Industrial and Engineering Chemistry : industrial edition, Vol. 37, No. 8

Industrial and

Engineering Chemistry

Volume 37 • Number 8 AUGUST, 1945

R E P R IN T E D IT IO N

A D V E R T IS IN G O M IT T E D

I N D U S T R I A L

E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y

E D ITO R : W ALTER J. M UR PHY Assistant to Editor: N . A . PARKINSON M a n a g in g Editor: F. J. V A N ANTWERPEN Associate Editor: JAMES M. CROWE Midw est Editor: ROBERT F. GOULD Industrial Editor: HARRy W. STENERSON M a nuscript Editor: HELEN K. N e w to n M a ke-up Editor: BERTHA REYNOLDS M anuscript Assistant: STELLA ANDERSON

C ontributin g Editors Charles Ow en Br o w n Ralph H. Mu n c h Walterv o n Pe c h m a n n

A dvisory Board W. L. BADGER

H . E. BARNARD W. H . DOW GASTON DUBOIS GUSTAVUS J. ESSELEi -I PER K. FROLICH C. F. KETTERING O . E. M A Y C. S. MINER

H . R. MURDOCK C. F. PRUTTON A . S. RICHARDSON W. A . SCHMIDT R. N . SHREVE L V . STECK C. M . A . STINE E. C. SULLIVAN E. R. WEIDLEIN J. M . WEISS

The A m erican Chem ical S ociety assumes no re­

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vanced b y co n trib u to rs to its p ublications.

C o p y rig h t 1 9 4 5 b y A m erican Chemical S ociety 3 2 ,2 0 0 co pie s o f this issue p rin te d

A night seen* at the Bayway, N . J ., Refinery of the Standard O il Company ( N . J.) is shown above.

IS S U E D A U G U S T 6, 1945 • VOL. 37, NO. 8 • C O N SEC U T IV E N O . 15 DEPARTMENTS

Editorials... 6 9 9

H e a d l i n e s ...791

I. & E. C. R e p o r t s ... *5

A s W e S ee I t ... *73

Equipment and Design. Charles O w e n B r o w n ... *79

Instrumentation. Ralph H. M u n c h ... *85

Plant Management. Walter von P e c h m a n n ... *91

Last-Minute F l a s h e s ... *120

TECHNICAL ARTICLES C O RR OSIO N INHIBITORS Introduction. F. N. S p e l l e r ... 702

Use of Soluble Inhibitors. U. R. E v a n s ... 7Ö3 Discussion. D. S. McKinney and J. C. Warner, 705. Reply. U. R. Evans . 706 Zinc, Manganese, and Chromic Salts as Corrosion Inhibitors. R. S. Thornhill . 706 Discussion of Papers by Evans and Thornhill... W. H. J. Vernon and F. Wormwell 709 Threshold Treatment of Water Systems. G. B. Hatch and O w en Rice . . . . 710

Discussion. J. A . H o l m e s ... 715

Protection of Small Water Systems from Corrosion. William Stericker . . . . 716

Discussion. Henry L. S huldener... 720

Galvanic Corrosion of Steel Coupled to Nickel. H. R. Copson . . . 721

Scale and Corrosion Control in Potable Water Supplies at Army Posts . . . . R. T. Hanlon, A . J. Steffen, G. A . Rohlich, and L. H. Kessler 724 Inhibitors of Corrosion of Aluminum. G. G. Eldredge and R. B. Mears . . . 7 3 6 Chromate Corrosion Inhibitors in Bimetallic Systems. Marc Darrin . . . 741

Sodium Nitrite as Corrosion Inhibitor for Watet. A . W ächter...749

Corrosion Control with Threshold Treatment. G. B. Hatch and O w en Rice . . . 752

Castilla as a Western Hemisphere Rubber. E. M. Blair and T. F. F o r d ... 76 0 Objective Laboratory Testing of the Processability of E la s to m e r s ... L. M. White, E. S. Ebers, and G. E. Shriver 767 G el as a Definitive Property in GR-S Technology ... L. M. White, E. S. Ebers, G. E. Shriver, and S. Breck 770 Storage Batteries. Thomas C. Lynes, Frank Hovorka, and Leland E. Wells . . . . 7 7 6 Noncatalytic Estérification of O ctyl A lcoh ol and Polybasic A c i d s ... Philip L. Gordon and Ruth Aronowitz 7 8 0 Kinetics of Sucrose Crystallization. Andrew Van H o o k ...782 Microscopic Studies of Lyogels. Ernst A. Hauser and D. S. le B e a u ...7 8 6 Minimum Work in Multistage Compression. Harold G. Elrod, Jr...7 8 9

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INDUSTRIAL ^and ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

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ON THE CHEMICAL WORLD TODAY

O n c h tib u f, a n d G o s y u M e A c e .

Shellac Varnish.

sh ip of th e S h ellac Im p o rte rs A sso ciatio n , b u t w ith sh o rtag es a n d th e in s titu tio n of g o v e rn m e n t sto c k p ilin g th is w as d is­

c o n tin u e d in 1942. F a c ilitie s fo r re se a rc h in th e in d u s tr y are lim ited , a n d unless th is p ro g ra m is resu m ed , re se arc h in th e fu tu re w ill b e larg e ly in t h e h a n d s of u sers o f sh ellac. T h is m a y re s u lt in th e d e v elo p m en t of sh ellac as a ch em ical ra w m a te ria l, ex p an d in g o r re p la cin g its tra d itio n a l u se a s a resin . A lre a d y re p la ce d b y s y n th e tic s in a n u m b e r of a p p lic atio n s, sh ellac is s till d o m in a n t in th e th re e lea d in g to n n a g e uses—

floor v a rn is h , so u n d reco rd s, a n d electrical in su la tio n . E v e n h e re, h o w ev er, in ro a d s a re b e in g m a d e b y su ch m a te ria ls as v in y l resin s w h ich w ere p e rm itte d fo r ra d io tra n s c rip tio n s w h e n shellac w as s h o rt.

L o n g a n in v itin g field fo r sy n th e tic e n d e a v o r ( B a k d ite was o n e re s u lt), th e se a rc h fo r sh ellac s u b s titu te s w as in ten sified b y w a r sh o rta g es . I n th e field of shellac v a rn ish es, s u b s ti­

t u te s w ere c o n s ta n tly ch an g e d a s m a te ria ls successively b e ­ c am e u n a v a ila b le . T h e y w ere larg e ly resin co m p o sitio n s of th e m aleic, p h th a lic , o r p h en o lic ty p e s . Z ein w as u s e d to som e e x te n t. P la stic ize rs a n d cellulose d e riv a tiv e s w ere «1«»

in c lu d e d in th e s u b s titu te v a rn is h e s so t h a t fo rm u la tio n s w ere e s se n tia lly lac q u e rs w ith m o re re sin th a n e ster.

T h e p ro b lem s in tro d u c e d b y th e s e s u b s titu te s w ere m o s tly co n cern ed w ith so lu b ility . R o sin w as u s u a lly a d d e d to im ­ p ro v e alco h o l so lu b ility , b u t w ith m a n y of th e s y n th e tic resin s s o lu b ility re m a in ed o n th e b o rd e rlin e so t h a t th e fo rm u ­ la tio n o fte n h a d u n d e sirab le te m p e ra tu re c h ara c te ris tic s.

