The new $8.5 million Koppers Research Center at Monroeville, Pa., is shown in this aerial view. The present facilities house 450 scientists and their assistants. When all other buildings planned for the 176-acre site are completed, the center will house 1500 people. The major units are a 5-
story administration building, three 3-story interconnecting laboratory wings, plus several auxiliary outbuildings. The new building incorporates many modern building materials developed by Koppers, including expanded polystyrene foam panels, fire retardant woods, tar coatings, etc.
LABORATORY OF THE MONTH
Keystone of Research Effort Is $8.5 Million Research Center LTEADQUARTERS for Koppers Comp a n y ' s Research D e p a r t m e n t is a new $8.5 million installation a t Monroeville, P a . I n addition t o its new center, Koppers has eight other research and development facilities. T h e half-century old company, originally active in engineering and construction in t h e steel a n d coal by-products industries, h a s been accelerating its moves into chemicals a n d plastics over t h e p a s t 15 years. Examples of areas of interest are fire-resistant polystyrene foams, fire-retardant wood products, increased efficiency in steelmaking, epoxy resins for coatings, adhesives, and electrical insulation, precipitators for industrial stacks, organic boron compounds, plastics as building materials, fiber reactive dyes, chemical intermediates, dyes for anodized aluminum, chemical methods for desalinization of sea water, coal tar derivatives, and high t e m p e r a t u r e syntheses using a plasma gun. T h e new center h a s a n exploratory section whose scientists a r e given a free hand t o work in promising areas of research including
fields which a r e new t o Koppers. At the new Research Center, t h e end of each wing is a glass-enclosed stairway which can be removed when additions are called for a n d reaffixed to the end of the new wing. T h e laboratory wings have offices on one side and laboratories on the other. This allows centralization of utilities a n d also keeps laboratories a n d related offices close t o each other. T h e laboratory units are built on a modular basis. I n addition t o full utility services, each module has such safety factors as dual exits, safety shower, eyewash fountain, fire extinguisher, and blanket. The laboratories are wellequipped. Of analytical interest are such items as mass spectrographs ; visible, infrared, and u l t r a violet spectrometers ; cryoscopic and light scattering equipment for polymer molecular weight determinations, x-ray crystallography equipment, a n d gas chromatographs. In addition t o analytical services, special facilities include glass blowing, machine shops, a n d m a t h e matics a n d computer service facili-
A modern gas chromatography laboratory is well equipped with both company-built and commercial instruments for separating and analyzing complex research samples. Close integration with the chemical analysis, absorption spectrometric, and mass spectrometer laboratories provides maximum utilization of various detection techniques ties. There is also a n extensive library, cafeteria a n d dining area, auditorium, a n d office facilities. Centralized air conditioning is provided. VOL.
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Many facilities for organic analysis are provided. Techniques and analyses in volved include elemental and functional group and trace metal impurity analyses through colorimetry and flame-photo metric procedures
Infrared absorption spectroscopy plays an important part in 'letermining the structure of new organic compounds, as .·.• I as in the qualitative identification and quantitative η lysis of complex organic mixtures
An analytical mass spectrometer of broad versatility is used . '-esearch studies related to organic structure analysis, !•!• itification of trace constituents, analysis of gaseous and '. ! lid mixtures, and molecular weight determinations
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ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
W A LABORATORY OF THE MONTH
NEW DOUBLE DUTY INSTRUMENT
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A large chemical laboratory includes many facilities for organic analysis via elemental and functional group determinations, combustion procedures, and nonaqueous potentiometric titration techniques
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Hot Plate— —Magnetic Stirrer New low c o s t p l u s advanced design features Now you can heat and stir simul taneously with WACO AGITHERM. Heavy-duty individual controls allow use of either stirrer or hot plate in dependently when desired. The 500 watt hotplate can be set thermostatically at any temperature up to 600° F. Pilot light indicates when heat is on. The perforated stainless steel case assures cool operation of motor. Compact de sign, 6J^" diameter by 5 " high. No. AN-84500 Agitherm Stirrer Hot Plate, complete with one each glass and Teflon covered stirring bars Vs" χ 1Μ", for 115 volt, 60 cycle, A. C $67.50.
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Visible, near-infrared, and ultraviolet absorption spectral measurements are possible with this instrument used extensively in studies of polymerization systems, dyestuffs, tar acids, tar bases, and many chemical intermediates
WILKENS-ANDERSON CO. 4525 W. DIVISION ST.
CHICAGO 5 1 , ILL.
Circle No. 91 on Readers' Service Card VOL. 3 4 , N O . 4 , APRIL 1 9 6 2
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