PERKIN MEDAL C
HARLES hf. A. Stine, vice president of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Inc., received the Perkin Medal of the Society of Chemical I n d u s t r y on January 12,1940, at a joint meeting of the American Section of that society, and of the New York Section C . hl. A. STIXE of the AMERICANCHEMICAL SOCIETY, at The Chemists’ Club, New York. Harrison E. Howe spoke on the accomplishments of the medalist, which include pioneering research in the field of industrial organic chemistry, particularly on paints and varnishes and the adaptation of synthetic resins to this field, and in the development of many cellulose derivatives, solvents, esters, dye intermediates, dyes, and explosives. The results of this work have found expression in many manufacturing plants. Dr. Stine was born in Norwich, Conn., October 18, 1882, the son of Milton Henry and Mary Jane Altland Stine. He graduated with honors from Gettysburg College in 1901 with the degree of A.B. and received the degree of B.S. from the same institution in 1903, that of A.M. in 1904, and that of M.S. in 1905. He entered The Johns Hopkins University in 1905, became a Fellow in 1906, and received the degree of Ph.D. in 1907. Shortly after leaving Johns Hopkins, he entered the employ of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Inc. He was assigned to the Eastern Laboratory and was in charge of the organic chemical research from 1909-16. In 1917 the increase in the company’s interest in general organic chemical problems led to the transfer of Dr. Stine to the Wilmington Office as head of the Organic Section of the Chemical Department. In this position he was for a time in charge of the research on products and processes which are embraced by the general term “the dye industry”. In 1919 he was appointed assistant director of the Chemical Department, and became director in
Rise
OF
1924. He served as director of the Chemical Department until 1930, when he was elected vice president in charge of research. In the same year he became also a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors. He is at present serving in all three of these capacities. The Perkin Medal was founded in 1906 in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the coal-tar color industry, the first medal being awarded to Sir William H. Perkin, discoverer of aniline dyes. The medal may be awarded annually by the American Section of the Society of Chemical Industry for the most valuable work in applied chemistry. The award may be made to any chemist residing in the United States of America for work which he has done a t any time during his career, whether this work proved successful at the time of execution or publication, or whether it became valuable in subsequent development of the industry. The medalist is chosen by a committee representing this society, the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY,the Electrochemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the Soci6t4 de Chimie Industrielle. The list of medalists from the date of founding to the present is as follows: 1906 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923
Sir William H. Perkin J. B. F. Herreahoff Arno Behr E. G. Acheson Charles M. Hall Herman Frssch James Gayley John W. Hyatt Edward Weaton Leo H. Baekeland Ernst Twitchetl Auguste J. Rosai F. G. Cottrell Charles E’. Chandler Willis R. Whitney William M. Burton Milton C. Whitaker
1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940
Frederick M. Becket Hugh K. Moore R. B . Moore John E. Teeple Irving Langmuir E. C. Sullivan Herbert H. Dow Arthur D. Little Charles F. Burgess George Oenslager Colin G. Fink George 0 . Curme, Jr. Warren K. Lewis Thomas Midgley, Jr. Frank J. Tone Walter 9. Landis Charles M. A. Stine
(For list of achievements of each medalist up to 1934, see IND. ENG.CHEM.,February, 1933, page 229.)
