THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK oversimplification of the results, it has been a valuable working hypothesis, said Prof. Haddow. T h e researchers turned to industry for knowledge of cross-linking and related phenomena and have continued to find significant results. The disulfonoxy alkanes, for example have shown unusually high activity in some cases. Prof. Haddow emphasized carefully that this does not mean that a "cure*' is near. Much aid has come from industry, he said, and made an appeal for further information o n known related types of reactions, involving cross-linking, particularly those involving carboxyl groups.
Meeting Papers All technical papers in the regular program dealt with the chemistry of importance t o the industry of the area. One of t h e most optimistic notes came from a paper b y J. Duckworth, of the Rowett Research Institute, on the application of biochemistry to problems in in-
creasing livestock production. There are in Great Britain, he said, opportunities for a tremendous increase in livestock production from the possible available production of feedstuifs. T h e stockmanship of the farmers is often ahead of the application of nutritional science, said Dr. Duckworth. Substantially improved amounts of important nutrients can be provided under proper management, he declared, and experimental work is being done in the improvement of stock rations b y the use of grass and fish products. Pulp and Paper. While there is room for development in the paper industry, said C. B . Tahb, of the Cellulose Development Corp., the present research program is not likely to bring any revolutionary changes in t h e near future in the use of agricultural residues in papermaking. H e e m phasized that one of the greatest needs is for the application of the scientific knowledge already available.
The Cover . · .
Tizard Receives Messel M e d a l T N PRESENTING the sixteenth Messel -* Medal to Sir Henry Tizard, the Society of Chemical Industry has recognized the outstanding accomplishments of a man whose name is known t o every Britisher w h o pays, attention t o major technical developments in his country and whose work is known t o every scientist. But it is not only in Great Britain that he is known and recognized for he has traveled widely and exerted his influence "wherever he has been. It was he who, in 1940, took a British mission to the United States to inaugurate collaboration in defense research. Cetrainly he is one of Great Britain's most eminent contemporary scientists. Sir Henry has only recently retired from the positions of chairman of the government's Scientific Advisory Policy Committee and chairman of the Defense Research Policy Committee. He has been permanent secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and was rector of the Imperial College of Science and Technology from 1929 to 1942. Henry Thomas Tizard, the son of the late Capt. T . H. Tizard was born in 1885. H e was a scholar of Westminster School, 1899-1904, and studied in Magdalen College, Oxford, 1904-1909, where h e captured first class mathematical moderations and first class final honor school in chemistry. H e was senior demy at Magdalen, 1909—11, and thereafter worked for a time under Prof. Nernst in Berlin. I n 1914 Henry Tizard left his academic pursuits to join the Royal Garri-
3102
son Artillery and in 1915 transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. With the rank of L t . Col., in 1918 he became assistant controller in experiments and research, Royal Air Force. After the war he returned to Oxford, where he was elected to fellowship at Oriel College. Since that time h e has continued in research, almost always in some relation to aeronautics. In 1933 he became chairman of the Aeronautical Research Committee, which position h e filled until 1943. During the last two years of that period, h e w a s a member of t h e Air Council and of the Council of t h e Ministry of Aircraft Production. I n 1948 Sir Henry was president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Sir Henry has been the recipient of many honorary degrees and is a member of many learned societies. Included among his honors are the gold medal of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, and the Arthur D . Little memorial lecture at Massachusetts Institute of T e c h nology last year. His extensive travels include several visits to t h e U. S., the first having been in 1914 when h e was returning from Australia. He crossed the U. S. and embarked for England on the Lusitania on o n e of its last successful voyages. Sir Henry is known as a man intensely interested in and devoted to his work and as a man w h o "has little time for fools," but h e is not too completely engrossed in science to smile with a pleasant twinkle over a cup o f tea while admitting diat h e is very fond of fishing.
CHEMICAL
T h e activities of the Forest Products Research Laboratory, at Princes Risborough, w e r e outlined by R. 11. Farmer, w h o described a project for studying t h e utilization of secondary timbers from the colonial territories for making fiber board. A small-scale plant has been installed, h e said.
