G . N A T H A N R E E D , K a n s a s S t a t e C o l l e g e , M a n h a t t a n , K a n .
T
H E Chem istry D epartm ent of the Kansas S tate College of Agriculture and Applied Science is enjoying the use of a new Science Building, after having occupied very cramped quarters since th e old building burned in July, 1934. The new building has been named Willard H all in honor of J. T.W illard, who served as head of the departm ent for many years.
W illard H all is b u ilt of native limestone and trimmed with Bedford limestone. The building is 305 feet long by 65 feet wide w ith wings measuring 92 by 66 feet placed a t each end, giving it th e shape of a large E with the center bar missing.
The interior is of fireproof steel and reinforced concrete con
struction; only the doors and furniture are of wood. The floors are of concrete except for the classrooms and offices in which a wood floor has been laid on top of the concrete base.
A W PA gran t was obtained to aid in the construction and equipm ent of the building, the total cost of which was about
$725,000.
The four floors were carefully planned to make maximum use of the floor space available. An 11-foot corridor runs length
wise of each floor, dividing it into a 25-foot section toward the front of the building which is used for student work and an 18-foot section toward the rear, in which are placed the re
m ainder of the student laboratories, the service rooms, and the offices and research laboratories of th e teaching staff.
Stairways are located a t each end of the building and in the center rear. Short connecting corridors lead from the center corridor of the main or second floor to the main entrance a t the center of the building and to flanking front entrances lo
cated toward each end. O ther entrances a t ground level are located a t each end of the building and opposite the main entrance a t the rear. The intersection of corridors a t the main entrance has been m ade into a small rotunda, on the floor of which is a mosaic made up by working brass inlays of some of the more im portant alchemical symbols into a terrazzo background. Large glass-front display cases are recessed into each wall of the short corridor leading to th e main entrance.
The D epartm ent of Chem istry occupies abo u t two thirds of all four floors, while the remainder of the building is given over to the Physics D epartm ent.
Ch e m i s t r y Le c t u r e Ro o m, Sh o w i n g Li g h t i n g Sy s t e m a n d Gr i l l f o r Ve n t i l a t i n g Sy s t e m o v e r Le c t u r e Ta b l e
P r e p a r a t io n ro o m is sh o w n th r o u g h d o o r o n le ft. R ig h t e n d of le c tu r e ta b le h a s b e e n d e ta c h e d ; le ft e n d is o f s a m e c o n s tr u c tio n , b o th e n d s m a y b e ro lle d in t o p r e p a r a tio n ro o m s. W h ite s tr ip o n ta b le is illu m in a te d p a n e l. L o u d s p e a k e rs fo r s o u n d
m o tio n p ic tu re s a r e o n b o th s id e s of p e rio d ic c h a rt.
2 0 5
2 0 6 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 Vol. 13, No. 3
C h e m is t r y D e p a r t m e n t
Fi r s t Fl o o r. T he first floor houses th e laboratories of the Agricultural Experim ent Station. In this is included research on starch and other chemurgic problems, soils, anim al n u tri
tion, m eat, dairy, and poultry, each occupying separate rooms designed and equipped to m eet special needs. A suite of two large laboratories, weighing room, and sample grinding and storage room is set aside for the analytical laboratories of the Experim ent Station. Here also is done analytical work for the S tate Board of Agriculture. In another laboratory the analytical work for the S tate Board of H ealth is done. A special laboratory which has no gas connections—all heating is done w ith steam or electricity—is available for work with and th e recovery of inflammable solvents. A small animal room; a well-equipped shop w ith facilities for glass, metal, or wood working; the electrical control panel w ith its ac
companying bank of storage batteries and motor-generator equipm ent; th e compressor and vacuum pum ps; the receiv
ing room; and a washroom w ith shower facilities are all on this floor.
One of the m ost interesting features is a b attery of five constant-tem perature and constant-hum idity rooms. Each room is separately controlled and th e tem perature range avail
able is from —30° to 50° C. Any relative hum idity between 10 per cent and saturation can be m aintained. Another con
stant-tem perature room is connected to th e laboratory for soil research. F our laboratories housing special research equipm ent for physical chemistry, and the Experim ent Station Office, w ith a fireproof v au lt for the storage of rec
ords, complete the facilities on this floor.
Included in the special equipm ent are several large centri
fuges, a supercentrifuge, high-pressure hydrogenation equip
ment, two large Carver presses, a K jeldahl digestion rack of 60-flask capacity and a distillation rack capable of handling 36 flasks, a vacuum oven, a large therm ostat, a liquid air machine, complete x-ray equipment, a large spectrograph with both glass and quartz prisms and capable of giving a 30- inch spectrum, complete equipm ent for spectrographic and spectrophotometric work, a photoelectric colorimeter, and a fluorophotometer for absorption in the ultraviolet region.
An office desk, desk chair, and filing case have been placed in each research laboratory.