Z ein ty p e s u b s titu te s te n d e d to gel. A n o th e r d ifficu lty w as su rfa c e ch a lk in g d u e to so lu b ility of th e c o n s titu e n t w axes in la c q u e r so lv e n ts. T h e influence of sy n th e tic s, h o w ev er, h a s te n d e d to p o in t o u t th e p o ssib ilities of m o d ify in g shellac v a rn is h th ro u g h fo rm u la tio n , a n d it is fe lt b y som e t h a t th e n ow -sim ple so lu tio n of shellac in alcohol w ill b e im p ro v e d b y th e a d d itio n of o th e r resin s a n d m o d ify in g a g en ts.

"With g o v e rn m e n t c o n tro ls o n shellac rem o v ed , sh ellac v a rn is h p ro d u c e rs h a v e r e tu rn e d to th e n a tu r a l p ro d u c t in s p ite of th e r a th e r h igh p rice of 33 t o 35 c e n ts p e r p o u n d for flake lac , th e n a tiv e refin ed g ra d e. A t th is p rice th e re are som e sy n th e tic s , su c h a s fa s t-d ry in g p h en o lic “ d isp ersio n re sin s” w h ich c a n co m p ete w ith sh ellac on a p rice b asis.

H o w ev er, w ith p rice lev els d o w n to 1 5 -2 2 c e n ts p e r p o u n d , as som e ex p ect, th e s u b s titu te s w ill b e fo rced to c o m p ete solely o n a q u a lity o r specific u se b asis.

S h ro u d e d in secrecy, th e shellac v a rn is h in d u s tr y o p e ra te s a s a n old-fash io n ed a r t, a n d its v e r y s im p lic ity h a s te n d e d to k e ep i t so. T h e re a re th o se in th e in d u s tr y w ho feel that- i t w ill n o t ch an g e in th is re sp e ct a n d t h a t resin u se s o f shellac w ill c o n tin u e to d ev elo p in s p ite of sy n th e tic s .

D is a p p e a r in g S o a p . C o n su m p tio n of so a p m a y b e th e y a rd s tic k of civ ilizatio n , a s so m eo n e h a s v e n tu ro u s ly asse rted , b u t o u r c u rre n t d eclin in g r a te o f so a p p ro d u c tio n a n d u se is d u e to m o re ta n g ib le reaso n s. S u p p lies of fa ts , v e g eta b le oils, a n d re sin , th e ra w m a te ria ls fo r so a p m a n u fa c tu re , h a v e becom e so serio u sly d e p le te d t h a t so m e re ta ile rs fin d i t necessary to ra tio n th e ir so ap one cak e a t a tim e to c u sto m ers.

I n c o n tra s t, so ap p ro d u c tio n in 1944 s e t a n ew h ig h .

I n n o rm al tim e s c o co n u t oil is p ro b a b ly o n e o f th e m o s t im p o rta n t ra w m a te ria ls fo r th e so a p m ak e r. I t w as su p p lied larg ely b y th e P h ilip p in es, a n d w e m a y n o t b e a b le to c o u n t o n t h a t so u rce fo r c o c o n u t oil u n til so m e tim e in 1946. O th e r so ap oils, in clu d in g p a lm , c o tto n se e d , so y b e a n , olive, a n d w hale, as w ell a s tallo w a n d grease, a re n o t a v a ila b le to m a k e u p th e c o co n u t oil deficiency. • J u s t h o w s h o r t t h e y a re fo r all p u rp o ses is e v id e n t in th e re p o r t of th e U n ite d S ta te s D e ­ p a r tm e n t of A g ric u ltu re fo r M a y 1. T h is re p o rt show s t h a t sto c k s of all fa ts a n d oils o n t h a t d a te to ta le d 1,823,000,000 p o u n d s as co m p a red w ith 2,709,000,000 p o u n d s o n e y e a r earlier.

R e s in n o rm a lly e n te rs th e m a n u fa c tu re o f so a p (la u n d ry v a rie tie s p a rtic u la rly ) o n a la rg e scale. R o s in c o n su m p tio n fo r t h is p u rp o se d u rin g th e n a v a l sto re s seaso n e n d in g M a r c h 1945, to ta le d 324,164 d ru m s of 520 p o u n d s eac h . H o w ev er, sin ce F e b ru a ry of th is y e a r th e u s e o f ro s in fo r c iv ilia n so ap s h a s b e en lim ite d to 2 5 % of th e 1944 r a te .

A su rp risin g ly larg e to n n a g e of so a p in v a rio u s fo rm s is b e ­ in g ta k e n b y th e a rm e d forces. I t is b e in g su p p lie d d ire c tly to m en a n d w o m en in serv ice a n d to p riso n e rs of w ar. S o ap also h a s in d ire c t w ar uses, as in th e p o ly m e riz a tio n of sy n ­ th e tic ru b b e r. S o ap of a n e n tire ly d iffere n t c h a ra c te r, in th e fo rm of re c e n tly d ev elo p ed s y n th e tic d e te rg e n ts , likew ise is b e in g ta k e n b y th e A rm y a n d N a v y {Continued on page 8)

A h . ¿*Ue>ifiSie tc U io e m o n t h l y d itf& U c l t e m U i i . , c U & m ic a l e * vfL * te & te , a * t d e z & c u ilu & i i* i th e o U & m ic al p A acbvzlw j. an d , c h e m ic a l c a *% i4 *m i*tf

ReportsEon th e Chemical World

Today Commence

on a scale w hich p reclu d es th e ir use b y civilians. T h e y en ab le N a v y p erso n n el to use s a lt w a te r in lau n d e rin g o p e ratio n s an d also so fte n sp rin g w a te r supplies pressed in to service for th e sam e p u rp o se a t A rm y e n cam p m en ts. M a d e from p etro leu m d istilla te s or alcohol, th e d e te rg en ts are n o t d e p en d ­ e n t on im p o rte d raw m ate ria ls. E x p an sio n of th is chem ical a c tiv ity can b e s e t dow n as a c e rta in ty , follow ing J a p a n ’s defeat, to m e e t h u n d re d s of in d u s tria l a n d household uses.

Laboratory Apparatus. F o re ig n d e m a n d fo r c a p ita l la b o r a to r y e q u ip m e n t, to g e th e r w ith th e m a n y new in ­ s ta lla tio n s a n d in c re a s e d fu n d s of d o m e s tic la b o ra to rie s , h a v e ra is e d th e d e m a n d fo r h e a v y e q u ip m e n t to tw ic e th e o u tp u t. S h ip m e n ts o n L e n d -L e a se so m etim es h a v e a h ig h e r p rio rity t h a n for d o m e s tic p r iv a te o rg a n is a tio n s ; as a re s u lt o u r college a n d in d u s tr ia l la b o ra to rie s fre q u e n tly h a v e b e en forced to w a it u n til o rd e rs fro m fo re ig n la b o ra to rie s , w hich h a v e e x p a n d e d e x tre m ely r a p id ly d u rin g th e w ar, are filled.

