The Status of Chemical Engineering in Our Universities and Colleges

The Status of Chemical Engineering in Our Universities and Colleges Immediately Prior to the Declaration of War. Harper F. ... Published online 1 May ...
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T H E J O U R N A L OP 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

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and INDANTHRENE YELLOWS By the use of the proper dye methods these yellows can be shaded to produce khaki colors and olive-drab, meeting the severest tests as to fastness. For shading these yellows to produce a khaki or an olive-drab, i t is necessary to use colors of the same class, giving the red or blue-gray tones necessary to produce the shade required in conjunction with the yellow used. The colors available for this purpose are those known commercially as algol corinth, algol red, algol olive, algol brown, cibanone brown, indanthrene corinth, indanthrene brown, algol brilliant violet, and indanthrene blue. By using combinations of these ayes, the fastest khaki shades for cotton are produced. It would be interesting to study the chemical constitution of these dyestuffs, and note the effects of constitution, first, upon the dyeing method, and, second, upon the fastness of the colors produced. This discussion involves so many factors that it is not possible a t this time. The vat colors cannot be used for the dyeing of wool (at least, according to the present dyeing method) because the amount of caustic soda required to dissolve the leuco compounds is sufficient to dissolve or permanently weaken or destroy the wool fiber. The khaki-dyed fabrics, being primarily for military purposes, should be manufactured having in view the production of a fabric of the highest quality, the production of the greatest yardage in a given time, and the manufacture of the cloth a t the lowest possible cost per yard. The specifications have uniformly called for a fabric to be made from wool or cotton dyed in the stock. The production 01 fabrics following these specifications is thus of necessity confined to the mills having facilities for dyeing raw stock. The cost of yarns manufactured from stock-dyed cotton or wool is greater than the cost of yarns spun from white or gray cotton or wool. The quality of the fabrics made from stock-dyed yarns is no better, and frequently is inferior to the quality of piece-dyed goods. The production per unit of machinery of stock-dyed fabrics is lower than the production of gray or white goods. It is the opinion of the author that to procure the highest quality of fabrics, the greatest quantity in the shortest time, and a t the same time the lowest cost, the piece-dye method should be adapted both for cotton and wool and worsted fabrics. A large percentage of the cotton fabrics now used for military purposes is manufactured by the piece-dyeing method. If these goods i r e satisfactory there is n o argument against extending this method of manufacture t o include all fabrics. Serge blues or worsted piece goods, as they are termed, are recognized as standard for quality. There is no valid argument against making khaki-colored serges, dyed in the piece, standard also. When we consider the work done, and the progress made in the dyeing of khaki in the United States, we need not feel ashamed. Our manufacturers have produced fabrics equal to the best foreign goods. Our dyers have developed methods not used abroad, and have accommodated dyeing methods to manufacturing procedure, so that the foreign manufacturer has been compelled to imitate some of the methods developed in this country. We are dyeing cotton piece goods by the iron-chrome chemical or oxidation method, equal in quality to the foreign goods. Our dyers have developed machinery for this process, so that the process may be said to be truly American, as it is practiced in this country to-day. It is true, we have not developed the diamine oxidation process For cotton; but, should economic conditions recommend or warrant the development of this process, it can be safely predicted that the method will soon be developed into a practical dyeing process for khaki-colored piece goods. We have developed both the iron-chrome and the diamine oxidation methods for wool. These methods have been used very successfully, and have demonstrated that the colors obtained are HELINDONE YELLOWS AND ORANGES,

