Escambia's new research center, situated on a 4 5 acre tract, is a two story, steel-frame, brick faced structure. The building has 5 5 , 0 0 0 square feet of floor space. It has 12.000 square feet of bench laboratory space. Each of
the 13 four-man laboratories is equipped with hot and cold water, steam, compressed air, vacuum, electricity, and in some cases, nitrogen. Two are temperature and humidity controlled. Laboratories and offices are air-conditioned
LABORATORY
OF THE MONTH
M u c h Research N e e d e d W h e n Entering N e w Areas Research has played an important role in Escambia Chemical Corporation's entry into the plastics and petrochemical fields. To carry out this research, Escambia established a research center at Wilton, Conn. This new facility will be used exclusively for research on chemicals. Included are derivative!! based on acetylene, propylene, and isobutylene; pharmaceutical intermediates, synthetic organic chemicals, and new chemistry of nitrogen. Special emphasis is placed on vinyl chloride polymers and copolymers, acrylics and their intermediates, methyl methacrylate, and methacrylic acid. The center, designed in the shape of a rough cross, has one wing directed to bench laboratory work, one to pilot plant activities, one to plastic technical service work, and one to administrative functions. Extra space is available for expansion. At present the personnel total approximately 50, half of whom are professional personnel. Eventually the center will have over 100 people. Escambia was organized in 1954 by United Gas Corporation and Electric Bond and Share Company. In 1956
the first units of a plant were completed in Pensacola, Florida, and commercial production of ammonia, nitric acid, and nitrogen fertilizer materials began. Early in 1957 a second plant which produces polyvinyl chloride resins was completed. The following year a methanol plant was placed in commercial production. A semi-works plant for methacrylic acid based on a process developed by the Escambia research group is now in operation. Analytical problems are submitted to a chemical analysis group or an instrument analysis group, depending upon the nature of the problem. Instruments available for analyses include a mass spectrometer; recording ultraviolet, infrared and visible spectrophotometers ; and a variety of gas chromatography analyzers. Several of the latter were designed and built in the laboratory for anah'ses for which standard commercial instruments are not applicable. The chemical analytical facilities include equipment for functional group analysis, elemental organic microanalysis, and polarography. Conventional techniques have been modified by the use of automatic titrators and combustion equipment.
To meet the need for a rapid analysis of trace components in vinyl chloride monomer, the gas chromatographic analyzer shown was constructed. Its limit of detectability for trace impurities is on the order of 10 parts per billion. A two-cc. sample of liquid is run through a one-half inch column and impurities are collected in t h e cold trap. The operator is turning the valve which routes collected impurities into a one-quarter inch analytical column VOL. 32, NO. 10, SEPTEMBER 1960
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119 A
Lab of Month • This specially designed Karl Fischer apparatus is used for the determination of water in a variety of reaction mixtures. The introduction of reagents and drainage of the flask are accomplished by means of sealed-in capillary side-arms. Dry nitrogen is used to pump the reagent solutions and the apparatus is completely protected from atmospheric moisture
Complete titration curves are obtained automatically with the recording titrator shown. It is used primarily for the nonaqueous titration of mixtures of strong and weak acids such as solutions containing nitric and acetic acids used in Escambia's methacrylic acid process. In the application shown, however, the instrument has been adapted to automatically titrate fractions from a chromatographic column. This is accomplished with a switch actuated by movement of the recorder pen and permits titration of the solution only when the pH is below a preset value. Ha If-titration curves are obtained, each representing a separate fraction
