Chemistry of Common Things. B y B r o w n l e e - F u i x e r - H a n -
c o c k- Wh i t s i t. Teachers of Chemistry in New Y o rk High Schools. A llyn and Bacon, New Y ork. 1914. i2mo., viii and 616 p. Price, S1.50.
This book is a decided departure from the traditional elemen
tary text. Quoting from the preface: "A s the title indicates, this book deals with the chemistry of every-day affairs. It is designed to meet the growing demand that high-school courses should prepare the pupil for citizenship. In other words, the book is planned for that large number of students who are limited to a single course in chemistry. The facts and principles of such a course should be of practical use throughout life.”
"In an endeavor to meet the varying needs of such students, a wide range of topics has been treated. This will enabld the teacher to select a course best suited to the requirements of his community.
To this end, particular attention has been given to the chemistry needed for the first courses in industrial, technical, and agricultural schools, as well as in those teaching domestic science...”
The book is divided into two p arts: Part I discusses the funda
mental ideas and practical topics of universal interest under the fol
lowing chapters: Chemical Action; Direct Combination; Acids, Bases, Salts; W eight Relations; Nomenclature and Valence; W rit
ing of Chemical Equations; Solutions; Burning and Oxidation;
Fuels, Fireplaces and S toves; Gas and Gasoline Stoves; Oil and Gas Lights; Air and Ventilation; Chemical Purification; W ater;
Typical Properties of M etals; Carbon Compounds (Hydrocarbons, Substitution Products, and Alcohols); Carbon Compounds (Alde
hydes, Acids, Esters, and Carbohydrates); Foods.
In Part II, "T h e authors have striven to group a large amount of interesting information around scientific principles and to make it both usable and scientifically accurate.” The chapters are: The Cooking and the Adulteration of Foods; Bread M aking; M ilk; Cream, Ice Cream, B utter and Cheese; Cleaning and Laundering; Ink; Textile M aterials; D yes and Dyeing;
Photography; Paints, Oils, and Pigments; Distillation of P e
troleum, Wood, and Coal; Blast Lamps and Blowpipes; Gas Engines; Extraction of M etals; Electric Furnaces; Electro
chemistry; Corrosion of M etals; Cleaning of M etals; Iron and Steel; Lime, Cement, and Building M aterials; Brick and Pottery;
Glass; Commercial Chemicals; Agriculture; Chemical Calculation.
Each chapter is taken up in a very system atic manner, each topic being assigned a number, making references very accessible.
The illustrations are aptly chosen and the descriptions and explanations clearly stated. A t the end of each chapter is a clear, brief summary of every topic treated, followed b y a list of well selected questions bearing on the chapter. T he many drawings and illustrations add greatly to the worth of the text.
The book contains quite a few scientific inaccuracies. “ The change of one substance into another is called chemical change"
(p. 1). From this definition the change of ice into water is chemical. “ Boric acid and its salts are largely employed as food preservatives” (p. 19). Valence is spoken of (pp. 55 and 205) as the combining power of an atom instead of a property of an atom. Throughout the book the word nascent is used as it is on page 67: “ Nascent oxygen is considered to be atomic oxygen (oxygen as it occurs a t the instant it is liberated from a chemical compound).” The definition given for saturated solution (p. 87) is a better definition for supersaturation, but since supersaturation is not touched on in the chapter it will answer. The explosive range of acetylene in air is not 3-30 per cent as given on page 134, but 3-52 per cent, and under some conditions as high as 75 per cent (Butterfield). In the manu
facture of Welsbach mantles the cotton threads are never im
pregnated before weaving (p. 136), but always after weaving the mantle. The pressure of Blau gas (p. 139) is 80 to 100 atmospheres, not 20.