the Organic Lhemical
Industry in the United States HE results of the rapid deC. M. A. STlNE and the promotion of a great velopment Of the Organic E. l. du Pont de Nernours & C;ompany, wilmington, ~ ~ 1 and , widespread interest in organic chemical industrv in the research. This has had significant United States have been so farrepercussions in practically all reaching and are so obvious as to require no proof that there is fields of research, and has led to expansion and intensification in existence today a great industry showing a phenomenal of effort and to results of enhanced value. growth in the last two decades. It is young and extremely The second result, has been the tremendous contribution vigorous; its fruits are of such beauty and utility that I am to national self-sufficiency which the development of our satisfied as to its continued cultivation and development. organic chemical industry has made. There is good ground Let me mention two of the most important and tangible for believing that self-sufficiency definitely makes for peace. results of the development of the organic chemical industry of Through research and synthesis we have obtained methods of the United States: first, the fostering of a very large expreparing certain materials of organic origin which are not pansion in the training of research workers in our universities, available in this country because of limitations of soil or of
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Although America experienced a more or less steady growth of chemical manufacture from early colonial days down to the World War, this 300-year period was characterized for the most part by developments in inorganic chemistry. I should emphasize the differentiation between inorganic and organic chemistry. The fateful World War period served to disclose our woeful lack of manufacturing facilities for many essential materials of an organic chemical nature. This intolerable situation gave impetus to the research which has characterized the quarter of a century since 1914, research which has culminated in the greatest organic chemical industry in the world. This new industry is a substantially 100 per cent American development. It was neither borrowed nor transplanted from Europe. It was conceived by American men and financed by American money. The brains which directed the research were American brains, and the methods employed in building up the industry were American methods. This does not mean that we have not profited from foreign developments and foreign experience. We have, and we gratefuIIy acknowledge it. Without an unwavering faith in research, the organic chemical industry would not exist today. A clear vision of the possibilities of such an industry was also essential, and likewise “patient money”, as the late John E. Teeple so aptly expressed it. I cannot speak for the entire industry, but I do know that during the early years when the du Pont Company was conducting intensive work with dyestuffs and other organic chemicals, an outlay of more than $40,000,000 was made without one CONVERTERS AXD HEATTRANSFERRERS IN THE CONTACT SULFURIC ACID cent of profit being realized. This outlay PLANT OF THE GRASSELLI WORKSOF DU PONT IN PHILADELPHIA represented plant investments, operating The operator is changing the valve which controls temperatures. losses, and research expenditures. I am sure our exverience was not unique. During the past 25 years research has come to be recognized climate, or for some other reason inherent in our national as the most valuable tool available to the chemical industry, economy. For instance, we are not able to grow rubber in the as it endows industry with the power to create. Although United States, and even though climatic conditions were reliable data for the entire industry are not available, Fortune favorable we should still be unable to harvest it a t the low reports that American Cyanamid, DOW,du Pont, Eastman, and costs which now prevail in the rubber-producing countries. Monsanto spent $12,600,000 on research in 1937, corresponding Research and the reduction to practice of the results of this to about $2.80 of each $100 of their aggregate net sales (3). research have not only contributed to our eventual independThis figure is undoubtedly conservative, for in recent years ence in respect to certain natural fibers and in respect to rubthe research bill of the du Pont Company has been an apber, but also have placed at our disposal methods for the preciably greater ratio of sales. manufacture of almost unlimited quantities of liquid and The industry as a whole is reported to have spent $20,000,gaseous hydrocarbons from the vast natural resources of coal 000 for research in 1937, corresponding to an estimated $2.25 with which nature has endowed us. Economic factors, of of each $100 of sales of inorganic chemicals, and $4.30 of each course, have a large bearing upon fixing the date of a complete $100 of sales of organic chemicals ( 2 ) . Only the steel and independence of natural sources of supply of oil, rubber, or petroleum industries, spending an estimated 50 and 40 cents, some types of natural fibers. respectively, per $100 of sales (3)are reported as having reTherefore it is not so much my task to demonstrate that a search expenditures at all commensurate with those of the great productive organic chemical industry has developed in chemical industry. But let us not be puffed up with pride the United States over the last two decades as it is to trace a over our national state of mind; research expenditures by few of the more important lines which the industry has folAmerican industry as a whole, if estimated correctly at lowed in its development and to reinforce the observations $250,000,000 a year, are lower than the nation’s annual bill for with a few figures. cosmetics by about $150,000,000 (8). Contrary to popular belief, America had a substantial chemical industry prior to the World War. As early as 1865, American chemical production had a valuation of some Price Reductions $60,000,000 (4). In 1910 the United States produced three The rise of our organic chemicals manufacture might be times as much sulfuric acid as Germany, and twice the amount portrayed either by cold statistics or by showing the important of alkalies as England (4). The value of our chemical and role of American organic chemicals in our whole industrial and allied products in 1914 was in excess of $2,000,000,000 ( I S ) .
