THE CHEMICAL W O R L D T H I S WEEK
Participants in meeting were Manufacturing Electric. Mr.
the symposium on recent advances in industrial chemistry at the AIC S. F. Radtke (lcft),I>u Pont; R. M. Adams, Minnesota Mining and Co.; C. P. Neidig, White, Weld & Co.; and J. T. Coe of General Radtke is showing a f ct engine component partly made of titanium
C&EN REPORTS: American Institute o f Chemists
Fuller Awareness of Science N e e d e d by Government Leaders U. S. polyethylene capacity estimated to exceed 5 5 0 million pounds a year b y 1956 PHILADELPHIA.—The administration of a modern democratic state should not be entrusted to men who are ignorant οΈ the methods of science and of the benefits to mankind that have been made possible through the applications of science. Sneak ing at the annual meeting of the American Institute of Chemists, John C. Warner, president of Carnegie Institute of T e c h nology, emphasized also that members of the professions have a special obligation to be alert and to express their views on public problems, particularly in fields where they have unique professional com petence. "Complacency on our part,** said Dr. Warner, "could be fatal to the contin ued existence of a strong, free society." The recent crisis involving the National Bureau of Standards is a case in point, h e said. The scientific and engineering pro fessions quickly saw the disastrous effect that the arbitrary dismissal of the director of the bureau would have on the morale of scientists and engineers in governxnental employ. In addition, they recognized that two important major issues had. been raised: (1) the scientific integrity of the bureau had been questioned, and (2) it appeared that political considerations and the demands of the market place ha.d been allowed to override scientific fact. 2180
It is greatly to the credit of scientists and engineers in America, and to their societies and associations, that these issues were not ignored. "The response was magnificant and, as a result, we have won the first round," he said. "But having won t h e first round, let us not relax in complacency. Let us insist that proper decisions b e made on the basis of the findings of trie various investigating committees. In this,
The Week's Events Dumping of Foreign Nitrogen Charged by Sellers Britain's Chemical Industry Pro gressing Faster Than Other In dustries More Than 2 5 % of People in In dustry Need Psychiatric Treat ment Clinical Labs Advised to Raise Professional Standards . . . . Spectroscopic Standards By-pass Lengthy Analyses M C A Chemicals Boole Proves a Fast Seller Morale Dropping at Bureau of Standards Shortage of Scientific Manpower Confirmed in Report to Eisen hower
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as in other public matters, let us always be alert, meeting our full responsibility as professional people and as citizens." AIC Medal. Dr. Warner presented these views upon receiving the AIC Gold Medal in honor of his outstanding contri butions to the chemical profession. The medal was presented b y Gustav EgloiF, cftairman of the award committee, at the AIC annual banquet on May 13. Earlier, Lincoln T . Work, president of AIC, had bestowed upon Dr. Warner honorary membership in the institute. Describing the changes that have taken place in American life since the turn of the century, Dr. Warner stated that today our industrial enterprises are giants op erating on a nationwide or even a world wide basis. They are marvels of complex technology and require the services of thousands of competent scientists and engi neers. Today, great emphasis must be placed on efficiency in the use of materials and energy and on the continuous develop ment of new labor-saving devices. In addi tion, there is an increasing demand for automatic control and for the steady im provement of products. Modern technol ogy has become so complex that scier sts and engineers are faced with problems that require a new order of creative imagina tion and the ability t o apply basic prin ciples to entirely new situations. Increas ing numbers of highly trained men capable of meeting this challenge are needed. In outlining the problems that face America today, Dr. Warner mentioned especially the need for freer international trade. "It seems to m e that we have re sorted largely to the political and pressuregroup methods of 50 years ago in han dling these problems," he said. "I would like to see an objective, scientific study of t h e comparative effects on our standard of living in America of ( 1 ) the current* give away program of direct aid to bolster t h e economy of foreign nations, and ( 2 ) per mitting freer commerce between these countries and the U. S. to provide a com parable improvement in their economy .