NILLIONS O f DOLLARS f0
m
20
eL
150
a
3 125
x
b 100 Y)
z 3
75
GAINS SHOWN in CHEMICAL FOREIGN TRADE in 1934' 2
.?
50
U. S. FOREIGN TRADE IN CHEMICALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS, 1925-34
EXPORTS OF CHEMICAL COMMODITIES IN
1934
AS COMPARED WITH
MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS10
1929
20
30
-
EXPLOSIVE 5
40
V
OTTO WILSON 3025 Fifteenth Street, Washington, D. C.
m1914 1929
ever, made greater gains in 1934 than the trade in chemicals, exports being 27 per cent and imports 14 per cent more than IMPORTS O F CHEMICAL COWiWODITIES IN 1934 in 1933. AS COMPARED WITH 1929 The increased business done by American exporters of chemicals in 1934 is all the more gratifying in that it was accomplished in the face of continued heavy obstacles in the N T H E annual review of our foreign trade in chemicals field of international trade in general. The multitude of published in these pages last year the point was made that trade restrictions which flowered forth so abundantly a year the latter months of 1933 showed a strong upward tend- or two ago still hampered, delayed, or shut out entirely the ency in exports of chemicals which promised well for the year exchange of goods throughout 1934. This was particularly to come. Government figures for 1934 just released show that the case with Germany, who, if anything, tightened up still the promise was amply fulfilled. Exports of chemicals and more her policy of limiting her purchases in foreign markets related products last year were 30 per cent higher than in 1933 to practically indispensable goods which she could not proand were about one-third more than the total for 1932, which duce herself. A few years ago Germany was the third largest marked the low point of the trade since the war. Imports buyer of our chemical products. In 1933 she was outranked were also higher but the gain was much smaller than in the by Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan, and was outgoing trade. approached in the value of her chemical purchases from the The length of the stride made toward recovery in chemical United States by the Philippines, China, and Mexico. The foreign trade last year may be judged from Table I. Sub- 1934 returns by countries are not yet available, but. there is stantial gains are shown, although both imports and exports no reason to suspect that her position was improved. Anare still far removed from the high marks reached in 1929. other foreign trade development which was anything but Imports are still less than one-half the trade of that year and helpful was the low-price invasion of world markets by Japan. exports are about 60 per cent. In estimating recovery, how- Established chemical trade was less injured by this new comever, the usual basis taken for comparison is the average petion than trade in several other lines, but it was a more or business done in the years 1923-25. Judged by that standard less disturbing factor, especially in the secondary markets of the 1934 export trade in chemicals came well within sight of Latin America and the Far East. On the other hand, certain normal, amounting as it did to 80 per cent of the 1923-25 factors were decidedly helpful t o our foreign trade, particuaverage. But imports were still lagging, with only 54 per larly the lowered value of the dollar and a better tone t o busicent as much business as in that three-year period. ness in general, both a t home and in the leading foreign markets for chemicals. Rates for foreign exchange were much TABLEI. U. S. FOREIGN TRADEIN CHEMICALS BY TOTAL more stable. Quotations for sterling reached a high point VALUEB of $5.174 in April and a low of $4.895 in October, a total PERIOD INPORTS EXPORTS range of 28 cents. SOAPS, ETC.
I
~~~~
~
1923-25 (av.) 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934
$120,191,000 143 106 000 112:048:000 82,780,000 47,958,000 59,287,000 65,126,000
$1 16,267,000 152,109,000 127,855,000 100.094,OOO 70,408,000 76,771,000 92,583,000
Foreign trade in chemicals, both incoming and outgoing, is much farther advanced toward normal than the country's foreign trade as a whole. The total value of all United States exports is still only 47 per cent as much as in 1923-25, and that of imports but 43 per cent. The total trade, how-
Import figures for 1933 and earlier 1 All 1934 figures are preliminary. years as given here do not check exactly with import figures published i n previous chomical trade %?views. Since January 1, 1934, government statistics have shown "imports for consumption" instead of "general imports," as before; and for the sake of a more accurate comparison, figures showing imports for consumption for the earlier years have also been usen in the present review. "Imports for consumption" include those imports entered a t the ports for immediate consumption and also those released from bonded warehouses. "General imports" include all goods entering the ports, whether f o r immediate consumption or for entry into bonded warehouses, b u t not those released from the warehouses. The difference is not usually of marked importance.