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everyday life. For the most part I propose to follow the latter method, but for the benefit of the statistically minded a few production figures might be given. It may also be interesting to show how prices have been reduced as production increased. In 1914 this country produced only about 10 per cent of the dyes consumed, and even that small proportion w&s based almost wholly on imported intermediates. In 1938, by contrast, we produced about 96 per cent of the dyes consumed in this country and had an export balance of some 5,0W,WO pounds. Our production of other organic chemicals in 1914 was insignificant; therefore, for data on which to base further comparisons, let us consider 1919, when the manufacture of organic chemicals was really getting under way. During the 19-year period ending with 1937, we find such approximate average annual increases in production as the following: coaltar medicinals, 6 per cent; total coal-tar finished products, 18; photographic chemicals, 22; flavors and perfume materials, 29 (26). Bear in mind that these percentages are for average annual increases, not for the increase over the entire 19-year period. During the same period the average annual increase in population was only about 1.25 per cent. Organic chemicals of noncoal-tar origin were developed more slowly, but during the I?-year period 1921-37, production of noncoal-tar organics (including synthetic methanol and other alcohols, acetic acid, acetone, and various amines) showed an average annual increase of 6S5 per cent (16). The astounding rate of growth indicated by these figures is the more impressive by comparison with corresponding figures for certain other manufactured products, including representative staple inorganic chemicals. The average annual increase in sulfuric acid production, for example, was only about 2.3 per cent for the same period; soda ash, 5.3; woven cotton goods, 2.6; pig iron, less than 1; steel and cement, each about 2.4. At the same time lumber and newsprint paper each declined about 1.3 per cent annually. Automobile production showed an average annual increase of 9.6 per cent, and concurrently crude petroleum showed an average annual increase of 12.5 per cent. It is significant that although automobile production showed an increase of 9.6 p r cent, automobile casings and tubes increased only 3.2 per cent (10). This apparent discrepancy means, of course, that the tires made around 1937 were superior to those made around 1919, partially because of improved rubber chemicals, includ-
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ing organic accelerators and antioxidants, which udded greatly to the l i e of tires and tubes. Price reductions during this 1919-37 period were equally as phenomenal as production increases. The average value of total coal-tar finished products, for example, declined from $1.02 a pound t o 41 cents; photographic chemicals from $3.16 to $1.05; flavors and perfume chemicals from $2.27 to $1.02; and coal-tar dyes from $1.07 to 5.5 cents a pound (11). Certain inorganic chemicals which find wide application in the manufacture of various organic products likewise showed important price reductions during this period. Sulfuric acid, for example, declined about 31 per cent, and caustic soda nearly 45 per cent (1s)). Even during the period 1927-37, after much of the necessary pioneering research had been done, we still find marked reductions in the price of organic chemicals. During this decade acetic acid dropped from $3.38 to $2.43 per 100 pounds, methanol from 67.5 to 33 cents a gallon, and formaldehyde from 10.33 to 5.75 cents a pound ( 5 ) . Coal-tar chemicals likewise underwent substantial price reductions during this more recent period. Phenol, for example, widely used in the manufacture of plastics, dropped from 17.5 to 13.25 cents a pound (6) and coal-tar medicinals from $1.92 to 96 cents a pound ( I I ) , a decline of exaotiy 50 per cent. Synthetic organic chemicals of noneoal-tar origin dropped from 18 to 10 cents a pound (11 ) . During this period we find marked price rediictions in certain inorganic chemicals widely used in the organic chemical industry. Anhydrous ammonia, for example, declined from 7.5 to 4.5 cents a pound, and chlorine from $4.00 to $2.15 per hiindred pounds (6). By way of contrast, the average price of all chemicals during the 1927-37 period declined only about 10 per cent (14). The above figures bear eloquent witness to the rise of our domestic organic chemical industry, but cold statistics cannot portray the vital national significance of this industry. It is the broad, general significenee of a development that is of primary interest both to the chemist and to the layman. Let us consider the relation of the organic chemical industry to other industries and attempt to visualize what this development means in terms of our everyday existence. The complete story cannot be told here, but a high-spot survey should be sufficient to show the degree of our present dependence upon organic chemicals. It is not exaggerating, I believe, to say they have fundamentally affected our national economy. They have promoted the development of other industries, which in turn have provided new jobs for our increasing population, greatly stimulated many of our older industries, provided the farmer with improved weapons with which to combat insects and plant disease, promoted comfort. and health, brought to the masses of the American people many of the good things of life which formerly were to be had only by the relatively well to do, and promoted national selfsufficiency and security.
