HEADLINES of the Month Events of Interest to Chemists, Chemical Engineers, and EXecutiVeS--/?eviewed 9 OCTOBER16. David M. Poole, a n engineer at Oak Ridge, Tenn., atomic project, tells Society of Automotive Engineers, Baltimore, Md., t h a t atomic engines for airplanes have reached drawing-board stage. r[ OCTOBER17. Federation of American Scientists sets u p scientists’ committee on loyalty problems, Henry DeWolf Smyth, Princeton University, announces. --Atomic Energy Commission negotiates with Vanadium Corp. t o purchase uranium a t two of its ore treatment plants’.
7 OCTOBER 18. Bernard Baruch, speaking at 17th annual S.Y. Herald Tribune Forum in N.Y., blames Soviet leaders for vetoing “the American dream of a world free of the threat of atomic destruetion.”--Lieut. Gen. Leslie R. Groves, wartime head Manhattan Project, at American Legion dinner in Miami, Fls., says Baruch plan for international control of atomic energy is outmoded in light of Soviet’s policy of deception and t h a t w e cannot destroy bombs in view of hostility. - - + L o n g - r a n g e research program t o cost minilnuin of $1,250,000 in next 5 years is proposed for brick and tile industry a t annual meeting 01Structural Clay Products Institute at French Lick Springs, 1nd.NReconstruction Finance Corp.’s synthetic rubber plant operated at Xaugatuck, Conn., by U. S. Rubber Co. is being equipped t o produce new cold rubber which gives 30% longer tread wear in tires, company announces.mmU. S. demands United Nations tm deadlocked atomic energy problem over t o five great powers and Canada for direct negotiations. 7 OCTOBER19. Western Powers agree t o revive suspended USA%ECafter small powers win Canada’s adherence. 7 OCTOBER20. Charles L. Parsons, former Secretary A.C.S., is honored with honorary membership in the American Institute of Chemists at joint meeting of N. Y. Chapter of BIChE, S. Y. Section A C.S., and American Section, Society of Chemical Industry, in N. Y.--UN General Assembly’s Political and Security Committee rejects Soviet’s proposal for simultaneous signing of two conventions prohibiting atomic bomb and establishing world atomic control. N-Vannevar Bush, director Office of Scientific %search and Development during t h e war and president of Carnegie Institution, wins 1949 medal of Industrial Research Institute for war work2.m-Goodyear Tire & Rubber announces plans for 50% conversion of synthetic rubber manufacturing facilities t o production of “cold” rubber. f OCTOBER 21. D u Pont announces plans t o construct multimillion-dollar plant near Camden, S. C., for production of Orlon, a new type synthetic textile fiber3. [‘ OCTOBER22. Merck & Co. announces production of new type of streptoinycin from a soil organism, Streptomyces griseus, for use in treatment of tuberculosis after “highly encouraging reports” from various groups of clinical investigators. m-Sinclair Refining Co. opens new research and development laboratories at Harvey, Ill., and 3000 scientists, engineers, chemists, industrialists, and others from all parts of country tour nine buildings comprising the center4.-mFederal Security Agency announces creation of microbiological institute in Public Health Service to study malaria, polio, typhus, and common cold with basic research Chem. Eng. N e w s , 2 6 , 3352 (Nov. 8, 1948). Ib?d., 2 6 , 33;4 (Nov. 8, 1948). a Ibzd. 26 3300 (Nov 8, 1948). 4 I b i d . : 2 6 : 3276 (Nov: 1, 1948). 1 2
in fields including chemistry, nutrition, physics, ctc.--Joseph C. Wilson, president Haloid Co., Rochester, N. Y., and officials of Battelle Memorial Institute announce develoDment of inkless process for printing xerography that reproduces pictures and text at speed of 1200 ft. per minute by using dry powders and no wet chemicals or ink.--Federal Court in Pittsburgh fines four paint producers-American-Marietta, Devoe & Raynolds, Interchemical Corp., and Pittsburgh Plate Glass-35000 each in Government’s anti-trust suit.N-Departnient of Commerce announces allocation of 194 tank cars of army-produced anhydrous ammonia t o four fertilizer plants which otherwise would be forced 50 suspend or curtail operations for lack of materia!.
