ened legislation introduced for the protection of our streams and rivers. In 1923 the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY sponsored a monograph on “The Chemistry of Leather Manufacture” by John Arthur Wilson ( I O ) , which met with instant approval and was translated into French and Russian. With the growing volume of leather research, a new edition became necessary, and Volumes I and I1 appeared in 1928 and 1929, respectively. This book has again been brought up to date by McLaughlin and Theis (3). In the 75 years’ history of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, we have come a long way in our understanding of leather manufacture. The tanner still has his problems, but the chemist has given him, for the first time, methods of examining and controlling his liquors and materials, new tannages, artificial and hygienic bates, new oils, new and improved dyes. He has also evaluated the principal properties of leather, so that today leather is purchased by the Government on a specification basis, a matter unheard of in the past, when only the eye and the fingers of t h e buyer were the judges of good leather. It is safe t o predict that chemistry will continue to make even greater contributions t o the science of leather making. In the past three generations, analyses and processes were developed. The next step will be to analyze the fundamental chemistry underlying the individual methods of making various leathers. The problem is becoming too complicated for the modern tanner, and it will take the chemist, physicist, and engineer to arrive at an understanding of not only the “how” but the “why” of leather making. The mathematician will play his part by appraising the value of the finished product by statistical methods. Better leather is being made today because of the contribution of the chemists and the chemical industry t o the advancement of leather making.
The she21 of a ceramic m i l c h insulator i s carPfulEyformed on a “jigger” wheel
LITERATURE CITED
(1) Fischer, Emil, J. Am. Chem. SOC.,36, 1170 (1914). ENQ.CHEM.,17, 577 (2) Gustavson, K. H., and Wilen, P. J., IND. (1925). (3) McLaughlin, G. D., and Theis, E. R., “Chemistry of Leather Manufacture,” A.C.S. Monogiaph 101, New York, Reinhold Publishmg Corp., 1945. (4) Merrill, H. S., IND. ENG.CHEX.,17, 36 (1925). (5) Proctor. H. R.. and Wilson. J. A.. J . Chem. SOC..109.. 307 (19161. , ( 6 ) Stiasny, E., J. IND. ENG.CHEM.,5, 863 (1913). (7) Teas, W. H., Ibzd.. 7, 283 (1915). ( 8 ) Theis, E. R., and Neville, H. A., IND.ENQ. CHEM.,21, 377 (1929). (9) Thomas, A. W., and Kelly, M. W., J. IND.ENG.CHEM.,13, 65 (1921). (10) Wilson, J. A., “Chemistry of Leather Manufaature,” A.C.S. Monograph 12, New York, Chemical Catalog Co., 1923. (11) Wilson, J. A., J. IND.ENQ.CHEM.,12, 1087 (1920). (12) Wilson, J. A., J. IWD. ENG.CHEM.,18, 934 (1926). (13) Ibzd., 21, 180 (1929). (14) Ibid., 23, 437 (1931). (15) JYilson, J. A., and Kern, E. J., Ibid., 12, 465 J. IND.ENQ.CHEM., (1920).
E. W. TILLOTSON
T
HE period marked by the founding of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY was one of revolution and evolution in industry and technology, as well as in science. By 1876 the production of Bessemer steel had reached substantial proportions. This plentiful supply of steel at a reasonable cost offered the opportunity for new types of industrial construction and was probably the key t o the general mechanization of industry which is now commonplace. While this was of importance t o all industry, it was significantly so in glass and ceramic technology. It made possible, a t first, the construction of different types of furnaces and the production of gaseous fuels from coal and eventually led t o the intro-
Laboratory furnace i s used fop a quick check on glass enamels
E. W. Tillotson, Mellon Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa. 307
Glass works owned several generations ago by J . H . Hobbs, Brockunier and Co. in V h e e l i n g , W . V a .