M.ATERIAL= O M WHICH i ' P ~ ~ ~ i , i ~ ' ' CELLVLO~E NITRATE PLASTIC SHEETS AND RODSARE MADE
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New Industries and New Jobs This new industry for organic chemicals manufacture has not only directly provided jobs for thousands of workers, but has also indirectly opened up countless additional thousands of new jobs by providing the chemicals which have contributed to the development of new industries. These chemical raw materials, as i t were, have been supplied a t steadily reduced prices. The dyestuffs, pharmaceuticals, and plastics industries might be cited by way of illustration. We have made some products in these classifications for many years, hut in a larger sense they represent new industries. Plastics of the nitrocellulose type were made by Hyatt in 1869, but how could our modern plastics industry operate without a plentiful supply of such organic chemicals as the acetic acid used in the manufacture of cellulose acetate plastics, synthetic camphor used in the manufacture of nitrocellulose plastics and motion picture film, and the phenol, formaldehyde, and urea used in a variety of well-known and widely used plastics? The importrance of camphor is indicated by the fact that more than 500,000 pounds are used each year in motion picture film alone. Camphor was the instrument of a foreign monopoly 25 years ago, but in recent years American chemists have shown that camphor chemically identical with that from the camphor trees of Formosa can be economically made from pinene, derived from southern turpentine. Today the du Pont Company is making more than half of the total domestic consumption of this important product, and in an emergency additional plant equipment could be installed to provide our entire needs. As recently as 1920, refined imported natural camphor reached $3.65 a pound. In contrast, refined synthetic camphor is selling for around 48 cents a pound, and the technical grade used in plastics and photographic film sells for only about 35 cents a pound.
BATCHOF CRUDEMETHYLMETHACRYLATE POLYMER,TRE BASE FOR “LUCITE”PLASTIC MANUFACTURED BY DU PONT AT BELLE, W. VA.
In 1920 imported urea cost about 57 cents a pound, corresponding to over $1100 a ton (7). Today urea of equal or better quality, made a t Belle, W. Va., from carbon dioxide and ammonia, sells for $95 a ton. Practically all of the urea now consumed in this country comes from this domestic source of supply. In addition, the organic chemical industry has brought out materials not hitherto commercially available, which have found application in wholly new types of plastics. I shsll
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cite only one illustration-methacrylic a c i b o n which are based such products as the new sparkling “Lucite” methyl methacrylate plastic which because of its toughness, beauty, and optical properties is finding application for a variety of purposes. Verily our modern plastics industry is a child of the organic chemical industry, and the same holds trne in other fields of manufacture, medicinals and dyestuffs in particular. Still other organic chemicals, synthesized to meet definite specifications as i t were, have promoted the development of new industries. The “Freon” fluorinated hydrocarbons are an excellent illustration of such huil&to-specification products. Because “Freon” is not only an excellent refrigerant, but also nonpoisonous, nonexplosive, and nonflammable, it has given great impetus to the air-conditioning industry, and is widely used today in the air-conditioning units of theaters, hotels, office buildings, trains, and a rapidly increasing number of homes.
Stimulation of Old Industries Products of the organic chemical industry have not only aided in the development of new industries but have also contributed greatly to many of our older industries, such as the manufacture of rnbber goods, textiles, paper, automobiles, refrigerators, petroleum products, perfumes and flavors, explosives, and photographic films. Of interest in a number of different manufacturing operations are the synthetic alcohols, organic acids, esters, ethers, halogenated hydrocarbons, ketones, urea and substituted ureas, and many other types of aliphatic compounds which in recent years have become commercially available. These find wide industrial application, serving 8s solvents, plasticizers, blending agents, waxes, anti-freezes, raw materials for the manufacture of commercial dynamites, degreasing solvents, dewaxing agents, extraction media, and solvents for purifiestion by recrystallization. The listing of only a few developments of this type must serve to suggest the whole fascinating picture of organic chemical synthesis in aliphatic chemistry, 8 field which is still in the earliest stages of its development. Of outstanding importance in the manufacture of rubber goods are the new and improved organic accelerators, antioxidants, sun-checking inhibitors, and agents which nullify the destructive influence of slight traces of copper. The fact that today’s automobile tires give some 25,000 miles of service in comparison with 5000 miles only a few years ago is due in no small degree to the use of such organic rnhher chemicals. Synthetic rnbherlike materials developed witbin the past few years have likewise been accorded a hearty welcome by fabricators of rnhber goods. Although these “chemical rnhbers” are different in composition from natural rubber, the physical properties of certain of them are similar to those of rubber, and a t least one of these new materials (neoprene) has qualities not found in the natural product, including resistance to oils, greases, chemicals, sunlight, and oxygen. These chemical rubbers are accordingly supplying hundreds of needs that natural rubber cannot 811. And the fact must not he overlooked that this chemical rubber, which can be used for practically every purpose to which natural rubber is put, is based on domestic raw materials of which we have an unlimited supply.