T h e g e n e ra l s itu a tio n in la b o r a to r y a p p a r a tu s is e asin g , h o w ev er, w ith so m e lin es, s u c h as h a r d w a r e a n d p o rc e la in , re a d ily a v a ila b le . M ic ro sc o p es c a n a g a in b e p u rc h a s e d w ith o u t p r io r ity , a n d a n a ly tic a l b a la n c e s a re b e co m in g easie r to o b ta in . T h e s u b s titu tio n of s o ft g lass fo r P y re x , w here p o ssib le , h a s d o n e m u c h to e ase th e s itu a tio n on la b o ra to ry g la s sw a re d u rin g th e la s t se v e ra l y e a rs . G ro u n d jo in ts a n d g r a d u a te d g las sw a re a re y e t p re s e n tin g d if­

ficu lt d e liv e ry p ro b le m s. S ta n d a r d ite m s a re o n sch e d u le , b u t o n so m e s p e c ia lty lin e s fa b r ic a to r s a r e a s m u c h as tw o y e a rs b e h in d .

T h e m a n p o w e r s h o r ta g e h a s h i t th e la b o r a to r y s u p ­ plie rs p rin c ip a lly in th e g lass a n d m a c h in e sh o p s. R e ­ se a rch a n d d e v e lo p m e n t h a v e k e p t p a c e w ith th e in c re a s e d te m p o of th e in d u s tr y , a n d p o s tw a r o fferin g s of n ew e q u ip m e n t a re e x p e c te d to f e a tu r e e le c tro n ic s a n d lig h t m eta ls.

Vitapine. Science alw ay s com es to th e resgue. N ow comes a use fo r th e o ld C h ristm a s tree . W e n o te d th is recen tly in a n u n p u b lis h ed sp eech of V. N . B u k in of th e A cadem y of Sciences of U .S .S .R . T h e R u ssia n s d u rin g th e w ar m ad e v ita m in C fro m pin e needles to eke o u t th e ir supplies for th e a rm y . In v e s tig a te d a n d used a t th e sam e tim e w as also th e u n rip e fr u it of th e w a ln u t.

P in e needles a re w id esp read a n d accessible d u rin g th e w in ter m o n th s . T h e v ita m in C c o n te n t is n o t high, b u t i t is said to exceed five tim e s t h a t of lem ons. T h e m e a t of u n rip e w aln u ts co n ta in s a b o u t 2 % v ita m in C. T o o b ta in th e a n ti­

sco rb u tic m ate ria l, th e p in e needles w ere covered w ith w ater co n ta in in g a b o u t 0.5 to 1 % of liq u id b re a d y e as t, a n d th is m ix tu re w as k e p t for tw o or th re e d a y s a t 8 6 ° or 9 0 ° F . T h e pine needles h a d to b e fe rm e n ted in th is w ay to rem o v e th e b itte r ta s te fro m th e e x tra c t. S u ch m eth o d s of v ita m in p ro d u c tio n h elp ed th e R u ss ia n a rm y ov er a difficult period, a n d d u rin g th e p re s e n t w ar th e a rm y h as b e en free from s c u rv y as co m p ared to a b o u t 286,000 cases d u rin g W orld

^ r a r (C ontinued on page 10)

S. & E. C.

Reports on the <-t / / Chemical World iecbw oM ff

Today

H a r m o w e r . A b o u t th is tim e of y e a r o u r law n begins to look like a b o tan ic al g ard en d isp lay of com m on weeds, an d frien d wife re p e a te d ly m ak es p o in te d re m a rk s a n d co m p ari­

sons. T h e re is in fin itely m ore a ttr a c tio n in th in k in g of b e au tifu l law ns t h a n do in g th e w ork n ecessary to g e t one.

W e d re am c o n s ta n tly a b o u t a m agic s p ra y t h a t will g e t rid of all weeds, c rab grass, u n w a n ted ferns, w ild onions, s tr a y oak trees, dogs, cats, a n d b a re sp o ts. T h e n e a re st we h av e ever com e to d o ing a n y th in g a b o u t it w as to a p p ly c o n c e n tra te d n itric acid to th e p la n ta in ; th is w as b a d for th e p lan ta in , b u t n e x t y e a r i t w as b a ck in g re a te r n u m b ers. Besides, n itric acid w en t on allo catio n an d we w ere tire d .

T herefore, we m ad e m e n ta l n o te la s t w in ter w hen th e new weed killer, 2 ,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid w as an n o u n ced , t h a t we w ould find -out m ore a b o u t its p ro p e rtie s. L a s t m o n th , a fte r a session w ith th e law n m ow er, we v isited th e B eltsv ille, M d ., la b o ra to rie s of th e U . S. D e p a rtm e n t of A g ricu ltu re, in te n t on im p ro v in g o u r know ledge, law n, an d fa ith in th e pow ers of science.

W e saw J o h n W . M itch e ll, a p la n t phy sio lo g ist w ho has co n d u cted som e of th e b u re a u ’s ex p erim en ts on th e new h erbicide. T h is sam e chem ical, in cid en tally , a p p ea red in a d ifferen t guise in M a y I . & E . C. R e p o rts (a d v ertisin g section p ag e 8) as a p la n t horm one.

T h is su m m er will b e th e “ p roof of th e p u d d in g ” as fa r as 2 ,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid as a weed k iller is concerned.

E x ten siv e te s t p a tc h e s are b ein g ru n th ro u g h o u t th e co u n try , on golf courses a n d p u b lic sq u ares su ch as th e M a ll in W ash ­ in g to n , D . C. T h e G olf A ssociation is a ctiv ely in te re sted in th e p ro je c t a n d w as a m o n g th e first to p la n ex p erim en ts w ith th e re g u la to r.

A ccording to o ur guide, th e first to su g g est t h a t p la n t h o r­

m ones m ig h t b e u sed to k ill in ste a d of p ro m o te g ro w th of p la n ts w as E . J . K ra u s, a n e m in e n t biologist. P re lim in a ry ex­

p erim en ts w ere c arried o u t in B e ltsv ille d u rin g 1941 w here K ra u s w as w orking a t th e tim e.

T h e first p ro b lem w as to find a s u ita b le c a rrier fo r th e h o rm ones (m a n y w ere te s te d ); fin ally p o ly eth y len e glycol co m pounds w ere h it u p o n as b ein g sa tis fa c to ry . I n th e d ry s ta te little if a n y a ctio n is o b tain e d from th e h o rm ones—

h ence th e n ecessity for a sp re a d er. D u rin g th e e arly experi­

m en ts, a n d before Z im m erm an p u b lish ed d a ta on th e p ro p er­

ties of s u b s titu te d p h en o x y com pounds as p la n t g row th reg u lato rs, o th e r fam iliar h o rm o n es such as |8-indolacetic acid, w ere trie d .

