mmsÊM Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
News
Edition
'Published by The American Chemical Society
Vol. 4, No. 18
SEPTEMBER 20, 1926
T h e Golden The first general meeting was opened by J. B. Hill, chairman of t h e Philadelphia Section, in the ballroom of t h e Bellevue-Stratford H o t e l at 2 p. M. on M o n d a y , September 6. About 1000 m e m b e r s a n d guests were in attendance. City Statistician T . W. D a v i s welcomed the visitors on behalf of t h e Mayor. Dean J o h n F r a z e r of the T o w n e Scientific School of t h e University of Pennsylvania presented t h e greeting of t h e University and called att e n t i o n t o the historic fact t h a t the first chemical society in the world had been organized in Philadelphia in 1792. I t was known a s " T h e Chemical Society of Philadelphia" and continued in existence for 17 years. In 1811 it was followed by the Columbian Chemical Society. Dr. Frazer called attention to five illustrious names associated with the history of chemistry and the development of the University of Pennsylvania in the past 150 years. They were Benjamin Rush, J a m e s Woodhouse, Robert Hare, Frederick A. G e n t h , a n d Edgar F . Smith. President Norris responded to these addresses and complim e n t e d t h e Philadelphia Section upon the smoothness with which t h e convention machinery was running and t h e elaborateness of t h e e n t e r t a i n m e n t features. H e t h e n introduced the speakers whose addresses will be printed in full in T H I S JOURNAL. T h e speakers a n d their subjects were as follows: " T h e Developm e n t of Chemical I n d u s t r y in I t a l y , " by Prince P. Ginori Conti; " T h e Dyestuff Industry, Forerunner of W h a t ? " b y Irénéé du P o n t ; " L a Chimie M o d e r n et Marcelin Berthelot," by Paul Sabatier. T h e latter spoke in French. SECOND G E N E R A L M E E T I N G
A t the general meeting on Tuesday evening, the ballroom of the Bellevue-Stratford was filled to overflowing, m a n y people standing in the gallery as well as on the main floor. Seated on the platform were past presidents Munroe, H e r t y , Baekeland, Remsen, Franklin, Bogert, Wiley, Noyes, a n d Smith; founder members, Goldschmidt and Herreshoff; a n d t h e following foreign guests: Prince Conti, M a t s u b a r a , Cohen, Bertrand, Swarts, Irvine, Miller, Sabatier, Fernandez, Treadwell, Minovici, and Swietoslawski. Following t h e address b y President Norris which
lee Meeting will appear in the October issue of INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY, President Norris called upon Edgar F. Smith to stand, whereupon the audience rose and applauded for some minutes. In presenting t h e Priestley Medal, Dr. Norris made the following s t a t e m e n t : " T h e Priestley Medal of the American Chemical Society is awarded every three years for distinguished services to chemistry. It may be given t o a citizen of any nation without regard t o sex. The medal has been awarded b u t once in the past. It is my privilege to make the second award tonight. " T h e man upon whom t h e honor is to be bestowed has the distinction of being the only man who h a s served the Society during three terms as president. H e led American chemists during the stress of the recent war. His influence on American chemistry has been unique through activities in many directions. He has been a leader in research, teaching, and administration. He is t h e author of thirteen books in the field of inorganic and organic chemistry, which through 45 editions have added much to chemical learning. He is the American historian of chemistry and has p u t on record in six volumes the story of the work of the men who cultivated our science in t h e early days of the republic. He is t h e American biographer of Priestley. Through his example a n d enthusiasm he has implanted a reverance for the historical aspect for chemistry in many followers. " T h e r e is no one more worthy of the distinction about to be bestowed. We are proud t o know a man who will take his place in the history of chemistry and education as one of America's leaders." In accepting t h e medal Dr. Smith spoke informally in a manner t h a t still further endeared him to his listeners. He then presented a short address on Joseph Priestley, in t h a t manner so characteristic of Dr. Smith in the presentation of his masterpieces on his favorite topic. A beautiful little monograph on "Priestley in America" by Dr. Smith was later distributed to the audience. At the close of his address Professor Taggart introduced a complete surprise a n d reconferred on behalf of t h e University of Gôttingen t h e renewed diploma of Dr. Smith's degree of Doctor of Philosophy, t h e original of which w a s conferred upon him
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Ernst C o h e n Distinguished Dutch Chemist Who Spoke at the Public Meeting
Prince Plero Ginori C o n t i Italy's Leading Industrial Chemist Who Spoke at the First General Meeting
Walter T. Taggart Executive Head of the Convention Committee and Largely Responsible for Its Success
J. B e n n e t t Hill Chairman of the Philadelphia Section Who Opened the Meeting
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Ghent; Charles Moureu, College of France; and Ame Pictet, University of Geneva. Following the awarding of these diplomas by President Norris of the Society, he also presented a special award to Dr. Paul Sabatier in the form of a " b a n k cheque of substantial amount" from the Procter & Gamble Co. Felicitations to the Society on its fiftieth anniversary were received from the British and Japanese chemical societies presented by their representatives a t this meeting.
