NEWS EDITION
AUGUST 20, 1938 chairman of the company, stated that the plant had been expanded and improved during 1937. The new southern works was able to increase production in June, 1937; its full capacity was, however, not utilised until early this year. The plant on the northern part of the Dead Sea, which has been operating for several years, was improved in many respects, with consequent lowering of production costs. In 1937, expenditures amounted to £9716 for buildings and to £54,951 for plant and machines. Gross production amounted to £86,773 in comparison with £59,267 in 1936, while general expenses were £29,106 as compared with £28,483 in 1936. The net gain was £17,831. The demand for potassium salts increased throughout the world and reached its highest point in the peak years 1929 and 1930. This tendency will probably con tinue, unless something unforeseen occurs. The company sold its products mainly to Great Britain, Australia, Ceylon, India, South Africa, Malay. Japan, Holland, Sweden, Austria, ana Norway. Prices for potassium salts and bromine were better in 1937 than in 1936. The dam at the southern works did not maintain its position during the unusual flood in November, 1937, but an expert from England has proposed means for avoiding a like occurrence in the future. The company keeps in the closest contact with the government, in order to attend to its interests looking towards the possible division of the country. Plane for Petroleum Refinery Are Completed Plans for the proposed petroleum re finery of the Iraq Petroleum Co., Ltd., have been completed. The plant will be built on the road leading from Haifa to Akko east of the Kischon bridge, and a special railway is to be laid from the Haifa harbor to the refinery, in order to facilitate the transportation of needed materials. The construction of the refinery will re quire 3 years. Its capacity will be about 2,000,000 tons of crude oil per year, and, if needed, a second pipe line is to be laid alongside the present one from Mosul to Haifa. The company conveys Mosul oil in its famous pipe line to the harbors of Haifa and of Tripoli in north Lebanon. In 1936 and 1937, respectively, the quantities of crude oil exported were: via Haifa, 1,917,992 and 1,900,651 tons; via Tripoli, 1,984,977 and 2,057,226 tons; totaling 3,902,969 and 3,957,877 tons. Formerly the crude oil went mainly to France; now Great Britain takes the larger part of it. Press notices relative to damage suf fered by the Iraq pipe line at the hands of Arab bands in Palestine are, according to statements of the company, greatly ex aggerated, especially since the,oil fields and end stations are safe. For years it has been believed possible to find petroleum in Palestine also, and in the opinion of an American specialist 8 regions are certainly petroleum-bearing, of which 4 warrant the greater expectations. At the close of last year the mandate government proclaimed a law for the regu lation of the exploitation of petroleum deposits in Palestine. The Iraq Petroleum Co. has formed a new company. Petroleum Development (Palestine), Ltd., in Lon don, with £50,000 capital to bore for pe troleum along the entire Palestinian coast. With the erection of a petroleum refinery in Haifa a greater development of the country's chemical industry is antici pated. The development possibilities have been described in detail by Professor Menchikovsky in the journal, Palestine and Middle East. Translation by W. L. HILL
June 20.1938
459
Selenium in Meteorites Horace G. Byora, Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. HE recent work on seleniferous soils T and plants has developed into an ex tensive and intensive examination of its
estimation is that described by Robinson, Dudley, Williams, and Byers (£). It will be noted that, of the 18 samples distribution, quantitative relations, toxic examined, 12 contain selenium in amounts effects on animals, etc. In the course of comparable with those found in analogous these investigations it has been found material found in the earth's crust. In the that selenium in readily ascertainable cases reported as zero, no detectable trace quantities is present in many thousands was found in a 10-gram sample. Un of square miles of soils, in soils or plants doubtedly, if the integration procedure from all the continents, and many groups (loc. cit.) were used, traces of selenium of islands. It has also been found in would be found in some or all of these. varying quantities in all geological forma Several points of interest appear in the tions in which it has been sought, includ table, in addition to the demonstration of ing recent deposits in deep-sea bottoms. the existence of selenium in extra terres Indeed, selenium has been found in al trial matter. One of these is that all most all natural bodies where adequate of the samples of stony meteorites, search has been made. It seems probable, stone, chondrite, pallasite,andmesosiderite then, that selenium is a part of the normal have appreciable quantities of selenium, intake of both plants and animals, and while the iron alloy samples of octahedrite that only in exceptional instances, numer contain none. Yet the concretion of ous as they are, is its presence to be re iron sulfide, troilite, found in octahedrite garded as abnormal. meteors contains relatively enormous References to toxic effects due to sele quantities of selenium (B22780). Since nium have been found dating back hun selenium has always been found in all the sul dreds of years. Selenium is also becoming fide minerals so far examined (8), it seemed of increasing importance because of its worth while to examine a second sample use in insecticides and in steel alloys, of troilite in order to determine the sulfurand as a by-product involving industrial selenium ratio. This was found to be hazards. In view, therefore, of the interest sulfur, 37.32 per cent or 373,200 parts per TABLE I.
SELENIUM CONTENT OP METEORITES (Analyst, Κ. Τ. Williams)
LAB. X O .
K I N O OF METEORITB
B22785 B22786 B22787 B22788 B22789 B22790 B22791 B22792 B22924 B22925 B22926 B22927 B22928 B22929 Β22Θ30 B22931 B22932 B22933
Hexahedrite Chondrite Mesosiderite Chondrite Troilite Octahedrite with echieibereite Octahedrite Octahedrite Pallasite Meaosiderite Fine octahedrite Octahedrite Octahedrite Octahedrite Chondrite Coarsest Octahedrite Stone Chondrite
attached to selenium in geological, chem ical, biological, and industrial relations, it seemed of interest to determine if an astronomical relation could be determined. No data are available of extra terrestrial character through the spectroscope. It appeared likely that information could be gained from an examination of meteorites which have reached the earth from outer space, although selenium is not listed by Merrill ( / ) as having been found in them. A collection of meteorities was therefore ob tained through the kindness of E. P. Henderson, of the Smithsonian Institu tion. The table contains the results obtained from the examination. The method employed for the isolation and
LOCATION
Negrillos. Chile Allegan, Mich. Estherville, Iowa Tabory. Russia Canyon Diablo. Ariz. Canyon Diablo, Aria. Santa Rosa, Colombia Casas Grandes. Mexico Brenham, Kane. Morristown, Tenn. Put man Co., Ga. Nashville. N . C. 40 miles south of Grant, N. Mex. Tazewell. Tenn. Tulia, Texas New Baltimore. Salina Township,Pa. Kans. 15 miles south of Oakley, Kane.
SELKNIOM
P. p. m. 0 13 3 10 23 0 0 0 2 12 15 3