H ow ever, 2 ,4 -d ichlorophenoxyacetic p ro v ed to be th e n u m b e r one k iller, a n d a t th e e x p erim en tal s ta tio n we w ere show n sev eral exam ples of its pow er. L arg e te s t p lo ts a t th e s ta tio n h a v e b e en sp ra y e d w ith th e h erb icid e; a lte rn a te p atch es, h a v in g a p p ro x im a te ly th e sam e w eed in festa tio n , w ere le ft u n sp ra y e d . T h e h orm one, u su a lly ap p lie d in c o n ce n tra tio n s of a b o u t 1000 p .p .m . a n d th o ro u g h ly sp ra y e d on th e p lo t, does a good jo b of elim in atin g w eeds a n d clover a n d leav in g grass a n d crab grass u n to u ch e d . T h e u n ­ sp ra y e d p lo ts resem bled our law n w ith h u g e w av in g ste m s of p la n ta in a n d d an d elio n speckling th e grass. T h e sp ra y e d p o rtio n s, how ever, w ere n o t e n tire ly free from weeds, for th e h o rm o n e will n o t kill d aisy , (Continued on page 12)

Chemical°World le d u ta lx x fy chem ícal°W orld ^ecJuitU ow

Today Today

y a rro w , or so rrel, b u t th e re w as e n o u g h difference b etw een th e tw o to in d ic a te im p ro v e m en t.

I n som e te s ts o n b a rle y w ith m u s ta rd c o n ta m in a tio n , sp ra y in g k illed th e u n w a n te d m u s ta rd a n d d id n o t to u c h th e b a rle y . J a p a n e s e ho n ey su ck le, a p e s t in som e p a r ts of th e c o u n try , w as th o ro u g h ly e lim in a ted fro m a te s t p lo t sta k e d o u t alongside a p lo u g h ed field. T h e h o n ey su ck le w as th ic k a n d w ell-rooted, b u t a n a p p lic a tio n of th e h o rm o n e b u rn e d a n d d e stro y e d th e p la n t as th o u g h a flam e th ro w e r h a d been o v er once lig h tly a n d j u s t crisped th e leav es a n d ste m s in to a p o t-ro a s t b ro w n . C lo v er is v e ry su scep tib le to th e chem ical, w hich m ak es th e G olf A ssociation h a p p y b ecau se w h ite clover looks too m u c h lik e a golf b a ll fro m a d istan ce.

E x p e rim e n ts a re s till going on. N ow th e p ro b lem is to d e te rm in e if a so d iu m or am m o n iu m s a lt w hich will b e easily soluble in w a te r a n d e lim in a te th e co stly p o ly eth y len e glycol sp re a d ers will b e effective. O ne-half p er c e n t so lu tio n of sp re a d e r is u sed w ith a c o n c e n tra tio n of a b o u t 250-1000 p .p .m . of h o rm o n e. S tra n g ely enough, th e grass seem s to like th e h orm o n e, as i t is a sh in y d a rk green w here th e sp ra y w as used.

N .D .G .A . ,The hob b ies of fo rm er S e c retary of A g ricu ltu re W allace m a y h a v e b e en th e o b je c t of am u sed p u b lic a tte n ­ tio n , b u t one of th e m led to a p ro je c t w hich u ltim a te ly re ­ s u lte d in a n im p ro v ed a g e n t, p o p u la rly kn o w n a s N .D .G .A ., fo r th e p re se rv a tio n of foods. T h ro u g h his in te re s t in th e lore of th e A m erican In d ia n , a su rv e y of In d ia n p la n t rem e­

dies w as reco m m en d ed to disco v er w h a t m ed icin al a g en ts th e y m ig h t c o n ta in . A ssigned to th e U n iv e rsity of M in n e­

s o ta w ere th e h e rb s of th e S o u th w e st, a n d th es e w ere stu d ied in c o o p era tio n w ith th e U . S. D e p a rtm e n t of A g ricu ltu re.

A m ong th e sev eral p la n ts t h a t w ere fo u n d to c o n ta in m edic­

in al p ro p e rtie s, R a y m o n d N . B iete r, professor of p h a rm a ­ cology, selected th e com m on d e se rt p la n t, L arrea divaricata, fo r fu rth e r s tu d y . B iete r, to g e th e r w ith C h arles H . D ra k e , p rofessor of b acterio lo g y , fo u n d t h a t a n e x tra c t of th is p la n t w as h ig h ly a n tis e p tic . A s a re su lt, Ole G isvold a n d C. W . W aller, of th e C ollege of P h a rm a c y , c arried o u t a p h a rm a ­ c eu tical in v es tig a tio n a n d succeeded in iso latin g a n d id e n ti­

fy in g th e a c tiv e p rin cip le a s n o rd ih y d ro g u aia re tic acid.

W h en th e s tr u c tu r e of th is com p o u n d w as re p o rte d b y W aller in h is th esis, W a lte r M . L au e r, a m em b er of h is exam ining c o m m itte e, w ho w as w orking on a n tio x id a n ts fo r fa ts a n d oils u n d e r th e H o rm e l R e se arc h F o u n d a tio n , recognized in n o rd i­

h y d ro g u a ia retic a cid s tr u c tu r a l c h ara cte ris tic s w hich sug­

g ested t h a t i t m ig h t possess a n tio x id a n t p ro p e rtie s. C e rta in d ip h en o ls in h ib it th e a u to x id a tio n of fa ts a n d oils w ith h y d ro - q u in o n e as th e sim p le st a n d b e s t k n o w n a n tio x id a n t a lth o u g h it is n o t u sed in edible p ro d u c ts . G allic a cid h a s b e e n show n to b e a c tiv e in th is re g a rd , a n d e sters of gallic acid a re b ein g in v e s tig a te d a s f a t p rese rv a tiv e s.

O n b ein g te s te d fo r a n tio x id a n t p ro p e rtie s, N .D .G .A . w as fo u n d to b e a c tiv e . In v e s tig a tio n s of th e a n tio x id a n t p ro p ­ e rtie s of N .D .G .A . w ere c arried o u t b y W a lte r 0 . L u n d b e rg a n d H . O. H a lv a rs o n of th e H o rm e l R e se arc h F o u n d a tio n , a n d a p ro cess fo r e x tra c tin g i t fro m th e p la n t w as su b se­

q u e n tly d ev elo p ed b y G isvold. (Continued on -page 14) 12

B y e a rly 1944 N .D .G .A . w as b e in g d ev elo p ed co m m ercially b y W m . J . S ta n g e C o m p an y . T h is o rg a n iz atio n , w ith a b a ck g ro u n d of experiences in th e e x tra c tio n of h e rb s a n d spices, h a d b e en licensed b y th e U n iv e rs ity of M in n e so ta to p ro d u c e N .D .G .A . A ssisted w ith p rio ritie s fo r special e q u ip m e n t b y th e A rm y Q u a rte rm a s te r C o rp s, S ta n g e d e ­ v elo p ed th e p ro cess th ro u g h th e p ilo t p la n t to th e com m ercial u n it w h ich is now in full p ro d u c tio n . E n tir e o u tp u t, h ow ever, is going in to food p ro d u c ts fo r th e a rm e d forces, fo r w hich its u se h a s b e en a u th o riz e d in la rd a n d som e o th e r p ro d u c ts .