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the fastest for the depth of shades produced. It does not appear that either of these methods has been used abroad. The after-treating or chrome-in-the-bath methods are practiced by our dyers, producing goods by the raw stock, yarn and piecedyeing methods equal to the best foreign fabrics. Large quantities of sulfur dyestuffs are used for dyeing raw cotton for khaklrcolored goods, and for dyeing piece-goods producing both the true khaki shades and the olive-drab colored cloth. The dyeing methods generally used are the same as those used abroad, and the quality of the color produced is equal in every respect to the color on the foreign fabrics. We have an American method, however, for dyeing piece goods with the sulfur colors, which permits the dyer to produce a full shade of either khaki or olive-drab by making one passage through the dyeing apparatus. The color produced by the use of this method is equal to the best produced by other methods. This continuous method of dyeing piece goods is not generally in use here, however, and had apparently not been used abroad. We have produced from raw stock and yarn dyed with the vat colors the fastest known shades for cotton fabrics used for military purposes. The fabrics have been manufactured in large quantities, and have proved the value of both the dyeing and manufacturing method used. The continuous process for dyeing piece goods for sulfur colors may be, with slight modification, used €or the dyeing of piece goods with the vat dyestuffs. By this special method cotton fabrics dyed with the vat colors m a y be manufactured a t the lowest cost, and in the greatest volume. When we cast up the account as rendered by the American dyer, we must be convinced that he has made a particularly good showing in this particular branch of his industry. With intelligent coaperation between the Government, the dyer, and the manufacturer, we can have a n army clothed with the strongest, best-wearing, and warmest uniforms in the world. May this result be attained! NEWYORKCITY

THE STATUS OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING IN OUR UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE DECLARATION OF WAR B y HARPERF. ZOLLER~ Received May 3, 1918

It was while I was engaged in gathering data on a certain problem connected with curriculum work that I forwarded. the following questionnaire to the departments of chemistry in the various universities and colleges. The questionnaire was mailect on February 5 , 1917, and by March 21, 1917, all replies that were forthcoming had been received. In respect to the nature of the questionnaire and the replies, several have suggested to me that they should be tabulated and published, since they reflect the probable status of the chemical engineering courses in our schools a t the time the United States declared war. The replies have, therefore, been arranged in a table as far as their nature would permit. I take this opportunity to express my appreciation of the readiness on the part of those in charge of the departments of chemistry to cooperate by answering the questionnaire. Of the total number sent out, only one failed to answer and I attribute that instance to the inexactness of the third question. A few colleges have been included in the table to which the questionnaire were not sent. These are indicated. The data concerning these was secured from Volume I1 of the Report of the Commissioner of Education. A bulletin or catalogue of the courses in chemistry was also requested of each of the schools and received. QUESTIONNAIRE

I-Do you offer a cQurse in chemical engineering? 2-In what year was the course first offered? 3-Do you lay special emphasis on the course? 1 Formerly of the department of chemistry of the Kansas State Agri-cultural College, Manhattan, Kansas.

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T H E JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHENISTRY

A U ~ . 1918 ,

COURSEIN YEARCOURSE DOESTHE COURSERECRIVB CHEMICAL EN- WAS FIRST GINERRING OPRERED SPECIALEMPHASIS? NAMEOR INSTITUTION Yes .. Alabama, University of 1 . ........................ o Amherst Co!lege.,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NYes Arizona, University of’. . . . . . . . . Yes .. Arkansas, University of., . . . . . . . . Yes .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pu-0 ’ Yes Yes Yes No .. “Same as other courses in engineerYes I__ ,, lug. No “Hope t o institute course soon.‘’ No “Four years’ tvork in chemistry.“ N0 “Same as other engineering courses.’* Yes 1903 .. Yes Yes No “Designed t o train young men in the Yes iiio profession of chemistry.” No Dartmouth College. ............................. No No “Advise students in chemistry t o Yes 1901 take engineering course.” No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No “In training future chemists, yes.” Yes 1910 “Yes.” Yes 1894 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes Yes 1904 ................

f REMARKS

.. ..

.. .. .. .. .. ..

Cooperative course in chemical engineering. Course in chemistry.

..

.. .. .. .. ..

Iowa State Agr. College. ........................ James Milliken Universityl.. Johns Hopkins University J. B. Stetson Universityi.. Kansas University of. . . . Kansas’State Agr. College Kentucky, University of.. Lehigh University.. Leland Stanfofd Jr; Univ.. ...................... Louisiana, University of. ......................... Maine, University of.. Maryland Agr. College. ......................... Massachusetts Inst. of Tech.. .................... Massachusetts Agr. College.. Michigan, University of. . . . . . . . .

