June, 1924
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
and the colloidal properties of the product. Practically no study has been made of these products, however, from this point of view.
BIBLIOGRAPHY I-Clayton, “Colloid Problems in Dairy Chemistry,” 2nd Report on Colloid Chemistry and Its General and Industrial Applications, Brif. Assoc. Advancement Sci., Rep., 1919, p. 96. 2-Van Slyke and Bosworth, “Condition of Casein and Salts in Milk,” N. Y.Agr. Expt. Sta., Tech. Bull. 3 9 , s (1914); J . Biol. Chem., 20,135 (1915). 3-Robertsoq “Physical Chemistry of the Proteins,’’ 1918, p. 90. Longmans, Green & Co. 4-Ibid., p. 344. 5-Osborne and Wakeman, “The Proteins of Cow’s Milk,” J. Biol. Chem., S3, 7 (1918). 6 - S o m m e r and Hart, “The Heat Coagulation of Milk,” Ibid., 40, I37 (1919); J . Dairy Sci., 5, 525 (1922). 7-Fischer and Hooker, “Fats and F a t t y Degeneration,” 1917, p. 105. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 8-Clayton, “Colloid Problems in Dairy Chemistry,” 2nd Report on Colloid Chemistry and I t s General Industrial Applications, Brit. Assoc. Advancement Sci., Rep., 1919, p. 106. 9-Rahn, “Observations on the Creaming of Milk,” Kolloid-2.. SO, 110 (1922). Kb-Harnmer, “Studies on the Creaming Ability of Milk,” Iowa Agr. Expt. Sta , Res. Bull. 8 1 (1916); Harding, “Effect of Temperature of Pasteurization on the Creaming Ability of Milk,” Ill. Agr. Expt. Sta., Bu12. 237 (1921). 11-Palmer and Dahle, “The Physical and Chemical Properties of Remade Milk,’’ J. Dairy Sci., 5, 1 (1922). 12-Palmer, “The Effect of Heat on the Calcium Salts and Rennet Coagulability of Cow’s Milk,” Proc. SOC.E&. Biol. Med., 19, 137 (1921). 13-2oller, “Precipitation of Grain-Curd Casein from Pasteurized Milk, Including Sweet Cream Buttermilk,” J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 13, 510 (1921). 14-Clark, Zoller, Dahlberg, and Weimar, “Studies on Technical Casein. 11-Grain-Curd Casein,” Ibid., 12, 1163 (1920). I G K a s t l e , “The Chemistry of Milk,’’ U. S. Hygiene Lab., Bull. 56, 348 (IQOQ),contains a review of the early literature on rennin coagulation. 16-Alexander, “The Rennin Coagulation of Milk from a Colloid-Chemical Standpoint,” 8th Intern. Cong. Appl. Chem., 6 , 12 (1912).
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1 7 4 c h r y v e r , “Some Investigations on the Phenomena of ‘Clot’ Formathe Clotting of Milk,” Proc. Roy. SOC.(London),86B,460 (1913). 18-Van Slyke and Bosworth, “Composition and Properties of Some Casein and Paracasein Compounds and Their Relation to Cheese,” J . Biol. Chem., 14, 203 (1913); Bosworth, “The Action of Rennin on Casein,” N. Y.Agr. Expt. Sta., Tech. Bull. 31, 3 (1913). 19-Alexander, “Colloid Chemistry and Some of I t s Technical Aspects,” J. SOC.Chem. Ind., 28, 280 (1909). 20--Clayton, “Colloid Problems in Dairy Chemistry,” 2nd Report on, Colloid Chemistry and I t s General and Industrial Applications. Brif. Assoc. Advancement Sci., Rep., 1919, p. 116. 21-Zoller and Williams, “Some Factors Governing the Crystallization of; Lactose in Ice Cream,” Science, 54, 587 (1921). 2 2 4 t o r c h , “The Lack of Consistency of Butter and the Causes for Its Occurrence, etc.,” 36th Ann. Rep. Royal Vet. and Agr. High School, Copenhagen, 1897. 23-Fischer and Hooker, “Fats and F a t t y Degeneration,” p. 93. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 24-Bhatnagar, “Studies in Emulsions. I-A New Method of Determining a n Inversion of Phases,” J. Chem. SOC.(London), 117, 542 (1920). 2&Clowes, “Protoplasmic Equilibrium. I-Action of Antagonistic Electrolytes on Emulsions and Living Cells.” J. Phys. Chem., 20, 407 (1916). 26-Rahn, “Process of Churning Butter. I-A Surface Tension Theory,” Forsch. Geb. Milchw. Molkereiwes., 1, 309 (1921). 27-Robertson, “The Physical Chemistry of the Proteins,” 1918, p. 346. Longmans, Green & Co. 28-Hunziker, Mills, and Spitzer, “Moisture Control of Butter. I-Conditions not under Control of the Butter Maker,” Purdue Agr. Expt. Sta.. Bull. 159 (1917). 29-Harkins, Davies, and Clark, “The Orientation of Molecules in the Surface of Liquids, etc..” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 39, 541 (1917) 30--langmuir, “The Constitution and Fundamental Properties of Solids and Liquids. 11-Liquids,’’ Ibid., S9, 1848 (1917). 31-Dyer. “Progressive Oxidation of Cold Storage Butter,” J. Agr. Res., 6 , 927 (1916). 32-Rogers, Dyscher, and Evans, “The Relation of Acidity t o the Coagulation Temperature of Evaporated Milk,” J. Dairy Sci., 4, 294 (1921). 33-Palmer and Dahle, “The Structure of Powdered Milk and I t s Possible Relation t o the Keeping Qualities of Whole Milk Powders,” Ibid.. 5, 240 (1922).