Foreign Honorary Members I n further demonstration of t h e internationality o f its scope of interest, die SCI conferred honorary membership on two eminent guests from other countries, N i e l s Bohr, of Denmark, a n d Ernest Solvay, of Belgium. Presentation of these guests w a s m a d e by Leslie Lampitt, foreign secretary of the SCI. Plant Visits. An extensive schedule of plant visits included about 25 industrial companies and research institutes, particularly related to food, textile, a n d paper production. S p e c i a l color w a s lent to t h e banquet b y a performance on the lawn in front of Elpinstone Hall of King's College, b y the Pipes a n d Drums of the 4 t h / 7 t h Battalion of t h e G o r d o n Highlanders.
INDUSTRY Manufacturers Experiences W i t h N e w Materials T h e introduction of n e w materials of one sort or another seems to be accepted only slowly by manufacturers. At least this is the finding of Standard Factors Corp/s survey of 1963 companies—both t h o s e w i t h which it does accounts receivable financing, factoring, a n d inventory loans, and others w h o were not clients. Among manufacturers w i t h 150 e m p l o y e e s o r less w h o were forced t o use substitute o r n e w materials during the 1 9 4 5 - 4 8 shortages many were benefited in the long run. However those who either resisted substitutes until the last minute or ignored them often suffered sales losses and competitive position for their lack of planning. I n general, the findings of Standard Factors among companies using substitute materials indicate that careful study of n e w materials—as a continuing program, witH or without the expectation o f a crisis —is always fruitful. In several case histories w h i c h they obtained, it w a s obvious that the manufacturers used substitutes as a last resort; then would n o t b e l i e v e the initial p u b l i c acceptance. T w o such cases w e r e t h e use of polyethylene spray bottles and polystyrene boxes, both of w h i c h had immediate high appeal for merchandizing. Right after t h e war o n e agricultural chemical formulator found through extensive testing that a 1 4 % solution of 2 , 4 - D w a s t h e optimum concentration for killing w e e d s with safety to surrounding areas, whereas other companies continued using 4 0 % solutions and m e t with lawsuits for damaged crops.
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NEWS
THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK A plumbing manufacturer did not h a v e quite such a happy experience. In 1947, faced with a shortage of ferrous pipe, they d e c i d e d t o use the then new laminated reinforced plastic pipe as a substitute. N o t until several large industrial installations h a d b e e n made did they find that t h e pipes were not heat resistant to any large degree nor would it stand u p under pressure. Lack of pre-testing proved costly t o t h e manufacturer. Among t h e conclusions reached b y Standard Factors was that those manufacturers w h o foresaw the possibility of substitute well in advance, or overcame their reluctance to experiment with n e w materials, w h o tested a variety to find the best for their uses, w h o tested customer reactions, wound up ahead of t h e game. They often had a n e w product, at less cost, with good sales possibilities for the long run, sometimes greater than t h e original article.
Pfizer Establishes Subsidiary in Brazil Pfizer Inter-American, S.A., a subsidiary of Chas. Pfizer & Co., h a s b e e n established to process a n d distribute antibiotics and other pharmaceutical products in Brazil. With a plant for t h e subdividing and processing o f Pfizer products in Sâo Paulo and headquarters in Rio d e Janeiro, Pfizer Inter-American will soon b e distributing its o w n penicillin, terramycin and dihyclrostreptomycin to medical centers in Brazil. T h e plant will b e equipped to process other medicinal products such as Cotinazin, Pfizer's brand of isonicotinic acid hydrazide. It will also distribute antibiotic feed supplements, veterinary antibiotic products, and fine chemicals f o r t h e food and pharmaceutical industries. T h e company is n o w investigating the possibilities of manufacturing from basic raw materials a number o f pharmaceutical products not now made in Brazil.
arc consultants to Albatros. T h e mechanical drafting, engineering, and procurement are being handled by H e a d Wrightson Processes Ltd., of London, working in conjunction with Houdry Process Corp.
St· Regis Pulp Source St. Regis Paper Co. has acquired the management and cutting rights tor a period ot 60 years of a tract of 47,500 acres of long leaf and slash pine in Madison and Hamilton counties ol Florida. Located o n t h e Suwannee River, the area is approximately 100 miles west of Eastport, where the company's n e w kraft pulp and paper mill, with a capacity of 100,000 tons annually ol paper and paperhoard, i s n o w under construction. It is also available as source of supply for t h e company's "Kraft Center" at Pensacola, Fla., where t h e company operates a concentration of pulp and paper mills. W o o d is already being shipped by St. Regis for consumption at that center.