Se c o n d Fl o o r. T he departm ent offices, located on the second or main floor, consist of a suite of four rooms made up of the business office, with another fireproof v au lt for records;
the general office; and a private office and research laboratory for the head of th e departm ent. A two-way buzzer system connects the general office w ith all th e offices for the staff and with the laboratories, both student and research. Com
m unication is further aided by a telephone (intercommuni
cating and outside) located on each floor. The departm ent library is across the hall from the general offices.
T o p . T y p i c a l O f f i c e - R e s e a r c h L a b o r a t o r y f o r T e a c h i n g S t a f f . L e f t H a l f o f R o o m Is S i m i l a r t o S e c t i o n
S h o w n i n P h o t o g r a p h
Se c o n d, f r o m To p. La b o r a t o r y o f t h e Ag r i c u l t u r a l Ex p e r i m e n t St a t i o n, Us e d a s a n Ex t r a c t i o n Ro o mf o r Wo r k
w i t h Vo l a t i l e So l v e n t s
Th i r d f r o m To p. Wa t e r St i l l a n d 1 0 0 0 - G a l l o n Pu r e Al u m i n u m St o r a g e Ta n k i n At t i c. By Us i n g Pu r e Al u m i n u m i n Ta n k a n d Di s t r i b u t i n g Pi p e s, w i t h Al u m i n u m a n d Si l v e r Fa u c e t s, a Pl e n t i f u l Su p p l y o f Di s t i l l e d Wa t e r w i t h a Co n d u c t i v i t y o f 10~* Re c i p r o c a l Oh m Is Av a i l a b l e
t h r o u g h o u t t h e Bu i l d i n g
Lo w e r. Ty p i c a l De s k Ar r a n g e m e n t i n Qu a n t i t a t i v e La b o r a t o r y, Sh o w i n g Ba l a n c e Ro o m a t Ri g h t
M arch 15, 1941 A N A L Y T I C A L E D I T I O N 2 0 7
Ty p i c a l Fr e s h m a n La b o r a t o r y, Sh o w i n g Co m b i n a t i o n Bl a c k b o a r d a n d Cl o t h e s Lo c k e r. Ea c h St u d e n t I s As s i g n e da Dr a w e r. Cu p b o a r d
Ho l d s Eq u i p m e n t Us e d i n Co m m o nb y Si x Se c t i o n s
classroom seating 40, and two offices and re
search laboratories for staff members.
T h i r d F l o o r . On the third floor are laboratories for organic chemistry. Two laboratories, used by the elementary courses, will accommodate 416 students working in four sections. A third laboratory, for stu dents m ajoring in chemistry, can be used by three sections or a total of 111 students. The physiological chemistry laboratory will also accommodate 111 students in three sections.
A small laboratory w ith desks for eight stu dents m ay be used for organic analysis and organic preparations.
T he physical chemistry laboratory will accommodate two sections of 24 students each. Adjoining it are a special supply room and a smaller laboratory in which the more elaborate pieces of apparatus may be set up.
T he lecture room occupies the entire wing, w ith 233 seats arranged in am phitheater fashion. I t has indirect lighting and a sepa
rate ventilating system. A long, thoroughly m odern lecture table occupies the front of this room. T he end sections of this table m ay be detached and rolled into the prepara
tion rooms a t each side. These lecture prepa
ration rooms are completely equipped and each m ay be reached by a spiral stair from the first floor. The lecture table is equipped with hot, cold, and distilled water, gas, air, vacuum, 220-volt alternating current, and variable direct current. T he large sink m ay also be used as a pneum atic trough, and a dis
play plate, m ade by m ounting a ground- glass plate in th e top of the table and illum inating it from below, is an aid in m ak
ing the details of lecture dem onstrations plainly visible. A small b u t powerful table hood removes obnoxious gases. The light
ing system of the room, as well as the mechanical shades covering th e window’s, m ay be controlled from the lecture table.
A 70-slide autom atic Baloptican (also con
trolled from the lecture table) and a motion picture m achine for both sound and silent pictures are available for visual education.
The sound equipm ent is so arranged th a t the lecturer may, if he chooses, operate either the motion picture machine or th e projector from the back of the room; yet, b y speaking into a small microphone, his voice will reach his hearers from the front of the room.
