THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK in the university research laboratories. The meetings also provide an opportunity for the faculty m e n to leam of and to discuss industrial research problems. First 1951 visitor at the Richmond laboratories was Glenn T. Seaborg, University of California expert in nuclear chemistry. Others to make visits to the laboratories during the year include: Herbert C. Brown, Purdue University; Saul Winstein, University of California, Los Angeles; Donald L. Katz, University of Michigan; Victor H. LaMer, Columbia University; Carl C. Monrad, Carnegie Institute of Technology; Morris S. Khar-
W . L . Davidson places x-ray film over the^ track m a d e by a tire containing radioactive phosphorus in its tread must b e run a t least 5 0 0 0 miles to observe measurable wear, he pointed out. T h e rubber company obtained radioactive phosphorus from the Government's Oak Ridge Laboratories and immediately mixed it into the compound for the top layer of the tread material for the special tires. Davidson obtained his wear date by using a portable Geiger counter mounted on a small cart to scan the track made by the radioactive tire. H e also took x-ray photographs of the "hot" tire tracks to measure accurately the amount and size of the particle.* worn off the tire. S o m e of the exposures ran as long as several days. In addition, Dr. Davidson mounted a sheet metal air scoop behind the tire and two inches above the road to measure the amount of rubber blown into the air. The scoop tapered into a standard vacuum cleaner hose where a paper filter trapped the minute rubber particles. Their radioactivity later was measured in the BFG research laboratory.
asch, University of Chicago; and Robley C . Williams, University of California.
E d u c a t o r s W i l l Study O i l Industry Representative educators from at least a dozen major universities and colleges i n the West have been invited to spend t w o weeks behind the scenes with Standard Oil Co. of Calif., early next fall, to g e t a first-hand look at the oil business. T h e study is scheduled to start Sept. 10. I t is designed t o complement the company's program of scholarships and fellowships, and its program which provides educational aids t o schools.
AMERICAN Commercial Production of
EDUCATION Eight Scientists t o P a r t i c i p a t e In 1951 Standard O i l P r o g r a m Eight professors, each a recognized leader in h i s o w n scientific field, will meet, work, and exchange ideas with scientists of California Research Corp., subsidiary of Standard Oil of California, according t o a recent announcement. Each professor will spend up to a week with the industrial research men, in a continuation of the program started by California Research Corp. several years ago. The meetings are held at the Richmond and L a Habra, Calif., laboratories, and provide the research men with an unusual opportunity to learn details of the latest scientific developments under study
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THE CHEMICAL WORLD THSS WEEK The educators will b e selected from ac tive teaching members of various uni versity faculties. They will confer with top management at Standard's home offices in San Francisco, make field trips to refinery, and to the oil fields of the San Joaquim Valley. They also will spend some time at a training school for new employees of Standard Stations, Inc. In addition to a general schedule each participant will have three days in which to make investigation and study of any phase of the company's operations he may choose. Reports of findings, and gen eral impressions of the company, are to be submitted during final conference periods o n Sept. 2 0 and 2 1 .
Analog Computers Studied A special eight-week course designed to train personnel in the use of analog computers currently is being given at the California Institute of Technology under the direction of Gilbert D . McCann, pro fessor of electrical engineering. Studying the operations of the electronic brain are 15 representatives of aircraft companies and military installations which soon plan to install similar facilities. Represented in the class are employees of Lockheed, North American, Douglas, United Aircraft, the Naval Ordnance Test Station, Inyokem, and the U. S. Naval Air Missile Test Station, Pt. Mugu.
Princeton L a b o r a t o r y G r o w s Construction work on a n e w wing which increases the space of Princeton Univer sity's plastics laboratory b y 5 0 % was com pleted here this week. T h e addition will be fully equipped and ready for occu pancy in time for the opening of the next academic year starting in September, Louis F. Rahm, director of the plastics program, announced. The new wing will permit two addi tional chemical laboratories, a combined conference-class room and additional office space. Rearrangement of equipment will provide improved facilities for electrical and mechanical study of materials, and for theoretical and applied chemical re search. The expanded space also will permit consolidation of staff and equip ment under one roof toward more effective operation.
N e w Jersey G r o u p Establishes Rutgers Scholarship Fund Establishment of a $2500 scholarship fund for outstanding engineering seniors at Rutgers University has been announced jointly b y Robert C. Clothier, president of tJie university, and Bayard L. England, president of the N e w Jersey Utilities As sociation. T h e N e w Jersey Utilities As sociation Scholarship F u n d will provide $ 5 0 0 a year "to make financial assistance available during the senior year to a Rutgers University student whose caliber of intellect and personality give promise of worthwhile achievement."
