Gyroscope Could Test General Relativity A new experimental test of the general relativity theory has been proposed by Dr. Leonard I. Schiff, head of Stanford University's physics department. He told the summer meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers (held at Stanford) that there are three so-called "crucial tests" of the theory: • The light.
gravitational
• The deflection near the sun.
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of light
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• The orbit precession of the planet Mercury.
DEPENDABLE ACCURACY Wavelength: 5A Photometric: 0.005 at 4A CRITICAL REPEATABILITY Wavelength: 2A Photometric: 0.003 PRACTICAL WAVELENGTH RANGE
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However, the first and possibly the second of these can be inferred correctly from the equivalence principle and special relativity, both of which are well established by other evidence, Dr. Schiff argues. Hence, another test of general relativity is highly desirable. Such a test is difficult to contrive because differences in the behavior of physical systems predicted by either Newtonian or Einsteinian mechanics are immeasurably small in many cases. But, he notes, a perfect gyroscope moving through space would show no movement of the spin axis according to Newtonian mechanics. According to the general relativity theory, such a gyroscope should exhibit a very slow precession of the axis. The small precession, however, would be very difficult to measure. If the gyroscope were placed in a laboratory at the same latitude as Stanford University, the earth's motion should cause precession of about onehalf second of arc per year. Orbiting Satellite. Putting the gyroscope in an orbiting satellite would improve the situation considerably, Dr. Schiff says. Since the satellite is moving more rapidly than the rate of the earth's rotation, the rate of precession would be increased, too. In a satellite orbiting at an altitude of 300 or 400 miles, the precession rate would be some seven seconds of arc per year —still a difficult, but perhaps not impossible rate to measure. Then, too, since the satellite would be in free fall, the gyroscope would be weightless and would not have to be supported against gravity. Dr. Schiff, together with Stanford's Dr. William M. Fairbank, proposes a small, spherical gyroscope (about one
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U.S.I. CHEMICAL NEWS
July
A Series for Chemists and Executives of the Solvents and Chemical Consuming Industries
Nonfood Aerosol Production Up 17% in 1960 An estimated 670 million nonfood aerosol units were produced in the U.S. and Canada in 1960 according to the Chemical S p e c i a l t i e s M a n u f a c t u r e r s Association. This is an increase of 1 7 % over the 1959 estimate of 575 million units. The largest seller is still the hair spray —• way out in front in 1960, with 1 8 % of all aerosols produced falling in t h i s c a t e g o r y . Shav- • A d ] ing lathers, again in second
New Large Tank, Molded of Powdered Polyethylene, Resists Chemicals, Foods A new, thick-walled, extra-large polye t h y l e n e c o n t a i n e r which provides dependable, economical storage for as much as a ton of liquid or bulk product, is currently being introduced for use in meat packing and processing plants. The new tank combines strength and light weight with unusual resistance to meat and food juices, chemicals, acids and alkali solutions. It is virtually unaffected by t e m p e r a t u r e v a r i a t i o n s , a n d h a s smooth, clean, seam-free construction. The container, one of the first results of a new polyethylene processing technique c a l l e d p o w d e r m o l d i n g , is m a d e from U.S.I.'s MICROTHENE® finely divided polyethylene resin. By hot-mold processing the MICROTHENE, the fabricator has been able to produce a tank considerably larger than those produceable by competitive processes, without sacrificing quality. The large size and excellent properties of polyethylene tanks molded in this manner suggest many possible uses in the C P I .
Large tank, molded from polyethylene powder, is strong, l i g h t w e i g h t , resistant to chemicals.
