Dec., 1918
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CIlEMISTRY
give a balanced and neat appearance t o the page, but probably none of us will mind sacrificing a little in this respect, if necessary, if there is a compensating advantage in using the journals. The Journal of Industrial uad Erzgineering Chdmistry carries on the left-hand page of reading matter its own name, the volume, and number; on the right, the date and its name again. The Journal of the American Chemical Society has on the left thee name of the author, and on the right the subject of the article. Chsrnicul Abstracts has the name of the journal on the left and the branch of chemistry on the right. Without going too far into specific suggestions, the writer would like to see the headings of the pages arranged so that one can get as far as possible the references without, for example, turning back to the front cover to find the volume nuinber each time, and then perhaps having to translate a Roman numeral. There is little difference in looking up one or two references, but for a larger number it is distinctly easier t o use the Journul of Industrial a?Ld Engineering Chemistry than either of the others. Even the addition of the volume number t o the pages of the other two journals would be a real convenicnce. Without expanding too far, the point to be emphasized is the rather strange dissimilarity of headings, each of which has a part, but only a part, of the essential data used in index or reference work. Could we trot with little effort modify our headings to fa!l in with the present spirit of efficiency and a t the same time answer all the practical and esthetic requirements of the printed page? CHAS.F. GOLDTHWAIT WSST DULUTH, MI”.
October, 28, 1918
THEFT OF PLATINUM The following notice has been sent us by Mr. G. D. Buckner, chemist of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station: $100.00 REWARD
For the recovery of the platinum dishes and crucibles answering the following descriptions stolen from the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station, Lexington, Kentucky, during the week following October 1 7 , 1918,or for information leading t o the conviction of the thief: Platinum Dish NO.
Weight Grams 11.9750 11.9703 16.0273 8.4319 8232 15 15.7905 15.7580 18.9421
............ ............ ............ 13 ........... . 18 ............ ~. 22 ............ 26 ............ . 2
3
10
Platinum Crucible No.
............ ............ ............ ............ ............ 20 ............ 22 ............ 1
11
12 14 15
23
............
Weight Grams 46.4689 32.6709 33.0927 49.1097 48.6788 48.5347 48.3856 47.2223
The urgent need for this material a t this time deserves your earnest effort and cooperation in its recovery. Address J. J. Reagan, Chief of Police, Lexington, Ky.
CHEMICALS FOR RESEARCH WORK Editor of the Journul of Industrial and Engineering Chentistry:
In your issue of August I you were good enough to,insert a letter announcing that the Research Laboratory of the Eastman Kodak Company were undertaking the preparation of chemicals for research work, and asking the cooperation of the manufacturers of intermediate products and of organic chemists either in the induqtries or the universities who were preparing materials which might be of use to others or who had need of organic reagents. As a result of that letter and of the endorsement of the sections of organic and industrial chemistry a t the Cleveland meeting of the AMERICANCHEMICAL SOCIETYwe have received a grcat deal of assistance and feel most grateful to the chemists of the United States for the hearty response which they have given 1.0 our request. The manufacturing concerns have proved willing to supply us with the various raw materials and intermediates which they produce, and a considerable number of
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university and other research chemists have written to us offering their assistance in preparations. A special department of the Research Laboratory has now been established under the name of the “Department of Synthetic Chemistry,” and has been staffed with women chemists, who are proving most enthusiastic and capable in this work. Up to the present time we have not found it possible t o issue a list of the chemicals which are available, though a considerable number arc now in stock on our shelves. The University of Illinois has supplied us with the chemicals which it prepares. We have already obtained a few from other sources. We have prepared a number of new reagents ourselves, and we are engaged in the purification of a number of intermediates, some of which are purified with ease, while in the case of others the process of purification is proving extremely difficult and expensive. We hope t o issue our first price list of chemicals by the first of December and shall be glad t o receive applications for copies of this price list when issued. At first i t will probably be necessary t o issue new price lists monthly, adding reagents as they become available. I t is our purpose to stock chemicals eventually OF three grades of purity. The first class will embrace chemicals only of the highest purity which it is possible to obtain, and we propose to distinguish these by the name of “Eastman” chemicals. In our first list we shall include chiefly these chemicals of the highest purity, since the supply of these appears to be most urgent. The second class will be prepared of the purity necessary for the greater number of synthetic organic preparations. The amount of purification which the technical product must undergo will depend both on the technical product ai;d on the reaction for which it is generally used, and the greatest care will be taken to see that the chemicals supplied under this class are really suitable for the purposes for which they are likely t o