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A Rutgers junior, majoring i n civil, mechanical, electrical, industrial or sani tary engineering, will be nominated each year by Elmer C. Easton, dean of the Rutgers college of engineering. I n order to qualify for the scholarship, the nominee must be a resident of N e w Jersey and have received his secondary schooling in the state, must have an outstanding scho lastic record during his first B\i> semesters at Rutgers, and show promise of worth while achievement.
RESEARCH Trade Association Establishes Fellowships The American Pharmaceutical Manu facturers' Association has announced the establishment of two $2,500 graduate fel lowships in pharmacy and in drug law. The recipients of these fellowships are Richard Edward Faust of Greenfield, Mass., and Charles L. Nelson of Miami, Fla. These fellowships were established in recognition of the responsibility of in dustry and of its trade associations to pro vide well trained men to assure continued advancement of manufacturing pharmacy.
Research G r a n t W i l l A i d Nitranilie Acid Study A research grant of $1220 h a s been awarded by the Research Corp, t o Β. Η. Bjorklund, head of the department of chemistry at Oklahoma City University, for the study of preparation and proper ties of nitranilie acid. Or. Bjorklund has been doing research on this subject for several months and believes he has reached the point where preparation of the acid in reasonably large quantities is possible. The grant will enable extension of the project for another year.
G r a n t Announced For Cancer Research A grant-in-aid of $6700 for cancer re search has been awarded t o Leopold R. Cerecedo, professor of biochemistry at Fordham University, by the U, S . Public Health Service. Dr. Cerecedo will study the purine and amino aeid composition of normal, embryonic and neoplastic tissues, noting the biochemical changes occurring before, during, and after cancer develops.
Radioactive Sources t o Assist in Promoting Industrial Studies Thousand-curie sources of gamma radia tion will b e made available to assist in dustrial organizations i n studies of the applications of radiation to industrial proc esses, the U. S. Atomic Energy Commis sion and Brookhaven National Laboratory announced last week. The thousand-curie sources, made of
CHEMICAL
cobalt 60 or tantalum 182, each release as much gamma radiation as does 2.2 pounds of radium (an amount equal to the preWorld War II total world supply). Two such sources, one cobalt and the other tantalum, have been prepared in the Brookhaven National Laboratory nuclear reactor. Additional thousand-curie sources will be made as needed. Radioactive cubait 60 releases gamma radiation having energies of 1.16 and 1.30 million electron volts, and has a half-life of 5.3 years. Radioactive tantalum 182 releases gamma radiation having energies of 1.22, 1.13, 0.22, and 0.J5 million elec tron volts and has a half-life of 117 days. The sources were prepared as part of a program to assist industrial organizations in studying how radiation from by-prod ucts of nuclear reactors may be of use in killing bacteria, preserving foodstuffs or initiating or accelerating chemical reac tions. Companies now can arrange with Brookhaven to have small samples of materials or products they wish to study exposed to radiation from the sources. Then, since materials so exposed do not themselves become radioactive, the samples can be easily returned to the sender for analysis and evaluation of the results of their irradiation. As a second part of the program to develop industrial applications for radio active by-products, Brookhaven is assist ing universities holding related research contracts with the AEC. For example, Columbia University is using radioactive sources in studying n e w methods of food preservation, and the possible toxicity of irradiated foods; scientists there already have announced use of an x-ray machine to preserve milk for several weeks under ordinary refrigeration. Further information on the availability of the Brookhaven irradiation service to industrial concerns can be obtained from the Director's Office, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, Ν . Υ. Brookhaven is the northeastern center for nuclear re search and development operated under contract with the AEC by Associated Uni versities, Inc., a nonprofit educational corporation sponsored by nine leading eastern universities.
HT Lab G o i n g Up Construction of a n e w research labora tory at Illinois Institute of Technology will begin this month, subject to National Pro duction Authority approval, the school has announced. A construction contract has been awarded to B-W Construction Co. of Chicago. Cost of the n e w building will b e $600,000, including partial equipment. The building will b e used for the expanded scientific and technological research pro gram at Armour Research Foundation of Illinois Institute of Technology and will include research facilities for about 200 scientists and engineers. The new research building will house
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