Industry's Challenge to Research
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HE Research Advisory Service, briefly described in the NEWS EDITION for August 10, page 669, has performed another function that will be interesting to scientists as well as business men. This service, maintained by a group of American banks, in its effort to introduce new and improved products, conducted a survey to ascertain some of the needs of business. To this end the question "What new product, process, or material might industrial research develop that would be valuable to your industry?" was put to a large number of American manufacturers and other business men and of these more than a thousand outstanding leaders replied. These answers have been classified, edited, and presented in a limited edition under 34 classifications ranging from adhesives to wood. We have made a selection from the compilation of those statements, which we thought would be of particular interest to' our readers, and offer them in this and a few successive issues of the NEWS EDITION,
in the belief that their effect must be stimulating for those who ever seek new directions in which to apply their imagination, skill, and experience. The items preceded by an asterisk are those indicated by the National Inventors Council at the request of the Advisory Commission to the Council of National Defense as most urgent from the standpoint of national defense. It is not unlikely that our readers may know of research under way on some of the questions proposed Indeed, they may already know the answer. Should that be the case, the reader should communicate with the Research Advisory Service, Bert H. White, Director, Liberty Bank, Buffalo, N. Y.
Adhesives Fire-resistant dust adhesives are sought by the airfilterindustry. Must have the capacity for wetting dust particles and holding them against further travel in the air stream at temperatures from below freezing to several hundred degrees F.: must be odorless and nontoxic, substantially incombustible, and not give off smoke in objectionable amounts when exposed to flame. A low-cost, waterproof glue, not merely highly water-resistant, would gain tremendous additional markets for plywood. A cement for leather belting which would be waterproof, greaseproof, and heat resistant up to 350* F., that would make a lap as strong and pliable as the rest of the belt, and that could be applied cold. An improved nonanimal adhesive for manufacturing abrasive-coated paper, cloth sheets, oelts, and disks. Also an improved nonanimal adhesive for setting up polishing wheels with abrasive. The present silicate cements lack flexibility.
• Cement for quickly bonding rubber and metal. A cheap adhesive to glue sawdust firmly together under pressure. An adhesive for attachment of blueprints to glass or enameled surfaces that will not discolor the blueprint but will maintain adhesion in high temperatures and humidities. A nonleaking, permanent joint adhesive for masonry units. An adhesive to adhere cellophane or other moisture-proof transparent films to paper. In the photoengraving field, adhesives are needed to hold the printing plate direct to the wood block without tacking.
Agriculture An intensified research, which could probably be carried out at our universities, regarding economical and practical application of tray-agriculture. This development is obviously only in its infancy. • The leading drying oil of the paint and varnish industry is linseed which is expressed from flaxseed. Flax is grown in the northwest portion of this country and in California, but for the major portion of our requirements we are dependent on the Argentine. Next in importance to linseed oil is China wood oil, or tung oil, which comes from tung nuts found primarily in the interior of China. I can think of no greater contribution that research can make to the paint and varnish industry than to work out ways and means of giving us the products that we need, made exclusively from domestic oils. The manufacture of free halogen iodine fertiliser combined with mineral colloids of a micron size suitable so that plants can assimilate them would be one of the greatest contributions to science. With Philippine politics as they are, it behooves us to seek either a new substitute for coconut oil, or we should try to develop Brazilian babassu oil which is the closest match to coconut. Soapmakers cannot make good lathering soap without coconut oil or palm kernel oil. Our industry uses annually several million pounds of imported starch products. I should like very much to see the domestic starches developed so as to be able to supply us. Improvement in controlling black root disease of sugar beet seedlings. A seedless grape with the characterirtics of the concord. A process to stabilize earth backfill by injecting a cementitious material such as Portland cement grout into the soil. "Binder" for soil en masse to achieve retention of valuable soil and do away with the appalling erosion problem.
Agricultural Equipment A cheap compress for use on farms for the extraction of certain oils, like soybean oil, at point of production, using the waste material for feedstuff.
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A generator to produce gas from wood. A machine that will enable the farmer to use his refuse, such as straw, grasses, and vegetable matter, with the aid of chemicals, so that during his off-season he can producefire-resistingcovering and roofing material, readily adaptable for farm buildings.