344
March, 1935
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
CHEMICALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS The general gain in chemical exports was shared by all the larger classes of these goods. Coal-tar products made the smallest proportional gain, partly because they had enjoyed extraordinary increases in 1933. Fertilizers and materials, on the other hand, made up for a light 1933 trade by much heavier shipments in 1934, registering an increase of 52 per cent. I n the import trade soaps and toilet preparations made the best shoming (except the sma!l group of explosi\.es) with a total value nearly one-half inore than in 1933. Pigments, paints, and rarnishes were the only group to show a decrease, the smaller business partially offsetting an unusual artivity in the year before. Last year’s returns show that, among the exports, industrial specialties have made the greatest recovery from the depression, the trade in these commodities being now only 20 per cent below that of 1929. Among the imports, medicinals lead the way with a 1934 value 32 per cent less than that of five years before. Table I1 s h o w the 1934 trade in the various groups as compared with the previous year and with 1929. TABLE 11.
u. s. FOREIGN
TRADEIN CHEMICALS BY GREAT GROUPS (IN THOUSAXDS OF DOLLARS) -r
Imuorts 1929 Coal-tar products $22,321 Medicinals and pharma6,194 ceuticals Industrial chemicals 30,492 Pigments, paints, and varnishes 3,790 72,351 Fertilizers and materials Explosives 1,020 S o a p and toilet prepararations 6,938 Exports Coal-tar products 18,061 Medicinals and pharmaceuticals 21,283 Industrial chemical specialties 14,457 Industrial chemicals 28.149 Pigments. paints, and varnishes 29,111 Fertilizers and materials 20,441 Exulosives. fuses. etc. 4.549 Soap and toilet preparations 16,061
YEAR-
PERCENTAQE 1XCREABE OR DECREABE
1933 $ 9,589
1934 $11,847
193:3-34 1929-34 +!23.6 - 4 6 . 9
3,568 17,064
4,234 17,470
+I8 7 2 3
+
-31.6 -42 7
2,020 24,574 267
1,695 26,029 589
5.9 +120.6
+- 1 6 . 1
-55.3 -64.0 -42.2
2,205
3,204
+45.3
-53.8
12,423
13,264
+ 6.8
-26.6
9,816
10,937
+11.4
-48.6
10,663 16,811
11,612 21.683
+ 8.9 f28.9
-19.7 -22.9
11,835 8,260 1.527
14,214 12,543 2.149
+20.1 +61 9 +40.7
-51 2 -38 6 -52.8
5,436
6,180
4-13.7
-61.5
The course of incoming and outgoing trade in the more important commodities in each group of chemicals and related products is shown in the following paragraphs. COAL-TAR PRODUCTS A much heavier incoming trade in coal-tar products and a reduced exportation brought the two branches of the trade closer together, although our purchases from abroad still fell short of our foreign sales by about $1,400,000. The marked increase of more than 82,000,000, or 24 per cent, in imports of these products was due largely to heavier purchases of creosote 0x1 and other crudes, which rose in value to $4,183,000 from a total of 82,102,000 the year before. Creosote oil itself was credited with a volume of 31,774,000 gallons and a value of $2,835,000, indicating a considerable increase in unit value as well as magnitude of business. The import valuation was about nine cents per gallon last year and about six cents in 1933, when the totals were 18,588,000 gallons and $1,131,000. Intermediates showed a smaller gain in total value of shipments as well as in unit value, the traffic amounting to 1,964,000 pounds valued at $1,976,000, which compared with 1,859,000 pounds with a value of $1,537,000 in the previous year. I n imports of finished coal-tar products the 1934 trade fell off somewhat from that of the previous year, which was not surprising inasmuch as the 1933 trade
345
was unusually large. The decrease, however, was small, last year’s imports being valued a t $5,688,000 and those of the year before a t $5,950,000. Colors, dyes, stains, etc., making up the bulk of these imports, were valued a t $5,456,000 as against $5,676,000 in 1933, and coal-tar medicinals a t $74,000 as against $84,000. I n the export trade in coal-tar products the small aggregate gain was the final result when increases were matched against decreases in the major items of the group. Coal-tar colors, dyes, stains, and lakes, making up 40 per cent or more of the total, were valued a t $5,630,000, a substantial increase over the 1933 value of $4,653,000, while the quantity fell from 18,740,000 pounds to 17,942,000. Benzene sales also led those of the year before-9,692,000 gallons valued a t $1,761,000 against 8,439,000 gallons valued at $1,594,000. Crude coal tar and coal-tar pitch, however, both came through with smaller totals than in the year before, the former being valued a t $1,149,000 and the latter a t $2,025,000, as against 1933 totals of $1,376,000 and $2,414,000, respectively. The only other article separately listed is creosote oil, sales of which were valued a t $42,000 last year and $25,000 the year before. MEDICINALS AND