Textile Industry The important role played by synthetic dyestuffs in the textile industry is SO well recognized as to warrant no discussion. Of the numerous other synthetic organic chemicals which find application in the manufacture and finishing of textiles, particular mention should be made of the fatty alcohol sul-
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fates used as detergents. Certain of these materials are similar to ordinary snap in detergent properties, except that they function as well in hard water as in soft. Such compounds are a boon to textile finishers, particularly in hardwater regions. Other fatty alcohol sulfates and also certain alkyl sulfonates find application as wettingagents to facilitatedyeing and other textile operations. Related materials are used as textile softeners to impart a pleasing “feel” to fabrics. Mention should also be made of improved moth repellents, mildew inhibitors of the type of salicyl anilide, and water-repellent finishes. Of particular interest is the recently developed “Zelan” durable water-repellent finish. The base of this new finish, a quaternary ammonium salt, hecomes so firmly bound to textile fibers, either chemically or physically, that i t is not removed by repeated laundering or dry cleaning. No discussion of the role of organic products in the textile industry would be complete without reference to rayon, of which this country uroduced some 288.000,OOO uounds in 1938. and the more recently ‘develop& products such as FINALINSPECTION OF PYROXYLIN-COATED CLOTH FOR COLOR, WEIGHT, “Vinyon” and the synthetic polyamidesknownas ~ ~ U N ~ F ~ ROFMAPPEARANCE ITY AT DU PONT’S NEWBERGH,N. Y.,PLANT nylon. Nylon had its origin in the work on polymerization and giant molecules, subjects investidirect bearine on the automobile industrv. For many gated as oart of the fundamental research which I initiated years safety glass for the windows and windshields was made &me twebe years ago, and which is still being vigorously prosecuted. Dibasic organic acids and diamines are among with an interliner of nitrocellulose or cellulose acetate plastic, hut last year i t was found that an interliner of a the intermediates to be used in making this new family of macertain type of polyvinyl acetal plastic has definite adterials. Note that I say “family” of materials, since many vantages over the cellulosic plastics. This new material is not different nylons are possible. only extremely tough and elastic a t ordinary temperatures, One of the more promising outlets for nylon will he in the hut retains these properties a t low temperatures. For this manufacture of y a m which, because of its high strengthreason the polyvinyl acetals, products of the organic chemical elasticity factor, will be used in fine hosiery. The production of nylon yarn on a limited scale was started early in January, industry, make possible the safest safety glass ever made. and small commercial shipments will be made in February. Organic plastics are used in the distributor head and on the It is anticipated that within the next few months full-fashinstrument hoard, and constitute various articles of internal inned nylon hosiery will he on general sale. decoration and utility such as the knob of the gearshift lever Nylon is now on the market in the formof bristles for toothand the steering dieel. It is of interest that these plastics are not only organic products themselves, but frequently demand brushes and other toilet brushes, and for certain types of other organic chemicals to modify their inherent physical industrial brushes. It is also available in the form of sewing thread, fishing lines and leaders, and surgical sutures. It is oharacteristicefor example, plasticizers to facilitate molding said to offer numerous advantages over natural gut sutures. operations. Still other organic chemicals are used in the Perhaps othcr lines of manufacture wholly new are still lubricants and in motor fuel, but t.hese will he covered in concradled in this chemical nursery. nection with petroleum products. Mention was made of “Freon”. Because these new Automobile I n d u s t r y fluorinated hydrocarbons are absolutely safe, they are now widely used not only in air conditioning hut also in domestic The story of organic chemicals in the automobile industry has been told many times, and I shall not dwell on it a t refrigerators as well. Another important class of organic great length. Nitrocellulose lacquers, developed around 1921, materials used by manufacturers of mechanical refrigerators is probably represent one of the greatest chemical contributions the oil-modified alkyd resin baking enamels. This new type of finish has displaced porcelain finishes to a considerable to the automobile industry. By cutting down the finishing time from PQdays to as many hours, mass production degree, and has resulted in a marked decrease in cost of prowas greatly facilitated. In an attempt to reduce finishing duction, which in turn is reflected in reduced prices to the time with the old orthodox enamels, durability had been ultimate consumer. Alkyd resin finishes of the type used on sacrificed, but the nitrocellulose lacquers are both quick drying refrigerators are characterized by a high degree of toughness, and durable. resistance to grease and stains, and excellent color retention. Related alkyd resin finishes are widely used for interior woodThe development of synthetic rubberlike materials was previously mentioned. Automobile motors are frequently work and for certain specialty outdoor applications, metal mounted on blocks of neoprene or other “chemical rubber” to protective paints in particular. Alkyd resin finishes are also minimize chassis vibration. Natural rubber used for this being used on several types of automobiles, on ships, and on purpose deteriorates rapidly under the influence of grease and railway cars. One of the principal intermediates used for alkyd resin oils with which i t may come in contact. Because of its resistance to grease and oils, neoprene does not undergo this definishes is phtlmlic anhydride, made by the oxidation of naphterioration and is well suited for the mounting of motors and thalene. Whereas phthalic anhydride was more or less 8 for some other fifty special uses about the car. laboratory curiosity in 1917, selling for ahnut $6.00 B The recent development of polyvinyl acetal plastics has a pound (6))some 43,000,000 pounds were made in 1937, and I