The germicidal action of bleaching powder in water purifica
tion (p. 181) is credited to the nascent chlorine and not to the hypochlorite or hypochlorous acid; and on page 232, "The hypochlorous acid is itself an oxidizing agent and the chlorine liberates oxygen from the water in the fiber.” Also 011 page 555,
"T h e active agent of bleaching powder is believed to be nascent oxygen.” CI2 + H20 ---->- 2HCI + O (nascent oxygen). In the description of the manufacture of sugar (p. 236), "The purified syrup is then concentrated in vacuum pans, run out into tanks, and allowed to crystallize, forming the granulated sugar of commerce.’.’ In the manufacture of American Cheese (p. 298), "T h e process m ay be briefly outlined as follows:
Sweet skimmed milk is heated to about 86° F. and the rennet added.” Unskimmed is w hat is intended. In the Hall Process for Aluminum (p. 406), "A n artificial mixture of fluorides, con
taining the fluorides of sodium, calcium and alum inum ...
and the aluminum collects in the lower part of the box, from ' which it is drawn from time to time b y removing a wooden plug from the taphole.” The natural fluoride cryolite is used and since aluminum has a melting point of 657° C. a wooden plug would hardly be suitable. In the sentence, "Soda should never be allowed to come in contact with aluminum for it will turn it black” (p. 466), the last four words should be changed to "dis
solves it.” In the description of the blast furnace (a very clear description for an elementary text) the statement is made (p. 470) th at "ferric oxide is reduced b y the carbon;” this should read reduced b y the carbon monoxide, etc. The topic Minor Sources of Nitrogen (p. 570) has the statement, "Leather and hair are subjected to the fumes of hydrofluoric acid in order to render available the nitrogen they contain.”
T he authors, who b y the w ay are the authors of an admirable text on Elem entary Chem istry used extensively in the high schools, fulfilling the requirements of the Board of Regents and the College Entrance Board, arc undoubtedly sincere in their conviction th at their most recent production is the kind of chem istry best suited to the m ajority of the students passing through their hands. The book is exceedingly practical, es
pecially the first part, and many of the chapters are well selected to prepare the student for citizenship. It should have a tendency to stimulate the young mind to scientific study, especially chem
istry, and if so then the system atic study of chemistry could, to added advantage, begin in the college, the engineering, or the technical schools. The authors deserve credit for being the pioneers in this field and the work will undoubtedly meet
with favor. . _
A r t h u r C. N e is h American Fertilizer Hand Book. Eighth Edition, 1915- 400
pages. Price, $1.00. Ware Bros. Com pany, Philadelphia.
This book follows the form of the previous editions and covers the standard reference statistics and directory features of the fertilizer and allied trades. An adequate idea of the scope of this work m ay be obtained from the following list of subjects treated: The National Fertilizer Association, Fertilizer Ma
terials Statistics, American Potash, Agricultural Experiment Stations, State Fertilizer Officials, Conversion Tables, Ger
man and Other Sources of Potash Supply, Sulfate of Ammonia and N itrate of Soda, Tankage and Blood, Sulfate of Ammonia Statistics, M iddle W est Soil Im provement Committee, Sulfuric Acid Industry, W orld M ovem ent of Fertilizer M aterials, Southern Soil Im provement Committee, N e t Returns per Acre of Culti
vated Lands of the United States, Use of Concrete in Fertilizer Plants, Dictionary of Fertilizer M aterials, F ive Y ears of Cyan- arnid in America, Fertilizer Tonnage, Reference Index, Reference Library, State Fertilizer Tonnage, Phosphate Rock Section, Cottonseed Section, Packers and Renderers Section.
M . C . Wh i t a k e r
Aug., 1 9 1 5 T H E J O U R N A L O F 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
schrift des Vereins deutscher Ingenieure, Vol. 59 (1915), N o . 20, pp. 395-400.
M o t o r s : I n d u s t r i a l U se s f o r E l e c tr ic M o to r s . B y T . R . Ha y. The
T H E J O U R N A L O F 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 V o l . 7, No. 8
RE.CE.NT INVENTIONS
U. S. Pat. 1,125,259. Hydrogenation is effected b y forming an unconfined jet of a
T » < <
” * mixture of oil and a
|V" ' ~ catalyzer and causing
'LjDML { (l I the jet to 1 ass first
11 ISIS a i -- —~*~ZZ?-7p' P C tlirough an atmos-'.IT'—j p „ phere of hydrogen and
jn - thqn onto a body of
\ 131° °il whereby hydrogen
U- \ l ¡j U__ *s carried down into
V - ij | ^ the body of oil and
— ....— — ... 5 v ~ is absorbed as it rises through the latter.