The facilities for quantitative analysis in
clude a laboratory capable of accommodating two sections of 40 students each. Attached to this laboratory b u t separated from it by glass partitions are a balance room and a sam
ple preparation room. The advanced inor
ganic preparations laboratory may be used by two sections of 24 students each, while an electrochemical laboratory with 16 desks and a graduate research laboratory w ith 32 desks complete the arrangem ent for student labora
tory work on this floor. Here also are a
To p. On e o f t h e Re s e a r c h La b o r a t o r i e s f o r Ph y s i c a l Ch e m i s t r y, Sh o w i n g Sp e c t r o g r a p h Pl a c e d o n Co n c r e t e Pi e r
Bo t t o m. On eo ft h e Or g a n i c La b o r a t o r i e s. Be c a u s e Th i s La b o r a t o r y
I s Lo c a t e d o v e r t h e Le c t u r e Ro o m, t h e Se r v i c e s Ar e De l i v e r e d t o De s k s f r o m Ce i l i n g Ma i n s. In' Ot h e r La b o r a t o r i e s, t h e Se r v i c e s
Co m e f r o m Be l o w
2 0 8 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 ol. 13, N o. 3
Ve n t i l a t i n g Sy s t e m i n At t i c
I n th e b a c k g ro u n d , b e h in d n e tw o rk of p ip e s, is o n e o i th e ca g es fo r s to r a g e of c h e m ic a ls a n d e q u ip m e n t.
A classroom seating 40 persons completes the facilities for student work on this floor. Three combination offices and research laboratories and two offices w ith research labora
tories attached are assigned to the nine staff members who work principally w ith organic, physiological, or physical chemistry.
F o u r t h F l o o r . On the fourth floor are five inorganic chemistry laboratories which will accommodate a total of 1308 students working in six sections. Three combination offices and research laboratories and one office w ith research laboratory attached are used by th e nine staff members whose work is w ith the freshman chemistry.
The laboratory desks are built of oak and were designed to meet the requirements of the classes or individual using them.
The desk tops are of a new cement-asbestos composition and are almost impervious to ordinary laboratory reagents. An open drain lined with heavy lead sheeting runs through the middle of each table and empties into a Knight-ware sink a t the end.
Distilled water is delivered through aluminum pipes to a faucet a t the end of each laboratory table. A water-steam mixing bulb is placed over each sink, so th at either hot or cold water is always available. Each working place is provided with outlets for water, gas, compressed air, and vacuum. In the organic and physio
logical laboratories a steam cone is placed a t each working place.
The laboratories used by upperclassmen have available also a 220-volt alternating current outlet and a variable direct current outlet. Reagent shelves are placed conveniently along the walls of the laboratories. In the freshman laboratories two triple- beam balances with 111-gram capacity are placed at the end of each table opposite the sink. In the other laboratories a triple
beam balance with 1100-gram capacity is mounted on each re
agent shelf. Each student laboratory has a large clothes locker occupying one whole end of the room. Blackboards are mounted on the doors of this locker space.
The variable direct current originates w ith a bank of stor
age batteries on the first floor, and th e necessary m otor- generator set is available to keep these batteries charged.
From a m aster control panel board th e current selected, which m ay be anything from 2 to 110 volts, is distributed to subpanel boards located on each floor and from there to th e individual laboratories. In the larger student laboratories there are a t least two circuits available, so th a t two widely different experiments m ay be in progress a t the same time.
T he laboratory hoods are arranged in vertical banks throughout th e four floors, each w ith its own m otor and ex
h aust fan in th e attic. These fans continue to function as long as any hood of a bank is turned on. The individual units are controlled by a system of dam pers operated by th e m otor switch; hence, the exhaust fan is effective only on those hoods which are turned on. In the large student laboratories are placed U nivent ventilators which operate simultaneously w ith th e hood fans and in this m anner compensate for th e air removed through the hoods. Each hood is provided with gas cocks, an electrical power outlet, water, and drain. The larger hoods have electric lights installed toward the top of the hood.
The main storeroom for th e departm ent is in the attic.
All incoming supplies are unloaded into a receiving room on the first floor, where they are unpacked and entered on stock records. T he distribution m ay be to th e service rooms, one on each floor, or to th e attic for storage. A freight elevator connects this system of storerooms. The attic also houses a 50-gallon-per-hour Barnstead w ater still and a 1000-gallon aluminum storage ta n k for distilled water. T he hydrogen sulfide for the qualitative analysis laboratories is bought in commercial cylinders. T he pressure is regulated by an oil- filled gasometer, placed in the attic, and from there the dry gas passes through cast-iron pipes to jets located in th e lab
oratory hoods. All volatile and inflammable solvents are stored separately in an underground vault which is reached directly from the receiving room.
M arch 15, 1941 A N A L Y T I C A L E D I T I O N 11
fy Î n r w M M < y i/n a
A M E R I C A N M O D E L X I
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T he cost o f th e P olarograph has been reduced from $750.00, w hich was th e price for th e form er model, to $550.00 for th e new Model X I.
Two publications pertain in g to polarography will be available fo r d istrib u tio n w ithin the nex t few weeks. One explains in detail th e principles o f applied polaro- graphic analysis, essential in stru m e n ta tio n , care and m a in ten an ce o f th e in stru m e n t, its operation and th e technique of th e dropping m e rc u ry electrode and cell. T h e o th e r is a bibliography of m ore th a n 700 papers dealing w ith polarographic analysis. Both publications are available w ith o u t charge on w ritte n request.
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12 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 Vol. 13, N o. 3