PHARMACEUTICA4LS
The moderate increase of about one-fifth in imports under this heading was distributed among nearly all the larger items of the group. More than half the total last year was made up of menthol and quinine and cinchona-bark salts and alkaloids. Menthol shipments aggregating 425,000 pounds had a value of $848,000, and had approximately the same unit value as in 1933 when the total of 283,000 pounds were valued a t $585,000. About 1,611,000 ounces of quinine sulfate were imported as compared with 1,639,000 in 1933, but higher values brought the total payments for these purchases to $688,000 in 1934 as compared with $558,000 in 1933. For druggists’ preparations in the form of pills, capsules, etc., bought from abroad last year our bill was $619,000. In 1933 it &-as$625,000. Our sales of medicinals, etc., as usual were about three times as large as our purchases from abroad. The wide variety of export articles in this group, aside from castor oil and white mineral oil, are now classified into three sub-groups -biologics, druggists’ nonproprietary preparations, and proprietary medicinal preparations. Sales of biologics fell off somewhat, from $1,798,000 to $1,724,000, but the other two showed fair increases, druggists’ preparations rising from $2,799,000 in 1933 to $3,404,000 in 1934, and proprietary medicines from $4,956,000 to $5,528,000. Among the biologics the leading articles were serums and antitoxins for human use, which were sold to foreign customers to a value of $669,000, slightly less than in the year before. A group of commodities embraced within the classification “glandular products, organotherapeutics, enzymes, ferments, and culture media” had sales totaling $626,000, practically the same as in 1933. Two-thirds of the druggists’ preparations were tablets, pills, capsules, powders, etc., foreign sales of which reached a value of $2,122,000. I n 1933 they were valued at $1,688,000. Elixirs, cordials, etc., brought $1,000,000 to American exporters in 1934 and $813,000 in 1933. The most popular proprietary medicines among foreign consumers was a group of “tonics, blood purifiers, emulsions, and appetizers,” which enjoyed sales of $1,159,000 last year and $1,020,000 the year before, while salves and ointments were sold to a value of $1,002,000 as compared with $867,000 in 1933. White mineral oil, with 1934 sales of 446,000 gallons having a value of $215,000, and castor oil, 54,000 gallons valued a t $66,000, each registered a small advance over the 1933 trade.
346
INDUSTRIAL
AND ENGINEERING
INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL SPECIALTIES
Of the eighteen or twenty different compounds which make up this group (appearing only in the export statistics), those most in demand among foreign buyers are household insecticides and exterminators. Liquid preparations are preferred, about 3,524,000 pounds valued a t $976,000 being sold last year, while sales of powders and pastes for this use were only 392,000 pounds valued a t $145,000. In 1933 sales of these articles were valued a t $1,097,000 for the liquids and $93,000 for the powders and pastes. Insecticides for use on the farm are also much in demand. Their foreign sales reached a value of $935,000 in 1934 and $774,000 in 1933. Rubber compounding agents of American manufacture become increasingly popular year by year, and last year was no exception, although the gain in value was only small. Foreign sales totaled 2,233,000 pounds and brought returns of $830,000, these figures comparing with 1933 sales of 1,796,000 pounds valued a t $819,000, Cementing preparations of American make find their way to every country in the world, mostly in comparatively small lots. Their use is expanding rapidly, and 1934 sales showed a large gain over those of the year before, being valued a t $61 1,000 as against $430,000. Among other leading specialties were petroleum jelly, 6784,000, a gain of 17 per cent over 1933; baking powder, $572,000, a small decrease; dextrin or British gum, $605,000, an increase of 24 per cent; leather dressings and stains, $324,000, a loss of 11 per cent; and shoe polishes and cleaners, $320,000, a gain of 18 per cent.
INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS
A large increase in the sales of these goods abroad last year, combined with a very small increase in our purchases of foreign goods, points to the thriving condition of domestic manufacture of chemicals. Caustic soda and borax were, as usual, the two leading articles, and both registered handsome increases in value over the 1933 trade. Imports and exports of the more important articles in this group are shown in Table 111.
