Industrial and Engineering Chemistry : industrial edition, Vol. 37, No. 6

Industrial and

Engineering Chemistry

Volume 37 • Number 6 JUNE, 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

P u b lishe d b y t h e A m e r ic a n C h e m ic a l S o c i e t y a t E a s to n , P a. E d ito rial H e a d ­ quarters: 1 1 5 5 1 6 t h S tr e e t, N . W . , W a s h i n g to n 6 , D. C . / t e l e p h o n e , R e p u b l i c 5 3 0 1 ; c a b l e , J ie c h e m (W a s h in g to n ). N e w Y o r k E d ito ria l B r a n c h , 6 0 East 4 2 n d S tr e e t , N e w Y ork 1 7 , N . t e l e p h o n e M u r r a y H i l l 2 - 4 6 6 2 . C h i c a g o E dito rial B ra n c h , 3 1 0 Sou th M i c h ig a n A v e n u e , C h i c a g o 4 , III./ t e l e p h o n e W a b a s h 7 3 7 6 . Business O f fic e : A m e r ic a n C h em ica l S o c i e t y , 1 1 5 5 1 6 t h S t r e e t , N . W . , W a s h i n g to n 6 , D. C . A d v e rtising O f f i c e : 3 3 2 W e s t 4 2 n d S t r e e t , N e w Y o r k 1 8 , N . Y . / t e l e p h o n e , Bryant 9 - 4 4 3 0 .

11 ^ £ r? l S l s * ec o n d -c la s s m atter a t t h e P ost O f f i c e a t E a s t o n , P a . , u n d e r t h e A c t o f M a r c h 3 , 1 8 7 9 , as 2 4 times a y e a r — Industria l E d itio n m o n th ly o n t h e 1 s t , A n a ly tic a l ed itio n m onthly o n t h e 1 5 t h . A c c e p t a n c e f o r m ailing a t s p e c i a l ra t e o f p o s t a g e p r o ­ v id e d fo r In S e c t i o n 1 1 0 3 , A c t o f O c t o b e r 3 , 1 9 1 7 , a u t h o r i z e d J u l y 1 3 , 1 9 1 8 .

Remittances a n d o r d e r s fo r s u b s c r ip t i o n s a n d f o r s i n g l e c o p i e s , n o t i c e s o f c h a n g e s o r ad d res s a n d n e w p ro fe s s io n a l c o n n e c t i o n s , a n d claim s f o r m issing n u m b e rs s h o u l d b e sent to t h e A m e r ic a n C h em ica l S o c i e t y , 1 1 5 5 1 6 t h S t r e e t , N . W . , W a s h i n g to n 6 ,

D. C . C h a n g e s o f a d d r e s s f o r t h e Industrial E d ition must b e r e c e i v e d o n o r b e f o r e t h e 1 8 t h o f t h e p r e c e d i n g m onth a n d f o r t h e A n a ly tic a l E d itio n n o t l a t e r t h a n t h e 3 0 t h o f t h e p r e c e d i n g m o nth. C laim s f o r missing nu m b ers w i l l n o t b e a l l o w e d C D i f r e ­ c e i v e d m o re t h a n 6 0 d a y s from d a t e o f issue ( o w i n g t o t h e h a z a r d s o f w a rtim e d e l i v e r y n o claims ca n b e h o n o r e d from s u b s c r ib e r s o u t s i d e o f N o r t h A m e r i c a ) , ( 2 ) if loss w a s d u e t o fa ilu re o f n o t i c e o f c h a n g e o f a d d r e s s t o b e r e c e i v e d b e f o r e t h e d a t e s s p e c i f i e d in t h e p r e c e d i n g s e n t e n c e , o r ( 3 ) if t h e re a s o n f o r claim is “ m issing from files” .

A n n u a l s u b s c r ip tio n s — In d ustrial E d itio n a n d A n a ly t i c a l E d itio n s o l d o n l y as a u n i t , m em bers $ 3 . 0 0 , no n m em b ers $ 4 . 0 0 . P o s ta g e t o c o u n t r ie s n o t in t h e P an- A m e r i c a n U n i o n $ 2 . 2 5 / C a n a d ia n p o s t a g e $ 0 . 7 5 . S in g l e c o p i e s — c u r r e n t Issues Industrial E d itio n $ 0 . 7 5 , A n a ly tic a l E d itio n $ 0 . 5 0 / b a c k n u m b e r s , Industrial E d itio n

$ 0 . 8 0 , A n a ly tic a l E d itio n p r i c e s o n r e q u e s t / s p e c i a l ra te s t o m em bers.

