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Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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Entered as second-class matter at Baston, Pa. Issued three times a month. Industrial Edition on the 1st, N e w s Edition on the 10th and 20th. Subscription to INDUSTRIAL AND ENOINBBRINO CHBMISTRY, $7.50 per year, N"BWS EDITION only, $1.50 per year. Single copies, 10 cents. Subscriptions should be sent to Charles L. Parsons, Secretary* Mills Bldg., Washington, D . C.
Volume 6
O C T O B E R 20, 1928
N u m b e r 20
T h e Chemists' C l u b of N e w Y o r k A generation ago a group of chemists, chemical engineers, and chemical library in the Western Hemisphere. The complete chemical industrialists organized the Chemists' Club, their ob library of Charles F. Chandler is a part of this collection, as is the ject being to establish a permanent headquarters for the chemical textile collection of J. Merritt Matthews. On account of the interests and make it not only local but national and inter educational nature of the Club, the members are exempt from the payment of the federal tax on dues, and re national. bates recently made on such taxes have The demolition of the Lincoln Warehouse, been put into a special endowment fund for adjoining the Hotel Belmont and running library expansion and maintenance. The from Forty-first through to Forty-second Percolator, published monthly, brings to Street, reveals this unique building to the members interesting news of Club activities. hurrying multitude on Forty-second Street, The Employment Bureau of the Club, and we are glad to secure a photograph of during its several years of service to both what they see prior to the erection of a new employer and employee, has placed many 56-story office building on the site where the chemists throughout the country· warehouse stood for so many years. Of special interest are the permanent The Chemists' Club is a unique institu endowment funds of the Club. The tion. It has prospered with the post-war Frasch fund of $11,000, contributed by the recognition of the importance and extent of late Herman Frasch, yields an income em chemistry in the industrial life and develop ployed in the purchase of new books for the ment of the country. It has become the library. Five thousand dollars, known as meeting ground for chemists and for tech the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY fund, nical and business men allied directly or furnishes an income for the purchase of indirectly with the chemical industries, both periodicals for the library· The Chemical at home and abroad. The membership is Exposition fund consists of $1600, and its cosmopolitan and is drawn from every quar income may be used for either new books or ter of the globe, making the Club truly a periodicals. There are two scholarship world meeting place for chemists. The funds, each of $10,000, one endowed by various local societies with chemical in Victor G. Bloede, and the other by William terests meet separately or jointly in RumF. Hoffmann. The incomes from these ford Hall, and here from time to time have funds are paid to selected students to been presented some of the most envied further their education in the fields of in honors in the scientific world. The annual dustrial chemistry or chemical engineering. meeting of the Society of Chemical Industry Since its organization in 189S, the Club has was held here during the week of Septem been carefully managed and today all but ber 3, when the third award in history of the twelve shares of the outstanding stock of the Messel Medal was made to Robert A. Chemists' Building Co. are in the treasury Millikan. of the Club, and the remaining certificates The various club dinners, especially the an will be delivered to the treasurer after minor nual affair in honor of a man chosen for some details have been settled. Several holders outstanding achievement, are occasions upon of important blocks of this stock have which valuable new contacts are made and generously contributed the certificates to acquaintances developed into friendships. the Club. The total membership as of September The president, directors, and other officers 26 was 1506, indicating how rapidly the Club of the Club since its founding comprise a is approaching a waiting list, since the by list of men eminent in chemistry and chem laws provide for 750 resident members and ical industry. A vice president, chosen 1000 non-resident members. The resident from among the non-resident members, members pay an initiation fee of $25 and represents them in the affairs of the Club an annual membership fee of $70, whereas The Chemists' Club, 52 East Forty and the policy is to encourage wide interest" non-resident members pay an i n i t i a t i o n first St., New York, Ν. Υ. in the democratic management of its busi fee of but $5 and an annual membership fee