PIGMENTS, PAINTS, AND VARNISHES Last year's returns for the incoming trade show that the progress toward recovery in this line of business is neither very steady nor very rapid. Reaching its low point in 1932, the trade in the following year picked up to the extent of 40 per cent and then dropped back last year to a total value only 17 per cent in excess of the 1932 figure. The outgoing trade on the other hand, with an increase of one-fifth in total value last year, is nearly 40 per cent better than it was two years ago, although the amount of business done is still hardly half that of the banner year 1929. Four-fifths of the imports in this group is raw material in the shape of mineral earth and chemical pigments, the former predominating. Iron oxide and hydroxide form the most important item both in bulk and in value. In 1934 the trade in this import reached 13,452,000 pounds valued a t $292,000, somewhat more in both quantity and value than in 1933. Imports of ochers and siennas totaled 9,185,000 pounds, somewhat less than in the year before, but they were valued a t $180,000, an increase of about 4 per cent. Among the chemical pigments, lithopone and zinc pigments were represented by much lighter shipments last year than the year before, the 1934 imports of 7,8,54,000 pounds valued a t $220,000 comparing with 11,192,000 pounds valued a t $313,000 in 1933. Zinc oxide and leaded zinc oxide decreased even more sharply, last year's trade of 2,534,000 pounds being just about half that of the preceding year and the value, $149,000 about 40 per cent less. The value of imports of paints, stains,
CHEMISTRY
Vol. 27, No. 3
TABLE 111. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS (IN THOUBANDS) Imports Acetylene, butylene, ethylene, and propylene derivatives Acids and anhydrides: Acetic or pyroligneous Arsenious (white arsenic) Formic Oxalic Sulfuric (oil of vitriol) Tartaric All other Alcohols, including fusel oil Ammonium compounds, n. e. s,:5 Chloride (muriate) Nitrate All other Barium compounds Calcium compounds
-1933Pounds
Value
1,112 $ 32,759 21,167 249 121 2,049 590 2,605
98
2,070 513 13 6 19 102 399
-1934Pounds Value 607 $ 129 29,817 28,220 137 73 1,849 81 2,063
1,853 708 8 4 13 18 451
....
14
6,304 7,901 828 1,628 691
154 134 71 62 16
6,159 5,111 503 1,703 708
154 76 51 69 17
1
2
6
9
....
5
Cellulose products: Acetate All other: Sheets more t h a n 0.003 inch thick, a n d other forms Sheets and strips more t h a n 1 inch wide, not over '0.003 inch thick Cobalt oxide Copper sulfate (blue vitriol), gross weight Glycerol crude Glycerol: refined Iodine crude Lime, bhlorinated, or bleaching powder Magnesium compounds
107
118
111
99
70 568 47 6,473 2.776 1,412 1,907 11,457
22 414 2 247 167 2,936
32 329
17 258
14;901 2.214 1,481 1,635 9,729
1:0i5 209 2,135 57 151
Potassium compounds, n. e. s . 9 Carbonate Chlorate and perchlorate Cream of tartar Cyanide Hydroxide (caustic) Argols, tartar, and wine lees All other
13,476 13,675 2 86 6,735 13,494 2,874
663 576 b 31 394 721 194
13,006 10,801
SO2 594
81 4,016 13,979 3,319
33 259 885 202
89 9 1,108 21,934 611 4 17
80 8 1,909 20,530 1.121 2 13
179 ....
885 180 39 2,023 51 1 2 393 576 2,535
799 151 82 2,016 95 " 2 252 1,082 2,704
Sodium compounds n. e. s.:a Sulfate (salt cake) tons Sulfate, anhydrou;, tons Chlorate Cyanide Ferrocyanide (yellow prussiate) Nitrite Phosphate (except pyrophosphate) All other Radium salts grains (not in thousands) Other industhal chemicals
....
61
160
0
..339. ,
....
b
Exports Acids and anhydrides: Organic (exclusive of coal-tar acids) Inorganic: Hydrochloric (muriatic) Boric (boracic) Other
447
84
1,798
243
3,235 5,410 9,405
56 218 373
4,041 8,303 9,651
65 345 420
Alcohols: Methyl, gallons Butyl Other Acetone Carbon disulfide
1,119 4891 2:120 3.508 2,995
478 440 197 255 141
772 3,358 4,181 3,534 4,341
361 332 402 324 209
Formaldehyde (formalin) Citrate of lime Other organic chemicals Nitro- or acetoceilulose solutions, collodion, etc. Aluminum sulfate Other aluminum compounds
2,'373 8,036 9,458
121 497 1,288
2,598 6,056 16,738
125 363 2,574
2,526 66,540 855
477 544 70
3,096 61,763 976
619 594 93
Calcium carbide Calcium chloride Copper sulfate (blue vitriol), Hydrogen peroxide (or dioxide). Potassium compounds, not fertilizers
2,310 31,421 2,749 575 2,550
84 312 93 91 302
2,909 61,429 3,859 544 4,242
9,702 434 175,353 43,895 56,883 3,954 Sal soda 14,936 Bicarbonate (acid soda or baking soda) 121,321 Hydroxide (caustic soda) in drums 7,778 Phosphate (mono-, di-, or tri-) 11,895 Other
486
2,498 320 750 61 246 2,611 183 520
8,350 611 207,287 21,304 66,863 2,149 15,196 131.651 10,181 19,519
493 89 2,907 213
105
35
203
69
Gases, compressed, liquefied, and solidified: Ammonia, anhydrous 1,146 13,418 Chlorine 16,426 Other, n. e. a,= Other industrial chemicals , .
149 277 412 2,077
1,267 11,616 22,357
282
.
Tin compounds
.
Not elsewhere specified. b Less t h a n $500. c Less than 500 pounds.
a
.
66
.. . .