T h e A m e r ic a n C h em ica l S o c i e t y a lso p u b lis h e s C h e m i c a l a n d E n g i n e e r in g N e w s , C h e m i c a l A b s t r a c t s , a n d J o u r n a l o f th e A m e r ic a n C h e m i c a l S o c i e t y . Rates o n r e q u e s t.

M a nagin g E ditor: F. J . V A N ANTWERPEN Associate E ditor: JAMES M . CROWE Midwest Editor: ROBERT F. GOULD Industrial E ditor: HARRY W . STENERSON Manuscript E ditor: HELEN K. NEWTON Make-up Editor: BERTHA REYNOLDS Manuscript Assistant: STELLA ANDERSON

C ontributin g Editors Charles Owen Brown Ralph H. Munch Walterv o n Pechmann

A d v is o ry B oard

W . L. BADGER H . E. B A R NAR D W . H . D O W G A S T O N D U B O IS G U S T A V U S J . ESSELEN PER K. F R O L IC H C . F. KETTERING O . E. M A Y C . S. M IN ER

H . R. M U R D O C K C . F. P R U T T O N A . S . R I C H A R D S O N W . A . S C H M I D T R . N . S H R E V E L . V . STECK C . M . A . S TIN E E . C . S U L L I V A N E . R. W E IDLEIN J . M . W E ISS

The A m erican C h em ica l S o c i e t y assum e! n o re - sponsibility f o r t h e s tatem e nts a n d o p i n i o n s a d ­

v an c ed b y c o n t r ib u t o r s t o Its p u b l i c a t i o n s . C op yrig ht 1 9 4 5 b y A m e r i c a n C h e m ic a l S o c i e t y

3 2 , 3 0 0 c o p i e s o f this issu e p r i n t e d

Th« photograph shows stainless steel mold Incubation drums at th« plant of Frederick Steams A Company (see article, page 521).

ISSUED JU N E 8, 1945 • VOL. 37, NO. $ • C O N SE C U T IV E N O . 10 DEPARTMENTS

Editorial!... 511

H e a d l i n e s ...; ... 6 0 3 I. & E. C. Report* ... *5

A s W e See f t ... .... *69

Equipment and Design. Charles O w e n B r o w n ... *75

Instrumentation. Ralph H . M u n c h ... *81

Plant Management. W alter von P e c h m a n n ... *87

Last-Minute Flashes ... ... *132

TECHNICAL ARTICLES Catalytic Cracking of Pure Hydrocarbons. B. S. Greensfelder and H. H. V oge . 514 Microbial A m ylase Preparations. Lu Cheng Hao and John A. J u m p ... 521

Polythene. Physical and Chemical P r o p e r tie s ... Frederick C. Hahn, Maurice L. Macht, and David A. Fletcher 526 M olasses Stillage. Gustave T. R e i c h ... 534

High Speed Agitator for Pressure Vessels. M. W. Kiebler... 538

Impurities in Benzene. John R. Anderson and Carl J. Engelder... 541

Reactions of Hydrocarbons in the Presence of Cracking C a t a l y s t s ... Charles L. Thomas 543 Catalytic Cracking of Cuts from Coastal Crude ... D. B. Ardern, R. H. Newton, and G. L. Barcus 546 Petroleum Coke. A. G. V. Berry and R. Edgeworth-Johnstone... 551