1961
Coke Oven Producers Advised to Meet Competitors' Quality or Lose BTX-Naphthalene Markets Inexpensive Sodium Desulfurization Process Suggested as Solution to Quality Problem P e t r o l e u m c o m p a n i e s a n d c h e m i c a l m a n u f a c t u r e r s a r e t h r e a t e n i n g to take t h e a r o m a t i c c h e m i c a l s m a r k e t a w a y from t h e coke oven p r o d u c e r s . T h e only chance for survival, a c c o r d i n g t o M a r t i n F a y e of U.S.I., is t o m a r k e t m a t e r i a l of a quality comparable to that of petroleum-derived BTX and naphthalene. The warning was sounded at the American Coke and Coal Chemicals Institute Eastern Regional Meeting at Rye, New York. Mr. Faye pointed out that 1965 market estimates for benzene consumption are put at 800 million gallons — about 350 million above today's demand. To meet this, petroleum companies have 390 million gallons of capacity planned for completion before the end of 1962. Petroleum companies could then supply over 750 million of the expected 800 million gallon market. N a p h t h a l e n e is s l a t e d to follow t h e same path, according to Mr. Faye. While coke oven naphthalene capacity will hold steady at 642 million pounds, petroleum naphthalene's present capacity of 100 million pounds will j u m p to 450 million by the end of next year. Low T h i o p h e n e Content I m p o r t a n t
Methionine Reverses Effect of Thyroid Hormone As Metabolic Uncoupler Recent investigations on the metabolic role of the amino acid methionine indicate that it has functions other than that of raw material for protein formation. It has been found that while iodocasein a dietary source of thyroid h o r m o n e — i n c r e a s e s oxygen consumption, reduces growth and feed efficiency, and enlarges the liver in experimental chicks, adding methionine to the diet will reverse all of these effects. Since thyroid hormone is a metabolic uncoupler. the study suggests that methionine acts in m e t a b o l i s m as a c o u p l i n g agent, or by e n h a n c i n g biosynthesis of such an agent, or by otherwise interfering with the action of the thyroid hormone as an uncoupler.
Key to holding the aromatics market, Mr. Faye told the coke oven producers, is product quality. Petroleum benzene, for example, has a thiophene content of less than 1 p p m . Coke oven benzene generally has a thiophene content of 250 to 1,000 ppm. "Only a few coke oven plants, seeing the handwriting on the wall, have girded themselves for competition by installing processes that remove paraffins and thiophene," said Mr. Faye. Mr. Faye outlined two relatively simple processes for thiophene removal which use metallic sodium. These processes are said to be particularly attractive to small and medium size producers. The first, a mechanically agitated system, feeds vaporized a r o m a t i c s t h r o u g h a blenderreactor containing high surface sodium on an inert carrier. Direct operating costs for this process are about 1.55^/gal. For plants with capacities over 10,000 gal. per day of l i g h t o i l , M r . F a y e r e c o m m e n d e d a f l u i d i z e d M7iWi solids system which can re-
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July
U.S.I. CHEMICAL NEWS
High-Strength Vinegar By New Continuous Process
1961
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS
A commercially feasible system for concentration of high-strength vinegar by continuous methods has been developed. The process is said to reduce costs substantially over conventional batch methods. Although developed to meet requirements of the pickle industry, the system is adaptable to processing similar fluids in chemical, food, other industries. In the new process, 170-grain feedstock — obtained by blending fresh 120-grain Form-filing instruction page f r o m new Government Regulations Supplement to U.S.I.'s Ethyl vinegar with a starter batch of 200-grain Alcohol C a t a l o g is typical of simplified informamaterial — is upgraded to 200- or higher tion contained in booklet. Supplement makes latest grain strength by slush freezing in a three- alcohol regulations easy to understand; makes cylinder, ammonia-jacketed heat ex- forms easy to handle. For copy, address Technical Literature Dept., U.S.I. Chemical News, 99 Park changer apparatus. Removal of the ice Ave., N.Y. 16, N.Y. then concentrates the effluent from a centrifugal separator to 200-grain. InterAerosols CONTINUED change features of the system are reported to reduce greatly both cooling tower requirements and heat load on the continu- place, claimed 11% of total production. In the Cologne and Perfume category, ous process equipment. the number of units produced in the "one Coke Oven ounce and under" size almost doubled CONTINUED from 1959 to 1960. The small units now Aromatics account for 29% of the total category, as duce thiophene content from 1,000 to compared to 17% in 1959. under 1 ppm at a cost of only 0.86^/gal. Low Capital Investment for Process Biggest plus for the metallic sodium desulfurization systems is the low capital investment required. Capital outlay for a 30,000 gal./day BTX unit would be about $350,000 — far less than for a hydrodealkylation system of the same capacity. Typical cost figures for naphthalene desulfurization are: 10 million lb./yr.— 0.57^/lb.; investment $50,000: 50 million lb./yr. — 0.43^/lb.; investment $100,000. "These processes allow producers of light oil and naphthalene to market low sulfur products, hold their customers and remain competitive. Coke oven producers still have an opportunity to provide their customers with good quality material. Otherwise," concluded Mr. Faye, "these customers will surely go to the petroleumbased material at the same price." PRODUCTS Heavy Chemicals: M e t a l l i c S o d i u m , A n h y d r o u s A m m o n i a , A m m o n i u m Nitrate, Nitric Acid, Nitrogen Fertilizer Solutions, Phosphatic Fertilizer Solution, Sulfuric Acid, Caustic Soda, Chlorine, Sodium Peroxide. Pharmaceutical Products: DL-Methionine, N-Acetyl-DL-Methionine, Urethan USP, Intermediates. PETROTHENE® . . . Polyethylene Resins MICROTHENE . . . Finely Divided Polyethylene Resin.