Air Conditioning end Heeling The elimination of fumes and dust particles from high-temperature gases given off in factories adjacent to residential sections. Equipment which would enable the use of gas for air-conditioning purposes would provide a tremendous volume of business. Equipment to deodorize the air as it is discharged from a fan used in connection with a dust filter. Air containing obnoxious odors cannot readily be returned to the budding, even though it is dust-free, with the result that the heating problem of the building, where large volumes of air must be handled, is a very expensive one. A low-cost dehumidifier for industrial purposes. A means by which moving air may be sterilized in a heating system to as to be free from bacteria. A means to enable the neutralization of hydrogen sulfide fumes produced during the spinning of viscose rayon. In our spinning room, we introduce 325,000 cubic feet of fresh air per minute which must be heated and humidified at an annual cost of approximately $50,000. If the hydrogen sulfide could be neutralized or scrubbed, this air could be recirculated and a considerable part of the $50,000 saved. Our production is approximately 3 per cent of the total for the country.
Automobiles Research, properly directed, could remove the menace of carbon monoxide generated by the automobile through the use of a suitable catalyst or some modification of the cycle or mechanics of the engine. Ceramics Method of extracting iron from refractory clays in Pennsylvania and Ohio so as to make pure white burning clays available for use in refractories. One of the greatest needs among the users of ceramic clay products is a clay body having extremely low porosity but high elasticity. A portland cement completely resistant to acid mine water. A satisfactory bond for the forming of cold-bonded superrefractory ware, giving the ware sufficient strength to withstand handling without profiring. Revivification and reclamation of fine synthetic clays used forfilteringPennsylvania lubricating oils. Refractory product to be used in the manufactureoffirebrickwhich will stand
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oxidizing and reducing conditions to 3000° C. Porcelain that does not shrink in firing, thus permitting more accurate shapes. Continuous filter and dryer suitable for highly plastic clay bodies. Silica brick is not able to stand high temperatures for more than three to four months, resulting in an open-hearth furnace being down for repairs for almost a week. Some brick must be developed to keep pace with the steel industry. A cheap, superrefractory with minimum expansion and spalling coupled with a high heat conductivity; also a similar refractory that is a good heat insulator. The adaptation of cement molds now used for the production of nonferrous alloy castings to ordinary steel castings so that the high quality material in the skin of the castings, which now must be ground off to keep within the permissible tolerances, could be retained in the finished product. A lactic acid-proof, good wearing, hard, nonslip floor topping to be used in the dairy industry. Nonshrinking mortar. * More uniform grades of foundry molding sand, probably synthetic. * A satisfactory filling material for expansion joints in concrete highways and the joints in brick and block pavements is badly needed. An inexpensive flexible, acid- and alkaliresistant material for je ning sewer pipe. American clays to be used in the manufacture of our ware instead of importing English and French materials.
Chemicals * The waterproofing of linseed oil or other paint vehicle would prevent much of the corrosion of metals, the blistering of paint, and other failures of metal protective coatings. A chemical, catalyst, bacteria, or enzyme which would produce hydration of cellulose. At the present time, cellulose is hydrated by mechanical means with a high consumption of power. A finishing compound that can be applied to cotton textiles to make them wrinkle-resistant w i t h o u t impairing strength. If the cost of harvesting the cotton crop could be reduced sufficiently to yield the producer a fair return, the cotton textile industry would receive a real stimulus in its struggle with competitive fibers. Several mechanical pickers have been brought out, but none has solved the problem. Harvesting the cotton, stalk and all, and through a chemical process reducing it to liquid form from which yarns might be spun, as is now done with rayon, might be the solution. A cheap source of supply of phthalic anhydride or any other dibasic acid that could replace phthalic anhydride would enable the protective coating industry to produce finishes at a lower price. • Alkyd resins are dependent on the price of glycerol What the paint and varnish industry needs is a synthetic method of producing glycerol that would keep the price low. An inexpensive true solvent for cellulose.
