The birds and the bees were her problem. - C&EN Global Enterprise

Nov 6, 2010 - The birds and the bees were her problem. Chem. .... Keeping Up With the Dr. Joneses: How Reading Widely Can Improve Your Science...
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The birds ami the bees were lier problem.

Harvey likes to walk when he's thinking of new ideas for Signal Petrochemicals' customers. And he usually heads forthe park, because he can count on an uninterrupted brainstorming session. One day while strolling in the park Harvey met Mabel, a beewatcher with a problem that was irresistibly distracting: the birds and the bees. Mabel explained t h a t her yellow friends had f o u g h t a war with some bad-tempered sparrows, and lost. Her problem was trying to remember how many bees had escaped. Now, if one-fifth of the bees hid in a ladamba flower, one-third found sanctuary in a siadabra, three times the difference of these two numbers took refuge in an

arbor, and one lodged in Mabel's bonnet, how many bees escaped? Being a typical Signal man, Harvey wasn't satisfied w i t h just f i n d i n g an answer. He went on to show Mabel how she could help the bees win afuture war with the sparrows. Why not plan a practically impregnable rubberor plastic hive. Or a beak-proof polyolefin bee jacket. After all, you can make almost anything using Signal Petrochemicals'normal hexane, heptane, and octane as solvents for reactions and extractions. They're 95% pure normal isomers. Which is enough to make a bee blush, because even his best honey can't match that kind of purity. Mabel was i m p r e s s e d . P a r t i c u l a r l y when she heard about Signal's superi-

ority in solving process problems. Maybe her bees could get some advice on a guaranteed super-pure honey delivered in odor-free plastic combs. A t this point, Harvey fled the scene. Mabel's imagination was too much for him. Which is saying a lot when you consider how many uses Signal men have found for 95% purity in products and processes. If you'd like specifications, stream samples, expert technical assistance,ordelivery information, just buzz us. Still wondering how many bees escaped? The answer is fifteen. By the way, if you have a puzzle that might interest our readers, please send it to PUZZLES, Signal Oil &Gas Company, P. O.Box5008, Houston, Texas 77012.

Call the office nearest you: Atlanta (404) 233-3227 Cleveland (216) 333-0188 Detroit (313) 358-1722 Long Beach (213) 636-2573 New York (212) 247-2520

Chicago (312) 848-5410 Houston (713) 923-1651 Louisville (502) 583-7634 Oakland (415) 834-5110 Tampa (813) 251-3644

Independent Petrochemical Corp.: Denver (303) 789-1888 St. Louis (314) 652-6050 Oklahoma City (405) 235-5197 Signal Export Company, P.O. Box5008, Houston, Texas 77012, Tel (713) 923-1651

Espesol Solvents: Aromatic, Intermediate and Aliphatic. Chemicals: Hexane,Heptane, Octane, Benzene, Toluene, Xylene, Cyclohexane, Ethylbenzene, Paraxylene, Propylene. DriRex Drycleaning Solvents.

S I G N A L OIL A N D G A S C O M P A N Y Petrochemicals Department, P.O. Box 5008, Houston,Texas 77012 12

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