Treatment of Spent Pickling Liquors with Limestone and L im e ... Richard D. Hoak, C. J. Lewis, and W. W. Hodge 553 Coke from Illinois Coals. Frank H. Reed, Harold W. Jackman, and P. W. Henline 560 Moisture Relations of M ixed F ertilize rs... John O . Hardesty, J. Y. Yee, and Katharine S. Love 567 Viscosity-M olecular Weight Relations for Cellulose A cetate B u t y r a t e ... J. W. Tamblyn, D. R. Morey, and R. H. Wagner 573 Iron Pentacarbonyl as Antiknock A g en t in A lc o h o l Motor F u e l s ... Isadore Pitesky and Richard W iebe 577 Effect of Temperature on Strength of Laminates. Patrick Norelli and W. H. Gard 580 Azeotropic Dehydration of Pyridine and lb H o m o l o g s ... Lloyd Berg, J. M. Harrison, and C. W. Montgomery 585 G lob e-V alve Flow Coefficients for V alve M e t e r s ... A . Edgar Kroll and H. V. Fairbanks 588 Chemical Characterization of Rayon Yarns and Cellulosic Raw M aterials... C. C. Conrad and A. G. Scroggie 592 Portland Cement Dispersion b y Adsorption of Calcium L ig n o su lfo n a te ... Fred M. Ernsberger and Wesley G. France 598 Molecular Refraction-Viscosity Constant Nomograph. R. T. Lagemann . . . . 600 Solubility Data for the System A n ilin e-T oluene-W ater...

Julian C. Smith and Roger E. Drexel 601

* Indicates pas* numb« In th* id «rtliln j section.

EDITOR: W ALTER J. M U R PH Y Assistant to Editor: N . A . PARKINSON

INDUSTRIAL ^{a n d} ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

G a t n m e /ic e . a n d O n a u & b iu

P h th a lic A n h y d r id e E x p a n s io n . S u rp lu s p h e n o l su p ­ p lie s a t th e close of W o rld W a r I w as a m a tte r of co n cern to its m a n u fa c tu re rs a n d th e G o v e rn m e n t. T h e allies h a d b e ­ sieg ed th e ch em ical in d u s tr y to e x p an d p h e n o l p ro d u c tio n b y e v e ry m ea n s p o ssib le in o rd e r to m e e t re q u ire m e n ts fo r trin i- tro p h e n o l ( T N P ) . A s a re s u lt, a hu g e sto c k p ile of 40 m illion p o u n d s loom ed m e n a c in g ly o v e r th e m a rk e t w h en h o stilities c eased , a n d th e re w as no s y n th e tic o rg an ic chem ical in d u s try to a b so rb so m u ch p h e n o l. P ric e s d ro p p e d p re cip ito u sly , fro m so m ew h ere ab o v e 50 c e n ts a p o u n d a ll th e w ay to a ro u n d 8 c en ts.

T o M o n s a n to C h em ical C o m p an y w e n t th e u n e n v ia b le ta s k of d isp o sin g , in th e b e s t w a y i t could, of th is 40 m illion p o u n d s in a m a rk e t w h ich a n n u a lly g o t alo n g n icely on 2.5 to 3 m illio n . C o n tr a r y to all p ro g n o stica tio n s of econom ists a n d m a r k e t e x p erts, th e p h e n o l su rp lu s w as sold, a n d in a s u rp ris in g ly s h o r t tim e . A n ew p o stw a r in d u s try , o r ra th e r tw o n ew in d u s trie s (rad io a n d p h e n o l-fo rm ald e h y d e p las tic s), h a d su p p lie d th e an sw er.

A p a ra lle l now seem s to b e d e v elo p in g in one of p h e n o l’s d is ta n t chem ical re la tiv e s, p h th a lic a n h y d rid e ; m ilita ry d e­

m a n d s h a v e b e e n g re a tly in fla ted to m e e t esse n tia l re q u ire ­ m e n ts in p h th a lic co atin g s fo r A rm y a n d N a v y e q u ip m e n t a n d p h th a la te p lastic iz e rs. W e h a v e b u ilt u p a n e n o rm o u s m a n u ­ fa c tu rin g c a p a c ity in p h th a lic a n h y d rid e as a w a rtim e n eces­

s ity , a n d a s in th e case of p h e n o l, w e w ill n e ed new peace­

tim e o u tle ts fo r th e s e facilities.

