T H E JOURNAL OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY.
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of the American Chemical Society under the able leadership of Dr. Hillebrand, and more recently of the Committees of the Society for Testing Materials t o realize how great has been the advance from the chaotic condition in which the unorganized methods of analysis existed a few years ago to the fairly well organized condition in which we find them to-day. Much work remains t o be done. -4mong the contributing organizations which are endeavoring STANDARD METHODS O F ANALYSIS. to place commercial analytical methods on the WG have seen m-ith a good deal of interest, a high plane where they belong, what one could be brown-covered pamphlet of thirty-two pages, pub- more useful than the large corporation which lished by the United States Steel Corporation in the employs numbers of chemists and operates many interests of their chemical force and entitled “The chemical laboratories in various localities and, Methods of the United States Steel Corporation in fact, which finds the daily routine application for the Coinmercial Sampling and Analysis of of analytical methods a guide and a necessity for the control of all its manufacturing operations? Iron Ores.” The work of developing the methuds was per- The pessimist will say t h a t already we have too formed by a committee consisting of: J. M. Camp, many and too various organizations working on Carnegie Steel Co.; Wm. Brady, Illinois Steel CO.; the uniformity of chemical methods, and the addiW. B. N. Hawk, National Tube Co.; A. B. Clem- tion of even one more t o the ranks is hardly adence, American Steel & Wire Co.; E. A. Separk, vantageous. We feel more confident in the matter Oliver Iron Mining Co.; G. D. Chamberlain, Car- and believe t h a t for present needs, the various organizations which have been and are working negie Steel Co. The preface explains the purpose of the Steel out the details of methods, are working along the Corporation and the chemists in formulating these right lines. For the future, when they shall have methods. “The Chemists’ Committee was ap- accomplished their work, the representative organpointed for the purpose of unifying the methods ization of chemists in this and in other countries of sampling and analysis of the materials consumed must see to i t that all the methods of analysis and produced b y the United States Steel Corpo- are worked into one comprehensive system, which ration, with the purpose of rendering more accu- shall not be fixed for all the time, but shall be rate the analytical results obtained. Owing to the kept alive by active committees and continuous difference in education or practical training of the additions and improvements as the science develops. W. D. RICHARDSOX. chemists in charge of the laboratories of the Steel Corporation, wherein iron ore is analyzed, a wide divergence in the methods of analysis would be expected; b y harmonizing these methods, the errors incident thereto would be minimized. I ’ We understand the work of the committee will FREE L I M E IN PORTLAND CEMENT. be continued and the methods for the analysis B y ALFREDH. WHITE. of other materials developed. Received October 3, 1908. Contrasted with twenty or twenty-five years This paper describes a simple microscopic test ago, the condition of analytical chemistry a t the present time in this country, and indeed through- for free lime in Portland cement and discusses the out the world, is such t h a t we may face the future result of its application to a number of commercial hopefully. Many organizations have contributed cements and to others made in the laboratory. The usual analysis of Portland cement shows t o the unification of the methods which are in constant use to-day. RTe need only recall the work lime to form over sixty per cent. of the weight of of the various committees of the Association the clinker, but does not give any clue to the form of Official Agricultural Chemists on fertilizer, food in which this lime exists. It is rather generally, and fat analysis, of the Committee o p Uniformity although by no means universally, assumed that
combined forms one millionth part. Considering, therefore, this inexhaustible supply, and considering what it means t o agriculture and the arts if it can be utilized, the solution of the problem of conserving the nitrogen of the air in a commercial way, will be recorded as one of the important inventions of modern times. F. B. CARPZNTER.
ORIGINAL ARTICLES.
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