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cars a t the mine, in 1 9 1 3 , was $2.j0 per metric ton, and for Westphalian coal $ 2 . 6 1 . Net mining profits in Great Britain and Germany are between 2 5 and 50 cents per ton, as compared with probably not more than j cents for bituminous coal in the United States. Evidently, in the United States, costs a t the mine on export coal cannot be much reduced, but railroads may perhaps be able to lower their tariffs for such coal. Because of low mining costs, the on-ship price of IJnited States bituminous coal is less than that of corresponding British and German coals a t their home ports. I n 1913 the average declared value of all classes of British coal exported was $3.40 per long ton ($3.33 metric) and the price of best Welsh steam coals, f . 0 . b. Cardiff, ranged from $4.50 to $45.10 per ton ($4.40 to $j metric). U‘estphalian steam lump coal, f . 0 . b. Hamburg, ranges from $4 to $5 per metric ton. Compared with sailing distances from British coal ports, those from the chief United States export ports are 460 miles less to Atlantic ports of South America, and cia the Panama Canal 2,560 miles nearer to Pacific ports. Compared with German ports, distances are 767 miles less to Atlantic coast ports
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and 2,867 miles less to Pacific coast ports via the Panama Canal. Yet in spite of higher prices a t shipping ports and longer distances, coal exports to South America are chiefly from Great Britain. The reasons given are the claimed higher grade of British, particularly Welsh coals, and their better preparation, the heavy freight charges and cost of delivery that limit business to the best coal, the regularity of freight service from Great Britain, the large stocks of British coal kept on hand a t ports of entry, and the financial arrangements that relieve South American customers from risks of transshipment, storage, and handling. ,4s regards these disadvantages, the best Pocahontas and New River coals are equal to the best Welsh steam coal, although possibly more friable. Some United States gas and coking coals may have a trifle more ash and sulfur than British coals, but this disadvantage can be more than offset by lower prices. Satisfactory storage and financial arrangements can be made by United States shippers, but unless regular service can be given, coal shippers in the United States will be a t a great disadvantage as compared with those in Great Britain and Germany in normal times. ~
NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE TEMPERATURE CONTROL IN WOOD DlSTILLATION FLANTS Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: There has been considerable agitation during the past year in regard to temperature control in wood distillation plants. While the writer is much in favor of development along this line, and realizes that the maximum result per pound of wood distilled can be obtained only by the adaptation of scientific temperature control, he believes that before the matter can be approached in a practical manner applicable t o plant conditions, those conditions will have t o undergo a radical change Where the material undergoing destructive distillation is fairly uniform in size, and the retort is so arranged that the heat can be evenly distributed throughout the mass during distillation, temperature control by pyrometer readings becomes a fairly simple matter This is evident in the destructhe distillation of acetate of lime in the acetone process. It will be noted that the charge is, under the best systems, kept in constant motion, or where stationary retorts are used is charged in thin layers on trays. In both cases the object in view is a better heat distribution. Of as much importance as the size of the acetate charge, it is necessary to have it reduced to a fairly fine condition, the lumps generally showing upon analj sis a high percentage of undecomposed calcium acetate after being drawn from the retort. As regards wood distillation, the raw material will vary iii size alone, as much as from go to IOO per cent, so that after heat has been applied for some time, the smaller pieces will have given up free water and have started t o break down into valuable products, long before t h e larger pieces have become water-free; hence, we will have two reactions taking place in the retort a t the same time. Now, it is necessary, if a plant, as a t present designed, is to be run on a paying basis, that the retorts handle one full charge every 2 4 hours, and if the heat is held down low enough t o retard all, or nearly all destructive distillation until the larger wood has been freed of its water, a complete distillation could not possibly be made within a 24-hour period, or a t least the writer has never been able t o accomplish it in that time Running under normal conditions, with average wood, I have found t h a t to get the best results from 20 to 2 2 hours had to be allowed for the distillation; b u t where the wood was a t all rough, large or poorly seasoned, it was necessary to carry a much highcr heat than under normal