T h e p e s t w eed in w hich N .D .G .A . o ccu rs is v a rio u s ly k n o w n a s grease w ood o r creo so te b u s h b y n a tiv e s , w ho h a v e sa id t h a t its o n ly v a lu e is to p ro v id e sh a d e fo r ra ttle s n a k e s . I t is n o t e v en a forage p la n t. I t grow s w id ely in th e S o u th ­ w est, a n d g a th e rin g leav es offers th e m a in p ro b lem in s u p p ly alth o u g h seaso n al changes, now b ein g s tu d ie d a t th e U n iv e r­

s ity of N ew M exico, im p o se som e u n c e rta in tie s . C o n ta in in g o n ly se v e ral p e r c e n t of N .D .G .A ., th e leav es a re co llected a n d su b je c te d to a p re lim in a ry e x tra c tio n a t a p la n t o n th e R io G ra n d e . T h e e x tra c t, co n sistin g of deco m p o sed v e g eta b le m a tte r a n d c o n ta in in g larg e a m o u n ts of colored a n d o d o r­

ifero u s m ate ria ls, is th e n sh ip p e d to th e C hicago p la n t for refining a n d iso latio n of th e c ry stallin e p ro d u c t. O ne of th e b e st a g en ts fo r p re se rv in g th e flav o r a n d sw eetn ess of fa ts a n d oils, N .D .G .A . is reco m m en d ed fo r u se in c o n c e n tra tio n s u n d e r 0 .0 1 % . T h e in itia ls N .D .G .A . h a v e b e en a d o p te d a s a tra d e m a rk fo r th e n o rd ih y d ro g u a ia re tic acid p ro d u c ed b y W m . J . S ta n g e C o m p an y , w h ich also in v e n te d th e te rm “ N o rD iG u - A rd e d ” to c h ara cte riz e p ro d u c ts w h ich h a v e b e e n tre a te d w ith th is a g e n t. T h e u se p a te n ts a re p u b lic, b ein g ow ned b y th e U . S. D e p a rtm e n t of A g ric u ltu re .

R esearch Expansion, Postw ar. R esearch o rg an izatio n s, of all th e d iverse g ro u p s sp rin g in g fro m th e g regariousness of m an , sh o u ld b e w h o leh earted ly o p tim istic a b o u t th e fu tu re . W h en w orlds are crashing, w h en econom ists a re p re d ic tin g b o th d eflatio n a n d in flatio n , w h en th e y o u n g e r g e n era tio n is going to th e dogs a n d a t th e sam e tim e sav in g th e w orld, w h en th e old a n d acc ep te d sy stem s a re com ing in for b lam e a n d p raise, w h en u n re s t a n d u n c e rta in ty , g rief a n d sorrow , m ove o v er a w orld sh a k e n a n d u n su re a s i t seldom h as been, research g roups, of all co m b in atio n s, sh o u ld b e c e rta in an d cocksure. A n d , n o t a t all to o u r su rp rise, th e y are!

T h e N a tio n a l R esearch C ouncil h a s q uizzed a n u m b e r of in d u stria l o rg an izatio n s a b o u t p lan s for fu tu re e x p an sio n of research facilities a n d p erso n n el; a lm o st u n ifo rm ly th e tre n d is u p w a rd a n d p o sitiv e in sp ite of th e tre m b lin g of n o rm al h u m an s. N o t fearin g , a n d su re of its s tro n g r ig h t a rm , re ­ search p la n s to m ove a h e a d . T h is is as i t sh o u ld b e, for progress is ro o te d in research a n d if i t goes fo rw ard , c an th e w orld slip b ack w ard ?

T h e s tu d y is in fo u r p a r ts : p la n s fo r rese arc h g ro w th , b u ild in g expansion, rese arc h b u d g e ts , a n d p erso n n el. T h e figures are q u o te d fo r th re e gro u p s, re p rese n tin g , in o rd er, com panies h a v in g research p erso n n el of (A) less th a n 50, (B ) 50 to 200, a n d (C ) o v er 200.

C o n cern in g p lan s fo r research g ro w th in p o stw a r, in th e sm allest c ate g o ry 8 4 % h a d d efin ite (C o ntin ued on page 22)

14

I. & E. C.

Reports on the ^ ,

Chemical World Today

p lan s for g row th, a n d th e re st h ad te n ta tiv e plans. I n group B a b o u t 3 1 % w ere definite, 63% w ere te n ta tiv e , a n d th e re­

m ain d er h a d no grow th plans. Of g roup C, 4 5 % w ere defi­

n ite , 51% w ere te n ta tiv e , th e re st h ad no plans.

I n bu ild in g expansion, g roup A now occupies an average of 8141 sq u are feet of space, a n d p o stw ar plan s call for a n in ­ crease to a b o u t 16,000 w hich is close to 100% . G ro u p B averages 36,289 sq u are feet for research facilities; if postw ar p lan s m aterialize, th is space will expand to a b o u t 58,000, an increase of 59% . I n g roup C average floor space is now 76,- 034 sq u are feet, w hich is expected to increase to 123,000, or 62% a t w ar’s end. T h e average for all com panies is now 40,549 sq u are feet; in th e fu tu re, 66,000, a p red icted increase of 63% .

B u d g ets are going u p also. C onsidering p resen t-d ay b u d g ­ ets as 100% : F o r g roup A , 1940 w as 65.5% , p o stw ar will be 175% . F o r group B , 1940 w as 106% , p o stw ar will be 209% . F o r gro u p C, 1940 was 65% , p o stw ar will b e 140% .

As far a s personnel is concerned, jobs will a p p a re n tly be p len tifu l. G roup A expects to expand p re se n t chem ical p e r­

sonnel a b o u t 86% , all professional h elp som e 78% . F o r g ro u p B, chem ical personnel will be u p 27% , all professionals u p 3 2 % . I n group C, chem ical help will be u p a b o u t 9 % , all professionals u p 6 % .

A p p a ren tly th e sm aller com panies, h av in g d u n k e d th eir toes in th e pools of research, are g e ttin g re ad y to plunge.

L arg er com panies, w ith a d eq u a te staffs alread y in th e re­

search sw im , are planning only m o d erate percentage in ­ creases. N o m a tte r w h a t th e reasons, research is going ah ead . Bubble Tamers. T h e ten d en cy of engine lu b ric a n ts to foam is a difficulty w hich h as received th e a tte n tio n of h y d ro ­ carb o n technologists alm o st as long as oil h as been used for this p urpose. T h e effect was n o ted m an y y ears ago in loco­

m o tiv e cylinders. T h e gear case of th e a u to m o b ile in tro ­ d uced th e foam problem on a large scale. A irc raft engine lu b ric a n ts becam e a real problem w hen ad d itiv es w ere in tro ­ d uced. A dded to lu b ric a n ts to p re v e n t such th in g s as oxida­

tio n an d sludge fo rm ation, th e y increased foam ing tendencies a n d in d ire c tly becam e a h azard in m ilita ry planes. T h a t d an g er now h as been overcom e.

D efoam ers of v ario u s descriptions h av e been evolved in a n effort to check foam ing in lu b rican ts. N onparaffin waxes, such as c arn a u b a an d m o n tan , h av e been used w ith som e effect, b u t none e v id en tly has p roved so sa tisfac to ry as silicone com pounds for th is p urpose. Successful an tifo am ers should possess a degree of insolubility, a n d th e silicones seem to in­

c o rp o rate t h a t q u a lity . A ccording to a p a te n t, one oil com ­ p a n y em ploys 0 .1% of polym erized d ih y d ro carb o n silicones for th is purpose, a n d th e re su lt is said to be hig h ly satisfacto ry .