A t a re c e n t m ee tin g of th e I n d u s tr y A d v iso ry C o m m ittee a n d th e W a r P ro d u c tio n B o a rd , i t w as b ro u g h t o u t t h a t p h th a lic a n h y d rid e p ro d u c tio n will soon rise to a n a n n u a l r a te o f a b o u t 190 m illion p o u n d s a fte r h a v in g a tta in e d a n a n n u a l o u tp u t r a te of 126 m illion in th e first q u a r te r of 1945. A n id ea o f th e c a p a c ity ex p an sio n in p h th a lic w ill be b e tte r o b tain e d b y c o n tra s tin g th e s e figures w ith n o rm a l p e ac etim e n eed s.

I n 1929 p ro d u c tio n a m o u n te d to 9,168,946 p o u n d s ; in 1939, a f te r n o rm a l p e a c e tim e g ro w th in o rg an ic chem ical processes a n d re sin c o atin g s, th e o u tp u t h a d rise n to 44,274,430. I n a d d itio n to p h th a lic a n h y d rid e ’s use in a lk y d resin s a n d p las­

tic ize rs, th e n a p h th a le n e d e riv a tiv e h a s som e o ld er e stab lish ed o u tle ts , p rin c ip a lly in th e m a n u fa c tu re of d y estu ffs, p h a rm a ­ c eu tica ls, b a se s fo r p erfu m e s, a n d d e n a tu rin g m a te ria ls for e th a n o l.

P - 4 Q £ f 6 0

T h ese o u tle ts will p ro b a b ly b e w id e n ed fo r p h th a lic a n h y ­ d rid e in th e g re a t in d u s tria l era w hich lies a h e a d . H o w ev e r, i t w ould b e g ro u n d less o p tim ism to e x p ec t th e s e n o rm a l p re ­ w a r o u tle ts to a b so rb th e full p ro d u c tio n of p re s e n t a n d p ro ­ je c te d p h th a lic a n h y d rid e facilities. T h e q u e s tio n w h ich arises, th ere fo re, is o b v io u s: W h a t new c h an n els of tr a d e p re ­ s e n t th em selv es to its su p p liers? W e c a n n o t o v erlo o k t h e p o ss ib ility t h a t som e new in d u s try will rise, as h a p p e n e d in th e in sta n c e of p h e n o l, to ab so rb 190 m illio n p o u n d s o r m o re o f p h th a lic a n h y d rid e a y e ar.

W e m u s t n o t e x p ec t t h a t a n o th e r co m b in a tio n o f L eo B a ek e ­ lan d , p h en o lic resin , a n d ra d io will a p p e a r to solve th e p ro b ­ lem . I n s te a d , we m a y h a v e to d e p en d u p o n som e of t h e n ew er a n d p ro m isin g a p p lic a tio n s to p ro v id e a m a r k e t fo r p a r t of th e w a rtim e in crease in p h th a lic . O ne p ro m isin g ite m in th is g ro u p is d im e th y l in se c t re p ellen t, d e m a n d fo r w h ich h a s b e en h e a v y e n o u g h to c o n trib u te to th e o v er-all s h o rta g e o f b o th p h th a lic a n h y d rid e a n d its raw m a te ria l, n a p h th a le n e . I n d ire c t o r e n d uses u n d o u b te d ly will b e fo u n d in th e p o s tw a r w o rld .

S h iftin g S o u r c e s f o r R a y o n . T h e m a rk e d ch an g e w h ich h a s ta k e n p lace in cellulose c o n su m p tio n fo r th e m a n u fa c tu re o f ra y o n is one of th o se econom ic u n p re d ic ta b le s b o rn o f w ar­

tim e sh o rta g es. T h e p re w a r u se of w ood p u lp cellulose b e­

cam e firm ly e stab lish e d a s a raw m a te ria l fo r th is p u rp o se , esp ecially b y viscose ra y o n p la n ts . T h e p e rc e n ta g e o f w ood p u lp in all cellulose u sed rose fro m 5 8 % in 1932 to 8 5 % in 1942. T h e o th e r cellulose b a se fo r th is p u rp o se , c o tto n lin - te rs p u lp , in t h a t sam e p e rio d d ro p p e d fro m 42 to 1 5 % . T h e use of b o th raw m a te ria ls e x p an d e d alo n g w ith ra y o n p ro ­ d u c tio n .

