The Chemstrand Research Center, situated on a 105-acre tract, is a two-story, steel-frame, brick-face structure fea turing a glass and marble-faced three-story lobby, library, and administrative office tower. The building has 180,000 square feet of floor area of which 66,000 square feet is bench laboratory space. Each of the 100 four-man labora
tories is equipped with hot, cold, distilled and deionized water, high and low pressure steam, compressed air, vacuum, nitrogen, bottled gases as required, and regulated, and nonregulated current. Several laboratories are tem perature and humidity controlled. All laboratories and offices are air conditioned
LABORATORY
OF THE MONTH
Quality Control in High Polymer Research o carry o u t a research program in high polymer Tchemistry is the major objective of the new multimillion dollar Chemstrand Research Center, Inc., a t R e search Triangle P a r k , D u r h a m , N . C. These efforts are designed to improve present products and to make avail able an even wider range of polymers and fibers suitable for textile and industrial use. The Chemstrand R e search Center, Inc., was created in mid-1959 as a whollyowned subsidiary of the Chemstrand Corp. The Center, which is the first large installation in R e search Triangle Park, was completed late in 1960 and personnel and equipment moved in from older facilities at Decatur, Ala. The new site is in the center of a geo graphical triangle created by the University of North Carolina a t Chapel Hill, D u k e University a t D u r h a m , and North Carolina State College a t Raleigh. The building and laboratories were designed t o meet the highly specialized requirements of polymer chemis t r y research from the synthesis of monomers through in termediates, polymer and dope preparation, spinning, and production of finished yarn. Housed in a separate wing of the building are complete wood working, glass blowing, electrical, and machine shop facilities. A sep arate, highly-reinforced structure located a t a safe dis tance from the main building, houses specialized equip ment for research in high pressure polymerizations and other hazardous reactions. Extra space is available for expansion. At present, personnel totals approximately 350, half of whom are professional and of these more t h a n 5 0 % hold P h . D . degrees.
The new research center is organized in four major units: Basic Research, Exploratory Research, Product Research, and Research Administration. Each unit is headed by a Director who reports to the Executive D i rector of Research. Analytical facilities constitute a section in the Technical Research D e p a r t m e n t which is p a r t of Research Administration. The Analytical Section performs a vital role in the Center's efforts t o create new and improved chemical textile fibers. I n addition to providing service to t h e Research Center, it maintains a comprehensive program in basic and applied analytical research. Problems are handled by the chemical or instrument analysis group depending upon their nature. The instrumentation group does emission and x-ray spectroscopy, absorption spectroscopy (180 ταμ to 25/*), polarography, vapor phase and liquid chromatography, color analysis and evaluation, optical microscopy, and flame photometry. The chemical analysis group, in ad dition to providing conventional gravimetric, volumet ric, a n d colorimetric analyses, does organic elemental, microanalyses using the newest techniques and equip ment. Also available are a viscosity laboratory which utilizes specially designed and built viscometers and a radioisotope laboratory for preparation and assaying work. Additional equipment includes high precision cryoscopy apparatus, instruments for potentiometric, coulometric, a n d high frequency titrations, a spectrophotofluorometer, and moisture determination and fiber density evaluation apparatus. M a n y instruments in use were designed and built in the laboratory. VOL
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Specialized services offered by the optical microscopy laboratory include cross-sectioning and longitudinal sectioning of fibers, determinations of melting point (shown in photo) and particle size, and preparation of photomicrographs. The laboratory does full color photo processing
Trace element analysis is often required in problems involving light and heat sensitivity evaluations of experimental fibers. An emission spectrograph used for this purpose has a controlled atmosphere arc stand which permits analyses to be carried out in special atmospheres which have been experimentally proven to enhance the more sensitive lines of the elements of interest and, thus, lower the detection limit normally encountered when using this means of analysis
Lab of the Month
A valuable tool for nondestructive testing is the x-ray spectrometer shown. The laboratory is equipped for powder camera techniques of identification and flat plate work for crystallinity and orientation studies of fibers. A vacuum path x-ray fluorescence attachment is utilized for the quantitative determination of elements down to atomic number 12 78 A
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ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
WACO REFRIGERATED
BATH
Controlled Cooling and Heating Minus 10° C to Plus 65° C A systematic study of the fluorescence characteristics of organo-metallic complexes is aimed at lowering the detection limit for metals of specific interest when present in trace quantities in experimental products
• WIDE RANGE Visibility bath with BOTH mechanical refrigeration and heating. Provides constant temperature from minus 10° C to plus 65° C using 10" of liquid in a 16" uninsulated Pyrex jar. Using less liquid minus 20° C is obtainable.
This apparatus has been used successfully for several years in direct determination of pxygen. Parts of this apparatus were designed and constructed in the machine and electrical shops at the Center
• SENSITIVITY Mercury Thermoregulator and a WACO Thyratrontube Relay controls operation of the compressor and heating until within plus or minus .01° C. ALREADY USED FOR - Viscosity vapor pressure and other physical data determination, organic syntheses, ASTM petroleum tests, etc. Also as COOLANT CIRCULATING SYSTEM for spectrophotometers, refractometers, distillation condensers. NO. F882 WACO LO-TEMP REFRIGERATED BATH with Pyrex jar 12" diameter. For 115 volt 50/60 cycle AC. $390.00 • Other sizes and many accessories available to fit your needs. Please write for WACO BATH BULLETIN N-7 for complete information.
A major area of analytical operations is the radioisotopes laboratory which offers services for the preparation and assay of tagged compounds. The facilities are utilized in such problems as the preparation of primary analytical standards for calibration purposes, studies of kinetics and mechanisms of reactions, and determination of trace components. Pictured is the control console of the liquid scintillation spectrometer
LABORATORY SUPPLIES A N D EQUIPMENT
WILKENS-ANDERSON CO. 4525 W. DIVISION ST.
CHICAGO 5 1 , ILL.
Circle No. 104 on Readers' Service Card VOL.
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