conditions, long after the usual time, if the retort is to be expected within the 24-hour limit, so, that with wood varying in size and water content, as most of it does, I was able t o obtain the best results by using the flow and nature of the distillate as a guide. Where experimental tests are run upon bark-free, well-seasoned and evenly sized wood, the distillation can be carried out very effectually and with a large increase in valuable products, with temperature controlled by pyrometer readings; but with the raw material delivered to the retorts as it now is, I believe by far the best results, as well as the most profitable, can be obtained by a careful recording of the nature of the wood charged in each retort, and then the control of the distillation by the liquor flow. If some practical method could be devised for reducing the wood t o a fairly uniform size, say blocks 12 in. X from 3 t o 4 in. square, and these blocks be loaded on the cais in trays so that a good heat flow could be maintained between them, temperature control would be reduced to a simple matter, and the valuable products of destructive distillation very materially increased; but before this can be done the proper adjustment of the wood condition and a retort to handle it must first be worked out. K. B. GOETSCHIUS DELTACHEMICAL COMPAAY WELLS,MICHIGAN January 7, 191h
OXALIC AClD SUBSTITUTES IN T H E LAUNDRY
Editor 0.f the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: Within the last year the rise in price of oxalic acid has brought forth many substitutes which have been offered t o the laundry trade as sours. The laundrymen have purchased and used them and in a number of cases their introduction into the washing process has resulted in immediate trouble, the work finishing up a dirty yellow instead of a clear white. Such a case was brought to the attention of the writer last week. The laundry in question was using one of these souring powders, and their white work was finishing up a nice yellow. A qualitative analysis of the powder showed it to consist of an acid fluoride of sodium. The stain was removed from a piece of goods with strong hydrochloric acid and found to contain a large quantity of iron and calcium. With this information thc cause of the discoloration was easily seen. The addition of this
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THE JOURNAL
O P I ~ V D U S T R P A LA N D E N G I f i E l ? R I Y G C H E M I S T R Y
powder to a water containing calcium, magnesium and iron salts would cause the precipitation of calcium and magnesium fluorides and these by inclusion would carry down ferrous or ferric fluoride or both. Now, while it is true that both the ferrous and ferric fluorides are soluble in water it is also true that no amount of washing will free the gelatinous calciumand magnesium fluorides from the ferrous or ferric salts with which they are contaminated. As the calcium and magnesium fluorides are insoluble in water, and as this precipitation takes place in the presence of the fabric, and is also accelerated by heat, the pores of the fabric will retain, in spite of the rinse which follows, enough of the impure calcium and magnesium fluorides t o produce the discoloration in question. The trouble is caused, therefore, by the action of such a powder on hard water and will increase or diminish as the amount of iron in the water increases or decreases. Repeated washing will of course increase the discoloration. The detrimental effects of the precipitation of even perfectly white salts of such a nature in fabrics is too well known to require any comment, and the use of compounds producing them should be strongly discouraged. E. D. KOEPPING LOCKPORT, N E W YORK S o v e m b e r 16, 1915
NOTE ON “THE PHENOL COEFFICIENT OF GERMICIDES”
Editor of lhe Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: In THIS JOURNAL, 8 (1916), 45, there appears an article by Messrs. Kilmer, Clark and Hampton on the “Hygienic Laboratory Method for Determining the Phenol Coefficient of Disinfectants.” Their experimental results show that a coefficient of I 60 is obtained for Camphenol” in a series of tests in which the culture medium used for growing the test organism was composed of 3 grams of beef extract, 2 0 grams of peptone and I liter of water, while a coefficient of 3 2 0 was obtained when the medium contained 3 grams of beef extract, I O grams of peptone, 5 grams of salt and I liter of water. The authors say that they “are unable to offer any rational explanation” for the results. I t seems t o me that there are two factors involved. The first is the phenol used. An examination of Table I shows that the phenol was much more active, that is, that killing occurred a t zl/z and a t 15 minutes with higher dilutions, than in any published results with which I am familiar. I n experiments made in this laboratory with a similar medium (but a different make of phenol), the dilutions required for the zl/z-rninute period ‘ I