Information about manufacturers of these items may be obtained by writing U.SJ. New peptide-former, N-ethyl-5-phenylisoxazolium-3'-sulfonate, n o w a v a i l a b l e in developmental quantities for physiological and enzyme studies. Said to give 80-95% yields of very pure peptides by simple, fast procedure. No. 1730 Custom blow molding, pressure and vacuum forming f a c i l i t i e s for making p l a s t i c parts described in new brochure. Blow moldings with capacities up to 5 gallons can be made. Preprinting for vacuum forming claimed a specialty. No. 1731 Three "Fluorescent labeling powders" now on market said to tag proteins in seconds. Technique is designed for labeling antibodies with dimethylaminonaphthalenesulfonyl chloride, fluoresceinisothiocyanate, lissamine rhodamine. No. 1732 A do-it-yourself, special-purpose slide rule kit now obtainable permits individuals to design and construct their own special-purpose slide rules for recurring calculations in their work. Explanatory booklet included. No. 1733 New adhesive is claimed particularly useful for bonding polyethylene film to itself or to paper. Said to permit use of paper labels on polyethylene bottles, etc. Is a natural rubber based, water emulsion. No. 1734 New gas scrubber uses principle of logarithmic curve flow, said to provide high efficiency at low cost. Counter-flow of water and gas over volute curves is reported to produce scrubbing vortex for most effective separation of dust. No. 1735 New antimicrobial assay kit tests for presence of bactericides, fungicides, antibiotics. Kit consists of i m p r e g n a t e d p a p e r disks in small plastic chamber. Permits rapid laboratory screening and field control tests. No. 1736 Tenth edition of Handbook of Chemistry now being sold. Many of detailed tables of specific properties have been completely rewritten. Provides new material on properties of plastics as materials of construction. No. 1737 Glyoxylic acid — 40% now available in commercial quantities. Claimed unique because of its acid-aldehyde function. Suggested as intermediate in making drugs, cosmetics, artificial colorings, synthetic resins. No. 1738 Special edible ink has been developed for printing trade marks on wax-coated pills. Contains cyclohexane and ammonia said to penetrate wax and do excellent printing job. Ink is patented. No. 1739
OF Ethyl Alcohol: Pure and all denatured formulas; Anhydrous and Regular Proprietary Denatured Alcohol Solvents SOLOX®, FILMEX®, ANSOL®M, ANSOL PR.
Organic Solvents and Intermediates: Normal Butyl Alcohol, Amyl Alcohol, Fusel O i l , Ethyl Acetate, Normal Butyl Acetate, DIATOL®, Ethyl Ether, Acetone, Ethyl Chloroformate, Ethylene, Sodium Ethylate, Urethan U.S.P. (Ethyl Carbamate).