115
565
129 86 467
962
27 254 2,992 250 783
160
512 8.265
March, 1933
I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E R.I IS T R Y
and enamels dropped 32 per cent, from $489,000 to $330,000, and the small trade in varnishes was consistent with the prevailing downward tendency by decreasing from $32,000 to 324,000. The gain in value noted in the export trade for the group as a whole was well distributed among the various items, nearly all articles showing substantial increases over 1933. But the dominating commodity of the whole export trade did not share in the better business. Carbon black or gas black which makes up 40 to 50 per cent of the total value of our foreign sales, registered a 1934 trade of only 120,646,000 pounds, 20 per cent under the 1933 volume of 152,286,000 pounds, although higher prices brought the total value up t o $5,543,000, just under the 1933 figure. The second most important item in this group is readymixed paints, stains, and enamels, representing nearly onefourth its total value. Foreign sales of these goods picked up handsomely last year. They reached a total quantity of 1,813,000 gallons and a total value of $3,271,000, the corresponding figures for 1033 being 1,202,000gallons and $2,147,000. The value is about 60 per cent more than in 1932. Foreign customers continued to show a liking for pyroxylin lacquers of American make, increasing their purchases of pigmented lacquers from 337,000 gallons valued a t $813,000 in 1933 t o 421,000 gallons valued a t $1,000,000in 1934; clear lacquers from 61,000 gallons valued a t $117,000 to 87,000 gallons valued a t 6179,000; and thinners from 318,000 gallons valued a t $281,000 to 500,000 gallons valued a t $423,000. Varnishes followed the lead of these finished products, rising in value from $5391,000to $457,000; calcimine, or cold-water paints, increased their sales from $227,000 to $248,000; paste paints rose from a value of $198,000 to $253,000; and liquid and plastic bituminous paints also followed the rule by returning a 21 per cent gain, last year’s exports being valued a t $412,000 and those of the year before a t $340,000. The leading chemical pigments, aside from carbon black, are zinc oxide and lithopone, both of which saw large increases in their foreign sales. Zinc oxide exports attained a total value of $196,000, 60 per cent more than the $122,000 of 1933; lithopone registered $200,000, 85 per cent above the $108,000 of the previous year. There were corresponding increases in the volume of the trade. Sales of white lead, $203,000, compared with N20,OOO in 1933, and those of red lead, %96,000, with $64,000. The leading mineral earth pigments exported-ocher, umber, sienna, and other forms of iron oxide-were sold abroad to the extent of 21,401,000 pounds in 1934, mort: than three times the 1933 volume of 6,718,000 pounds; the value, $273,000, was almost twice as large as the figure of the year before, $142,000. Exports of all other mineral earth pigments, however, totaled only $132,000 in 1934 as against $210,000 in 1933.
FERTILIZERS The striking feature of our foreign trade in fertilizers last year was the large gain in exports. The increase over 1933 was more than 50 per cent, a much greater margin than that shown by any other group among chemicals arid chemical products. By contrast, imports were higher by only a scant 6 per cent-a rather surprising development in view of the general advance in farm prices. A study of the detailed statistics of import for last year in connection with those of the year before reveals that certain large losses and gains tended to balance each other, leaving the small increase as a net result. The greatest slump was in our purchases of ammonium sulfate. These were 185,000 tons for the year, whereas in 1933 they were 351,000 tons, the total value showing a somewhat smaller decrease from $6,179,000 to $3,656,000. The 1934 trade was also far below that of 1932. As a more than adequate offset to this
34 7
loss came a large gain of 142 per cent in the value of our imports of sodium nitrate, which were 294,000 tons valued a t $5,672,000 as compared with 1933 shipments of 123,000 tons valued a t $2,343,000. This heavy increase is a continuation of a revival of the trade which was so flourishing only a few years ago but which dropped to a record low level of about 50,000 tons valued a t $1,472,000 in 1932. The renewed activity in this line is probably not unconnected with price, as the average valuation of these imports, which formerly ranged between $30 and $50 a ton and was about $29 in 1932, was only about $19 in both 1933 and 1934. Among the other nitrogenous materials, calcium cyanamide showed a good gain of about one-third in value, imports totaling 82,000 tons with a value of $1,893,000 as compared with 64,000 tons valued a t $1,416,000 in 1933. The increase was more than counterbalanced, however, by a heavy decline in guano shipments. These were only 17,000 tons with a value of $337,000, whereas in 1933 they were 60,000 tons valued a t $1,118,000. Calcium nitrate imports in 1934 were valued a t 8598,000 as against $294,000 in 1933, urea and calurea a t $462,000 as compared with $500,000, and dried blood a t $151,000 as compared with $192,000. Phosphate-fertilizer imports were much lower, being valued a t $556,000 as against $919,000 in 1933. Imports of potash presented a varied record of gains and losses, as Table IV shows. TABLEIV.
