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T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
carbon dioxide from the Haber process is much purer and varies from about 7.5 per cent, if nitrogen is mixed with t h e water gas, t o approximately go per cent if i t is not. One of the great drawbacks of the Solvay process is the waste of ammonia in recovery ( 6 ) , and of lime and chlorine, as calcium chloride, the latter being a waste nuisance t h a t is present a t every ammonia soda plant. At the same time one of the problems of any plant fixing nitrogen as ammonia is t o produce the ammonia in a form suitable for application t o the soil. This is commonly done by neutralizing with sulfuric acid t o form the sulfate. Any neutral, fixed, and nonhygroscopic salt of ammonia, of which there are few, would probably do as well. Georges Ville and others have shown t h a t ammonium chloride, which is a more concentrated nitrogen product than the sulfate and meets the other requirements also, is equal t o sulfate as a fertilizer, just as potassium chloride is as available for crops, with the possible exception of tobacco, as potassium sulfate. Accordingly, a synthetic ammonia plant and a Solvay soda plant supplement each other perfectly when the above method of producing hydrogen is utilized. If the waste carbon dioxide, together with the ammonia, is passed into brine the products obtained a t once are sodium bicarbonate and ammonium chloride, the one ready for sale or conversion into soda ash, the second ready for the fertilizer markets. For the recovery of ammonium chloride in solid form, suitable for fertXzers, i t seems t h a t i t will not be necessary t o resort t o evaporation, for Claude states t h a t in collaboration with Mittau he has worked out a n adaptation of the method of Schreib for alternative precipitation of the sodium bicarbonate and of the ammonium chloride, depending upon the very slight solubility of the ammonium chloride in cold solutions of neutral ammonium carbonate of appropriate concent r ation. By the coordination of these two processes t o meet America’s needs for fixed nitrogen, there will result lower installation costs for both processes, t h e saving of several hundred thousand tons of sulfuric acid, several hundred thousand tons of lime, several thousand tons of coke, and the elimination of a waste product t h a t has always been considered a nuisance. The saving made may be credited t o either product a t will. Necessary information for the installation of the Haber process is a t hand or is rapidly being acquired. T h e Chemical Foundation, Inc., has control of the Haber patents. A new day is evidently a t hand for two fundamental chemical industries in America-nitrogen fixation and soda manufacture. THE JOY AND THE SORROW OF M. I. T.
The juxtaposition of light and shadow in earthly affairs has been strongly illustrated during the past month a t Massachusetts Institute of Technology. $8,ooo,ooo was needed t o enable t h a t splendid institution t o continue fittingly its work. Spurred on by t h e announcement t h a t the mysterious “Mr. Smith”
Vol.
12,
NO. 2
had again come t o “Tech’s” aid with a n offer of onehalf the needed amount, provided the other half were raised, there began a drive for the goal. As a part of the drive, a novel plan of cooperation with the industries was evolved. Details of a joint contract have been worked out by which the industries agree t o contribute definite amounts annually for a period of five years. These funds are t o be used chiefly t o increase the salaries of the instructing staff. I n return t h e Institute offers contributors the use of its libraries, files, and plant, the members of its staff are t o be available as consultants, and a classification of its alumni and undergraduates, detailing special qualifications of each, is t o be maintained. The plan is bold in its conception and may prove one of the most important steps of recent years in technical education. I t s proponents look forward with confidence t o the future and answer in advance objections which might be raised. The net result of t h e drive was success, and a dinner followed where alumni and friends could voice their joy. At this dinner t h e identity of “Mr. Smith” was revealed, Mr. George Eastman, of Rochester, N. Y . ,whose contributions t o this institution now total $11,000,000.
However, there was a vacant seat a t the dinner, t h a t of President R. C. Maclaurin, whose staunch spirit had supported and inspired every feature of t h a t drive. Only a few days later came the announcement of his death. Just a t the moment of his greatest triumph for the institution he loved so well he passed away. Fortunate the institution which enjoyed for twelve years the far-seeing leadership of such a man as President Maclaurin and can still count a s one of its most valuable assets the memory of all for which he stood.