duction of automatic forming machines in these several industries. Thus, in the glasE induet’ry, a new type of melting furnace, the “tank furnace,” for the continuous melting of glass, was introduced in 1879 and this was followed in 1882 by the development of automatic bottle machines, and by mechanically drawn window glass in 1900. In combination with cont,inuous melting and rolling, the continuous grinding and polishing of plate glass came in about 1920. Mechanical forming had also been introduced for the manufacture of building brick, sewer pipe, and hollow tiles, but the application of science in these manufachres has not yet reached its full development. The organization of t,he American Ceramic Society in 1899 signaled a turning point in the t,echnology of the glass and ceramic industries, as the chemist and the physicist became teammates with the practical glassmaker and the ceramist. In glass t,he names of G. E. Barton, A. V. Bleininger, E. C. Sullivan, W. C. ‘Taylor,A. Silverman, and S. R. Scholes are only a few of the early contribut,orsto the science and technology of glass. A. V. Bleiniriger and G. E. Barton were the first editors of the “Glass and Pottery” section of Chemical Abstracts and Barton continued in that office for many years. In addition to the several earlier papers on this subject sponsored by this division, Symposia on .Glass under t’he chairinan~hipof F. C. Flint and A. Silverman, respectively, were sponsored by the Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry a t the ilpril 1933 and t,he September 1940 A.C.S. meetings. GLASS INDUSTRY MOVES AHEAD
Interior of modern glass works. Once glass passes through grinding machines, it goes to polishing operation
Glassblowing i s a highly developed art, requiring skillf u l breath control
A few notable developments in the glass i n d u s t q that niay be ,credited almost entirely t o the chemist should be mentioned: Pyres ware (1915), for the laboratory, for the home, and for many industrial uses; Vycor ware, nearly pure silica in composition, manufactured by the usual glassmaking processes with additional chemical treatments, equivalent to fused silica for many purposes, :and superior for othcrs; and photoacnsitive glass, which contains the photosensitive materials as a part of its composition, thus permitting the development of the picture within the body of the glass itself “Spun” glass and tempered glass had their origin iiearly 75 years ago, but only during the past 25 years have become commercially successful. Glass fiber in it,s various forms and t,empered safety glass (17-ith its partner, laminated safety glass) are not’ableaccomplishment,s of the scientist,. Then, too, t.he chemical resistance of glass for containers, especially for pharmaceutical preparations, has been greatly improved in late years. Chemists and other scientific men entered the refractories industry only after the turn of the century. In fact, the past 30 years have seen t,he important developments that have made possible the amazing refractory prodycts now available. Pioneers in these early days were 1.1;. Bleininger, R. XI. Howe, J. S. LIcDowell, and A. F. Greaves-Walker. A Symposium on Refractories was sponsored in September 1919 by the Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry witGf A. V. Bleininger as chairman. The manufacture of fireclay refractories was a very early industry in this country, but the iiitroduct,ion of silica refractories (1884),of magnesite and chrome refractories (1896), of silicon carbide (1897), and of high alumina refractories (1906) came wit,hin the historical period of these annals. The importance of refractories in many other industries is obvious. Iron and steel manufacture utilizes about 60% of all the refractories produced, Jyhile only about 1% goes to t’he chemical industries, but this use constitutes a very important factor in the chemical indust’ry. The service rendered by refractories has been greatly increased during this time, part,ly by reason of a better selection of raw materials and part,ly by the introduction of newer materials and the application of technology-for example, considerable use is
308
February 1951
*
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
now being made of fired tunnel kilns for firing refractories. Besides being cheaper, they permit more accurate control. Another development has made available a variety of refractory shapes cast into molds from compositions melted in the electric furnace. Enameling of cast iron and sheet iron had its start largely as a means of decoration, as a finishing operation of a foundry product or of a stamped metal product. Each company manufactured its own “frits,” a completely empirical affair. With the introduction of science into enamel technology, however, there sprang up a group of independent frit manufacturers, who supply the enamel user and have so improved enamel compositions that the use of enamels has been greatly extended. The chemist began making his contributions t o this field about 50 years ago. The pioneers include H. F. Staley, F. H. Riddle, Edward Orton, Jr., R. D. Landrum, E. P. Poste, and R. R. Danielson. The present extensive application of enamels has come about partly by the great improvement of chemical compositions and partly by the cooperative efforts of metallurgists in the control of the metals that are t o be enameled. Other branches of the ceramic industries have had a similar history. Albert V. Bleininger’s name appears in each of them, but particularly in the evolution of the technology of whiteware manufacture. The potter’s wheel is now being supplanted by ingeniously contrived automatic forming machinery. As a result, the manufacture of porcelain and china tableware is taking its place among the modern mechanized industries. Bleininger and Riddle also were largely responsible for the early development of the modern spark plug, in many ways one of the really remarkable ceramic developments. I n addition to those symposia already mentioned, four Symposia on Electrical Insulating Materials were sponsored by the Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry in September 1938, April 1940, September 1941, and April 1946. Local sections of the Society have devoted meetings to ceramic subjects-for example, the Pittsburgh Section has sponsored over a dozen such programs since 1918, all of which have been eminently successful. The story of these silicate industries runs parltllel to that of other industries. None is self-sufficient, and each must take advantage of developments elsewhere, make advances in its own technology, and in turn give t o other industries products or processes that advance the whole march of technology. Seventy-five years ago the silicate industries were operated by artisans. Only when the powerful tools of the chemist, the physicist, and workers in other scientific fields were brought into play did these industries pass from the realm of the arts into the domain of science.