IMPORTS OF POTASH FERTILIZERS (IN THOUSANDS)
Chloride, crude Kainite Manure salts Suifate Nitrate (saltpeter) Total
-1933-Tons 106 102 113 59 26 406
-
Value $3792 908 1329 2262 880 9231
-1934Tons 127 114 79 62 32 4T4
Value $3072 1106 1039 1950 1071 8838
In the export trade both phosphate rock and nitrogenous materials had a good year. Land pebble exports were 896,000 tons valued a t $4,336,000,as against 787,000 tons valued a t $3,249,000 the year before. High-grade rock reached a value of $673,000 as against $295,000 in 1933, and superphosphate $606,000as against $334,000. Nitrogenous chemicals valued a t $4,519,000, including $714,000 worth of ammonium sulfate, in 1934 compared with $2,514,000 in the previous year, of which ammonium sulfate made up $362,000. In addition, nitrogenous waste materials valued a t $421,000 were exported as compared with $215,000 worth in 1933. Potassic fertilizer materials valued a t $918,000 in 1934 were slightly higher than the foreign sales of those commodities the year before; concentrated chemical fertilizers classed as “nitrogenous phosphatic types” made a large gain, the 1934 foreign sales amounting to 19,000 tons with a total value of $751,000 and those of 1933 to 15,000 tons valued a t $5622,000. EXPLOSIVES Firecrackers, the only important item in the imports of explosives, were valued a t $544,000 in 1934, more than double the value of the 1933 trade. All articles listed in the export trade showed large increases in value over 1933, dynamite leading with a total value of $916,000as compared with $794,000. Safety fuses valued a t $459,000 compared with sales of $298,000 in 1933, and blasting caps valued a t $314,000 doubled the previous year’s exports. SOAPAND TOILET PREPARATIONS Perfume materials and perfumery make up the greater part of the incoming trade under this general heading. Foreign purchases of both classes of goods by American buyers were heavier last year. Perfume materials were valued a t $1,591,000, and perfumery, bay rum, and toilet water a t 8651,000,
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
348
as compared, respectively, with $1,001,000 and $550,000 the year before. Soaps were valued a t 5754,000, of which Castile soap made up $212,000. In 1933 these imports were valued a t $437,000. Our foreign sales of goods in this classification are larger and more diversified than our purchases. Dental creams usually lead the list in point of value, and 1934 was no exception, exports of these highly popular American products reaching a total value of $1,219,000. In 1933 the value of the trade was $1,001,000. Other leading items to show an increase, with the values of their 1934 and 1933 exports, respectively, were: toilet or fancy soap, $856,000 and 5716,000; laundry soap, $640,000 and $621,000; hair preparations, $356,000 and $348,000; and manicuring preparations, $232,000 and $180,000. Talcum powder in packages was the most noteworthy article in the trade to sell in smaller amounts, the 1934 exports being valued a t $390,000and those of 1933 a t $447,000. Scouring soap, bricks, pastes, and powders also fell off, selling $228,000 worth as against 1933 sales of $243,000. 0 MATERIALS RELATED TO CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES Many other articles entering into foreign trade have connections with chemical industry although not listed under Chemicals and Related Products. A glance at the course of trade last year in several of the more important of these will be of interest.
Sunflower-seed oil, $446,000, was somewhat higher than in the year before, and imports of corn oil, also $446,000 in value, exceeded those of 1933 by 40 per cent. The new processing tax on coconut oil in this country reduced the volume of the pear's imports very little as compared with the preceding year, but the total value was about 14 per cent less. The 1934 imports were 314,802,000 pounds as compared with 316,078,000 pounds in 1933, and the value 57,372,000 as compared with $8,556,000. Imports of tung oil almost equaled those of coconut oil in value, totaling $6,838,000. This figure was a large jump from the 1933 total, $4,833,000, but the volume showed an actual decrease, amounting to only 109,787,000 pounds in 1934 as against 118,760,000 in 1933. Imports of palm oil, 155,531,000 pounds valued a t $3,905,000, were considerably reduced from 1933 when the totals were 287,483,000pounds and $7,001,000. Sulfured olive oil ($1,958,000),carnauba wax ($1,528,000),and perilla oil ($1,613,000) were among the other inedible vegetable oils and fats which registered substantial gains. Imports of essential oils were much higher than in 1933. Trade in the more important of these oils for the last two years is shown in Table VI. TABLEVI. IMPORTS OF ESSESTIALOILS
petroleum and products. Imports and exports of the leading classes of oils in the last two years were as shown in Table V. V. FOREIGX TRADEI N
PETROLEUM AND
-
1933 Pounds Value 397 $ 188 130 488 33 205 74 90 1865 663 173 328 242 139 144 112
7
MIXERAL OILS A heavier trade in both directions w1s recorded for 1934 in
T.4BLE
Vol. 27, No. 3
PRODUCTS
a
(IS
THOUSAXDS)
-1934Pounds 378 146 26 78 2186 298 193 1:O
Cassia and cinnamon Geranium Attar of roses, ounces Bergamot Citronella and lemon grass Lavender Lemon Orange 7 3.~ 1 Sandalwood Lime 4i 215 All other .. 921 Total 3380 Sandalwood oil imports, 141 pounds valued a t $1442.