11 OCTOBER 25. National Petroleum Council announce3 appointment of 27-man committee headed by W. IT-. Vandeveei, of Cleveland, a former official of Allied Oil Security Rewurpes Board, to survey petroleum industry’s essential manpower needs a n d help Government establish controls necessary t o meet necdsin event of another war. f[ OCTOBER 26. United Electrical Radio and Machine LT-orkers, 610, bring suit against General Electric and members of AEC asking 51,000,000 damages and federal injunction against blacklisting union in atomic plants ”James B. C o n m t , president Karvard University, awarded 1918 Theodore Roosevelt Medal Qf Honor for service in the field of science.N-Riggs Optical Co , San Francisco, merges with Bausch & Lomb Optical e o , and will be known as Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., Pacific Division
7 OCTOBER27. State Department announces agreement by British and French Governments t o delay distribution of about 300 industrial units as reparations payments from Western Germany pending decision on their retention under European Rccovery Program. --W. Albert Noyes, University of Rochester, named chairman of Chemical Warfare Committee, a unit of RcB. McConnell, vice presiscarch and Development Board. ----E. dent in charge of manufacturing, says construction of a $13,000,000 solvent refining plant for lubricating oils a t Lima, Ohio, has been authorized by Standard Oil of 0hio.N-Monsanto announces completion of new furnace for productiori of elemental phosphorous in largest plant of its kind in the world near l l o n santo, Tenn.--Government’s top mobilization planning agency, National Security Resources Board, throws its full weight behind a n all-out drive to standardize industrial and military equipment. 7 OCTOBER28. Paul Mueller, Geigy D r y Industries cf Basic, Switzerland, receives 1948 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discowring strong insect-killing powers of DDT6.--Mellon Institute announces work will start immediately on $950,000 expansion program t o finish 50 new resrarch laboratories purposely left un-. finished when building was erected.
7 OCTOBER30. AEC ships about 1 ounce of all radioactive itcnis from Oak Ridge in one year, supplying 16 nations and 300 laboratories in the U. S.--Federal judge approves out-of-court settlcment of flat glass anti-trust suit leaving Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Co. intact but containing severe injunctions against practices alleged t o be in restraint of trade. 7 OCTOBER31. Victor Chemical Works new plant in Morrisville, Pa., starts production, Roth Weigel, executive vice presi6
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2 6 , 3354 (Nov. 8, 1948).
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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
dent, announces. --Commercial Solvent,s Corp., after 3 years of experimental work, announces bacitracin, new antibiotic drug, which mill supplement penicillin and streptomycin.--Department of Commerce extends t o November 30 deadlines for placing certified export orders for small part of foreign nitrogen fertilizer program t o accommodate China, Greece, arid a few Latin American countries.
7 XOTEMBERI. Owens-Corning Fiber Glass Corp., Owc~ia-11linois Glass Co., and Corning Glass Works deny Government’s charge of glass fiber monopoly and seek dismissal of anti-trust suit.N-Federa1 Trade Commission orders American Viscosc Gorp. t o cease misrepresenting standards under which products containing its rayon or fibers are “tested and approved.”--Department of Army announces av,-ard of contract t o Hercules Powder Co. for product,ion of 2000 tons of anhydrous ammonia a month for use as fertilizer here and under Europca,ii Recovery Plan.--I. M.Kolthoff, Univcrsity of Xliiiiiesota, TTins 1948 Wm. H. Sichols 3Iedal of S.Y . Section .4.C.H. for n-orld leadership in development of modern analylical chemistry.
7; NOVEMBER 3. Britain asks Economic Cooperation Administ,ration for U. S. scientists and technicians to fill vacancies in the British colonies. BER 4. Swedish chemist Arne Tiselius receives Kobe1 Prize in Chemistry for 19,48 for discoveries in biochemistry and invention of Tiselius apparatus for separation of proteins.-Chemical production in Anglo-U. S. zones of Germany coiitinues to gain since currency reform last June. --India places embargo on further imports of caustic soda, Office of International Trade says.--UK General Assembly approves 40 to 6 UK sponsored atomic energy control plan and rejects Soviet Union’s counter proposal-which xvould scrap the bomb as controls are initiated-by exactly the sama vote.--lThite House and Sclcctive Service System jointly aiiiiouiice appointment of five committees of scientists and educators, including representatives of colleges and unirersities, government, industry, private research organizations, and learned soc,ieties in fields of agriculture and biological sciences, engineering sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, and the humanities to make draft deferment recommendations for Force anstudents of science and draft-age scientists.“Air nounces formation of nonprofit research corporation t o apply “the nation‘s best, scientific abilities and achievements t o the national defense.”--International Paper Co. will build rayon mill in South bo employ new process for producing rayon and other synthetic products from hardwood pulp, its president John H. Hinnan says.-NBenjamin I?. Fairless, president U. S. %eel Corp., and John G. Nunson, vice president in charge of ranmaterials for U. S. Steel Corp. of Dclaivare, leave for Rjo de Janiero, Brazil, to inspect, ore deposits in Brazil and Venezuela.