be employed We propose to state, as far as possible, their purity and the i m purities which they contain. We shall distinguish these chemicals under the term of “Practical Synthetic” chemicals. The third class will consist of crude technical intermediates should there prove to be a demand for these, as we expect will be the case. In Germany these technical intermediates have been supplied by the firms who supply chemical reagents and for many purposes it is advantageous for chemists to be able to obtain them in small quantities. We find that the makers of intermediates would prefer that we should retail them rather than fill orders for small quantities of these materials themselves. We shall designate these “Technical” chemicals. I n some cases the “Practical” and “Technical” products will naturally be identical. Unless there is great objection shown to the course, we propose to sell chemicals by metric weights only, listing them by the hundred grams and kilogram. We believe that this will meet with the approval of the majority or chemists, although up to the present almost all orders have come in for pounds. We have dealt with this by handling an order for I lb. as if it were for 500 grams. If our action in this is not endorsed by our prospective customers we shall be willing to alter it if necessary. In this undertaking we regard ourselves primarily as serving the chemists of the United States and especially the members of the AMERICANCHEMICAL SOCIETY, and we shall most heartily welcome any criticisms or suggestions. C. E. K. MEES RESEARCH LABORATORY EASTMAN KODAKCOMPANY ATovember 11, 1918
COOPERATION BETWEEN MANUFACTURERS AND UNIVERSITIES Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: We are building up a collection of analyzed samples of raw materials and intermediate and finished products of our typical chemical industries, and expect t o use these specimens as practical
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T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y V O ~IO, . NO.
I028
material in our courses in quantitative and technical analysis. It has been our experience that the work in analytical chemistry is greatly strengthened by the use of such material, but at present the time of most instructors is too occupied t o devote the time necessary t o make the analyses required t o check the results of the students. The laboratories of many of our chemical manufacturers make such analyses as a matter of routine, and it would be a very helpful method of cooperation if they could turn over t o us and t o other universities laboratory samples together with their analytical data on the same. You have advocated a closer cooperation between the manufacturers and the universities and it appears to me that here is a chance for a definite service involving little extra work on the part of the works laboratory forces. Samples of one t o two pounds are sufficient for a year’s supply, and different samples of the same material are useful in diversifying the work of different students of the same class. We shall be glad to pay the transportation charges. The standard samples issued by the Bureau of Standards are too expensive for general use and their range is too limited. We shall be grateful for any aid you can give us in this matter and shall welcome any suggestions as to an efficient presentation in the proper quarters. R. E. OESPER Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI CINCINNATI, OHIO October 15. 1918 1
INVENTION PROBLEMS The Invention Section of the General Staff of the United States Army has submitted t o the War Committee of Technical Societies a list of seven problems requiring scientific and inventive talent for solution. Problem V is of chemical interest and ‘ is reprinted here. PYROTECHNIC SMOKE SIGNALS
It is desired to secure, if possible, a suitable chemical substitute for Red Saxony Arsenic now used for the manufacture of Yellow Smoke Signals. The characteristics of such a chemical are that it should produce the effect required, that it should be procurable in large quantities, and that it should be perfectly stable in combination with other chemicals, such as potassium chlorate. The effect desired is a rather deep orange-yellow. There is no objection to the use of dyes should these give the effect required and be procurable in large quantities a t a reasonable price. A suitable formula for a Red Smoke Signal is also a desideratum. The effect required is a pronounced and positive shade of red. As in the case of the Yellow Smoke Signal, chemicals composing it should be readily procurable and should be stable. Since, however, the requirements for this signal are considerably smaller than for the Yellow Smoke Signal a greater latitude may be allowed in selecting slightly less readily available and higher priced material for this signal. The smoke signals outlined above are displayed from rockets, Very cartridges, Viven-Bessiere cartridges and 35 mm. cartridges. The rockets now used by our forces weigh about 2 lbs. with an approximate length of 18 in. The V-B, Very cartridges, and 35 mm. cartridges have an average length of about 6 in. with a diameter, respectively, of 2 in., 25 mm., and 35 mm. The V-B cartridges are thrown from the rifle grenade discharger, and the Very cartridges and 35 mm. cartridges from the 25 mm. signal pistols. Should any person accredited by the Inventions Board become interested in the two pistols outlined above, this office would be very glad t o give all the information in its possession. It should be noted that Auramine has already been tried as a dye for the Yellow Smoke Signal and that Paratoner has been used in the Red Smoke Signal. All communications regarding this matter should be addressed to Inventions Section, General Staff, Army War College, Washington, D. C . , Attention of Captain Scott.