** Polyethylene Production. The produc tion of polyethylene from ethylene is car ried out at pressures of 22,000 to 35,000 pounds per square inch, which are the highest pressures of any commercial chemi cal process now in use, said Roger Williams, Jr., of Roger Williams Technical and Economic Services, Inc. Today, there are practically-no process data available on the manufacture of polyethylene, except the information given in patents, h e said. Indications are that Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Co. produces polyethylene by polymerization at about 2000 atmospheres without liquid diluents. The conversion is roughly 2 5 % , and Carbide apparently does not recycle t h e unreacted ethylene. Instead, this unreacted material is conAND
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verted to ethylene oxide, ethyl alcohol, or some other ethylene derivative. D u Pont operates w i t h diluents, apparently water and b e n z e n e , at about 1500 atmospheres and does recycle its unreacted ethylene. Because of the high pressures involved, polyethylene plants are expensive, Mr. Williams continued. Imperial Chemical Industries estimates that a plant designed t o produce 17 milion pounds per year would cost $11 million. This does not in clude the investment required for ethylene production. T h e plant now being built b y Canadian Industries, Ltd., in Canada is estimated to cost $13 million and will have capacity for 12 million pounds per year of polyethylene. This latter figure in cludes an ethylene plant and provision for an easy doubling of polyethylene capacity. The present productive capacity for polyethylene in the U . S. is estimated at 125 million pounds a year, about equally distributed between D u Pont and Carbide. B y 1956, t h e estimated capacity is 5 5 1 million pounds a year. The companies in volved will b e Carbide ( 2 5 0 million pounds a y e a r ) , D u Pont ( 1 0 0 m i l l i o n ) , National Petrochemical (50 million), Spencer Chemical ( 4 5 million), Texas Eastman ( 2 0 million), Monsanto Chemical ( 6 6 million), and D o w ( 2 0 million). Growth of Fluorochemicals. T h e in dustrial history of fluorochemicals b e g a n in about 1930 with the introduction of t h e Freon refrigerants, said Robert M. Adams of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. It is probably no exaggeration to say that the Freon refrigerants made the m e chanical refrigerator a commonplace in the American home, h e added. The second major development was t h e discovery of polytetrafluoroethylene plas tic (Teflon). Then came the polymers of monochlorotrifluoroethylene, which h a v e such commercial names as Kel-F, Fluorothene, Fluorolube, and Halocarbon. All of these fluorine plastics have the advantages of high chemical resistance, high heat re sistance, nonflammability, and long life. Despite t h e spectacular advances in the practical applications of a few carbonfluorine compounds, progress in the d e velopment of a broad range of fluorochemi cals has been slow, said Mr. Adams. This has been mainly the result of high produc tion costs. T h e Swarts reaction, involving the treatment of a polychloro compound with antimony fluoride and anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, is satisfactory for the fluorination of simple molecules, such as those u s e d in the synthesis of Freon gases. However, it is not suited for the produc tion of longer chain molecules. Direct fluorination b y the addition of hydrogen fluoride to olefins and fluorination with cobalt fluoride are similarly unsuited for this particular purpose. According to Mr. Adams, the newest method of fluorination —electrofluorination—is the most practical of the present methods for preparing a wide range of fluorochemicals, particularly compounds having four to 20 carbon atoms. Tifcmium Developments. Virtually every nation w i t h mature industries is engaged in the development and exploitation of tita-