Treating Ores. J. W . Emerson, Feb. 2, 1915. XT. S. Pat.
1,126,965. The blende is separated from concentrates con
taining it, b y passing a shallow traveling layer of the concen
trates into and through a bath which causes a preferential gas-evolving attack upon the blende to an extent only sufficient to lift the blende particles slightly above the surface of the
boiling petroleum oils /v. .«■
into lower boiling oils j.'i "
by heating the higher {
boiling oils with alu- I _
+-minum chlorid and --- ~TT^a« — r:-- ' T ~ ^
distilling off the lower J - U I - ^ ¡1
boiling oils formed. p i « f t H Tli ’r " ^ "
The heated oil is ^ j j j a a j<- 3 |7~7 ~~—
cooled while a sub- V : r ‘ K ir ::
stantial amount of 1 j ^_ij
higher boiling oils re- f ,— C j main therein and the —1—-£— S _ l_ _
aluminum chlorid is separated from the higher boiling oil.
Sodium-Carbonate Crystals. M . Spazier, Feb. 9, 1915.
U. S. Pat. 1,127,691. The apparatus consists of two adjaccnt tanks 8 and 9, a third tank 10, adapted to discharge into cither tank 8 or 9 and a drain receptacle 11,
located above tanks 8 and 9. u -3—
In the use of this apparatus the
crystals start their formation about I ■■ !'Jj I: J ll I the hangers 13 which are evenly dis- • s a tributed in tlic tanks 8 and 9 and a t — : such a distance apart th at they do not
prevent the crystals falling to the a I if * bottom, when, in the process of crys- ~ 1*1' '* t .j "*
tallization, a sheet of crystals has j
formed. A fter crystals have formed in , [•_ J | .7 >
one tank the cross-bars 12 and hangers
13 are removed and any solution which is not crystallized is taken out of the tank and placed in tank 10. The crystals are then placed in the draining receptacle 11 and the excess or re
maining solution is allowed to drain into tanks 8 and 9.
Recovery of Formic Esters Used as Solvents of Cellulose Compounds. J. Duclaux, Feb. 9, 1915. U. S. Pat. 1,127,871.
The vapors of the solvent are absorbed in water containing an alkaline agent. A strong acid and a large excess of methyl or methyl alcohol is then added to the dilute solution and the resultant formic ester recovered b y distillation.
Deposition of Iron. S. O. Cowper-Coles, Feb. 9, 1915' U. S. Pat. 1,127,966. Iron sponge is added to an electrolyte maintained in suspension and distribution b y agitation whereby the acid which is formed is neutralized as rapidly as possible.
Fuse-Igniting Powder. S. Lilley, Sr., Feb. 9, 1915. U. S.
Pat. 1,128,158. T h e powder is composed of chlorate of potash, sugar, sulfur, and cobalt.
Explosive. F. Sparre, F eb. 16, 1915. U. S. Pat. 1,128,380.
T he composition comprises an oxidizing agent and a polysulfide of an alkaline earth metal.
Gas. G. M . S. Tait, Feb. 16, 1915. U. S. Pat. 1,128,549.
A fixed gas is produced from hydrocarbon oils without material deposition of carbon, tar or the like, by passing them tlirough the pores of a heated porous non-metallic decomposing sub
stance maintained a t a temperature of between iooo° E. and 1600° F.
H ydrogen-Peroxid Solution. J. A. Trim ble, Feb. 16, 1915- U. S. Pat. 1,128,637. This is a 3 per cent aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxid containing one part of cinchonidin to approxi
m ately 20,000 parts of hydrogen peroxid solution.
layer and mechanically removing the thus lifted blende aggre
gates from the mass.
