PERKIN MEDAL Awarded t o Frank J . Tone for work in the
field o f abrasives and refractories
T
can Ceramic Society. He is the H E Perkin Medal for 1938 was author of several technical articles p r e s e n t e d to Frank J. Tone, and has had many patents granted president of The C a r b o r u n d u m t o him. (The reader is referred to Company, on January 7, 1938, a t a the NEWS EDITION of INDUSTRIAL joint meeting of the American SecAND ENQINEERINQ CHEMISTRY for tion of the Society of Chemical InNovember 20, 1936, pages 452-3, dustry and the New York Section of for more complete information on the the AMERICANCHEMICALSOCIETY, accomplishments of Dr. Tone.) a t The Chemists’ Club, Xew York. James G. Vail presided o v e r t h e The Perkin Medal was founded in meeting. After a talk on the life 1906 in c o m m e m o r a t i o n of t h e and accomplishments of the medalist fiftieth anniversary of the coal-tar by Carl G. Schluederberg, the medal color industry, the first medal being w a s p r e s e n t e d t o Dr. Tone by awarded to Sir William H. Perkin, Marston T. Bogert of Columbia Unid i s c o v e r e r of aniline dyes. The versity. After the presentation, Dr. medal may be awarded annually by Tone gave his medal address entitled the American Section of the Society “The Quest for Hard Materials.” of Chemical Industry for the most valuable work in applied chemistry. Dr. Tone was born in western The award may be made to any New York in 1868, and graduated c h e m i s t r e s i d i n g in the United from Cornel1University in 1891 with States of America for work which the degree of electrical engineer. FRANKJEROME TONE he has done a t any time during his His connection with the chemical career, whether this work proved field dates from the i n c e p t i o n of successful a t the time of execution N i a g a r a p o w e r in 1895 when he became associated with Edward G. Acheson in the developor publication, or whether it became valuable in subsequent ment of silicon carbide as works manager and later as presidevelopment of the industry. The medalist is chosen by a committee representing this society, the AMERICAN CHEMIdent of The Carborundum Company a t Niagara Falls. He CAL SOCIETY,the American Electrochemical Society, the became one of the pioneers not only in the development of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the SociBtB electric furnaces on a large scale, but also in the new abrasive art which began with electrothermally produced de Chimie Industrielle. (For list of achievements of each medalist up to 1934, abrasives. Paralleling his achievements in this field, Dr. ENG.CHEM.,February, 1933, page 229). see IND. Tone was responsible for the application of these same prodThe list of medalists from the date of founding to the presucts as refractories, thus initiating the superrefractories ent is as follows: industry. He was the original producer of electrically fused mullite and spinel. Silicon carbide electric heating elements are also a result of his work. Dr. Tone’s outstanding contri1906 Sir William H. Perkin 1923 Milton C. Whitaker 1924 Frederick M. Becket 1908 J. B. F. Herreshoff bution in the electrometallurgical field was the development 1909 Arno Behr 1925 Hugh K. Moore of a large-scale process for producing silicon metal, now 1910 E. G . Acheson 1926 R. B. Moore widely used in making alloys of aluminum and steel and as a 1911 ‘Charles M. Hall 1927 John E. Teeple reducing agent in the manufacture of low-carbon ferroalloys. 1912 Herman Frasch 1928 Irving Langmuir 1929 E. C. Sullivan 1913 James Gayley He was awarded the initial Jacob F. Schoellkopf Medal by 1914 John W. H y a t t 1930 Herbert H. Dow the AMERICANCHEMICALSOCIETY,the Edward Goodrich 1915 Edward Weston 1931 Arthur D. Little Acheson Medal by the Electrochemical Society, and the 1916 Leo H. Baekeland 1932 Charles F. Burgess honorary degree of doctor of science by the University of 1917 Ernst Twitchell 1933 George Oenslager 1918 Auguste J. Rossi 1934 Colin G. Fink Pittsburgh. He is a member of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL 1935 George 0. Curme, Jr. 1919 F. G. Cottrell SOCIETY,Society of Chemical Industry, Electrochemical 1920 Charles F. Chandler 1936 Warren K. Lewis Society (past president), American Institute of Mining Engi1921 Willis R. Whitney 1937 Thomas Midgley, Jr. neers, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and Ameri1938 Frank J. Tone 1922 William M. Burton 231