. 47.
Value $ 243
693 206 106 724 704 136 1f5 240 1282 4489
(15 THOUS.4NDS)
Imports Petroleum and roducts, total Petroleum, cruB, Advanced and refined oils: Fuel oil unfinished distillates Finished light productsa Illuminating oil Lubricating oil
-1933Barrels 31',908 13,109 116 l9 9 4
Value $ 25,693 17,706
-1934Barrels 35,772
Value $ 36,430 25,903
6,580 157 223 55 65
14,508 243 135 8 7
8,604 562 246 18 61
....
Exports Petroleum and roducts, total Petroleum, c r u t e Natural gasoline Refined oils: Gasoline, naphtha, and other finished light products Illuminating oil (kerosene) Gas oil and distiliate fuel oil Residual fuel 011 Lubricating 011
36,584 1,657
200,016 31,979 3,395
41,122 1,495
227,535 49,751 2,729
25,996 8,764 10,232 8,223 8,111
57,520 19,209 12,348 5,962 55,389
21,685 9,607 13,434 12,490 7,571
51,384 20.792 17,811 10,387 58,234
Fuel or bunker oil for vessels in foreign trade (not included in exports)
32,272
27,103
29,899
31,264
a
....
....
Chiefly bonded oil f o r manufacture and export.
SULFUR Exports of crude sulfur fell off and those of refined increased in 1934, both in quantity and in value. Foreign buyers took 503,000 tons of crude sulfur last year, the value of their purchases being $9,294,000. I n 1933 exports were 523,000 tons valued at $9,878,000. Exports of refined, crushed, ground, and sublimed sulfur and sulfur flowers amounted to 22,661,000 pounds and were valued a t $400,000, as against 19,629,000 pounds valued a t $317,000 in the preceding year. VEGETABLE AIiD ESSENTIAL O I L S
Heavier purchases of olive oil in point of value featured the import trade in edible vegetable oils in 1934, shipments amounting to 55,999,000 pounds valued a t $6,988,000 as against 66,410,000 pounds valued a t $6,213,000 in 1933.
In the export trade peppermint oil, $679,000, and pine oil, $502,000, were both well above the 1933 trade; their values TTere 5567,000 and $471,000, respectively. Other essential oils were exported in much smaller amounts than these two.
DYEING AXD TANSING R~ATERIALS Imports of dyeing and tanning materials in 1934 were valued at a total of $5,777,000, and of this amount quebracho extract was credited with just one-half, or $2,870,000. In 1933 the total for the whole class of products was $4,979,000 and that for quebracho extract was $2,545,000. Although the value of the extract thus showed a gain of about 13 per cent, the quantity, 125,086,000pounds, was almost the same as in the year before. Other imports in this subgroup included no article having a trade of more than $300,000 last year except quebracho wood, which was credited with 8747,000. In 1933, imports of this wood were valued a t only $313,000. Exports of dyeing and tanning materials were valued a t $1,924,000 in 1934 as against $1,629,000 in 1933. These totals are made up largely of tanning extracts which are not separately listed. Chestnut extract, with 8166,000, and logwood extract, 8126,000, are the only two commodities specifically named. Both showed substantial increases over the 1933 trade. RUBBER Much higher prices for crude rubber were in evidence in the 1934 import returns. They showed total purchases by the United States amounting to 1,035,757,000pounds, a fair gain over the 913,510,000 pounds imported in 1933, but the value of these purchases was $101,532,000as against only 844,034,000 in 1933. The unit value was thus more than doubled. Balata imports were greatly reduced, amounting to only $438,000 in value as against $2,262,000 in 1933, but the re-
March, 1935
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGIKEERING CHEMISTRY
349
duction was due chiefly to lower prices; the quantity h- refined natural, $670,000 and $479,000; synthetic, 3258,000 ported, 2,361,000 pounds, was only about 40 per cent under and $220,000. Exports of naval stores, gums, and resins were slightly that of the year before. under those of 1933 in value. The trade of the last two years Gum, RE~INS AND , Ka1-a~STORES is shown in Table VII. A large increase in imports of shellac made it the leading OF XAYAL STORES, GT'MS, AND RESINS article in the gums and resins group in point of value, surpass- TABLEVII. EXPORTS (IX THOUSANDS) ing chicle, although the chewing gum material also registered -19331934--a good gain. Unbleached shellac was imported to the exQuantity Value Quantity Value tent of $1,686,000 in 1934; bleached shellac to a value of Naval stores: 994 8 6,540 794 8 6,615 Gum rosin, barrels $126,000; and seed lac, crude lac, etc., to a value of $1,127,231 219 1,324 1,779 Wood rosin, barrels 9,789 13,388 5,781 4,755 G u m spirits of, turpentine, gallons 000. These totals compared with $906,000, $66,000, and 893 403 343 851 Wood turpentine, gallons 9 65 98 7 T a r and pitch of wood, barrels $873,000 in 1933. Chicle imports were 6,499,000 pounds as 661 6.000 839 4,248 gums and resins, pounds compared with 4,066,000 and their value $1,471,000 as com- Other 14,714 1 4 , 4 89 Total pared with $1,081,000. Camphor imports in 1934 and 1933 were, respectively: crude natural, $646,000 and 8411,000; RECEIVED February 4. 1935.