Sales Line-Up f o r A e r o t i l American Cyanumid has emerged from the "battle of t h e soil conditioners" with a line-up of six companies, l e d b y D u Font, t o handle its sale of Aerotil h y drolyzed polyacrylonitrile soil conditioner. The distributors, all factors in agricul-
VOLUME
3 0;
NO. 30
Wisconsin S t r e a m Pollution C o n t r o l Pulp and paper mills on the Fox River, Wisconsin, have spent in t h e past three > ears or agreed to spend in the near future between $9.5 a n d $10 million t o reduce stream pollution, mill representatives reported to the State Commission on Water Pollution at a recent meeting in Green Bay. Fc ur mills have major pollution-control programs in various stages of completion. E a c h of these projects is costing i n excess of $ 2 million. Eight other mills are spending smaller sums to meet less acute pollution problems. Because most of these installations have not yet been completed, exact cost Cgures cannot n o w be deter-
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JULY
2 8, 1 9 5 2
3103
THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK Propane Deasphalter Being Built by Kellogg
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J . T. Baker Chemical C o · has moved its Chicago warehousing facilities to 2509 West Cermak Rd. Baker will retain its branch office at 435 NorrJh Michigan Ave., where all correspondence will continue to be handled. Jeffrey Mfg. Co., Columbus, Ohio, commemorated its 75th anniversary with an open house recently for employees, their families, and guests. Approximately 10,000 visitors took the outlined tours through both offices and shops. Foxboro Co., Foxboro, Mass., recently held a two-week seminar in instrumenta tion in order to supply information and as sistance to faculty members w h o teach in strumentation and other technical subjects requiring an understanding of instrument application. Engineering instructors from ten of the country's leading colleges and universities attended the seminar.
Under construction by Kellogg International Corp., this -will be England's first propane deasphalter. It was designed for Anglo-Iranian Oil Co., Ltd.'s new refinery at Kent, England, and will have a fresh feed capacity of 4 5 0 0 k>arrels per day. Foreground is the steelwork for an "A" frame heater. The main toxver, strippers, secondary fractionator, and a number of heat exchangers are already in place in the background mined, but the preliminary totals add up to just over $9.8 million.
Plax Louisville Plant Plax Corp., West Hartford, Conn., manufacturer of squeeze bottles and other plastic products, has started construction of a 30,000 square foot plant in the Shively section of Louisville, Ky. Production of polyethylene sheet and Layflat tubing and of plastic bottles is ex pected to be under way before the end or the year, with gradual expansion there after.
1MEWS B R I E F S Standard Oil of California ha* pur chased approximately 2000 acres of land in Snohomish County, Wash., as a possible site for construction of a refinery. The land is southwest of Paine Field, 20 miles north o f Seattle. Purchase price was about $900,000. Beck ma η Instruments, Inc., South Pasa dena, Calif., has opened a plant devoted exclusively to the manufacture of synchros and associated components—bringing the number of plants in the Beckman opera tions t o a total of fifteen. Aluminum Co. of America i s planning to install a huge rolling mill, costing ap proximately $4.5 million and capable of producing extra-wide taper sheet and plate, at its Davenport, Iowa, works bv late 1953. The mill, capable of rolling widths up to 10 feet through four-high stands of rolls, will b e able to handle hot or cold ingots, and it will h^ reversible. General Electric C o . has centralized its atomic energy activities, including the plutonium plant at Hanford, Wash., and
the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory at Schenectady. \". V., under its Defense Products Group. Tor) direction of both installations will be transferred from other company organizations to the Defense Products Group. Already operating within the group i s the Aircraft Nuclear Propul sion Project, under its Aircraft Gas Tur bine Division. Synrron C h i c a g o S a l e s Co., who repre sent and sell Syntron have opened a store a t 2 3 β North Crawford Ave., Chi cago 2 4 , 111. Commercial Solvents Corp. recently consolidated! its domestic and foreign pharmaceutical marketing activities under the C.S.C. Pharmaceuticals Division. Step an Chemical Co. has stated that since t h e sale o f their alkyl-aryl sulfonate operations o f t h e firm to Continental Oil Co. of Houston, Tex., the firm will now concentrate on their recently announced line o f licjuid dishwashing detergents. They will also expand their lauryl sulfate and chemical specialty production which is housed i n their newly constructed plant at 325Ο Soxith Kedzie Ave. in Chicago. The sale price of the sulfonate plant is said to hav-e been about $1 million. Shell Oïl Co., head office ' marketing operations department in New York will b e divided into two parts: distribution and engineering, distribution will comprise two divisions, plant and motor fleet. Engineering will also have two divisions, construction and equipment. The marketing department's operations cover the entire country and Hawaii through 17 divisions. Lake Products Co. have moved to larger quarters at 1252 Crover Road, l-emay, Mo. This added space will permit an increased production of O-L-Two Chlorinator Clesiner.
