Chemical world This week almost 8.5% in the past four years." Monsanto, Celanese, and Akzona, like Du Pont—deep in the textile business—also pushed earnings up this summer: Monsanto by 51%, Celanese by 17%, Akzona by 10%. Basic chemicals are a second bright spot "leading the way/' according to Dow Chemical chairman Carl A. Gerstacker. Other companies highlighting progress in basic chemicals include W. R. Grace, Allied Chemical, and Eastman Chemicals. Trouble spots still exist among basic chemical makers, however— Union Carbide is a notable example. Recognizing an unexpected 25% dive in earnings per share a month ago, Carbide chairman F. Perry Wilson explained that there are temporarily high operating costs and lower sales, particularly to the U.S. steel industry, which slumped badly this summer as inventories were eaten up. Sales for September were even with last year at Carbide; Mr. Wilson looks forward to an upturn in the year's final quarter.
uates during the 1971-72 academic year than made visits during 197071 (which was down 83% from the 1969-70 level). Engineering students will see 45% fewer companies this year than last year, when the level of recruiting dropped 53% from a year before. The number of companies interviewing graduate chemists and chemical engineers this fall is down about 33% at Cornell University and about 66% at Pennsylvania State University. The total number of companies interviewing at Northwestern University is up from last fall, but there are about 40% fewer companies interviewing graduate chemists. Interviews for Ph.D. chemists are down 70 to 75% at University of Minnesota. The outlook is uncertain for recruiting in the winter and spring of 1972. Placement officers report that companies' plans seem to be in a state of flux, as indicated by a con-
tinuing Jlurry of last-minute cancellations and additions of interviews. Future hiring may be influenced by fourth-quarter profits and the effects of further controls on wages and prices, but officials see no evidence that recruiting will improve before fall 1972. TEXTILES:
Import quota agreement Imports of man-made textile and woolen goods from four Oriental countries will now enter the U.S. under a quota system. Basically, the textile agreement engineered by the Nixon Administration with Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong permits these nations to increase their exports to the U.S. faster than the domestic market is growing. For their quid pro quo, the four Asian countries agree to limit imports of goods that threaten U.S. manufacturers or workers'
EMPLOYMENT:
Less recruitment on campus Members of the class of 1972 and graduate students in chemistry and chemical engineering are going to have to scramble even harder than last year's graduates to find jobs in industry. A C&EN spot check with placement officers on campuses across the country finds that companies are planning and making even fewer recruiting visits than they did during the depressed job market of 1970-71. At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for instance, the number of companies scheduled to interview chemistry majors is down 53% from the number in fall 1970, which was in turn lower than the year before. The number of companies interviewing chemical engineers is down 44% from last fall. There are about 35% fewer companies scheduled to interview Ph.D. chemists than last fall, and about 20% fewer companies to interview Ph.D. chemical engineers. The number of companies scheduled at California Institute of Technology to interview doctoral candidates in all fields is about the same as last fall. However, the number of companies is only about half what it was in the late 1960's. At Case Western Reserve University, 20% fewer companies are scheduled to interview science grad10
C&EN OCT. 25, 1971
Light energy from laser supports glass particle Light energy from a laser holds aloft a tiny glass sphere during a demonstration of optical levitation at Bell Telephone Laboratories, Holmdel, N.J. Vibration from the cylinder above the prism breaks molecular attraction between the glass plate and the particle, freeing it to rise. Radiation pressure from the 0.25-watt laser not only suspends the transparent sphere (20-mi-
cron diameter, 10-8 gram), say Bell Labs' Dr. Arthur Ashkin and Joseph Dziedzic, but traps it in the beam so it doesn't slip out sideways. The technique thus provides a means for manipulating small particles without mechanical support and may find use in developing optical communications systems for the future, the Bell Labs scientists say.