the 14th of August, 1876. Dr. Taggart said, " D r . Edgar Fahs Smith --teacher, investigator, friend — your students are numbered by the thousands, your scientific publications are numbered in hundreds and your friends are innumerable. You have received m a n y honors a t home and abroad. "On the 14th day of August, 1876, the University of Gôttingen, Germany, conferred upon you the degree of Doctor of Philosophy for research done under the celebrated Frederick Wohler. Fifty years later this same University has seen fit to renew your Doctor's diploma in recognition of your distinguished service as a teacher and investigator in the field of chemistry. "As a former student, as a colleague, as an alumnus of the University of Gottingen, and as a friend, I have the distinguished honor of presenting to you, on behalf of the University of Gottingen, this renewed diploma of your Doctor of Phil sophy degree, which I consider the greatest of all the honors you have received. I sincerely congratulate you."
The Banquet More than six hundred sat down to the banquet of the 72nd general meeting in the ballroom of the Bellevue-Stratford with H. S. Miner, toastmaster. T h e long speakers' table was graced by a number of distinguished men from abroad and at home. The Mayor of the city gave a brief address of welcome and was followed by Charles E. Munroe, who spoke o n behalf of the founder members present, these being Messrs. Goldschmidt, Munroe, Herreshoff, and Niese. Dr. Munroe reminisced and in the course of his remarks pointed out how Philadelphia had always been a chemical center in America. Ernst Cohen followed, speaking for the foreign guests. With rare good humor he read from a work by Stephen Leacock a speech supposed to have been delivered on the fiftieth anniversary of some society and then drew the contrast between such a meeting and the anniversary of the American Chemical Society. He recalled the fact that 25 years ago van't Hoff had told Dr. Harper, then president of the University of Chicago, that America would require another fifty years to reach the European level of science and showed that van't Hoff was wrong in that prophecy. After paying tribute t o the president of the Society he concluded his enjoyable remarks with the suggestion of the symbolism of the initials A. C. S. A is the well-known symbol for maximum work, while C is a constant used in formulas and in this case calls for the constant maintenance of the Society's work. S is the symbol for strength. Harvey W. Wiley, who made certain prophecies when the Society celebrated its 25th anniversary was next introduced as our major prophet and he too spoke in a humorous vein, suggesting that since chemistry not only knows no political frontiers but no sex, "anthropos" would be a proper word t o use in addressing a modern group of chemists. H e also suggested t h a t in the interest of shorter a n d better speeches and better attendance a t banquets, the precedent ought to be reversed and the speeches come first. President Norris then followed with some anecdotes based on chemical experiences and paid a fitting tribute to the support which Francis P. Garvan has given chemistry in America. Edward James Cattell, famous Philadelphia statistician, presented one of his characteristic speeches, in which h e gave statistics, stories, fun, and philosophy. T h e concluding speaker of the banquet was Dr. J. B. Hill, chairman of the Philadelphia Section of the American Chemical Society. Not only was each guest presented with a souvenir program beautifully engraved and engrossed in suitable colors and with suitable symbols, but at each plate a n elegant souvenir cardcase in blue leather stamped with the pin of t h e Society and inside lettered in gold "Golden Jubilee, A. C. S., Philadelphia, 1926" was to be found.