CHEMICAL
Swift & Co. has let contract to convert its Memphis oil mill to a solvent extraction process from a hydraulic press operation. The change-over will place Operations at the mill on a year-round basis and permit processing of both cottonseed and soy beans. Texas Gas Transmission Corp. has filed a n e w application "with the Federal Power Commission for authority to raise its wholesale natural gas rates by about $8,650,000. The new rate schedule would become effective Aug. 8. Bryant Heater Division. A.G.E. has formed a distributorship to Connecticut and part of N e w York Offices are located at 1131 Campbell West Haven, Conn.
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Graver Water Conditioning C o . of New York, manufacturers of equipment for water-conditioning processes, has further expanded its technical organization to extend its services t o central power generating stations, industrial plants, and municipalities. A research and product development department has also been created. C . B. Hunt & Son, Inc., Salem, Ohio, manufacturers of Quick-As-Wink Air and Hydraulic Control Valves has appointed three new representatives—Circle Seal Supply Co., 2181 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, Calif.; Process Equipment Co., 166.3 Central St., Denver; and Pollard and Co., South 121 Madison St., Spokane. H. W. North Co.. Erie, Pa., has moved to t h e three story office building purchased last year as part of a long range expansion program. The new address is 17th and Parade St. Ball Distributing and Engineering Co.· Tulsa, Okla., distributor of Gustin-Bacon Manufacturing Co.'s Ultraiite glass fiber insulation, has recently expanded its territory to include a warehouse and sales olfic-t? at 819 North 0li> St., Oklahoma City. Rust Furnace Co. will construct two
AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
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complete fuel oil handling systems t o serve the Kairless Works' pipe mill of National T u b e Division, U. S. Steel Co., at Morrisville, Pa. Light fuel oil will b e handled by one system and Bunker C fuel oil b y the other. Plans call lor tank storage of some 300,000 gallons of t h e Bunker C, and 1 million gallons of the light fuel oil.
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GOVERNMENT Study of Post-Defense Business Markets In preparation for the time when cur rent defense goals have been reached. Secretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer has ordered an immediate study of p o tential markets for goods and services of American business so that the U. S. economy might continue to operate at high levels of production. T h e study will b e conducted by Depart ment of Commerce business economists in cooperation with the Committee for Economic Development. Secretary Sawyer said that t h e long range appraisal of t h e nation's economic future will b e published by J a n . 1, 1953. T h e study will provide an appraisal of potential markets for goods and services which will b e available o r may b e stimu lated after the present defense build-up has been completed. Peak production in the present defense build-up is expected about mid-1953. Accordingly, t h e study will b e based on probable conditions and problems which will exist after that date. Secretary Sawyer said that h e would make public from time to time in t h e ensuing months informational reports on the status of t h e study and what major conclusions are indicated.
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Increased use of forced draft coal burn ing equipment in boiler furnaces a n d recent city air-pollution laws have created a fly ash disposal problem at boiler plants in many parts of t h e United States, accord ing to a Bureau of Mines infonnation cir cular recently released. Scientists in pri vate industry a n d Government a r e trying to solve the problem by Ending new uses for this material. Ash from coal-fired furnaces is being used in making brick, tile, and building block, as a binder for building materials, as a filler for asphalt products, and as an abrasive for cleaning metal surfaces. Most promising outlets foi^it, however, are the concrete industry, w h e r e it is substituted in varying amounts for portland cement, and t h e bituminous road industry, "where it is used as a mineral filler. VOLUME
3 0,
Cities
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JULY
2 8,
1952
3105