The bath m ay consist of a ten per cent aqueous solution of sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid or nitric acid; or, it m ay consist of salt or sulfate of soda, in which case an electric current is passed through the liquid from suitable insoluble electrodes to cause an evolution of acid or chlorine which produces a prefer
ential attack upon the blende particles, sufficient to cause their separation from the other particles of the concentrates.
Recovery of M etallic Oxids from Flue-Dust. G. F. Downs, Feb. 2, 1915. U. S. Pat. 1,127,209. Flue-dust is passed in a continuous mass through a rotative cylindrical kiln or furnace sljghtly inclined from the horizontal and subjected to blasts
of air through numerous tuyeres so regulated that the air is admitted underneath the flue-dust and not only violently agi
tates it, but crcates sufficient heat through the combustion of UN ITED S T A T E S P A T E N T S
Ily C. I,. Pa r k er
S o licito r of C hem ical P a te n ts , M cG ill B u ild in g . W a sh in g to n , D . C.
Hardening Oils. K . Birkeland and O. Devik, Jan. 19, 1915.
the carbon contained in the flue dust with the oxygen contained in the air to sinter or nodulize the flue dust.
Improving Oils. A. M cD . M cA fee, Feb. 9, 1915. U. S. Pat.
1,127,465. This is a process of converting a portion of the high
A u g., i 0 i 5 T H E J O U R N A L O F 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 733
B R IT IS H PA T E N T S B y D . Gh d d k s An d e r s o n
C h em ical E n g in ee r a n d P a te n t C h em ist, G lasgow , S co tlan d The following abstracts arc taken direct from the patent specifications as soon as these are published b y the British Patent Office. The date given at the end of the abstract is date of acceptance.
Treatment of Fabrics Used in Conjunction with India Rubber.
W. E. M untz. Feb. 25, 1913. Brit. Pat. 4910. Fabrics to be subsequently used in the manufacture of rubber goods arc treated in an evacuated vessel, with a 3 per cent solution of barium hydroxide and then with a 3 per cent solution of am
monium carbonate. The insoluble barium carbonate precipi
tated in the fibers neutralizes the sulfuric and sulfurous acids formed after the vulcanization of the rubber.— April i, 1915.
Dyeing or Softening Wood at High Temperatures. L.
Petersen-Hviid, D ec. 23, 1913. Brit. Pat. 29,614. The wood, cither in its natural condition or impregnated with liquids which will soften or color it, is heated in a closed vessel to a suit
able temperature. When the temperature reaches about 135 0 C.
a stream of gaseous ammonia under pressure is introduced.
This treatment prevents the acids which are liberated from the wood at this temperature from injuring the wood fiber.— March 25.
1915-Manufacture of Casein Binding M aterial. L. Petersen- Hviid, Jan. 14, 1914. Brit. Pat. 1016. Infusorial earth is added to the freshly precipitated curd. This addition gives a uniform drying and oxidation of the casein products and makes it very easily soluble in alkali.— April 14, 1915.
Improved Rubber Substance. P. Schidrowitz and H. A.
Goldsbrough, Jan. 15, 1914. Brit. Pat. 11 11 . This relates to a process for obtaining a porous or spongy rubber substance direct from rubber latex. The latter is coagulated under condi
tions producing a spongy coagulum, and the pores so produced fixed by vulcanization. The coagulum is vulcanized in a wet state. One example quoted is: Equal quantities of latex, and a saturated solution of ammonium carbonate are heated on a water bath and 1 per cent of sulfur stirred in. Coagula
tion is induced b y adding acetic acid and the mixture then vu l
canized for one hour at 286° F .— April 15, 1915.
Utilization of Peat. M . A. Adam and Wetcarbonizing, Ltd., Feb. 14, 1914. Brit. Pat. 3888. W et peat is subjected to heat treatment and dewatered to the condition of a solid or semi
solid mass. It is then subjected to an electric current under con
ditions adapted to secure electrosmose, and to pressure in a space of gradually decreased volume. The drawing shows the new type of filter press, which has collapsible chambers and is provided with electrodes in each chamber to pass current through the cakes of peat when formed.— April 14, 1915.
