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H E Zakatalsk nuts, grown in Russia, have a vitamin C content of 1.5 t o 3 per cent, which is about 40 times thevitamin C content of lemons, oranges, and tangerines. Desthiobiotin is obtained bf the desnlfurizatian of biotin in aqueous alkaline solution. I t "is equally as effective as biotin in stimulating the growth of Sacckaromyces cermisiae, and producer, a readily noticeable growth effect in a concentration of less than 1 part in 400,000,000.000." According t o the Office of War Information, the only current food shortage is in riboflavin. As much as 40 per cent of the riboflavin (vitamin Bn) content of milk in a milk battle may be lost in a single hour by exposure t o sunlight, whereas in three hours' exposwe t o sunlight the vitamin loss may become as high as 72 per cent. Folic acid, a vitamin of the B group. is believed t o be associated with blood cell production, according t o the National Institute of Health. Plexiglas cups are heing used in the surgical treatment of arthritis. Radioactive zirconium mav Drove successful. accordinr t o the . Kurbatovs of Ohio Stntc University, in thc treatment of cancer. Atropinc and prostigmine, token together, are reported to be n cure for seasickness. Effective penicillin action may be prolonged, according t o Trnmper and Hutter of theU. S. N. R., by chilling the area where the injection is made. By the use of a new electronic heating system, concentrates of purified penicillin solution can now be prepared in 30 minutes, whereas 12 hours were required formerly by freeze-drying installations. Penicillin B, which has been isolated a t St. Louis University, is 10 times more potent than penicillin against germs. A $5,000,000 plant for the production of 100,000,000 units of penicillin monthly is t o be built in England under the supervision of Commercial Solvents Corporation. Sulfamylon (p-aminornethylbenzenesnlfonamide), which is one of the newest of the sulfa drugs, is particularly effective in the treatment of gas gangrene. Apoferritin is the name given to the protein of the body which stores iron. According to Michaelis and Granick, of the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research, this protein stores iron "in the form of ultramicroscopically small granules or micelles of iron hydroxide, interspersed in the crystal lattice of the protein molecule." Small briouets are used t o absorb the salt from sea water and thus provide the lifeboat surviwrs with drinking water. I ? ~ y may s be pre.er\.cd fur ilunths at 31rl:. if thry are previooils treated with n film of highly refined, culorlt,~parafin-base oil. Our fighting men eat approximately 40 per cent more than they did as civilians. Concentrated frozen milk can be reconstituted, by a process of Doan and Leeder of Pennsylvania State College, into a product which is almost identical with fresh milk. 2-Ethyl-1.3-hexanediol, produced by the aldol condensation of bntyraldehyde, and subsequent reduction, is an effective mosquito, chigger, flea, and gnat repellent. DDT-impregnated shirts, which protect the wearer against lice for two months, are now issued to the British troops for overseas duty. DDT proved more effective against body lice, in the North African campaign, than any insecticide previously used. Dimethyl phthalate, according t o du Pont, will replace citronella oil as an insect repellent. Polythene, a polymer of ethylene, is a new du Pont plastic which is "adaptable to the manufacture of products as varied as
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collapsible tuhes for toothpast4 waterproof coatings, piping, adhesives, and insulation materials." I n the world of tomorrow, your new home may be equipped with plastic hardware, such as luminous door knobs and hinges which will never squeak. A plastic suitable for insulating and wallboard material is produced from potato pulp, a by-product from potato-starch manufacture. Stonoleurn, a product of Continental Asbestos Relining Corporation, is a self-bonding. plastic-type flooring material, which may be laid over wood, concrete, or stone. It is very resistant t o wear. A new textile from soybeans is being produced by the Drackett Company. This fiber "is elastic and resilient. and can be blended with both wool and cotton." Fiber-Bonded is the trade mark nsed t o designate certain high-strength yarns and fabrics, which are produced by coating fibers or fabrics with certain bonding resins. A n y l n rope onehalf inch in diameter can support a load of three tons. Sound waves of high frequency are employed by the du Pont scientists in the measurement of the elasticity of nylon. Nylon supports the war effort as a blood and plasma filter. Even spiders are contributing t o the war effort in the production of silk for the cross-hairs of scientific instruments. A pound of spider silk sells for about $40. Peanut shells which formerly sold for $2.00 a ton as fuel will now command a price of ahont $7.50 per ton in the production of a svntbetic substitute for cork. , .41,out 12.001),01)0yallor~sof alcohol arc produced annually in Sa,edrn from wnqtc d f i t c liquor. It is estimated that alcohol ran he produced it, thc I'nited Stntcs from sulfite liquor a t a cost of about 20 cents per gallon. Waste and surplus bananas in Jamaica are t o be used in the production of alcohol. Dehydrated waste potatoes, according t o plans, are t o be shipped to fermentation plants for the annual production of 8.000.000 eallons of alcohol. Alcohol is heing used in the synthetic rnbber program a t the rate of ahont 150,M)0,000highballs a day. Triptane, the most powerful hydrocarbon known for use in internal combustion engines, is now heing produced a t less than one dollar per gallon, whereas the first gallon of this product probably cost about $3000. The synthetic toluene plant a t Whiting. Indiana, is producing enough toluene to make hundreds of tons of blockbusters every day. About 95 per cent of the nickel, 75 per cent of the asbestos. 20 per cent of the zinc and mercury, 15 per cent of the lead, and 12.5 per cent of the copper used by the U ~ t e d Nations is produced by Canada. Synthetic sapphires play a very important role in the production of war precision instruments. A 1 per cent aqueous solution of morphiline, or even the vapors of morphiline, may be nsed t o prevent the tarnishing of silverware. The electrolytic plating of aluminum with silver produces a Lightweight product with high conductivity. The production of the materials for the cpnstruction of a battleship requires over 1000 differentchemicals. There was no sugar until the 13th century, no coal until the 14th century, no buttered bread until the 15th century, no potatoes and no tobacco until the 16th century, no tea or coffee until the 17th centnry, no telephones, no gas, and no matches until the 19th century. ED. F. DEOERING
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