EDITION
A chemical process to render wool knit goods absolutely shrinkproof without harm to the fiber. A chemical application on rayon knit goods imparting run-resisting properties. • Fiberglas textiles have exceptional strength and, since they are completely incombustible, offer an important new development in the aircraft industry for wing fabrics, etc. There is need for improved fireproof, weatherproof, and temperature-resisting impregnants to fill in the weave of the cloth. Safe, economical material for dry-cleaning floor coverings. Methods using water and detergents are not satisfactory since they accelerate wear and shedding and frequently cause odor as the detergents cannot be removed while the carpet is down. A low-priced, light-colored, nonoxidizing, saponifiable oil for wool lubrication. Vegetable fibers tend to dry out and become brittle with age, shortening the life of brooms and whisks. Because these fibers are cellular with highly impervious walls, we have not been able to introduce hygroscopic solutions into them to keep the fibers moist. A successful method of accomplishing this would greatly improve our products. If a dry-cleaning solvent could be developed that would be noncorrosive, present no fire hazard, be not too volatile and not too expensive, the dry-cleaning industry could use it to very good advantage. The production of Montan wax in the United States—now dependent on imports from Germany. Here is a golden opportunity for promotion of a new American industry. A material which, when incorporated into soap, would permit the tatter's use in hard water without scum formation. The most valuable product to the shoe polish industry would be a substitute for carnauba wax. A selective solvent for hair with but minor effect upon the skin, to replace the more vigorous depilatories. Such a solvent might also be used in the manufacture of adhesives and artificial fibers from hog hair. A safe, low-cost solvent for the extraction of fats and oils would be valuable to the rendering industry. • One of the greatest needs in water conditioning is a product or method to remove neutral dissolved salts, such as sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. A method for recovering emulsified greases from sewage. Among the most valuable discoveries based on economic importance would be a process for converting wood into sugar. Chemically, the step is not a big one. If it materially reduced the cost of sugar, it might influence the cost of alcohol-gasoline. • A process whereby materials, such as lumber, etc., used in building would be made nonflammable. Solution in which lumber could be dipped and preserved from decay and insects. There is creosoting under pressure, but a cheaper method would be a great step forward. A chemical for deleting type errors from film so that corrected units might be inserted without distorting the original A substance is needed in the treatment
Vol. 18, No. 20 of water which is harmless, tasteless, and odorless, will combine with chlorine to reduce its taste, will continue the activity of chlorine for a longer time than when used alone, and not be a bacterial food. Method of removing oil from ammonia in refrigerating systems. The oil vaporized or atomized in the compressor is usually too finely divided to be removed by any of the present-day oil separators, and when these mere traces of oil accumulate the insulating effect becomes a serious problem. A cheap noncorrosive antifreeze for use in shipments of wet coal during the winter season. Synthetic processes for manufacture of hydrocarbon* by means of hydrogenating anthracite coal. Synthetic process for producing carbohydrates ana hydrocarbons from the air. Pure hydrocarbons, particularly normal paraffins and normal alpha-olefins in range of Ct to C» or even Cu. Nonflammable binder for glass insulation. Nonflammable insulating fluid having dielectric characteristics and heat dissipation qualities of mineral oil for use in transformers, oil switches, and condensers. The scale industry needs a chemically inert, mobile liquid which does not expand or contract appreciably when subjected to the ordinal-} climatic range. A confining liquid for gas analysis equipment, inert to the gases, nnnabsorbent and noninjurious to the operator or equipment, having very little affinity for tlie materials of the equipment. A nonflammable liquid for transformer insulation which would not give off chlorine under arcing. A generally applicable material for dissipating static electricity from |>auer, driving belts for machinery, artificialsilk, etc. An element or compound suitable for binary vapor power cycle to replace mercury. A nonflammable liquid for oil-circuitbreakers. A defoaming preparation standardized so as to be effective over some recognized basi* of classification, such as pH range of media to be corrected. The rubber industry needs an antioxidant which would not discolor white and light-colored stocks. A nonflammable arc-quenching liquid having the electrical insulating property of trunsil oil, whirh docs not decompose and liberate noxious or corrosive vapors. A means of purifying talc to remove iron oxide. There is a tremendous consumption of paraffin in the manufacture of bread wrappers, carton wrapping papers, etc. If a product could be developed which would afford greater moisture-proofness than paraffin, a surface that would be harder so that it would not have that greasy feel and would not collect dust uke paraffin, it would have a large market in the packaging industry. An American source of tartaric add for use in foods. We are making gypsum with a compressive strength up to 10,000 pounds per square inch and a water absorption in 24 hours as low as 5 per cent, but we ne*d a
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October 25,1940 permanent integral waterproofing that will not interfere with the compressive or tensile strength, nor the time of set. Dry ice is now being used in a very limited way because no means have been found to control it properly. If properly controlled, it would be invaluable for use in railroad cars, trucks, small show cases where refrigeration is impractical, delivery canes, and many other instances where reliable refrigeration is necessary, but where mechanical means of ice become too cumbersome. An economical method for the manufacture of high-carbon ferrochrome. Liquids of varying specific gravities from 1 to 50 for use in place of oil, water, and mercury in flowmeters, level gages, and similar equipment. An organic nickel or cobalt compound soluble in gasoline and stable in the presence of water and aminophenoL A way to make metallic magnesium from the oxide rather than from the initial salt of magnesium chloride. A chemical substitute for saponin would be welcomed by manufacturers of soda fountain sirups and other industries using saponin to obtain a creamy, foamy top. A nontoxic substitute for ethyl alcohol for use inflavoringextracts and food products. An inexpensive abrarive grain which would have a hardness in the range of the diamond. TO BE CONTINUED
New Program of Awards for Industrial Studies THE James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation is sponsoring another program of cash awards for the best papers in the industrial field discussing the application of arc welding to design, manufacture, fabrication, construction, welding service, or maintenance under a dozen award classifications. The papers must report advances and improvements made between January 1, 1940, and June 1, 1942. The total number of awards is 458 and the cash to be distributed is $200,000. Thefirstgrand award is SI3,700. Details may be obtained from the Foundation, P. O. Box 5728, Cleveland, Ohio.