Agglomerated Combustibles. L. M artel, M arch 26, 1914.
Brit. Pat. 7664. This invention relates to the manufacture of agglomerated combustibles made with cool, ground pitch, and
tar. The improvement consists of atomizing the tar by coin- pressed air or steam before adding it to the coal and pitch.
When the tar is added in this fashion less than 1 per cent is re
quired.— M arch 25, 1915.
Extraction of M etal from M etal Bearing M aterial. W . H . James, April 21, 1914. Brit. Pat. 9846. A solution of a salt, such as sodium chloride, is electrolyzed in a separate electro- lyzer. The respective electro- gj-j
T a Z lyzed solutions in the vicinities
of the clectrodes are withdrawn and the anode product is passed to a receptacle containing the metal-bearing material. The solution, after dissolving the base metal, is withdrawn from the material and is mixed with the solution from the cathode of the
electrolyzer and the metal content is precipitated: 1 is a va t provided with filter flour 2; 3 is the electrolyzer with elec
trodes 7 and 8, which are surrounded b y pipes 9 and 10 for withdrawing the solutions.— April 15, 1915.
Alloys of Iron and Steel. B. Talbot, April 29, 1914. Brit.
Pat. 10,582 and 10,877. Copper, 0.3 per cent to 3 per cent, is added to soft steel or ingot iron. The metal is then rolled clown to a suitable sized flat, cut up and piled. The piles are heated in a furnace to a welding temperature and arc then cogged or hammered and rolled into sheets. The alloy is said to possess great powers of resisting corrosion.— April 15, 1915.
Composite Briquette Fuel. E. Eaton. M ay 8, 1914. Brit.
Pat. 11,345. T h e material consists of: chalk 88 per cent, solidi
fied tar 12 per cent. This mixture is ground, and during the grinding process is subjected to steam impregnated with petro
leum oil vapor obtained by passing the steam through a closed tank containing oil.— M arch 25, 1915.
Refining and Distillation of Oils. K . Birkeland and O. Devik, M ay 14, 1914. Brit. Pat. 11,588. A mixture of oil and water vapor is produced by forming a jet of the oil and causing this jet to pass first through an atmosphere of water vapor and then into a body o f1 oil. In this
manner the water vapor forms an emulsion with die oil and the emulsion is passed into a low pressure receptacle where the vapor is allowed to escape and become condensed. An auto
clave 1 is connected with a re
ceptacle 4, which communicates
with a vacuum pump. W ater vapor is led through 5 and oil through injectors 6. The emulsion is conveyed through 7 to the low pressure chamber 4.— April 8, 1915.
Cellulose Compounds. Courtaulds Ltd. W . H . Glover and L. P. Wilson, M ay 27, 1914. Brit. Pat. 13,055. Refers 111 particular to the manufacture of viscose. T he oxidation of the alkali-cellulosc is effected b y blowing air through it, or by treating it with soluble peroxides, e. g., 2 kilos of sodium per
oxide are dissolved in 200 kilos of 17.5 per cent solution of caus
tic soda and 5 kilos wood pulp are immersed in the liquid at a temperature of 180 C. for about 4 hours. The product is then removed and pressed until it is about 15 kilos in weight, after which it is ground and at once converted into xanthate b y the action of carbon bisulfide.— April 15, 1915.
Cleaning and Polishing Compound. C. E. Challis, June 23, 1914. Brit. Pat. 14,963. This consists of a mixture of kiesel- guhr, pumice, oxide of iron, rottenstonc, emery, Neuberg chalk,- oxalate of ammonia, and powdered soap. This m ixtu re. is made into a paste with oleic acid and a little Russian turpen
tine.— April 8, 1915.
VT7
7 3 4
M A R K E T R E P O R T —J U L Y , 1 9 1 5
Aug., 1 9 15 T H E J O U R N A L O F 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 27