ness. The duties of the officers are real, of $25. and it has been because of devotion to the several exacting tasks The Club is more than a mere social headquarters for chemi cally minded men. Of course the dormitories are attractive that the Chemists' Club has become an object of pride and envy. The increasing activity in industrial chemistry has caused a to out-of-town members and their guests who, in addition to being comfortably housed, are certain to find in the lounge and larger number of chemists to travel about the country than here restaurant men of kindred interests whom they are glad to tofore and makes any such organization as the Chemists' Club see, and not infrequently they unexpectedly come across men of particularly attractive for the reasons above set forth, as well as importance to them at the moment. The excellent restaurant for the professional contacts which can be made under such attracts, particularly at luncheon, a large number of local as auspices. Its advantages should be examined and considered well as out-of-town chemists, adding to the value of the Club by the non-members of the chemical profession before the lists as a meeting place for business as well as pleasure. The several are closed, and this promises to be in the near future. The presidency is now occupied by T. B. Wagner. Any services of aie Club are important and frequently repay a hand inquiries concerning the Club's activities, membership, etc., some return upon the annual cost of Club membership. The library is a source of pride, containing approximately should be addressed to R. T. Baldwin, the Club secretary, 52 50,000 volumes, and comprising the most complete exclusively East Forty-first St., New York, Ν. Υ.A
2
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY Acheson Gives $25,000 as Prize Fund
Edward Goodrich Acheson has presented a prize fund of $25,000 to the American Electrochemical Society. The fund is to be used for a biennial award of a gold medal and a prize of $1000 to any man who has made a distinguished contribution to any of the branches of science fostered by the Society. The donor is a member of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
and the inventor of Acheson graphite, which made possible the tungsten wire used in the incandescent lamp. Doctor Acheson is also the inventor of carborundum, which he first made in an electric furnace in 1891. An annual award of $100 in gold for the best paper printed in the two volumes of any year of the "Transactions" of the American Electrochemical Society by a student or graduate under twenty-seven years of age is also announced by Colin O. Fink, secretary of the Society.
Grasselli Medal Award The Grasselli Medal Committee of the Society of Chemical Industry has awarded the Grasselli Medal for 1928 to H. J. Rose for his paper, entitled "Importance of Coal Preparation in the Manufacture of Gas and Coke."
News
Edition
the extension of the manufacture of edible gelatin in the Dominion, it is a very thorough piece of work and contains data of special interest to all those connected with the gelatin industry. In addition to a number of general statements and statistics, the report discusses the domestic and foreign markets, raw materials, methods of preparation, grades of gelatin, costs, prices, other gelatins, some gelatin substitutes, and edible gelatins in certain foreign countries. The duties imposed by foreign countries on imports of Canadian gelatin are also given and there is a selected list of references.
Fourth Pan-Pacific Science Congress The Fourth Pan-Pacific Science Congress is to be held in Batavia, Java, May 16 to 25, 1929, under the auspices of the Netherlands Indies Pacific Research Committee and supported by the patronage of the Netherlands Indies Government, ac cording t o information received from the Netherlands Govern ment by the U. S. Bureau of Education. Emphasis will be laid on agriculture, although all branches of the physical and bio logical sciences bearing on tropical life and conditions will be discussed.
Naval Stores Experiment Station Registration at Μ. Ι. Τ. It is of interest to note that the registration of graduate students in chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has increased this fall from 64 to 85, an expansion of over 30 per cent. The enrolment in the School of Chemical Engineering Practice has increased from 35 to 49.
Program of Kanawha Valley Section The Kanawha Valley Section announces the following pro gram: 1928 October 16—S. W. Parr, subject not given. November 13—Marston T. Bogert, illustrated lecture, "Sdence and Art in t h e Perfume Industry." A special invitation is extended t o t h e ladies t o attend this meeting. December 11—C. O. North, "The Chemistry of Rubber," illustrated. 1929 January 29—Wilder 25. Bancroft, speaker. April—Roger Adams will address t h e section in April, date a n d subject t o b e announced later.
