Society of Chemical Industry Elects Robson President STANLEY
ROBSON, English metallurgist
and former chairman of the Council of England's Society of Chemical Industry, was elected president of that society a t their 68th annual meeting in Manchester, England, July 11 to 15. At the same time the society elected four new honorary officers. Julian M . Leonard was named honorary treasurer, L. H. Lampitt honorary foreign secre tary, Ε . Β. Anderson honorary secretary, and F . P. Dunn chairman of the publica tions committee. Following the election of officers the outgoing president of the society, Sir David Rivett, addressed the group on the problems of food scarcity in a world of increasing population. A native Aus tralian, Sir David emphasized food sup ply problems as they affected Australia in her role as provider of food and fibers for Great Britain, Europe, and parts of Asia. Factor of Fear The president stated that there exists today a general interest i n scientific work among all the peoples of the world, and he attributed that interest t o fear. In science as in politics, he asserted, fear has become the determining factor in the selection of the road to be followed; in the problem of bringing population and food into a satisfactory relationship, scientists will have to dissipate a fear as prevalent i n peace as in war—that there will be a failure t o provide ade quate nutrition for the rapidly increasing hordes of human beings on this planet. Sir David acknowledged the fact that scientists are not well informed o n many of the main issues involved i n the prob lem but that they have a challenge t o meet: "The chemistry of foodstuffs, their 'direct production from the soil b y reactions of fascinating difficulty, their manufacture b y synthetic or other means, their changes when they enter the amazing laboratory which is the ani mal body, these are surely i n the chem ist's arena. Therefore in him lies the grave responsibility for developments t o meet a very broad human problem." Sir David discussed the severely leached condition of Australia's soils and the inadequacy of chemical studies so far, and he described the catastrophic results of the spread of a modified strain of subterranean clover which causes pro found changes in the reproductive sys tems of sheep. H e suggested that some
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thing in the nature of an oestrogen is produced in the clover and that the study of it, its reason for occurrence, and ways of preventing its production is an attractive field for the biochemist. Waste Lands T h e president pointed out a problem that arises in arid areas. These areas, he said, may serve a purpose as rocket ranges, but as potentially productive regions, either under irrigation or simu lated rainfall, they present highly at tractive questions t o the chemist. T h e problem concerns unpredicted and un desirable effects following addition of water to systems which had been in equilibrium in t h e absence of water. He recalled an occasion in the Mildura region on a blazingly hot afternoon when he came upon a field covered with what appeared, from a distance, t o be frost. A white crystalline carpet covered a ploughed surface. Analysis showed it to be nearly pure sodium sulfate. Its pres ence was accounted for b y simple double decompositions from a complex mixture of clays, gypsum, salt, and other chem icals. Block after block of land, he said, had been "salted" out of produc tion and had become quite useless. H e maintained that the chemistry and phys ics of these heterogeneous equilibria re quire keener study than has yet been given them. H e discussed also a 2-million acre tract in South Australia where the rain fall is good, the soil sandy, and "the vegetation—contemptible." The ex penditure of 5 shillings per acre for a p propriate chemicals enabled this useless terrain to support three sheep per acre; but, he said, we must find out why 5 shillings worth of copper or zinc or co balt salt enables us t o grow 60 or 70 pounds of fat lamb. I n the absence of such knowledge, he claimed, we can not feel certain of our ability even to con serve our newly w o n productive capac ity. H e concluded that tasks for the chemist and his associates are to be found everywhere. Security s Good or Bad? I n a discussion of secrecy and security the president expressed concern over the generally prevalent feeling that anything even remotely associated with war tech nology must be closely guarded and con trolled, and even its directions of devel opment kept under supervision. He
CHEMICAL
said, however, that scientists ought to resist the temptation t o criticize political men "who find themselves facing a situation in many respects rather new t o them." T h e great danger of secrecy, he stated, was that it takes the form of limitation for those working along the lines of fundamentally inquiry. He thoroughly denounced the concept that if we are free we can not be safe, and if we are safe we can not be free. The speaker described a situation which, he stated, is not peculiar to Aus tralia alone—namely, anxiety regarding the freedom of science from several standpoints. Scientists on the one hand are concerned lest "protective measures" handicap their freedom, and political groups on the other are concerned lest complete freedom give knowledge t o enemies and thereby lessen national security. General adoption of the prin ciples of the Sermon on the Mount, he suggested, would allay both anxieties; but this, he stated, is no use coming from one side or one country only. Sir David asked that scientists cooperate with political folk in using sound judg ment as to what requires secrecy and what does not, and in assuming a broad outlook of the role of science in national affairs. Greetings from America The Society of Chemical Industry was welcomed t o Manchester b y the Lord Mayor of the city and the vice chan cellor of the University of Manchester, who held positions on the speaker's plat form along with the outgoing and in coming presidents and the honorary offi cers of the society. T h e assemblage heard a telegram from H i s Majesty the Kng, as Patron of the Society, and the general secretary read greetings from the American section. Nominations were then offered for the new vice presidents, and the following men were elected unanimously: W. M. Ames, H . Baines, H . Cameron, H. W. Cremer, F. P . Dunn, F. A. Greene, L. H . Lampitt, R. Lessing, Ε . Μ. Myers, R o b ert Pickard, David Rivett, and J. W. Tullo. The new members of the council were named as M . Balfe, E . E . Boake, E . C. Dodds, F. Holt, E . B. Hughes, A. V . Hussey, N . J. L. Megson, W. E . K. Piercy, A. G. Pollard, Ν . Τ . Simmons, W. H. J. Vernon, and A. E . J. Vickers. The general sessions of the first t w o
AND ENGINEERING
NEWS
days included lectures and presentations of papers on the chemistry of textile materials, the production of fine chemicals by the fermentation industry, arid petroleum chemistry. In this latter group were three papers on organic chemicals from petroleum, the separation of petroleum gases, and some of the newer olefin reactions of technical importance to the industry.