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CoNvmoa S~towrroCRYSTAL UREA, A PR~DIICT OF TEE BELLE,W. VA., PLANT ox1 nu PONTON ITSWAYTO THE DRYERS the production in 1939 was of the order of 60,000,000 pounds. Currently the price of this important coal-tar intermediate, the principal outlets for which are in the manufacture of alkyd resins and certain types of dyes, is around 15 cents a pound. Within recent years a new and greatly improved method has been devcloped for the preparation of phthalic anhydride which involves oxidation of naphthalene in the vapor phase; it is largely due to this improved method that alkyd resin finishes are available today a t prices which enable them to compete with the so-called orthodox finishes. I have taken a personal interest in this new type of finish, since much of the pioneering work on alkyd resin finishes was done under my direction. Some 15 years ago when my attention was called by Dr. Whitney to dielectrics made by the General Electric Company through the interaction of polyhydric alcohols such as glycerol, and polybasic acids such as phthalic anhydride, it occurred to me that materials of this type might find application in nitrocellulose lacquers to replace imported natural resins such as dammar. It likewise occurred to us about the same time that resins of the same general type, suitable for use in paints and varnishes, might be made through the simultaneous reaction of a polyhydric alcohol, a polybasic acid, and a monobasic fatty acid derived from drying oils such as linseed or tung. A program for research wea accordingly mapped out, and about 19’25 or 1926 work was started. First and last, we spent more than $500,000 on research direoted to t.hc development of variously modified alkyd resins, but the fruits of this work have been such that we have had no occasion to regret spending this sum.
or even a year, costs only 2 or 3 cents per barrel of gasoline. This is of interest not only to the motorist but also to the refiner, since before the advent of gum inhibitors i t was not unusual for cracked gasoline which had been stored for some time to require redistillation before it was sold. Organic chemicals are likewise used in lubricants. Smll amounts of a chemical, such as esters and nitriles of long-chain fatty acids, increase the “oiliness” of a lubricating oil; that is, the coefficient of friction is lowercd. In addition i t is claimed that these “oiliness” promoters reduce the wear on moving parts and thereby minimize shutdowns and repair bills. We have also what arc known as extreme pressure hlbricant bases which cause a film of lubricating oil to be “tough”. Several types of organic materials are used for this purpose, including halogenated and phosphated oil compositions, lead soaps, and sulfurized oils. When present in oils and greases in amounts as low as one per cent, these extreme pressure lubricant bases make it possible for a bcaring or gear to withstand tremendous pressure without the bearing surfaces actually touching one another and possibly “seizing”. For the lubrication of the hypoid gear, for example, which is used in the differential of most of the cars now being made, i t is absolutely nocessary that an extreme pressure lubricant base be used in conjunction with the lubricating oil, since the peculiar frictional forces that obtain in this improved gear would squeeze out or rupture the film of any untreated oil and leave the metal surfaces in direct contact. The presence of a suitable extreme pressure lubricant base ensures that a film of oil will always separate and protect the bearing surfaces.
Petroleum Products
Perfumes and Explosives
Synthetic organic chemicals find numerous important applications in the manufacture and use of petroleum products. Cracking processes had the cffeot of doubling our oil reserves as far as gasoline is concerned. On the othcr band, cracked gasoline on storage has a tendency to develop gums which will lead to clogging of the motor and fuel lines. Through the use of certain organic chemicals, however, this tendency is substantially eliminated. The amount of an antioxidant such as isobutyl-paminophenol necessary to stabilize cracked gasoline so that it may be stored for several months,
In the manufacture of perfumes, materials known as fixatives are used; one of their functions is to make the odor more lasting. Until a few years ago all fixatives were of animal origin, such as the musk from a species of deer found in Tibet. If the characteristic ingredient of natural musk could be had in a pure state, i t would probably he worth its weight in gold several times over; but within recent years synthetic musks have been developed, and a t least one of these new organic compounds is substantially identical with the characteristic ingredient of natural musk. All sell a t only a fraction of the
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IICDLSTRIAL AND ESGINEERISG CHEIIISTKk
cost of the natural product. Moreover, the chemist has synthesized certain floral odors which cannot well be recovered from flowers. Perfumes having the true scent of lilac or lily of the valley, for example, mere not to be had until the chemist synthesized these elusive and delicate odors. Wholly new odors have also been synthesized, but for the most part, synthetic perfume chemicals supplement rather than displace natural floral odors. High quality perfumes are usually a skillful blend of the natural and synthetic.