F o a m in g is a h ead ach e for m an u fa ctu re rs in o th er fields beside p etro leu m lu b rican ts, an d it is n o t im probable th a t th e v e rsa tile silicones m ay be found useful for in h ib itin g th is effect in tex tile processing, for exam ple. T h e ten d en cy of oils a n d som e chem ical so lu tio n s to foam is a phenom enon n o t clearly u n d ersto o d , a n d th ere a re u n lim ited o p p o rtu n ities for fu rth e r s tu d y in th is field.

22

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

^ u s u s t, 1945, we think, will be one of those especially fam ous

* * num bers of I. & E . C . th a t will be in dem and for years to come. T he papers we are prin tin g are, perhaps, th e m ost compre­

hensive on th e subject of corrosion an d its control ever gathered betw een th e covers of one m agazine. O riginally given a t th e N o rth Jersey m eeting of th e Am e r i c a n Ch e m i c a l So c i e t y as a jo in t sym posium of th e Divisions of In d u strial a n d Engineering Chem ­ istry an d of W ater, Sewage, an d S an itatio n C hem istry, m o st of th e papers are presented th is m onth along w ith discussions of several of them .

A fter a n introduction by th e chairm an of th e sym posium , F. N . Speller, U. R . E v an s of C am bridge U niversity opens th e feature w ith a stu d y of fundam entals in th e use of soluble inhibitors.

H e discusses th e inhibitory effects of protective agents from the stan d p o in t of solubility of products form ed, an d points o u t th e m echanism of anodic an d cathodic protection.

A nother B ritish chem ist, R . S. Thornhill, studies specific salts as inhibitors, an d arrives a t four conditions which m u st be m et if a m etallic sa lt is to a ct successfully as a cathodic inhibitor.

F o r b o th these papers th ere is a discussion of results an d a critical evaluation of experim ental procedure.

E xam ination of th e bibliographies of th e papers b y both Am erican an d B ritish investigators leads to th e conclusion th a t in tern atio n al team w ork is badly needed, for alm ost w ith o u t ex­

ception th e prior a r t draw n upon by th e au th o rs is t h a t of his own country. T here seems to be little tendency to investigate th e w orks of scientists in o th er lands. W e hope to see m ore of o u r divisions carry on th e laudable task of inviting scientists of o th er nations.

Sodium silicates of various kinds have been used for th e pro­

tectio n of sm all w ater system s. Stericker, of Philadelphia Q uartz C om pany, reviews th e experience a n d theory behind this m ethod a n d tells of its successful extension to large systems, such as laundries, a p artm en t houses, and office buildings.

H atch an d Rice, of H all L aboratories an d Calgon, Inc., respec­

tively, are fam iliar to I. & E . C. readers, for th ey have co-authored m any an article on th e use of phosphates for control of corrosion in w ater system s. These w riting tw ins are a t it again, this tim e w ith two articles. T he first, in th e sym posium group, is a tre a ­ tise on threshold tre a tm e n t an d th e m anner in w hich it acts as an anticorrosive an d scale preventer. T he second p ap er is another in a series by these au th o rs which began in 1940. Now they show t h a t th e ra te of form ation of th e protective film, which threshold trea tm e n t deposits on m etal surfaces an d w hich is th e p ro tectiv e m echanism of th e system , depends upon th e ra te of supply of th e chem ical an d th e ty p e an d velocity of flow.

T hey find th a t results from b atch tes ts are as reliable as those from continuous flow system s, provided sufficient agitation is available during th e data-collecting period.

M arc D arrin , of M u tu al Chemical C om pany, has long been in terested in th e use an d applications of chsom ate salts in pre­

venting corrosion. H e rep o rts fully on th e applications of chrom ates for such ends, an d his p ap er is replete w ith examples an d p ractical m ethods. H e describes th e technique for p ro tect­

ing D iesel m otors, air-conditioning equipm ent, refrigeration svs- tem s, pow er rectifiers, an d autom obile radiators.

T he p ractical uses of corrosion knowledge is indeed varied;

Copson, In tern a tio n a l N ickel C om pany, tells of th e successful use of chrom ate inhibitors for p ro tectin g a canal lock w hich had been b u ilt of nickel-clad steel a n d plain carbon steel.

T he A rm y, th rough four au th o rs— H anlon, Steffen, R ohlich, a n d Kessler—reports extensively on scale a n d corrosion control in potable w ater supplies a t p o sts th ro u g h o u t th e cou n try . T he results of w ater conditioning a t th irty locations are analyzed, an d th e resu lts presented will, in tim e, become a classical stu d y for w ater chem ists.

Eldredge a n d M ears, of A lum inum R esearch L aboratories, re­

view th e successful m eans of p reventing a tta c k on alum inum . A pparently th e problem is m any-sided, an d no sim ple device has been found for all th e conditions m et in service. T h e au th o rs painstakingly exam ine m any of th e problem s already encountered and solved. T his ends th e sym posium , except for a p ap er th a t developed as a discussion a t th e m eeting an d proved so interestin g t h a t it was m ade in to a special contribution for th is issue. W ach- ter, of Shell D evelopm ent C om pany, gave th is discussion on sodium n itrite as a corrosion in h ib ito r for w ater. U n d er m any conditions he finds th a t th is m aterial can com pletely in h ib it th e effects of w ater on steel, a n d t h a t it is beneficial for in stallatio n s processing aqueous-alcoholic solutions an d brine compositions.

H auser of M .I.T . an d le B eau of M idw est R u b b er R eclaim ing Com pany give us som ething new an d different in th e ir jo in t p aper on microscopic studies of lyogels. A new technique is introduced in abbreviated form to enable others to becom e fam iliar w ith the idea w ithout delay. B orrow ing th e m eth o d of preparing sam ples for th e electron microscope, a n d utilizing H eine’s U ltropak u ltra ­ microscope a n d ultra-illum ination, th e au th o rs have obtained a set of “u ltra ” pictures of various m aterials. T he colloid world is fascinated an d is prom ising new inform ation ab o u t m any of th e unsolved problem s in ru b b er an d plastics.

Two im p o rta n t papers on ru b b er h ave been rushed in to p rin t th is m o n th a t th e request of R u b b e r R eserve. M uch of th e in­

form ation on w hich th e papers are based has n o t y e t been pu b ­ lished, b u t “O bjective L ab o rato ry T esting of th e Processability of E lastom ers” an d “ Gel as a D efinitive P ro p e rty in G R -S T ech­

nology” are m ilestones in our sy n th etic ru b b e r in d u stry .

D uring th is w ar we have experim ented w ith th e growing of m any form s of n a tu ra l ru bber, m ostly w ith discouraging results.

How ever, B lair a n d F o rd th in k th a t C astilla has g reat prom ise as a fu tu re source of ru b b er for th e W estern H em isphere an d give an im pressive list of reasons.

With the Departments. Von Pechm ann, in his colum n on m an ­ agem ent, argues th e case of centralized production planning as an aid to chemical m anufacturing. M unch clears u p som e of th e m ysteries of gas analysis by therm al conductivity; an d Brown traces jet propulsion to its practical beginnings w ith in terestin g comm ents on th e use of jets in w ater works practice to increase efficiency of turbines.

RIAL ^{A N D} E N G I N E E R I N G CHEMISTRY

L I S H E D BY T H E A M E R I C A N C H E M I C A L S O C I E T Y

- W A L T E R J. M U R P H Y , E D I T O R

I t M i g h t H ave Been

I p O R of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are JT these; “ it might have been".