IN
1907 A.C.S. President Marston T. Bogert appointed a committee to consider the advisability of undertaking the publication of a journal of industrial and engineering chemistry and the formation of an industrial division. At the Christmas 1907 national meeting of the Society in Chicago, this committee recommended and Council approved the publication of the journal and the formation of the Division of Industrial Chemists and Chemical Engineers. The organizational meeting of this first A.C.S. division was held in North Sheffield Hall, Yale University, on June 30, 1908, a t the 38th general meeting of the Society. Presiding over this meeting v a s William D. Richardson, whose election as first editor-in-chief of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry was already msured. The first officers of the Division
of Industrial Chemists and Chemical Engineers r e r e :
309 Arthur
D. Little, chairman; A. H. Low, vice chairman; B. T. Babbit Hyde, secretary; and an executive committee of six. It was under the leadership of this group of enthusiastic chemists and chemical engineers that the first division of the society began its activities. Over the years, these programs assisted not only in the development of the chemical process industries, but in bringing public awareness and appreciation of the chemist’s and the chemical engineer’s contributions to our society. Committee activity was very high in the early days of this division. There were standing committees on: Definition of Industrial Terms Trade Customs Standard Specifications and Methods of Analysis Research Problems DescriDtive Bibliographies - Publicfty
A special committee was appointed in December 1909 t o confer with manufacturers for the purpose of determining a t what prices various elements and special compounds could be obtained if a large enough market was developed for them. As early as July 1911, a committee was appointed t o study the need for a professional code of ethics among chemists. The ground-breaking work of most of these committees was not encouraging. I n the early days of the committees on definitions and specifications, manufacturers practically ignored the committees’ requests for data concerning their products. Definitions of such materials as bronze, grades of inorganic chemicals, heavy chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, portland cement, and various petroleum products were sorely needed, but for some time were not obtainable. Subcommittees attempting to formulate standard specifications on such materials as soda ash, caustic soda, alum, various mineral acids, solder, and turpentine met similar opposition from manufacturers. The division encouraged and sponsored numerous symposia and general papers covering subjects which later became the fields of specialization of new divisions within the Society. The division’s first symposium was held in Boston in December 1909 on the subject of,paint. A Symposium on the Chemistry of Dyestuffs was held in September 1918 under the chairmanship of R. N. Shreve. Interest in this program led t o the formation of the Dye Section and later the Dye Division. Two symposia on cellulose, held in April and September 1920 under the chairmanship of J. E. Crane and G. J. Esselen, probably played an important part in the formation of the Division of Cellulose Chemistry. A symposium in 1921 on the chemistry of gases and fuels under the chairmanship of C. H. Stone promoted the formation of a section and later a division on this subject. Other symposia which appeared on the programs of the Division of Industrial Chemistry and Chemical Engineers during the early years were: Smelter Smoke (1910) Mineral Wastes (1911) Wood Wastes and Conservation (1915) Occupational Diseases (1916) Nitrogen Industry (1916) Metallurgy (19 17) Potash (1918) Refractories (1919) There were also several symposia of somewhat less technical nature : Contributions of the Chemist to American Industries (1915) Industrial Chemist in Wartime (1917) Library Service in Industrial Laboratories (1919) Future of Certain American-Made Chemicals (1919) Annual Patent Renewal Fees (1919) The numerous papers and symposia on subjects relating t o education and training of chemists and chemical engineers, fertilizer, petroleum, gas and fuel, sugar, and rubber indicate