Agricultural Uses To the ancient industry of agriculture the organic chemical industry has made many notable contributions. In connection with plastics, mention was made of urea which today sells for less than one tenth of its price in 1920. This synthetic nitrogenous chemical also finds wide application as a fertilizer ingredient. hlention should also be made of the organic mercurials which are being used so successfully for the control of various plant diseases caused by fungi, and the long-chain alkyl rhodanates for combating the ravages of sucking insects on certain crops. Recent work has been done at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research with organic compounds which modify the growth of plants. Among the more interesting of these materials are compounds, such as indole butyric acid which promote root growth even on the stems and leaves of plants to which they are applied. These so-called plant hormones, which are used in concentrations as low as 1 part in 40,000, bid fair t o find wide practical application in agriculture, horticulture, and floriculture for starting cuttings of plants difficult to root. A more recent and somewhat related development is the use of vitamin B, in concentrations as low as 1 part in 100,000,000 for preventing “root shock” when flowers, shrubs, and trees are transplanted. Although this vitamin is of major interest in connection with the prevention and cure of the serious
INTERMEDIATE STEPIN MAKING SYNTHETIC LILACPERFUME-THE DISTILLATION O F TERPINEOL AT DU PONT’S NEWBRUNSWICK, N. J., PLANT
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nervous disorder known as beriberi, its effect on plants is hardly less striking. In addition to making it possible to transplant flowers and trees at any season, plants watered with extremely dilute aqueous solutions of this new organic material tend to grow vigorously and produce abnormally large flowers. From the California Institute of Technology where the botanical effects of this material have been investigated, come reports of daffodils with blossoms as large as salad plates, and red tea roses with 5-inch buds ( I ) . Materials made available, either directly or indirectly, through the organic chemical industry have enriched our lives by bringing to the masses of the American people many of the good things of life which formerly were to be had only by the relatively well to do. Thanks to the development of synthetic textile fibers, millions of girls who work in offices and mills dress better than did the queens of a hundred years ago. In 1924 a standard type of viscose rayon sold for about $2.00 a pound. Today, greatly improved rayon yarns sell for a p proximately 50 cents a pound, and such price reductions mean large savings in clothing cost to the ultimate consumer. Moreover, the synthetic dyes used today, superior in many respects to the natural dyes used by our grandparents, are produced at a cost which adds a t most only a few cents a yard to the finished fabric. Synthetic plastics, previously referred to, have also enriched our lives by making available a wide variety of beautiful articles, including toiletware and costume jewelry, formerly made from relatively expensive materials such as ivory, jade, tortoise shell, and amber. For our comfort, safety, and health, the organic chemical industry has provided a wide variety of products. Reference was previously made to the nonpoisonous, nonexplosive, and nonflammable fluorinated hydrocarbons widely used in domestic refrigerators and air-conditioning units! and to the safest safety glass ever made; there can be no question that many serious injuries have been averted and many lives saved because of safety glass.