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AIC Gold M e d a l Presented to Carnegie Tech's John Warner XJLMID resounding applause in the Crystal Ballroom of Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Hotel one day this month, John C. Warner, president of Carnegie Institute of Technology, re ceived the Gold Medal, highest award of the American Institute of Chemists. In 1950, after serving for 24 years on the faculty, he became Carnegie Tech's fouith president. By then, Dr. Warner's scientific reputation had been amply established. H e had published over 50 technical articles in physical and electro chemistry, and had coauthored several important chemical texts. Also outstand ing had been his research in such fields as the corrosion of metals, the carbon ization of austenite, the heats of mixing of nonelectrolytic solutions, the kinetics of ionic reactions, and the acid-base properties of mixed solvents. Dr. Warner has given much more to science than mere knowledge of the physical world. He has given forceful leadership to men and ideas. Born on a farm near Goshen, Ind., in 1897, Dr. Warner entered Indiana University in 1915. An outstanding student, he was honored by Alpha Chi Sigma, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Xi. H e played the violin in the orchestra, was elected president of his fraternity, won a letter in wrestling, and was half back on the college football team. After receiving his A.B. in 1919 and his M.A. in 1920, Warner went on to obtain his Ph.D. from Indiana in 1923. While still an undergraduate he held down the post of instructor in the qualitative analysis lab. At the time, one of his prize students was Louise Hamer, a member of Delta Gamma sorority. As a classmate remarked some years ago: "Jake could pass anything at Indiana University except Delta Gamma house." He married Louise and now they have two children. Bill and Tom, both students at Carnegie Tech. After more study at the University of Michigan, Dr. Warner landed a job as research chemist at Wayne Chemicals .Corp. in Fort Wayne, Ind. In 1926 he joined the teaching staff of Carnegie Tech. Dr. Warner was amazed to find that all the electricity in the laboratories was turned off promptly at 11 P . M . Undaunted, he and one of his students, both eager to continue their research well on into the night, neatly solved the problem by hooking up an elabo rate array of batteries, switches, and gas-fired vapor thermostats. For illumination, they used gas and kero sene lamps. He became assistant professor in 1928,
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associate professor of theoretical chemistr> in 1933,- associate professor of metallurgical engineering in 1936, head of the department of chemistry in 1938, and dean of graduate studies in 1945. As head of Carnegie Tech, Or. Warner has steadfastly carried forward the educational plan of his predecessor, Robert E. Doherty. This program is rooted in the basic conviction that it is at least as essential to teach a student how to think as it is to provde him with facts. At this school known the world over for its leadership in the training of scientists and engineers, special em phasis is also placed on the liberal arts. Dr. Warner is an articulate spokes man for free intellectual inquiry. Com menting on the recent investigations into the teaching practices of Ameri can universities, Dr. Warner told an ACS-AIC conference earlier this year: "Some heresy or unorthodoxy has been good for our institutions and has led to progress in our civilization. This has been especially true of new ideas and new points of view which have arisen from the replacement of superstitions by knowledge. I believe w e should make a real effort to understand the difference between heresy and subversion." At the height of World War II, Dr. Warner took a two-year leave of absence to head governmental research on the purification and metallurgy of plutonium for the Manhattan Project. In the affairs of the ACS, Dr. Warner has played a vital role. He was chair man of the Society's Pittsburgh Section in 1942. In 1945 he received the Pitts burgh Award. More recently, Dr. War ner has served as ACS Director-at-Large and as chairman of the Committee on Publications. H e has been a guiding force in numerous civic groups in the Pittsburgh area. At the request of the Tata Iron and Steel Co. in India, he delivered the Perin Memorial Lectures at Jamshedpur last year. Last October he was appointed to a six-year term as a member of the Atomic Energy Commission's General Advisory Committee. An enthusiastic swimmer, fisherman, and golfer in years past, Dr. Warner has tapered off considerably on these activities. When summer rolls around, the Warners usually spend two weeks in Maine. According to Mrs. Warner, Jake devotes t h e first week to sitting. The second week, he starts rocking a little. And, of course, if anyone is within hearing range, he is apt to break out with one of his innumerable yarns or limericks.