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inch in diameter) made of niobium or some similar superconducting metal. The sphere would be cooled until it was superconducting; it could then sit in a magnetic field to prevent any possible drifting from its correct position. Such a situation, he says, is believed to be absolutely frictionless. Rotation of the sphere would be started either before the satellite was launched or by an automatic mechanism after it was in orbit. The exact rate of rotation would be unimportant since this does not affect the rate of precession. The package (total weight of about 150 pounds) would be cooled with 100 pounds of solid hydrogen. A mark on the sphere would be observed by an optical system which would compare its orientation with a fixed frame of reference obtained telescopically from the fixed stars. The orientation data would be transmitted periodically to earth. The system requires a satellite which would carry a telescope. A series of such satellites known as OAO (Orbiting Astronomic Observatory) is planned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to start in the summer of 1963. The two physicists have asked for space aboard one of these satellites for their experiment.
BRIEFS
High Voltage Engineering Corporation . • •
"CHARGED PARTICLES" Aecelerators on the Research Frontier We keep rewriting copy on this theme, and properly so. T h e needs of science for charged particles in nuclear structure research continue to create dynamic interest in Van de Graaff and microwave linear accelerators, and intensive development is leading to performance in energy and current that could not be considered even a short while ago. T h e uses for higher energy, greater intensity, and more exacting specifications of stability and pulsing are not clearly known, but consideration of attainable accelerator performance may stimulate action on research programs lying dormant for lack of appropriate apparatus. T h e advanced characteristics here outlined can be contemplated now, due to recent technical advances in the design of accelerator components. Energy T h e capability of the Tandem Van de Ciraafl to reach into the range well above 20 Mev with precisely stabilized positive ions is a reality. Currents will be more than adequate for useful nuclear structure research. New linacs of proven design extend high pulsed currents of electron beams to hundreds of Mev. They open u p great areas of neutron physics and monocnergetic gamma work for physicists. T h e high power capabilities are now matched by sophisticated analyzing, deflecting and collimating systems which are as important to experimental work as the linacs themselves.
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Ampoules containing eight unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters (100 mg. of each) will be distributed soon by the division of research grants and the National Heart Institute, National Institutes of Health. The esters are docosa-13-enoate (erucate), eicosa-11enoate, octa-12-enoate, and octa-11enoate, all 99% pure. Samples of 95r/r (or greater) purity will include eicosa-5,8,11,14,17-pentaenoate, docosa-4,7,10,13,16,19-hexaenoate, tetracosa-15-enoate (nervonate), and octadeca-6-enoate (petroselenate). Scientists who want sets of these samples should describe briefly the research program involved.
program to reduce the cost of ionizing radiation energy at high power levels. T h e x-ray and neutron outputs from these beams are indeed heroic: X-rays — millions of rads per minute at a jew centimeters distance. Neutrons —1015 neutrons per second from a "point" source.
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Pulsing New techniques enable Van de Graaffs to be pulsed from a few nanoseconds u p to a millisecond. Instantaneous intensities as described above make feasible the consideration of hundreds of rads per pulse, or more than 1 0 u neutrons per burst. Energy Stability
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It is now possible to consider stabilizing systems to a limit imposed primarily by the thermal motion of nuclear targets. With little effort, continuous particle-energy stabilities of a few tens of electron-volts can be provided. Among the research fields in which these particle-accelerator characteristics may make a considerable contribution are: nuclear physics, biology, solidstate, radiation damage, plasma physics, ignition of thermonuclear systems, and space-environment studies. Physicists and radiation chemists at High Voltage Engineering are prepared to explore on an individual basis, longrange and immediate research problems that could utilize our accelerator systems. This is part of a series of xchich reprints are available on request to: Technical Sales Department.
Intensity
An expanded program of research grants in radiological health has been started by the U.S. Public Health Service. Requests for information and applications should go to Dr. Paul F. Hahn, Office of Extramural Grants, Division of Radiological Health, USPHS, Washington 25, D.C.
Electron or ion-beam currents in the one-ampere range at a few Mev can now be considered seriously. A speciallydesigned accelerator has shown excellent life performance at 1 Mev and 20 milliamperes of electrons as part of High Voltage Engineering's continuing test
HIGH VOLTAGE ENGINEERING CORPORATION BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A. APPLIED RADIATION CORPORATION HIGH VOLTAGE ENGINEERING (EUR0PA) N.V.
Reliability from, experience with over 250 accelerators in the field JULY
17, 1 9 6 1 C & E N
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