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SAFETY OF TNT AS AN EXPLOSIVE Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chenzistry: There have been quite a few cases in this country where trinitrotoluol has exploded under conditions which would lead us to believe that it is not the safe explosive that it is ordinarily supposed to be in contradistinction to picric acid which is known to form rather unstable compounds with metals. I would like to call attention to the fact that i t is perfectly possible for trinitrotoluol to contain highly nitrated phenolic derivatives which could form salts with metals, thereby rendering the trinitrotoluol very much more subject to outside influences than if it were absolutely pure. I remember in the ordinary manufacture of nitrotoluol some ten years ago, we often isolatedfrom our sodium carbonate wash liquors notable amounts of a red crystalline body which, a t that time, I identified as a sodium salt of one of the nitrophenols. In my reading, I recently came across a confirmation of this in Berichte, 18, p. 2668, et seq., in an article by Nolting and Fore1 on an investigation of the six isomeric xylidenes. I n speaking of the formation of the nitrophenolic bodies in the nitration of xylols on page 2670, he says (free translation): If one treats crude nitrotoluol, as obtained in the factory by nitration with mixed acid, with soda, a similar solution is obtained from which by sufficient concentration, a red and yellow mass of crystals separates. I have investigated and found that i t consists of the sodium salts of the two dinitro cresols (the I-methyl, g,j-nitro, 4-hydroxy; and the I-methyl, g,g-nitro, ?-hydroxy derivatives), about being made u p of the first mentioned. The dinitro cresols are formed, according t o my idea, from cresol which can result during nitration by the oxidation of toluol by nitric acid or oxides of nitrogen. From the ordinarily formed 1,2,4- and 1,2,6-dinitro toluols, the above isomers cannot be formed. It might be possible that small amounts of 1,3,4,5- or 1,~,3,5-trinitrotoluolsare formed which could go over, under the influence of alkali, into the corresponding dinitro cresols by replacement of the 2 or 4 nitro groups with hydroxyl, but this assumption seems to me to be improbable.
I am sending you this information for publication in the Journal as I believe it will be of considerable interest to all those manufacturing trinitrotoluol and that these facts will be certainly worth taking into consideration in the manufacture and handling of the material if they are not already clearly recognized. RESEARCH DEPARTMENT THE BARRETT COMPANY NEWYORKCITY hTovember 7 , 1918.
J. M. WEISS
WOMEN IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES OF ENGLAND The British Ministry of Munitions has issued a circular containing a list of processes in which women are successfully employed in connection with the following industries : Charcoal Oil Seed, Cake Feeding Waste Bleaching Chemical Paper Making Also in the Electrical Distilling Rubber Trades as TradesExplosives Salt men’s Laborers on General Laboring Gas Soap Mineral Oil Refining Tar Distilling Miscellaneous NOTE-The possibility of employing female labor on some of the operations scheduled herein depends on local circumstances such as lay-out o l plant, locality. type of labor available, etc
The operations here scheduled may, in general terms, be classified as follows: A-Simple laboring ope1ations. B-Operations requiring care, intelligence, and, or, resourcefulness. C-Skilled operations. D-Dangerous opcrations or operations requiring resistance to unpleasant conditions, e. g., heat, dust, fumes, odor, etc. The different sections of the chemical industry in which women are successfully employed, and the departments of each section, are as follows.