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Synthetic Medicinals Rut nowhere have organic chemicals played so vital a role as in the prevention and cure of disease. An outstanding illustration is “Salvarsan”, synthesized by Ehrlich for the cure of syphilis. “Salvarsan” is now made in this country, and research is credited with brineing _ - about a 94 per cent reduction in its price (a). Not since the development of “Salvarsan” has a synthetic medicinal met n,ith such a welcome reception as sulfanilamide or shown greater promise. Although introduced into the field of medicine only a few years ago, tbis coal-tar derivative bas already saved tho lives of thousands suffering from “blood poisoning”, peritonitis, streptococcic sore throat, puerperal or child birth fever, meningitis, and other dangerous maladies due to streptococcic infection. Although the du Pont Company does not make this product, S am proud to say that the company did at my suggestion prepare the sulfanilamide witli which the pioneering work in this country was carried out by Perrin H. Long and his associates at The Johns Hopkins Medical School. Hundreds of derivatives of this drug are being made available for experimental medicine. During the past year a related compound, suffapyridine, has shown great promise in the treatment of pneumonia, which claims an annual toll of some hundred thousand lives in the United States. As a result of tbe isolation and synthesis of certain of the vitamins, various diseases due to dietary deficiencies can now he prevented or cured. Among the more important of these essential organic materials are vitamin A, a deficiency of which leads to night blindness and increased susceptibility to infection; the antiscorbutic vitamin C, now available as synthetic ascorbic acid; vitamin P-I’ (nicotinic acid), an insufficiency of which causes the dread pellagra; the antirachitic vitamin D, now available as irradiated 7-dehydrocholesterol: and the antiberiberi vitamin R, (thiamin), previ-
VOL. 32. xo. 2
ously referred to in connection with the effect of organic chemicals on plant growth (9). Similarly, the research chemist has established the constitution of, and synthesized, certain of the hormones, t.hose little-understood secretions of the ductless glands which in some degree affect the functioning of the mind as well as the chemical reactions of the body. Developments in this field offer definite promise for the cure of certain mental ills which have baffled medical science for ages. From fundamental research in such sciences as chemistr)., physics, biology, and pharmacology nil1 certainly come the great developments of tomorrow, especiallyin the amelioration of man’s health. Chemotherapy, itself BS funda~nentallyimportant as the first work which flowed from Pasteur’s labotatory, is nurtured by the organic chemical industry. h long list of new organic oompounds awaits the attention of the research workers in pharmacology and experimental medicine. Pharmacological development will continue to be supported to an increasing degree because of the development and growth of a flourishing organic chemical manufacturing industry in the United States. In contrast with the limited and impure drugs and medicinals available to the last generation, many of them of unknown composition and uncertain action, today more than 100,ooO compounds for prescriptions are available. As I said at the start. of this address, “the treniendous increases in organic chemical manufacture have made such wide and important demands for research laboratories and increased personnel to man these laboratories as to result in a country-wide stimulation of research”. Sn closing I should like to leave this thought with you. Those who would attribute to our scientific development the blame for our present national and international ills take an entirely superficial view of the picture. They overlook the horrible wars that have been waged down the years when there was no science 89 we know i t today. They overlook or willfully ignore the well recognized fact that the lust for power by one man, or a small group of men, leads all too frequently to that great social and economic disaster called war. Until indoctrinated race antipathies and hatreds, envy, and greed for power arc eliminated from human nature through spiritual regeneration, we shall have no solution of this fatal disease which afflicts humanity. Science, though it is able to confer the richest blessings upon mankind, is not able to change the heart of man and ensure that the great increases in scientific knowledge shall be beneficently applied. But while this is unquestionably true, I nevertheless hold that the great contribution which the development of the organic chemical industry has made to the self-sufficiency of this country is a contribution towrard the maintenance of peace.
Literature Cited
PAlNT MIXING AND SHADING OPERATION ON A
GALLONBATCH AT THE PHILADELPHIA PLANTOP DU PONT COMPANY
50THE
(1) Better H o m e and Gardens, Oct., 1939, 13. (2) Chem. & M e t . Eng.. 44,545-6 (1937). (3) Foeune, March, 1939, 58. (4) Hsynes. Willisms, “Men, Money and Molecules“. pp. 57. 71 (1936). (5) IND.ENO.Csr;%r.,30, 602 (1938). (6) Oil, Point Dnru Rapt?., 1918 Yoscarbook. p. 127. (7) Oil, Paint Druu R q f r . . Feb. 26. 1931, 50. (8) Keodets’ Dieeat. Maroh. 1939, 18. (9) “Science in Progress", p. 147 et ~e(i., New Haven, Yale Univ. Press. 1939. (IO) U. S. Census, Abstract of 14th Census (1920) and Census of Mamifaotures (1937); Mineral Resouroes of U.S.. 1919,Part I; Minerals Yearbook. 1939. (11) U. S. Census of Dyes and Other Synthetic Organic Chemicnle. (12) U. S. Census of Manufaotures. (13) U.S. Census of Manufactures, Abstract, p. 168 (1914). (14)U. S. Dept. of Commerce. Sunrev of Current Business. 1938 Supplement, p. 13. (15) U. S. TsriR Commiasion. Cenaus of Dyes and Coal-Tar Chemicals, for several Jre*ra.