tion. I-On
The Oppau Disaster Report HEMIKER ZEITUNG, 48,133, 158 (1924), contains the report of Committee 34 created by the Reichstag to investigate the cause of the Oppau disaster, and the following is abstracted from the three parts of the discussion there presented. These include the general statement by Dr. Kast, the report ‘of the committee, and the summarized opinions of the experts rendered on a series of questions.
C
Just as with almost all accidents from explosions, which usually kill nearby witnesses, it was impossible in the Oppau disaster to verify all the facts regarding its origin, but it was necessary to bring out suppositions and inferences. After extensive tests made by experts, only one possibility remained-Gamely, the blasting in the heap of salt io the silo that exploded which was done for the purpose of breaking up the m a s p b e c a u s e this blasting coincided exactly with the explosion and it represented the greatest action on the salt which could be obtained by no other method of introducing energy. The greatest difficulty, however, was in finding an explanation as to why thi.; blasting, which testimony showed had been done in the same way thousands of times, should have caused an explosion of the fertilizer salt only in this particular case. No less striking, on the other hand, is the fact t h a t the Oppau salt, which according to its composition has explosive characteristics, had remained so long inert on blasting.
This disaster has confirmed repeated experience that the explosive nature of material may be demonstrated only when the one condition necessary for inducing the explokion is encountered. The history of picric acid, trinitrotoluol, ammonium nitrate, and potassium chlorate affordsother examples. Materials may be made and handled for a long time without any particular precaution and then comes an explosion as unexplained as it is disastrous. The committee propounded two questions: (1) Why did the fertilizer salt explode? (2) Were the operations a t any point responsible for the explosion? There was nothing to indicate that the explosion was due to a criminal act or to a normal blast which showed unusual effects. The directors were able to point out that nearly thirty thousand blasts in this mixed salt had been made without any unusual occurrence. Further, there were no indicatioru that an abnormal blast had taken place. The investigation was accordingly undertaken to determine wethher there had been an abnormal composition of the salt. I n previous plant tests a mixture of ammonium nitrate and ammonium sul-
fate showed no explosive effects if the content of ammonium sulfate was a t least 60 per cent. It was therefore a matter of determining whether a salt containing less than 60 per cent of ammonium sulfate could have been present. This was possible (1) if the original salt had decomposed; (2) if the originally correct salt had decomposed locally, and if a t one or more points explosions started as a result, bringing about conditions of accompanying heat, Pressure, and shock, which would cause the normal salt to explode; (3) if because of methods of preparation a salt of h20rrect composition was formed; and (4) if s i m d taneouslY faulty Plant control had allowed such an incorrect undetected. mixture to pass into the It will be recalled that after the explosion, portions of undetonated salt were found scattered about, and that the records were recovered from the Plant. These records show no dangerous rise in temperature, which goes hand in hand with spontaneOUS decomposition Of chemical products, indicating that the original salt had not decomposed. There was nothing to show local decomposition, Or to indicate that Salt Of incorrect composition had been formed, notwithstanding a recent change in the process, and no blame could be attached to plant inspection. Careful study of all details of operations also failed to attach blame for the exPloSion to the methods of operation. After investigating all possible factors in the OPPau exPlosion, the committee announced that i t was one Of those plant accidents the cause of which could not be definitely determined, even with the complete assistance of Science and technic. To avoid a repetition of such an accident, the breaking down of stocks of ammonium nitrate-sulfate by blasting has been ordered discontinued and in the future these masses are to be broken by mechanical means. Meanwhile, the Secretary of Labor has issued a police order with regard to the handling of stocks of fertilizer salts containing ammonium nitrate, which prohibits blasting either in stocks, in the manufacturing plants, or in warehouses. This report, in common with reports of other investigations, throws no additional light upon the true cause of the disaster, which, though admittedly caused by blasting, took place under conditions that have not been duplicated experimentally.
