THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK of zfcO.00002 can hi· obtained. Suitable certified immersion liquids are available commercially. Because of its combination of speed and precision, the refractometer is well suited to production control and research, as well as to the general determination of refractive constants of transparent substances, according to XBS.
Phosphorus in A c i d and Alkaline Soils Determined b y N a H C 0 3 Test
Student-trainees at Naval Research Laboratory listen SLS Kenneth L. Dunning of tlie Nucleonics division explains construction a n d operation of laboratory's new five million electron-volt Van de Graaff generator used in the nuclear research program in g salary of approximately $3200 a year. If the trainee is a junior, he may be rehired in his senior year, and then asked to return upon graduation at the regular entrance level of $3400.
NRC W i l l Receive Applications For Cancer Research Grants Applications for grants for scholars in cancer research are being accepted by the committee on growth of the National Research Council acting for the American Cancer Society. These awards are designed to bridge the gap between the completion of fellowship training and the period when the scientist has demonstrated his competence as an independent investigator. A grant of $18,000, payable over three years, will be made to each scholar's institution. Each institution may submit more than one application. Grants are not restricted to the support of individuals who have held American Cancer Society fellowships. Applications should be submitted prior to Jan. 1, 1954. Additional information may be obtained from Executive Secretary, Committee on Growth, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington 25, D. C.
veloped by the National Bureau of Standards' Oscar H. Grauer. Time consuming grinding and polishing operations normally required with other refractometers o r spectrometers, are thus eliminated. The glass used for the prism assembly corresponds rougMy in index of refraction t o the sample being measured; by substituting different prism assemblies, different ranges of index can be covered. With homogeneous, accurately cut samples and contact liquids matching the refractive index of the sample to O.002, an accuracy
Shaking a soil sample with a solution of sodium bicarbonate measures the soil phosphorus content of acid and alkaline soils in less than an hour. The test, says the U. S. Department of Agriculture, is the first to givt' a satisfactory measure of available phosphorus on the wide range of soil types in the western states. The method, readily adapted to routine use, is based on relatively new knowledge of the reactions of calcium phosphates in the soil and t h e influence of these reactions on plant uptake of phosphorus. It indicates, with greater accuracy than tests commonly used, where addition of phosphate fertilizer will produce a response in increased crop yields.
Electronic Assemblies Produced By Mechanized Means A design system and automatic machinery for the mechanized production of electronic equipment has been developed by the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics and the National Bureau of Standards. The project, known as Project Tinkertoy, consists of simultaneous development of two systems—a production system utilizing automatic fabrication and assembling equip-
With the new NSS refractometer, the glass sample, cut with a 90° angle, fits into a prism assembly (center). Looking into the telescope (left), the observer sees a double irnage of an illuminated filament. Separation between the two images varies with the index of refraction of the glass sample and is accurately measured by means o-f a filar mticrometer that is part of the telescope; micrometer readings are readily converted t o index of refraction. Filament, light, source, and collimator are at right
TECHNOLOGY Index of Refraction of O p t i c a l Materials Obtained Rapidly The index of refraction of specimens of glass or some other optical materials can be determined with high accuracy in a few minutes by use of a refractometer de4022
CHEMICAL
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The Lippincott McLeod Gauge W i t h it* A u t o m a t i c Zero Device, t h e til tin κ type McLeod Gauge h a s a t t a i n e d a new dimension in accuracy a n d utility. Thia improvement, plus its a l u m i n u m stand and one-half inch rod for m o u n t i n g t o labora tory frame work, assures m a x i m u m service ability. Featuring a n Automatic Zero Ad justment, t h e mercury ie regulated t o t h e exact a m o u n t required for reading a t t h e t o p or a t t h e b o t t o m of t h e scale. In conjunction "with t h e Vapor Pres sure Temperature Monograph* (avail able mounted in plastic* $3.50 eu.), t h e Lippincott McLeod Gauge makes a c o m b i n a t i o n t h a t i s a laboratory 'must." Stock Sizes: 0-1 m m ζ 0-5mm: 0-10mm: 0-15mm. Catalog . \ o . K-9655-X.
Equipment at right was assembled by conventional techniques with conventional parts, while one at left was mechanically produced with MDE component parts developed at the Bureau of Standards ment, and a compatible, general system of electronic equipment design Lising a modular concept. The two systems are based on exploitation of printed circuits. Key to the project is " M D E " (modular design of electronics) which establishes a series of mechanically standardized and uniform modules, producible with a wide range of electrical characteristics. In gen eral, each module consists of some four to six thin ceramic wafers, bearing various circuits associated with an electronic stage. A number of individual modules are com bined in a major subassembly which can be used in electronic equipment because there is great similarity between circuits and electronic equipment.
* See Ind. Eng. Chem. 38.320 T. S. Patent N o . 2.608,096
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