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Stanley Robson OTANLEY ROBSON, the newly elected
Snell Receives Medal The Medal of the Society of Chemical Industry was presented on July 13 to Foster Dee Snell (C&EN, August 8, page 2257), and following Mr. SnelPs address the group adjourned for plant visits in the Manchester industrial area. Later sessions included several papers on natural and synthetic rubber technology. A. van Rossem of Delft, Holland, told the assemblage that fresh Hevea latex has turned out to be a far more complicated colloid system than was thought a few years ago. He said that rubber derivatives can be prepared directly from latex, and that knowledge of the mechanism of vulcanization as a cross-linking reaction has increased considerably. High frequency vulcanization, according to Dr. van Rossem, is being studied but has not yet come into general practice. Job Evaluations Successful N. P. Patterson of Monsanto Chemicals, Ltd., discussed the achievements attained in introducing job evaluations to a chemical works. Job descriptions were supplied by the employees and checked by the job evaluation engineer, and from this description various required records were built up. The scheme high-lighted any overlapping of either authority or labor. The job evaluation, according to Brigadier Patterson. was converted into a monetary bonus by means of points award. The plan was reported to be successful; it was said to respond to changing conditions and was considered popular because it was equitable and impartially administered. Management, said the speaker, favored the plan because it improved administrative efficiency and utilization of labor. Papers were read to the society on the technical development of fermentation processes, and also on the science and technology of thermohardening plastics. The report of the council on the activities of the society during 1948 described two highly successful conferences, one on dust in industry and the second on high vacua. It was announced that three new sections had been established during the year—the Southwestern, the Aberdeen and North of Scotland, and the Dublin and District Sections. In addition a new subject group, the Fine Chemicals Group, was begun. VOLUME
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president of the Society of Chemical Industry, steps out of character when he steps before a camera. He has to remain still to avoid a glare from his glasses. And the accomplishments of his life make it obvious that he is neither in the habit of sitting still nor even of moving slowly at any time. It was early in his youth that he started traveling, as president of his students' union in 1911, when he left Armstrong College at Newcastle-onTyne to visit the United States and Canada. He was taking part in the student exchange system sponsored by Andrew Carnegie and the first Lord Strathcona, and studied the university and social organizations of these countries. At that time he apparently acquired a taste for both travel and organizations, for he is now a member of many groups and has traveled extensively to local SCI sections as chairman of the SCI council, and in following his professional and business career. He held the position of council chairman last year and has, during his long association with the society, been the honorary foreign secretary, a council member in 1931, chairman of the Bristol section from 1929 to 1931, and a member of the Chemical Engineers' Group. This latter division of the society represents the first subject, rather than geographical, grouping established in the SCI. Mr. Robson began his scientific work at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, where he was the recipient of an 1851 Exhibition scholarship. This is one of the highest types of scholarships bestowed in England; it was founded by Prince Albert in commemoration of the exhibition held in that country in 1851. Mr. Robson worked at that time on catalytic processes and surface chemistry, and was subsequently awarded the diploma of the Imperial College in chemical technology and chemical engineering. This background served him well, and also his country, during the first World War. He was assigned by the Admiralty to construct a Tentelev sulfuric acid plant at Holton Heath and was successful in the job. This began his association with acid manufacture, and since that time Mr. Robson has erected plants in many coun-
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tries, particularly in connection with metallurgical operations. In 1920 Mr. Robson worked with the British Dyes tuffs Corp. as manager of the acid and heavy chemicals works, and four years later he became manager of National Smelting Co.'s new works at Avonmouth, a subsidiary of Imperial Smelting and Refining, Ltd. He joined the board of that company and Imperial Smelting before becoming a consultant to the Zinc Corp. and numerous Australian mining and metallurgical companies. He holds directorships also with Magnesium Metals Corp., Ltd., and National Fertilizer Corp., Ltd. Chemical Abstracts lists as one of Mr. Robson's early patents his work on the formation of ammonium sulfate, granted in February 1927. Well known for his many developments on metallurgical processes for the extraction of zinc, Mr. Robson has contributed many significant works to the permanent scientific literature. One of his most famous patents, granted him by both U. S. and British patent offices in 1927, concerns the use of green ore in zinc smelting. His method eliminated the necessity for preroasting zinc sulfide ores in a separate furnace prior to blast roasting, and allowed production of a gas sufficiently rich in sulfur for sulfuric acid manufacture without further treatment. Mr. Robson has often expressed to close friends the feeling that he should have gone into the steel business instead of nonferrous metallurgy ; but if the latter is truly a second choice, it has certainly been a wise one. In 1946 he presented the Robert Home Memorial Lecture, speaking on "Chemistry, Metallurgy, and the Empire." His knowledge of national scientific affairs is well founded, for he is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council for the Ministry of Supply, a member of the Mineral Developments Committee appointed by the Ministry of Fuel and Power, and a member of the Committee on Chemical Engineering Research of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Among Mr. Robson's personal interests are his extensive library—he is an inveterate reader—and his wine cellar. His many trips to the Continent served to interest him in wine technology, and he is considered a connoisseur in that field.
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