The Public Meeting Improved methods of welding made possible by the use of atomic hydrogen flames and the possibility of transferring intraatomic energy from mercury to hydrogen thus producing the latter in a highly chemically active form were the subjects discussed at the public meeting at the Philadelphia Academy of Music on Wednesday afternoon. Dr. Irving Langmuir traced the steps by which the application of atomic hydrogen was developed from the early observation that the energy dissipated by tungsten filaments in hydrogen atmospheres was disproportionate a t very high temperatures to the practical application of the electric arc as a means of producing atomic hydrogen in form for use in welding torches. Motion pictures of the use of this highly efficient new tool were shown. Dr. H. S. Taylor described the method of production of atomic hydrogen in form for chemical reaction by bombarding hydrogen molecules with mercury atoms excited by ultra-violet light. The possibility t h a t such investigations might lead to an understanding of the phenomena of metallic catalysis was pointed out and the utility of physical investigations in thus aiding chemical investigations was noted. (See page 12.) By looking into the caricatures of the past, it is possible, according to Dr. E r n s t Cohen, of Utrecht, Holland, addressing the public meeting, to gain a much more intimate insight into science of the past t h a n by the mere study of history. To illustrate his point, Dr. Cohen showed caricatures of Dalton, Faraday, Davey, Rumford, v a n ' t Hoff, and Kekule and traced for the audience the connections between the drawings and the early developments of chemical science. Following t h e addresses, diplomas of honorary membership were presented to eight distinguished guests of the Society and by proxy t o six others. Those so honored were: Bohrislav Brauner, University of Prague; Guiseppe Bruni, University of Milan; E r n s t Cohen, University of Utrecht; Frederick G. Donnan, University of London; Sir James C. Irvine, University of St. Andrews; W. Lash Miller, University of Toronto; Ira Remsen, J o h n s Hopkins University; Theodore W. Richards, Harvard University; Paul Sabatier, University of Toulouse; Joji Sakurai, Imperial University, Tokio; Edgar F . Smith, University of Pennsylvania; Frederic Swarts, University of
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CHEMISTRY
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Some of Those Who Attended the
September 20,1926
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY Group Dinners
A joint dinner of the Section of Paint and Varnish Chemistry with the Paint and Varnish Superintendents' Club of Philadelphia on Thursday evening of t h e Philadelphia meeting was held at the Hotel Walton. Short remarks b y J. H . MacGregor, W. T . Pearce, Paul E. Marling, and Allen Rogers pointed out the desuability of such joint meetings a t which the chemists of the industry and those specifically charged with manufacture might well get together for the discussion of mutual problems. The necessity for such close contacts between scientific research as represented by the American Chemical Society a n d its sections and manufacture as represented by the superintendents' club for the good of both was emphasized. The promotion of the Section of Paint and Varnish Chemistry to be a full-fledged Division was discussed. Nearly two hundred were present. The program of the dinner of the Division of Petroleum Chemistry, also held on Thursday evening, was largely occupied with informal discussion of the report of the Division's committee on Lubrication and of the American Petroleum Institute's program of research under the recent grants for that purpose. On Thursday, a luncheon attended by a hundred reserve officers of the Chemical Warfare Service was held at the Hotel Benjamin Franklin. H. E. Howe, colonel CW-Reserve, presided and introduced Col. C. E. Brigham, Executive Officer of the Service. Col. Brigham pointed out that chemists, particularly those who hold reserve commissions in the service, should make every effort to dispel the erroneous idea generally accepted that some much more effective chemical weapon may be found than those now known. Col. Brigham pointed out t h a t the development of chemical methods of war will be evolutionary and not revolutionary from now on. He stated that while mustard gas used in the late war was so toxic t h a t a ton of it, if properly and completely absorbed, should kill some 45 million men, yet in the war the average reached was one man killed for each l 1 /* tons of mustard used and only 29 casualties per ton. Thus, he said, the agents already a t hand are quite a s effective as might be needed but t h a t development will take the direction of more effective methods of application in war. Dr. J. F . Norris and Col. Helbig, of the Italian chemical warfare service, made brief remarks. T H E R U B B E R DIVISION DINNER
The Rubber Division Dinner was a truly remarkable occasion with some 300 men in attendance, prominent among whom were executives of t h e rubber industry. Music was supplied by an orchestra and the "silver masked tenor of the B. F. Goodrich Company." John M . Bierer, to whom credit is due for the success not only of the dinner b u t of the Raw Rubber Symposium, served as chairman of t h e dinner, and after welcoming the ladies who attended this, the fifth dinner, for the first time in the history of the division, he welcomed the foreign guests, the officers of the Society, and the executives who heretofore have not attended these functions. He laid emphasis upon some of the relations of research to industry, mentioning the General Electric Company, the General Motors Corporation, and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, a s examples of great success through the alliance with science. He then introduced Mr. J. C. Weston, president of the Ajax Rubber Company and president of the Rubber Association of America, who acted as toast-