Yes No hTo Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes

Michigan Agr. College.. ... Minnesota University of. . Mississippi, University of‘. Missouri, University of.......................... Montana, University of.. Nevada, University of.. Nebraska, University of New Hampshire Agr. C New York University. .......................... New York, Coll. of the City o f . . New alexico, University of’. North Carolina University of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . North Carolina’Agr. College‘. .................... North Dakota Agr. College.. :. . . . . North Dakota, University of. . . . . Northwestern University.. Notre Dame, University of.. ..................... Ohio State University ................. Oklahoma, University Oklahoma Agr. Colleg Oregon University o f . Oregon’ Agr. College.. . Pennsyl\.ania, University of.. .................... Fennsylvania State College., .................... Pittsburgh, University of. ....................... Polytechnic. Inst of Urooklynl.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Princeton University, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Purdue University.. Rensselaer Polytechnic. I Rochester, University of. Rose Polytechnic. Inst..

Yes Yes No Yes No No

.....................

............................. ...........

........................

NO

1908

.. .. ..

1900

....

1902 1892

..

1460

1916

..

.. .. .. .. ..

1912

Throop Polytechni Tufts College.. ... Tularie University. ............................. Utah, University o f , ......

Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Vermont, University of.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Virginia University o f . . ......................... Virginia’Polytechnic Inst.. .......................

.

................

Four-year A.B. degree. engineering degree.

“Assuming an important place at present.”

1898

.

.............. .......

“Yes.” “Yes.”

1868

.. .. ..

“Coordinated with school of engineering.”

..

1908

1906

..

“Yes.” “Yes.”

.. .. ..

1893 1902 1913

“Yes.” “Yes.” “No.”

1907

“Yes.”

1909

“Receiving emEhasis other courses.

..

..

.. .. .. 1904 ..

Called industrial chemistry. Mellon Institute stimulates.

along

with “Course in chemistry” (1908); elect from engineering courses.

“Receiving special stress.” “No, because of lack of proper equipment.”

No Yes Yes

1909 1913

“Very great emphasis.” “Same as other courses.”

Washington, University of. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yes

1904

Washington State College,,...................... West Virginia,,Univ. of 1 . ........................ Wisconsin, University o f , . ....................... Wyoming, University of. ........................ Yale University.. ...............................

Yes No Yes

1915

“Yes.”

1904

“No mor:, courses.

No

Five-year course anticipated.

ibi 1

i9i3 1905

Questionnaire not sent.

Receiving special announcement through department bulletins.

”Equal prominence with civil and mechanical efigineering.”

“Pushing as rapidly as possible.”

1

Five-year courses offered.

“Receives same emphasis as other engineering courses.”

190s 1916

h?O

Five-year

..

Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Ye’s No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes h’o No Yes

................. .......

Receiving special impetus through the introduction of five-year courses.

“Special emphasis since 1914.”

.. ..

than other engineering

Four-year course A.B. Five-year course in chemical engineering. Coordinately with college of engineering. Advanced work offered in chemical engineering.

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One might engage in endless differentiationsof the courses as offered in the above schools, but this would be neither apropos nor beneficial. My purpose is merely to call attention to some erroneous impressions which might be received on a too hasty glance a t the foregoing tabulations. In glancing through the bulletins one finds that several of the so-called courses in chemical engineering are nothing other than courses in industrial chemistry and often weak ones a t that, and would not fit a young man for plant control; that is, he would not be an engineer in the true sense of the term. Other schools give an abridged engineering course; abridged in the sense that the’course is given through the department of engineering and not through the department of chemistry. This would tend towards the production of chemical engineers deficient in chemistry, whereas the former would produce chemists without the fundamental knowledge of engineering. It is to be hoped that the present situation into which this country has been plunged a2 regards hasty, efficient, and voluminous production, will influence educational institutions to recognize the danger in these two extremes, and will lead them t o correct it. Those universities which instituted chemical engineering in the early go’s have emerged with a well-rounded engineering course for the chemist. They have also found that the engineer cannot acquire very special knowledge along chemical lines within the 4-year limit, and have therefore offered 5 and 6 year courses in chemical engineering with appropriate degrees. One or two universities, notably the University of Iowa, have instituted courses in business training along with the engineering work. Whether or not this will be a success remains t o be seen, though one must admit that the plan is a good one. The time element has been considered by making the combined course require 5 years for completion. The University of Michigan and the University of Washington, following the early example of the University of Kansas as planned by the late Professor Duncan and the later example of the Mellon Institute, are offering industrial fellowships to chemists of ability. Michigan, I believe, has been doing this For several years. While this is not strictly a chemical engineer’s problem, it serves t o stimulate interest among the student engineers and furnishes to them an opportunity to witness some of the manipulations and also t o consider some of the problems which they may be called upon t o solve. One will judge from the table that the Middle West and West were foremost in developing courses in chemical engineering, the pioneers being Leland Stanford Jr. University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Illinois mentioned in the order of priprity. However, these early courses were much like the courses in industrial chemistry as now offered and contained few engineering subjects. It would be entirely wrong to allow the impression to remain concerning the similarity of courses among those institutions which have signified that a course in chemical engineering is offered. Some of the institutions offering i t are not in proximity to manufacturing industries of any size, neither do they plan inspection trips for their engineering students. The courses are, therefore, a t their best, only weak courses in industrial chemistry as before intimated. I might be criticized for not including the number of graduate students in chemical engineering for the various schools in the above table, but I purposely refrained from so doing. The figures would have been entirely misleading, since I found that in some institutions where the courses were well ordered only a small number of graduates appeared, whereas the converse was also pronounced. I n closing it should be mentioned that the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY as a unit has done very little towards the influencing of young men to take up chemical engineering as a life-work.