STUDENT OPINION
The Bacharach bill passed the House of Representatives on August 2, 1919. This bill increases the duties on imports of chemical glassware, porcelain, and scientific instruments and repeals t h a t clause of existing legislation which gives t o educational institutions the right t o import such articles free of duty. I n the debate on the bill Representative Kitchin, strongly opposing its passage, laid great stress upon the ‘‘poor, hard-working students in this country,’’ a n d emphasized the point t h a t no student or representative of the students had been heard by the Ways and Means Committee. Our own feeling all along has been t h a t if student opinion could be ascertained, it would show a strong majority in favor of the bill. This, however, was a mere matter of opinion based upon t h e conviction t h a t t h e spirit of independence is still strong in the hearts of young Americans. Through t h e courtesy of Professor Pond of Stevens Institute we have been given opportunity t o put t h e matter before the students in the chemistry courses of t h a t institution, I n our remarks we emphasized cold-bloodedly t h a t this bill meant a tax upon the students of the country. We leaned over backward in the effort t o avoid any plea for the bill. No reference
Feb.,
1920
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
whatever was made t o the resolutions passed by the Council of the AMERICANCHEMICAL SOCIETY, urging repeal of the duty-free privilege. We wanted no hasty judgment, and so the subject was left for discussion among themselves and for a vote a t whatever time and in whatever manner they might decide upon. To-day we received from the student chairman of the meeting t h e result of t h e ballot as i t was taken b y classes, on t h e Bacharach bill: CLASS
Senior.. ........ Junior.. ........ Sophomore.. Freshman,
.... ...... TOTAL ......
Favor 66 113 133 245
Against
557
99
-
11
15 18 55
-
P e r cent Favoring 86 88 88 82
85
We commend these figures t o the subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Finance which is now considering the Bacharach bill. We believe t h a t this judgment, deliberately expressed by the students of Stevens Institute, is thoroughly representative of student opinion throughout the country.
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mediate distribution. Not only was the matter used in t h e news columns, but i t formed the basis of much sound editorial discussion. It is a significant fact t h a t every clipping received t o date not only quotes Dr. Hunt as authority for the statements, but says also t h a t the bulletin was prepared a t t h e request of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. Thus a national obligation and responsibility has been effectively met. Your equally generous cooperation is urged, if i t should be requested. NOTES
Last October the Soci6t6 de Chimie Industrjelle passed t h e six-thousand mark in its membership list. Congratulations and best wishes t o this young organization, whose founders had t h e courage t o launch it upon its career of usefulness during the darkest days of t h e war. Still heartier will be t h e congratulations if some day the present two great French chemical societies are combined.
SAFETY IN SPEECH
T o the scientist t h e approach of a newspaper reporter has long been a signal for withdrawal into a shell of silence. For this restraint he could not justly be blamed, for there stood before his memory the distorted condition in which a n expert opinion ventured in a n unguarded moment by some colleague had appeared in print. There are times, however, when the scientist holds the responsibility of safely guiding public opinion. He should speak, and his views should be made known through t h e widest medium of reaching the public, namely, the press. The difficulty in t h e past has been the channel through which these views reached t h e make-up room of the newspaper. I n t h e hope of overcoming this difficulty, t h e A. C. S. News Service has just made a n experiment, the success of which has proved so remarkable that i t should be recorded, in the confident hope t h a t when members of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETYunderstand what is being attempted they will give t h e same generous measure of cooperation as was given recently by Dr. Reid Hunt of the Harvard Medical School. It is not exaggeration t o say t h a t the recent extraordinary number of deaths from drinking wood alcohol presented t h e possibility of a national disaster. Quick, full, and responsible publicity was needed. I n this situation Dr. Hunt was asked t o prepare a statement which couldbesent out over his name t o t h e pressof the country by our News Service. T h e request was promptly complied with; the material was put into newspaper shape b y the technical manager, Mr. Harrington; and a few hours later the distribution thrbugh the mails was in progress. Returns from the clipping bureaus show how broadly t h i s material was utilized, in most cases in full as issued by the News Service, and as i t appears on page 197 of this issue. T h e Associated Press, t h e United Press, and other news agencies gave t h e material im-
I n St. Louis recently a jury disagreed in the suit brought b y our Government against a manufacturer of saccharine and the matter will again have t o go t o trial. I n France it was decided last fall t o continue as a peace measure t h e war-time repeal of anti-saccharine legislation, the revenue from the government monopoly of this industry continuing t o aid t h e national exchequer. There is humor even in Congressional hearings, for example, this extract from t h e testimony of January 12, 1920, on the Longworth bill: MR. METZ. On the contrary, I have stated my position here. I am a consumer. It is not selfish on my part, but the other men are selfish;that is the difference. I t is the consumer I am looking out for. I have done that from the beginning. Toy sets for chemical experiments are indicative of t h e present general interest in matters chemical. May i t not be well, however, t o offer the manufacturers of such toys, through a committee of the SoCIETY, expert advice on t h e character of experiments which may safely be placed in children’s hands? Already one young lad has been severely burned by the breaking of a test tube in which he was boiling concentrated sulfuric acid. We were not satisfied with our page of Market Reports, and even doubted its usefulness in a monthly publication, but inquiry among our readers developed the fact t h a t i t was of value t o them. Beginning with this issue t h e list has been revised, a page has been added t o include the new dye industry, and quotations on all items are given as of the beginning and the middle of the previous month, so t h a t the trend of the market may be noted. It is hoped t h a t these changes will increase the usefulness of this section.
