of the starch table over that used for wet milling corn. Removal of the pigmented epidermis by dehulling permits the production of a whiter starch than can be obtained from the whole sorghum grain. In determining the relative utility of a number of organic chemicals for preserv ing damp wheat, S. A. Matz and M. Milner, Kansas State College, found that propylene oxide, carbon tetrachloride, and a 50% solution of the two were most efficient of the materials studied. Propyl ene oxide effected a drastic reduction in the germination of the wheat. $7.5 Million Damage Results From Ammunition Barge Explosion When four ammunition barges at South Amboy, N. J., exploded May 21, damage to the extent of $7.5 million resulted in one of the worst property holocausts along the Atlantic Seaboard in several years, the reported loss of life having been about 30. The chief industrial plant damage done was that to the American Agricultural Chemical Co. which produces white phos phorus and phosphates, ammonium fluosilicate, bone ash, ferrophosphorus, phos phoric acid, salt cake, sulfuric acid, red phosphorus, trisodium phosphate, and zinc fluosilicate. None of the products goes into fertilizer materials. The chief raw material is phosphate rock. Though no official of the American Agri cultural Chemical Co. would make an official statement because of the lack of complete information, it was stated that the plant was at least partially and badly wrecked. According to newspaper ac counts, 100 dru ;is of white phosphorus, stored in a shed of the chemical company, 100 yards from the original main explosion, caught fire some 30 hours after the original explosion. It was suggested that water in the drums, containing the phosphorus, had leaked out during the severe concussions, hence starting this secondary fire, flames lea ing 100 feet high. MAY
2 9,
1950
LOWCOST,SAFE i:iiii*jiii
UMSJHMH
F&P RATO-CHLOR chlorine dispenser in water treatment plant of Florida Utilities Corpora tion. (Automatic chlorine/water rotio control)
Bleaching of foods, paper, textiles, other products. Chlorination processes. Drinking-water purification. Sewage treatment. Slime prevention in condensers, cooling systems, process water. Swimming pool water purifica tion. CAPACITIES?
10-1300 l b / d a y chlorine: cabinet model shown above. Over 1300 lb/day: panel-mounted equipment. Dry-vacuum solution feed. Dry gas pressure feed. Indicating, recording, controlling, totalizing and proportioning. CLIP COUPON MAIL TODAY
PLEASE SEND CATALOG Name Title Company Street City
61
State
FISCHER & PORTER CO. Dept. OQ3-2B
Hatboro, Pen no,
PROCESS CONTROL INSTRUMENTS
1817