7 NOVEMBER 5 . 1f-m Assets Administration announces aluminum Co. of America will buy government-owned aluminum plant at Massena, N. Y., €or $5,000,000 and will make available t o industry all of its alloy patents and most important process and fabricating patents without any reciprocal obligations. Thirtytwo of country’s leading scientists altend one-month course a t Oak Ridge, Tenn., on fundamental techniques of using radioisotopes in research work. 7 NOVEMBER7. Teyerhaeuser Timber Co., Howard Smith Paper Rlills, and Babcock &. Wilcox Co. develop iiem sulfite wood pulp process designed to recover materials wast,ed in present processes.--Lederle Laboratorics after 5 years’ research develop new antibiotic aureomycin, classified with penicillin, strept,omycin, and the sulfas. 7 NOVEhIBER 8. ,4 16-inch, direct-view, all-glass bulb for television is being developed by Kimble Glass Division of OwensIllinois Glass Co., Stanley J. McGeveran, division’s general
Vol. 40, No. 12
manager, says. --Plasticizers for vinyl and other synthetic resins will be manufactured in substantial volume in 1949 by B. F. Goodrich Chemical Co., U. S. Richardson, president, says. --Heyden Chemical Corp. concludes purchase of assets of Rumford Chemical Works, B. R. Arniour, president of Heyden, and A. E. Marshall, president of Rumford! announce.--Diamond hlkali completes plans for manufacture of perchloroethylene, a solvent in heavy demand in dry cleaning field, company announces. yAklan P. Colburn, 1948 xinner of Professional Progress Xn.ard in Chemical Hngjneering sponsored by C’elancse Corp. of America, a t annual meeting of AIC‘hE in S.Y., urges new approach tBoworld peace by use of engineering methods.
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l T o ~9. ~Eugene i ~ Ayres, ~ ~ vice ~ president mid director of research, Gulf Research and Developmerit Co., Pittsburgh, at annual meeting of American Pet,roleuin Institute in Chicago predicts U. S. may exhaust its reserve uranium in 30 ycars if present rate of use for bombs continues.
7 h T O V E I I B E R 10. u. E. and British Y1ilitar.y Governinerits turn over t o Germans temporary and limited control of administration of Ruhr coal, iron, and steel industries.--Chile tries extraction of nat,ural sodium nitrate by solar evaporation. ,--Emil Ott, director of research, IIercules Powder Co., at, m e e h g of Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturer* Association in E.T.,says German industrialists concede Germany’s former world position in production and export of chemicals will never be regained. 7 SOVEXBER 11. A. E. Staley llanufacturing Co. operis new $2,500,000 plant t o produce monosodium glutamate, an amino acid, a tasteless taste intensifier.--Office of International Trade says a number of chemicals and c.heniica1 specialties have been removed from export controls t o all areas except Europe. --Marcus Sittenfield, consulting engineer, Philadelphia, at meeting of h I C h E in N.Y., predicts Supreme Court, ruling on basing point ban may curtail recent tremendous yrow.th of chemical industry in Texas and adjacent areas in the Southwest. 7 SOWMBER 12. Arabian
American Oil Co. and TransArabian Pipe Line Co. plan t o spend S5ZO,OOO,OOO in 5 ycws in development of Middle East oil production and transportation faciliiies, presidents of the t x o companies announce in a joint statement.
7 KOTELTBER13. Xational military establishment “assum(:d’ use of atomic bomb by “a theoretical enemy!’ and cstinxitos that casualties mould t.otal 40,000 killed and 60,000 injured for S. Burcau every bomb burst over a densely populated area.“U. of Mines Director James Boyd says huge oxygen “factory” removed from Germany d l go into operat,ion a t Louisiana, Mo., within a few weeks.
co.,
7 R O V E X B E R I f . P.E. Sprague, vice president Gliddcn aniiounces plans for expansion and modernization oE company’s naval stores division plant a t Valdosta, Ga., which will make it largest pine gum-producing plant in world.
NOVETIBER 15. N. P.Academy of Sciences opens campaign for $1,000,000 fund t o finance erection and maintenance of permanent academy building and science center in N.Y.--Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Co., at official opening of continuous coal gasification pilot plant, demonstrates process to representatives of industrial fuel producers and users; process depends on lorn-temperature carbonization of mined coal and recovery of gas and tar.”Herman F. Mark, Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, in 1948 Harrison Howe Lecture, sponsored by Rochester Section, A.C.S., says common plastics can now be heat-proofed by chemical surgery, thus eliminating one of their greatest remaining weaknesses
