I/EC
REPORTS AND INTERPRETS
risk of rising a g a i n owing to butyric acid growth control. It is then possible to store t h e green grass, forgetting w e a t h e r conditions, for a n indefinite length of time, a n d use it as a r a w material for processing in a u t u m n a n d wintertime, w h e n the busy harvest period is over. R a t h e r small plants, then, can d o the processing j o b as c o m p a r e d with plants finishing the d r y i n g c o n c u r r e n t to the harvesting. W h e n desired, the stored c o m p a c t e d material is p u t t h r o u g h a screw press to remove the juice, a n d comes out as a fibrous material which is an excellent fodder. T h e juice contains 5 to 8 % solids, mainly proteins ( 3 5 % in the dry m a t t e r ) , carbohydrates, a n d mineral salts, but little fiber or cellulose (4 to 5 % in the dry m a t t e r ) · T h e juice is gathered in a water-tight silo, a n d left there for fermentation. I n Iceland's climate this takes place at 10° to 15° C. T h e fermented liquid is kept intact in the silo d u r i n g a u t u m n a n d early winter, where it precipitates proteins until it is stopped by acidification ( p H quickly goes to 4.2). It freezes usually in late O c t o b e r , but not so strongly t h a t by gentle agitation, ice crystals c a n n o t be removed from the top of the solution. At the same time, organic m a t t e r is gradually precipitated as a n increasingly concentrated solution, a n d a b o u t 4 0 % of the fluid volume is thus removed as ice or mineral salt solution, leaving the organic m a t t e r behind. Solids are removed by a centrifuge. T h e concentrated juice is now readyforevaporation—it a p p e a r s t h a t some type of s u b m e r g e d b u r n e r m a y finish off the j o b to give a sirupy liquid of pleasant odor, which is excellent for pelletizing r o u g h a g e or feed concentrates. Fibrous residue from the grass press contains 60 to 6 5 % moisture, a n d is either ensiled or dried to grassmeal. (This is a k n o w n successful process, now being used in Everglades, Fla.) " M a k e h a y while the sun shines" is the time-honored m o t t o of those w h o believe in working at the right time for the best results, but if M r . Thorsteinsson's hopes come to fruition, it could be changed to "stock the mow w h e n it's too wet to p l o w . "
T h i s plan for better a p p o r t i o n m e n t of the work year smacks of a real economy gain for agricultural Iceland, a n d leads one to think t h a t sound possibilities m a y h a v e been overlooked in some instances, some even for centuries. J.B.P.
Westinghouse LIFE-LINE A MOTOR WORKS 56,940 CONTINUOUS HOURS IN HIGHLY CORROSIVE ATMOSPHERE
Now It's Oligomers I H E PUBLIC has j u s t a b o u t become accustomed to the terms " m o n o m e r " a n d " p o l y m e r , " a n d now T e x a s U.S. Chemical Co. is p r o m o t i n g a new one—oligomer. T h e term is derived from the Greek word oligos, m e a n i n g small or few. T e x a s - U . S . is pushing the n o m e n c l a t u r e for referring to low molecular weight comp o u n d s containing only 2, 3, or 4 m o n o m e r units, as contrasted to polymers which m a y consist of thousands of the simple chemical units. An example of one of the most easily p r e p a r e d a n d widely investigated c o m p o u n d s falling in the "oligomer class" is 4-vinyl-l-cyclohexane, a d i m e r p r e p a r e d t h r o u g h a Diels-Alder condensation of butadiene with itself.
Hot Coffee, Maybe? L I K E your coffee " h o t " ? Radioactive, t h a t is. Caffeine, the stimulant normally found in coffee, tea, a n d some other organic materials, is now p r e p a r e d in radioactive form. T h e new c o m p o u n d , which contains carbon-14, is known chemically as 1methyl - C 1 4 - 3,7 - d i m e t h y l x a n t h i n e . T r a c e r l a b has m a d e radioactive caffeine available commercially at a price of $450 per millicurie. T h i s is pretty expensive stuff to "soup u p " your coffee, but medical a n d biochemical research scientists plan to m a k e good use of the new comp o u n d in probing for a deeper u n d e r standing of the effects caffeine has on the h e a r t a n d the respiratory a n d nervous systems.
The ability to give long and dependable service under the most rigorous operating conditions is an impressive f e a t u r e of W e s t i n g h o u s e e l e c t r i c m o t o r s . Seven y e a r s a g o , G e n e r a l Chemical Division of Allied Chemical called upon Westinghouse engineers with a serious drive problem. A motor was needed to stand up under 24-hour service in an atmosphere containing h y d r o g e n chloride, sulphur dioxide and sulphur trioxidc. Ambient conditions varied from 70° to 100° F. A Westinghouse Life-Line A motor, Type T E F C , was installed to power a screw conveyor feeding seven tons of raw material every 24 hours, 365 days a year, from storage hoppers. Any motor failure would mean a twohour shutdown of this equipment. T o d a y , after 5 6 , 9 4 0 h o u r s of s u c h strenuous 'round-the-clock operation, the original Westinghouse Life-Line A motor still gives trouble-free service — and promises to continue doing so for years to come. T h r o u g h o u t the chemical industry, m a n y t h o u s a n d s of W e s t i n g h o u s e motors — both standard and custome n g i n e e r e d t y p e s — are h e l p i n g to speed production with this same sure reliability for which W e s t i n g h o u s e products are so renowned. VOL.
52, NO. 8
·
AUGUST 1960
35 A