The section also has tentative acceptances from C. W. Balke and Colin G. Fink for talks after the first of the year.
Kansas City Section
The Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, U. S. Department of Agriculture, proposes t o establish, in cooperation with the Forest Service, a naval stores experiment station at some central location in the producing belt. This station, with the office of naval stores technology at Savannah, Ga., and the industrial farm-products division of the unit of chemical and technological research at Washington,' will attempt to solve problems relating to naval stores. The research work falls naturally into three broad divi sions: first, full-scale still operation t o develop the best methods of handling and clarifying the crude gum, preventing losses in turpentine and rosin, obtaining the highest grades of turpentine and rosin, and packing to insure safe transportation; second, the study of conditions at individual stills, and the adaptation of better methods and processes to fit the needs and requirements of each still; third, research in Washington on the composition of turpentine and rosin and the study of difficulties arising in their utilization, with special reference to making the articles more suitable for their customary uses and studying their adaptability to new uses.
Survey of Dye Industry The U. S. Tariff Commission is preparing a survey of the domes tic dye and synthetic organic chemical industry, representing the results of a special investigation of the production in the United States of coal-tar dyes and synthetic organic chemicals, both of coal-tar and non-coal-tar origin. The survey will in clude a detailed tabulation of coal-tar dyes imported into the United States and also official statistics of imports and exports by the large consuming and producing nations of the world.
J. S. Hughes, of the Department of Chemistry of the Kansas State Agricultural College, delivered a very interesting lecture before the section on September 22, taking for his subject nu trition and the effect of vitamins, ultra-violet light, and minerals on the human diet. About seventy-five attended the meeting. Heat Transmission through Walls The next meeting of the section will be held on October 27 at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kans. The Corn Building Research, of the Department of Scientific and In Products Refining Co. will supply a speaker for this occasion, dustrial Research of Great Britain, has recently issued as Tech and Major Haig Shekerjain, of the General Service Schools, nical Paper 6 an interesting pamphlet on "Thermal Conductivities Port Leavenworth, Kans., will show three motion picture film» of Walls, Concretes, and Plasters" by Ezer Griffiths. This paper on chemical warfare. Preceding the meeting, the members will essentially a reprint of Special Report 7 of the same department, attend the Kansas-Iowa State Football Game, followed by dinner is and has been issued because of numerous requests for the in at the University Commons at 6:30. formation contained in the original report. The general subject The November meeting will be held the second week in Novem of heat transmission will be discussed in more expanded form in a ber, and W. A. Nbyes, of the University of Illinois, will be the special report now in preparation. speaker. The Bureau of Mines film on the "Dangers of Carbon Those interested may procure copies of the pamphlet for 9 d. Monoxide Gas" will also be shown. net upon application t o His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, England.
Detroit Chemist The Detroit Section is to be congratulated upon the expansion of its program. It now issues a monthly bulletin, the Detroit Chemist. The editorial staff consists of Herbert C. Hamilton, Arthur W. Dox, Helen A. Hunscher, C. R. Sutton, and Maurice G. Bell. T o date, two issues of this bulletin have appeared.
German Control of American Patents for Varnish Coating
Report on Edible Gelatin
It is reported that the firm Masa G. m. b. H. has purchased for all of Europe the American patents of a product for finishing metal and other surfaces. Negotiations are said to have been shared by Koch and Kienzle, Berlin, and the American owners of the patents.
The Natural Resources Intelligence Service of the Depart ment of the Interior, Ottawa, Canada, has issued a report on edible gelatin, which bears especially upon the development of Canadian raw materials. A few copies of the report remain to b e sent to those who request it. While the main purpose of t h e report is t o make available information that will be of assistance in determining the opportunity offered by Canada for
The Pittsburgh Section of the American Ceramic Society will meet Tuesday evening, November 13, at the Fellows Room of the Mellon Institute. Spotts McDowell will speak on "Tech nological Developments in the Manufacture of Refractories."
Pittsburgh Ceramic Society
