Oxalic A c i d from Sawdust. and 111
Parts
I, II,
Donald F. Othmer and Collaborators
262
Sulfur Dioxide as a Raw Material
H. F. Johnstone and R. W. Darbyshire 2 8 0 Nitration of Benzene Donald
F. Othmer and Collaborators 2 8 6
Simultaneous Chemical Reaction and Fractional Distillation Bruce Longtin and M e r l e Randall
5292
Chlorination of Methane E. T. McBee and Collaborators
296
Nitration of Methane Thomas Boyd and H. B. Hass
300
Studies in Esterification
HIS is the sixth Symposium on Unit Processes conducted under the auspices of the Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY:
T
Symposium No. Place 1 Denver 2 Rochester 3 4 5 6
Milwaukee Boston Detroit Atlantic City
Darrel E. Mack and R. Norris Shreve
304
Monomercuration of Benzene Kenneth A. Kobe and Paul F. Lueth, Jr.
309
Wood Hydrolysis Raphael Katzen and Donald
Time Publication of Papers June, 1932 Separately Sept., 1937 IND. ENG. CHBM., 29, 1329-64 (1937) Sept., 1938 Ibid., 31, 251-82 (1939) Sept., 1939 Ibid., 32, 145-84 (1940) Sept., 1940 Ibid., 33, 158-221 (1941) Sept., 1941 Ibid., 34, 262-326 (1942)
The direct object of these symposia is to afford means of publication of data. Almost equally important is the stimulation of research in the field of unit processes. The following general topics should be studied individually for each unit process : 1. Determination of reaction equilibria to indicate how far reactions will go and whether the reaction is probable. More extensive data are needed on heats of reaction and their energy changes, such as free energy and entropy. 2. The speed with which a given reaction will proceed. These two (how far and how fast a reaction will go) are the backbone of much of the physical chemistry work. Those of us working in chemical engineering should encourage physical chemists to study reacbions from these viewpoints more than they have in the past. We have already had several papers on the applications of physical chemistry to unit processes, particularly those by Ray Ewell, of Purdue University, and L. S. Kessel of Universal Oil Products Company. It is hoped that more physical chemists will follow this line of study.
F. Othmer
314
High-Temperature Saponification Joseph J. Jacobs, Jr.
322
3. Further study of equipment for carrying on chemical reactions. This ties unit processes directly to unit operations, on which so much splendid research has and is being done. However, we need more tabulations of results and effects of the specific applications of equipment to various unit processes. This is a broad field which brings in corrosion, metallurgy, instrumentation, and almost all phases of factory procedure. 4. Cost figures. No matter how efficiently items 1, 2, 3 are known, unless the cost is reasonable and competitive, industry cannot use a given reaction. The cost involves the balancing of saving against the cost of effecting the saving, as well as labor, raw materials, overhead, sales expense, and many other features. The costs in chemical engineering seem to be so complicated, with so many variables which are peculiar to the industry alone, that many of its phases should be more closely understood and studied by chemical engineers rather than by the accountant alone.
R. Norris Shreve