Information Desired IN EACH January issue, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry reviews important events of the preceding year in the chemical process industries. The help of the industry is vital to make the 1940 review complete and accurate. Information is desired on products, processes, equipment, and plants, new in the calendar year 1940. If you have information on such, please send it before November15to D. H. Killeffer, 60 East 42nd St, New York, N. Y.
EDITION
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New Use for an O l d Substance Thomas F. Healy
On
Munsey Building, Washington, D. C.
SEPTEMBER 11, 1940, the United
States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit handed down an opinion adverse to the Gilbert Spruance Co., Philadelphia, Penna. The case arose in the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania when the Ellis-Foster Co., of New Jersey, assignee of Harry M. Weber, brought suit for infringement against Gilbert Spruance Co. on Claim 11 of Reissue Patent 19,967. Claim 11, which was declared valid and infringed in both courts, reads, "a varnish consisting of a solution of a glycerol ester of a resin and organic carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of phthalic, maleic, fumaric, malic, and succinic acids, incorporated with nitrocellulose". Weber's claim and specifications describe a varnish of the type known as a nitrocellulose lacquer. Spirit varnishes, solutions of resin in volatile solvents, and oil varnishes, composed of oils and resins in solution, had been used to coat wood in preparing its surface for finishing. Nitrocellulose lacquers, however, consist of resins mixed with nitrocellulose in volatile solvents which evaporate, leaving on the surfaces coated a solid residue of resin and nitrocellulose in some sort of colloidal affinity or suspension. The nitrocellulose imparts a toughness andflexibilityto lacquers—particularly desirable if the lacquer is to be used forfinishingwood where hardness in the surface or film is important. The difficulty in making such lacquers was that no method or formula had been found which made nitrocellulose and the hard resins sufficiently miscible. This is not to say that prior to disclosure of the patent in suit there had been no nitrocellulose lacquers. The art, however, did not seem able to produce lacquers capable of satisfactory commercial performance in finishing woods. It was thought that the harder the resin, the harder would be the lacquer, but this belief did not solve the problem of how to get a lacquer which would serve as a sanding sealer—a lacquer which, when sprayed on a wood surface, could be subjected to hard sandpapering without disintegrating, so that additionalfinishingcoats might be added immediately. The prior art includes U. S. Patent 1,096,776, issued June 2, 1914, to Arsem for a new synthetic resin with the description of the invention directed principally to the mixing of phthalic and succinic acids with glycerol. Arsem states, "Various substances not strictly acids but having acid properties may be employed. For example, 240 parts of the glyceryl phthalate may be acted upon by 279 parts of colophony, an acid anhydride, to form a
hard, reddish-brown resin which is not the equivalent of a simple mixture of phthalic resin and eclophony." If phthalie acid and glycerol react completely, a synthetic resin, well known to the art, Watson Smith resin, really glycerol phthalate, is formed. Arsem points out, seemingly incidental to the main disclosures of his patent, that if glycerol phthalate is mixed with colophony, which is simply natural resin, in proportions he indicates, a new synthetic resin results which is not the equivalent of a simple mixture of phthalic resin and colophony because a kind of colloidal reaction takes place. This synthetic resin is in fact the "rosin phthalic ester of glycerol" or the "rosin phthalic glyceride resin" of Weber's patent, it is the synthetic resin of high commercial value which Weber discloses, it will mix or blend with nitrocellulose to create a lacquer suitable for sanding sealer or other coating for wood surfaces. The Atlas Powder Co., as far back as 1919, had endeavored in extensive experiments to find a nitrocellulose lacquer suitable for this use, but had never produced a commercially satisfactory one. It was contended by the Gilbert Spruance Co. that Weber did not demonstrate inventive genius, that Arsem gave him the resin and all Weber did was to fit it mechanically into a well-established art, that had the Atlas chemists known of Arsem'a resin they could and would have solved the problem of nitrocellulose lacquers by their experiments starting in 1919. The court in answering these contentions assumed that Weber's synthetic resin did come from Arson's patent but that Weber exercised inventive genius by seizing upon a thing which was available to all but had been grasped by none, fitting it into a new place to create an original and useful result. This case presents an example of a new use for an old substance in which utilisation of the old substance solves a problem studied for years without successful solution by skilled persons.