I
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were 1-80 or 1-90, and for the 15-minute period 1-100 or 1-1 IO. If 80 and I I O were used for calculating the coefficient, the result would be about 2.25. The use of different varieties of phenol would account, then, for a part, but only a part, of the discrepancy. The other, and more important factor involved is the presence of salt in the culture medium It is well known that salt accelerates the action of a disinfectant. Results obtained in this laboratory during the past two years show the extent of this acceleration very well. These results will appear shortly in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. I n the experiments described by Messrs. Kilmer, Clark and Hampton, 5 grams of salt were used per liter of medium, and o I cc. of this was used for the test experiments. There was thus p;esent in the j cc. of disinfectant o 5 milligram of salt Comparison of results on the killing power of “Camphenol” in Tables I and I1 shows that with the salt medium the disinfectant was 1.62 times as active in the 21/z-minuteperiod and 1.67 times in the 15-minute, as when the medium containing no salt was used. While in the experiments made in this laboratory the amounts of salt were slight11 greater, still they were of the same order. We used formic acid for the disinfectant. When 1.0 milligram of salt was present in j cc., the disinfectant was found t o be 3 times as active as when no salt was present, and with I 2 milligrams of salt the disinfectant was 4 times as powerful. It will therefore be seen that a very small amount of salt will very greatly influence disinfection, and the increased activity of “Camphenol” as shown in Table I1 can be accounted for on this basis. It is not probable that every disinfectant is accelerated to the same degree by the presence of salt, but this could be fairly easily tested. If therefore, “Camphenol” was more sensitive to this accelerating action than was phenol, the phenol coefficient, as determined, would be higher. The main idea which I wish t o emphasize is that the salt content of the culture medium is a very important factor, and one which should not be overlooked in suggesting any standard medium for use with disinfectants. I believe also t h a t more than one discrepancy in phenol coefficient determinations can be accounted for by this factor-the salt either being a recognized addition to a medium in one case but not in another, or getting into the medium in varying amounts by the use of broth obtained from different sources, such as meat and the various meat extracts. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JOHN F, NORTON BOSTON,January 13, 1915
PERSONAL NOTES
The United States Civil Service Commission announces an open competitive examination on February 23, 1916, for the position of chemist, for men only, a t a salary of $ 1 2 0 0 a year; also a n open competitive examination, on February 2gth,*for pharmaceutical research chemist, for men only, a t a salary of $3000 a year. Another Civil Service examination will be held on April 12, 1916, for the position of junior chemist, departmental service. These examinations are open t o all men who are citizens of the United States and who meet the prescribed requirements. Further information may be had by applying t o the United States Civil Service Commission, Washington, D . C. Dr. Charles R . Van Hise, President of the University of Wisconsin, has been elected president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in succession to Dr. W. W. Campbell. Charles M. Hall, inventor of the process for recovering aluminum which bears his name, who died December 27, 1914, left an estate valued a t $10,000,860, according to testimony of
A. V. Davis, of Pittsburgh, a n executor, before State Transfer Tax Appraiser Rice. The entire fortune was made in aluminum. Sir Henry Enfield Roscoe, F.R.S., the distinguished British chemist, emeritus professor j n the University of Manchester, died on December 18th, a t his residence in West Horsley, England, a t the advanced age of 81 years. A memorial service was held on December 22nd a t the Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel. The first annual meeting of the Technical Section of t h e American Paper and Pulp Association will be held in n’ew York City a t the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, February 16th and 17th. The committee meetings have been arranged for Wednesday, the general meetings of the Section being scheduled for the forenoon and afternoon of Thursday. The meeting in the afternoon will be attended by the proprietors of pulp and paper mills from all parts of the country, in addition to the chemists and engineers connected with the industry, who make up the membership of the Technical Section. It is planned to exhibit