So said the poet, years ago, and we repeated the phrase (as closely as we could) when we read a com­

munication from a young professor in one of our mid- western colleges concerning the dearth of graduate students in the chemical department. Below are se­

lected excerpts from his letter:

B elieve i t or n o t, I lik e teach in g , especially * * * research m en . T o d a te * * * 34 P h .D . a n d 12 M a ste rs degrees in * * * b io p h y sical c h em istry of w hich I h a d charge * * * B efore th e w ar th e re w ere a s m a n y as fifteen m en w orking to w a rd a d ­ v a n ce d d egrees in th is field. N ow th e n u m b e r is dow n to one m an a n d h e is a fu ll-tim e te a c h e r of V 12’s * * * M y m en will n o t r e tu r n to m e. T h e rep la ce m en ts are n o t even as y e t fresh­

m en in college. I t does n o t ta k e a tra in e d m a th e m a tic ia n to figure o u t h o w long i t will b e u n til som e of u s can resum e th e tra in in g of re se arc h m en * * * m y tim e is now ta k e n u p w ith th e tea c h in g * * * * (0f) s tu d e n ts in th e D ivision of H o m e E conom ics. S u c h tea c h in g h a s its societal v a lu e b u t does n o t use all of one’s chem ical a b ility * * *.

The letter went on to say that, under the circum­

stances, it was impossible to complete a valuable piece of research work, the preliminary results of which had been submitted to us for publication. The paper had been returned for further research investigation be­

cause of its incompleteness. But the men to help with the work, to carry out the experiments, are not in school.

The task will not be finished for years to come.

Early in the war we all chuckled about the Army officer who had bumped a passenger off a plane so that he could travel to a distant city to hear a lecture. The lecture was cancelled because it was the speaker who had been bumped.

This story is so precisely analogous that it seems to be tailor-made. Priorities were given to help fight the war. Abuse led to frustration and confusion. The same applies to the drafting of men. This power is given to help fight the war. Abuse of the system, meant to be selective to obtain the maximum benefit from our young men, will lead to frustration, confusion, and a loss in scientific power that we can ill afford.

One of these days this country, in traveling its his­

torical road, will arrive at some point desperately want­

ing new and vital inventions, only to find that the scien­

tists who could have supplied them had been bumped from the research plane by the shortsighted policy of the High Command.

Then we shall understand the meaning and true sad­

ness of “it might have been”. Then we will feel the results of wasting brains and training, when it “might, have been” so different.

P u b lic a tio n In c e n tiv e

D ISCONTENT and dissatisfaction are rife today, and there is hardly a director of research, a plant manager, or group leader who does not he awake nights wondering what more can be done to foster the develop­

ment of friendly and pleasant working relations. Times are tense, and men react to the times by venting their feelings in disputes and enervating arguments, and by strikes and changes in employment.

Recently we saw a poll which showed that 49 per cent of the professionals now employed in chemical firms of a certain area would seek new employment after restric­

tions are lifted. This is a bad sign. The loss of a trained man to another company is unfortunate in normal times, but today, with the current shortage of manpower, this may be fatal to many chemical proj­

ects. Every effort must be made by management to improve quickly and thoroughly the morale of the men working under them, for the soldiers of industry, labor­

ing under strains that are not relieved by normal vaca­

tions and leisure, are in need of sympathetic treatment.

The professional man has certain requirements that a good employer will recognize and meet. One of these is attendance at the national meetings of profes­

sional societies. Another is the opportunity to publish papers in scientific journals. Recognition of these facts may save industry some headaches and, probably, the loss of trained men to a competing industry or to a non­

industrial organization.

To a man who is a natural genius in research, the opportunity to publish his work and to establish his name and reputation with his fellow professional workers is a real emolument; in many cases it will outweigh a greater salary. We recommend to indus­

trial concerns a most liberal policy toward publication of original work.

Certainly nothing can be lost by industry through a free exchange of information. Past experience has proved that much is to be gained by such practice.

Commercial protection is well afforded by the patent laws, and adoption of the expedient of allowing scien­

tists to publish the results of their accomplishments in

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

the industrial laboratory will be a method of guarantee­

ing intellectual and competitive protection.

Of all nationalities the chemists and chemical engi­

neers of the United States have the greatest latitude in reporting their industrial work. The result of this sensible arrangement is that our chemical industry is now the strongest in the world. It appears logical that an extension of the method of reporting chemical research will m ate us even stronger.

A n o n y m it y Angles

T

NDUSTRIAL

has long followed the practice of giving reviewers the choice of anonymity or having their identity revealed to authors whose papers they criticize. Now and then authors receiving unsigned comments complain about this custom. They suggest that it be abolished and that signatures be required for all reviews.

I t

is not strange that such complaints usually reach us when an anonymous critic has been rather severe.

An author who feels he has been criticized unjustly wants to know who was responsible for the derogatory remarks. N ot knowing the critic’s identity, he regards it as an attack in the dark by a craven critic hiding within a cloak of anonymity provided by the Editor.

He wants to strike back, and to know where and upon whom to aim his blows. He forgets that

and the reviewers chosen by it are really not interested in fighting. Reviewers are humbly requested by the Editor to look at manuscripts which authors regard as ready for publication. Re­

viewers gratuitously give their time to preparation of lengthy comments after carefully checking manuscripts;

many times they uncover serious errors, oversights in literature coverage, misinterpretations of work by others, etc. The Editor hardly feels he can demand that such critics sign reviews and thus limit available critics to those who, for one reason or another, will sign reviews freely. Critics gain little enough from their oppor­

tunity to see manuscripts prior to publication. They know, as do we, that the benefits which are theirs are generally in inverse proportion to the length of their comments. A critic who prepares a five-page report is not likely to feel he has gained anything by seeing the manuscript instead of the printed article. He can only take some pride in knowing he has prevented errors from creeping into the permanent literature.

Perhaps authors would take more kindly to anony­

mous reviews if they understood a little better the reasons for anonymity. It is still true that some re­

viewers are employed by organizations whose policies forbid anything but anonymous reviewing. Since critics are asked to give their own opinions, it is natural that employers do not want authors to have the im­

pression that these are necessarily opinions of the company. In other cases reviewers in the same field as that of the author feel they can write more

freely if they are not associated in the author’s mind with the competitive angle. In still other cases anonymous critics are personal friends of au­

thors and believe that a valued friendship can be maintained better if their criticisms are made as those of a scientist to another scientist rather than as those of a friend to a friend. There is some truth in the statement: “If you tell a friend the things only a friend should tell him, you won’t have many friends.”

We sense a constant growth of good will among authors and reviewers which we would not like to jeopardize by making any critic forfeit his right to anonymity. We shall continue to strive for competent reviewers for each manuscript received. We shall continue to make comments available to authors with the distinct understanding that no critic’s suggestion should be adopted unwillingly. But we shall also continue to urge reviewers to sign criticisms “only if you can write as frankly over your signature as other­

wise”. At the same time we want authors to feel we have their best interests at heart and are anxious that they get a fair, square deal when they give us the privilege of considering results of scientific investiga­

tions. Anonymous or not, we count on the cooperation of the critic to the best of his ability in our effort to achieve and maintain higher standards for the per­

manent literature in our field. Those who do not measure up do not remain long on our lists.