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Neither has i t offered to act in an advisory capacity for the young men by suggesting to them the type of training that they should seek, or for that matter what should be embodied in a chemical engineering course. Very of ten the administrative officers of the institutions interested would welcome destsuctive and constrdctive criticism while they were shaping their chemical engineering curricula. It has frequently entered my mind that THISJOURNAL could well afford to give over one page t o university and school activities in th: field of chemistry. While the Personal page now run deals primarily with the personnel of various enterprises, the one I have in mind should treat exclusively of chemical department curricula, improvements and changes in school laboratories, school problems, open criticism on the nature of various chemical courses now given with unification and improvement as an objective. THIS JOURNAL, since it is to be found on the periodical shelves of nearly every city library in the country, would then become an object of value to the high-school student, as well as to the young man who has become inlected with the chemical engineering bacillus. A young man should, when planning to enter a university or college to study chemical engineering, carefully consider the following questions, and not immediately pick up his grip and hie himself to a college of his father’s or teacher’s connection or for some other similar unsound reason: ( I ) Has the school a well-balanced department of chemistry with an efficient corps of teachers? ( 2 ) Is the engineering department among the best in the country? (3) Is the equipment of laboratories sufficiently modern to train the chemist in the modern methods and processes? (4) Is the course in chemical engineering of standard type, or is it of hyphenated nature, or possibly’ camouflaged? ( 5 ) Is the school contiguous t o large manufacturing enterprises involving chemical control and chemical processes, or does it offer opportunity t o its students in chemical engineering to visit such plants a t a distance? It would be well if the bacillus mentioned above would produce a wholesale epidemic during the coming decade, or better still if THISJOURNAL cohld sow the seed of infection broadcast. However we should control the nutritive character of its medium by the employment of standardized constituents. WASHINGTON,

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COLLEGE COURSES FOR INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTS By CHARLES W. HILL Received December 4, 1917

In secondary education, we have recognized the fact that a large proportion of students are compelled by force of circumstances to become self-supporting a t the end of their high school course. We have successfully supplemented the old college preparatory course by business and trade courses, and have established technical high schools, with the object of giving these students the best preparation possible for their entrance into the commercial or industrial world. Similarly in university education, we have supplemented the classical course by courses in engineering, agriculture, forestry, etc., and have established technical institutions for the benefit of students who are limited to four years of college training. Among our students in chemistry we have those who are limited to four years of college and those who may pursue special or graduate work. For the first class, we have courses in chemical engineering and the B.S. course in chemistry. The latter course usually serves as the undergraduate work for those who will continue above the four years. Judging by the volume of published discussion on the subject, there is a serious question whether we are giving our four-year students in chemistry the best preparation possible for their future work in the chemical industries. It is the writer’s opinion, after some years of contact with a large number of graduates from various colleges, that our chemical engineers are quite