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Aerobacter aerogenes as a Cause of Ropiness in Maple Sirup F.W. FABIAN AND H. H. B~JSKIRK, Michigan State College, East Lansing, Mich.
R
OPY fermentation is not uncommon i n c e r t a i n products such as milk, bread, and wines. It is sometimes found in such factories as those making sugar and molasses. This type of fermentation may occur a t any season of the year but is more common in the spring and fall. Stark and Foster ( 3 ) have shown that a large number of different bacteria are capable of producing this type of fermentation. They are omnipresent in the soil, in the air, on feeds, and in the dust which collects in the barn, dairy, or factory. Therefore, the likelihood of ropy fermentation occurring in certain of the food industries is great.
ROPYMAPLESIRUP
producing a ropy fermentation in normal concentrated sirup. Kormal maple sirup was then diluted to various concentrations. M e m b e r s of t h e s i x groups of bacteria previously isolated were inoculated into the various dilutions, and they were found to grow well in a concentration of maple sugar up to 10 per cent. Above that point the g r o w t h was slow or absent. After 24 to 48 hours of incubation a t room temperature, the dilute sirup was again concentrated. Of all the b a c t e r i a tested, only those in group I produced ropiness. The bacteria in this group within 24 to 48 hours, depending upon the amount of i n o c u l u m u s e d , were able to change the sugars p r e s e n t i n the dilute maple sirup or sap so that it was e x t r e m e l y r o p y when evaporated to the concentration of normal maple sirup. The viscosity was so great that it was possible to take a loop, dip it into the concentrated sirup, and stretch it 10 feet or more before the thread would break.
A group of bacteria was isolated f r o m the sap of iicer saccharum which, when inoculated into sterile sap or dilute maple sirup, produced a ropy maple sirup upon being concentrafed to the consistency of sirup. Since these bacteria were isolated f r o m the sap f r o m which the ropy maple sirup was produced in the sugar bush, it is evident that t h ( y were responsible f o r the condition. The morphological, physiological, and cultural characteristics of the bacteria responsible f o r this condition corresponded in all essential details to those of Aerobacter aerogenes. The addition of a n amount of acetic acid of approximately the acidity found in the fermented sap did not influence the consistency of the evaporated sap. The addition of a similar amount of luetic acid did inJuence its consistency. Neutralizing thc acidity of fermented sap reduced somewhat the ropy condition of the concentrafed sap.
I n the spring of 1934 sei-era1 m a k e r s of maple sirup were troubled with a ropy product. Samples were brought to the laboratory for analysis. The concentrated maple sirup was examined for the presence of microorganisms, both microscopically and by plating it on solid media-yeast extract, malt extract, dextrose, and plain agar. These media were seeded with large and small amounts of maple sirup, but in no instance did growth appear. Samples of sap were then procured from the sugar bushes from which the ropy inaple sirup was being produced. Samples of this sap in different stages of concentration were examined and plated on the media just mentioned. All such samples showed the presence of abundant bacteria. Many representative colonies were fished on agar slants and purified by repeated platings. These colonies were then classified into six groups (Table I). Sone of the organismb isolated was capable of growing or
BACTERIS
RESPOXSIBLE FOR ROPIKESS
After repeatedly testing the various groups for their ability to produce r0pine.s in various concentrations of maple sirup, it was found that group &I.S. 1 was responsible. The members of this group were then studied morphologically, culturally, and physiologically in a n attempt to identify them. A complete description of the organisms follows: Morphological characteristics: Size and shape: rods, 0.5 to 0.8 by 1.5to 2.5 microns, occurring singly, in pairs and sometimes short chains, asporogenic, encapsulated, motile in broth and sap, gram-negative