Surpluses

C ONTEMPLATION of the excess productive capac­

ity for chemicals which has been built in the United States during the war brings with it realization that use or disposal of the plants will be a major post­

war problem.

In nitrogen, for example, we have tremendous over­

capacity as judged by prewar use, and this has been dis­

cussed time and again in the “Reports” section of this journal. In regard to nitrogen, however, there is one idea current, or rather recurrent, which may alleviate somewhat the problem of surplus plants.

Allied control of Germany and Japan may see to it that these countries are left no synthetic nitrogen in­

dustry, even if the destruction of war leaves a few of the units standing. The reasoning behind this is obvious.

Without nitrogen production, a war, such as the one we are passing through, becomes impossible.

We have stated editorially that we do not think such controls guarantee that these two countries will not be in a position to wage war in the future. We still feel that way. Such a prohibition is only a temporary safeguard. However, one of the indisputable results that will stem from this move will be the utilization of some of the surplus nitrogen capacity now producing for the Allies. The need for farm nutrients will con­

tinue and grow in both Japan and Germany, and logi­

cally we must supply them with these plant essentials.

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 701

Heroes of In d u s tr y

TLTEROIC deeds that would be performed once in a million lifetimes during normal times are com­

monplace in war periods. Many a hero lies today on some beach, on some battlefield, unknown and un­

recorded. For them collectively we erect poor markers of monuments, the poorer because the fineness of man’s spirit—seen in the ideals expressed—is in contra­

diction to the crudity of soul that made the monument necessary. But those beloved dead have our acknowl­

edgments, grouped though these may be. Their sacrifice is no less appreciated, no less valuable because the doers are unknown to us, and for generations homage will be paid to their record.

But there are other heroes of this war who seldom have even the mass acknowledgment accorded those who died or suffered in battle. They are our scientific dead. Many of the weapons and inventions that are being used by the troops of our Armed Forces were developed by our Production Army at the cost of lives.

Many times the secret project was of paramount im­

portance. Notice of death and injury was not ade­

quately mentioned in the press. The public has no conception of the sacrifices made by our scientists during this war. Recently Standard Oil Company (Indiana) in a commendable action made public in­

formation on the posthumous awarding of certificates of merit by the Office of Scientific Research and De­

velopment to four experts who lost their lives in the explosion of an experimental flame thrower. Several other workers were severely burned at the time, and similar recognition was made to them.

It is unnecessary to call these men heroes. Our pur­

pose is more than that. We are concerned with a tribute to those who died for the advancement and application of knowledge and who were not accorded the privilege of wearing a uniform or even special insignia. What more fitting recognition could there be than a yearly memorial address, at the meeting of the appropriate scientific societies, dedicated to professional colleagues who died at their posts?

The subject need not be technical but might be philosophical, concerning the relation between science and living. Instead of limiting it to the field of spe­

cialization, the subject could include discussions on world affairs which at certain periods, when they become unmanageable, interrupt the normal beneficial work of scientists and set them to the tasks of develop­

ing weapons designed for destruction.

T u r n a b o u t

C HARLES F. KETTERING, supersalesman of research, has the happy faculty of examining everything with the idea of finding some way it can be improved. Therefore when he talked about educa-

tion, in one of his Sunday afternoon radio talks, we were not surprised that he presented several new points of view for postwar consideration.

Beginning with a fact not generally appreciated—

namely, that education is our largest industry with an investment of 14 billion dollars—he branched out to pay tribute to the late Dean Schneider of the University of Cincinnati, who was a major factor in the success of cooperative education. Kettering predicted an ex­

pansion of the cooperative system after the war. He made two suggestions that we think especially im­

portant, not only to educators but to private enterprise as well. We urge their serious consideration. The first is that men in industry be given adequate opportunity by our schools to take part-time refresher courses. The other idea is a turnabout—that industry provide ade­

quate opportunity for teaching personnel to work in our industrial plants on the same part-time basis.

Under such a system industry will receive the benefit of new theories and experimental techniques, while the world of education will be able to slant research and teaching methods to anticipate the new needs of indus­

try. The aim of Kettering’s proposal is one of the reasons for scientific societies; but if carried out to its fullest implications, the cooperative system will provide the time and facilities for the use of this new knowledge, and use is the fruit of knowledge.

H arriso n Howe Lectures

T HE action of the Rochester Section of the

in establishing the Harrison Howe Lectures will meet with universal acclaim and ap­

probation from the scientific world. It is most fitting that the Rochester Section, which Dr. Howe helped to found 33 years ago, should take the initiative in honor­

ing and perpetuating his memory. Dr. Howe was Vice Chairman of the Rochester Section in 1912-13, Chair­

man in 1913-14, and a Councilor for several years.

Later he assumed much greater responsibility in the

So c i e t y

and, of course, his outstanding accomplish­

ment—the editorship of

Ch e m i s t r y

and the News Edition—speaks for itself.

Under his wise guidance and leadership these publica­

tions became not only the national but international leaders in their respective fields. Dr. Howe through his published works and his direction of the A.C.S.

News Service was one of the most potent factors in popularizing chemistry and in acquainting the Ameri­

can public with the notable achievements of chemists and chemical engineers and their contributions to the advancement of all mankind.

Dr. Howe’s memory will remain as long as the science

of chemistry exists. It is most fitting that chemists and

chemical engineers in a formal way once a year pay

tribute to the man who devoted his life so unselfishly in

their service.

Scale a nd Corrosion in W a t e r , before a j o i n t session o f the Divisions o f Industrial a n d Engineering Chemistry a nd o f W a t e r , Sewage, a nd Sanitation Chemistry a t the 1 0 8 t h M e e t i n g o f the A m e ric a n Chemical Society in N e w York, N . Y., with F. N . Sp e ller presiding. The photo graph a bo v e shows the o u tlet gates a nd spillw ay o f G ra n d Coulee D a m ; glassy phosphate, a p p l i e d to w a te r in the conduit each time the valves are closed, has e lim in a te d scale formation. (R e p ro d u c e d through courtesy o fC a lg o n , I n c .)

Use of Soluble Inhibitors. U. R. Evans... 703

Discussion. D. S. McKinney and J. C. Warner, 7 0 5 . Reply. U. R. Evans... 706

Zinc, Mansanese, and Chromium Salts as Corrosion Inhibitors. R. S. T h o rn h ill... 706

Discussion of Papers by Evans and Thornhill. W . H. J. Vernon and F. W o r m w e ll... 709

Threshold Treatment of Water Systems. G. B. Hatch and O w e n R ice... 710

Discussion. J. A . Holmes... 715

Protection of Small Water Systems from Corrosion. W illiam S tericker... 716

Discussion. Henry L. Shuldener... 720

Galvanic Corrosion of Steel Coupled to Nickel. H. R. Copson... 721

Scale and Corrosion Control in Potable Water Supplies at Army Posts... R. T. Hanlon, A . J. Steffen, G. A . Rohlich, and L. H . Kessler 724 Inhibitors of Corrosion of Aluminum. G. G. Eldredse and R. B. M e a rs ... 736

Chromate Corrosion Inhibitors in Bimetallic Systems. Marc D arrin ... 741 702