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THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK ïnium metal. These countries, said S. F. Radtke of D u Pont, include the U. S., Australia, Canada, England, Russia, Germany, Japan, and others. The major problem facing the titanium industry today is the production of cheap sponge. At present, titanium sponge sells for $5.00 a pound, and fabricated forms ; go as high its $20.00 a pound. At present D u Pont is spending $1 million annually on titanium research, partly in an effort to reduce production costs. No one can say just yet what the most economical process will be—Whether it will be a new version of the Kroll process, an electrolytic process, or an electrowinning process. "With the effort now being expended, it does not appear overly optimistic to predict that new processes will be developed for the manufacture of titanium metal in .the near future," he said. Silicone Progress. According to certificates of necessity granted by the Defense Production Administration, silicone produc- Speakers at t h e recent regional meeting of the American Coke and Coal Chemical Instit i o n facilities costing nearly $19 million tute were Samuel Weiss (left) executive secretary of ACCCI; Chester Edwards, are being added by three silicone pro- Nitrogen Products, Inc.; and B. J. C. van der Hoeven, chemical division, Koppen Co. ducers, said Jerome T. Coe of General Electric Co. The two major producers of silicones today are General Electric at C&EN REPORTS: A m e r i c a n C o k e and C o a l Chemicals I n s t i t u t e Waterford, Ν . Υ., and the Dow-Corning ;Corp. at Midland, Mich., while a more recently announced manufacturer is Linde Air Products at Tonawanda, Ν. Υ. Within the past three years, the silicone industry, nonexistent a decade ago, has :made rapid strides. Products such as siliicone rubber, silicone resins, and silicone îfluids have been significantly improved by : chemical research, he said. The silicones Prices are sharply below coke-oven market and are of value primarily because of their relief is sought under import statute heat stability, unusual surface properties, release from sticking, and chemical inert;ness. RYE, Ν. Υ.—Increased importations of am 150,000 tons, to which must be added i Tuberculosis Drugs. Two difficulties monium sulfate fiom European countries, about 400,000 tons of calcium ammonium ihave been encountered clinically in the East Germany included, offer a threat to nitrate and ammonium sulfate-nitrate. •use of antituberculosis drugs, said Law- coke-oven and synthetic suppliers in the Most of the imports are supplied by The rence B. Hobson of E. R. Squibb. In the United States, it was declared at the meet Netherlands, Belgium, West and East Ger first place, toxicity has limited the dosages ing of the American Coke and Coal Chemi many, and Great Britain. These countries of certain drugs. Furthermore, the ap- cals Institute here May 11. The institute, it all have sulfate surpluses which they will pearance of tubercle bacilli resistant to was learned, has commenced antidumping endeavor to market in the United States. the antituberculosis agents has been an proceedings against such imports. Chester Other former nitrogen-importing nations even greater drawback. S. Edwards, president, Nitrogen Products, such as Portugal, Egypt, India, and Mexico, • Streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin Inc., urged the industry to press for action are building synthetic plants, rendering are highly effective drugs, but both give under the dumping statute, and said that world competition for markets more severe. rise to resistance and each can damage action should b e considered on sulfate Competition has had its effects in the a portion of the cranial nerve involved in similar to that taken by the potash industry United States. Phillips Chemical erected human balance. Although the resistance against Iron Curtain countries—appearance its Houston plant to serve domestic and ex problem is not altered, the simultaneous before t h e House Committee on Agricul port markets, but because of low world administration of half doses of streptomycin ture with a plea for relief. prices may have to look to the home mar and dihydrostreptomycin materially reT h e situation in ammonium sulfate, a ket to absorb its output. Foreign sellers duces this cranial nerve toxicity. meanwhile have their eyes on the rapidly solid form of nitrogen for mixed fertilizers', The emergence of organisms resistant is paradoxical in that producers of cokedeveloping fertilizer market in the Mid to streptomycin can be reduced by the oven sulfate are sold out through May with west, and East German sulfate has been simultaneous use of p-aminosalicylic acid. the exception of the Birmingham district. offered at $43 per short ton in hulk, de Isoniazid also delays the appearance of livered Chicago. On the other hand, there are stocks of im organisms resistant to streptomycin. Pyra- ported sulfate, plus synthetic sulfate pro The speaker said there were indications zinamide is an effective and safe anti- duced in the Houston, Tex., area which are that foreign sulfate would b e offered at tuberculosis agent, although resistant unsold. T h e imported product is offered even lower levels, and that Japan may en bacilli are apt to appear quite rapidly. up to $ 1 2 per ton under domestic coketer the picture with low-priced sulfate for This drug is used primarily in tiding the oven sulfate, delivered at Atlantic and Gulf the West Coast and Hawaiian markets. patient over a particularly threatening ports. It is also cheaper than synthetic sul Meanwhile, w e can expect greater produc condition. Viomycin, he added, is less fate. Imports for the fertilizer year ending tion of anhydrous ammonia and ammoniateffective, and is limited by its toxicity. next June were placed b y Mr. Edwards at ing solutions, a shortage of which this year
Dumping of Foreign Nitrogen Here Is Charged by Sellers
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