T h e econom ic d o g m a t h a t d e m a n d a lw ay s flow s in to th e low -cost ch an n e ls s till h o ld s, b u t th e w a r a p p e a rs to h a v e te m p o ra rily th ro w n t h a t id ea , a n d som e o th e rs lik e it, o u t o f th e w indow . T h e g ro w in g c o n su m p tio n of ch em ical w ood p u lp in r a y o n m a n u fa c tu re d u rin g 1932-42 grew o u t o f a n eed fo r re d u cin g p ro d u c tio n co sts. A t th e ■sam e tim e sp ecial p ro p e rtie s of w ood p u lp for its u se in viscose r a y o n w ere im ­ p ro v e d . I n 1942 th e a lp h a-cellu lo se c o n te n t of w ood p u lp fo r th is p u rp o se h a d b e en b ro u g h t u p to a ra n g e of 8 8 -9 2 % . N o w th e tr e n d is rev ersin g itself. (Continued, on page 8)

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C o m m e n c e V h a G o m n i& ic e

Reports on the ^ Reports on the ^

Chemical World

Chemical World

Today

Today

C o n su m p tio n o f cellulose b y th e ra y o n in d u s tr y in th is c o u n try la s t y e a r s e t a n a ll-tim e h ig h of 367,000 s h o r t tons, a n d th e g re a te s t in crease b y fa r w as show n b y c o tto n lin te rs p u lp . T h e e x p an sio n a m o u n te d to 4 7 .7 % , o r fro m 55,500 to n s in 1943 to 82,000 in 1944. A t th e sam e tim e , wood p u lp c o n su m p tio n ro se b y o n ly 1 .4% , o r fro m 281,000 to 285,000 to n s. T h e e x p la n a tio n fo r th is re v ersa l o f position is d u a l. L a b o r sh o rta g es a n d o th e r w a r difficul­

ties h av e p re v e n te d th e w ood p u lp in d u s try fro m in creas­

ing p ro d u c tio n , a n d a s a re su lt, su p p lies o f h ig h a lp h a pulp h a v e becom e exceedingly tig h t. T h e second cause, how ever, is th e one w h ich will b e a r w a tch in g . T h e m ilita ry tire p ro g ram , b ased larg ely o n th e use of s y n th e tic ru b b e r, calls for larg e q u a n titie s of h ig h -te n a c ity ra y o n , a n d we a re to ld t h a t sev eral im p o rta n t ra y o n p ro d u c ers fa v o r th e use of lin ters p u lp for th is p u rp o se . I n som e ra y o n p la n ts i t is com ­ bined w ith w ood p u lp . T h e la tte r is also b ein g u sed as such in th e processing of h ig h -te n a c ity y a r n re q u ire d for tire cord.

B o th m ate ria ls w ill b e d ra w n u p o n h e av ily to m e e t th e re­

quirem ents of th e tire p ro g ram , a n d in d ic a tio n s a re t h a t th e increase in ra y o n ’s cellulose su p p lies will h a v e to b e m e t b y th e chem ical c o tto n p ro d u c t. T h e R u b b e r B u re a u ’s p ro g ra m calls for th e p ro d u c tio n of 245,000,000 p o u n d s of ra y o n tir e cord th is y e ar, a n d 296,000,000 in 1946; a lth o u g h th e re ce n t E u ro p ean v ic to ry m a y m o d ify th ese e stim a te s, th e req u ire d increase in ra y o n p ro d u c tio n o v er la s t y e a r will be large.

T he e x te n t to w hich c o tto n cellulose can be ap p lie d h as a lim it im posed b y th e lin te rs su p p ly . A m a jo r use in re c e n t years has b een th e m a n u fa c tu re of cellulose a c e ta te (28.6% in 1941 a g ain st 9 % in 1929). T h e viscose in d u s try a cco u n ts for som ething less t h a n 11% of c o tto n lin te rs co n su m p tio n ; ni­

trocellulose, o v er 5 3 % ; cu p ram m o n iu m ra y o n a n d m iscel­

laneous, a b o u t 7 .5 % . T h e chem ical c o tto n p la n ts su p p ly in g this form of cellulose fo r th e foregoing uses p ro b a b ly w ere n o t projected w ith a view to m ee tin g a d d itio n a l e x tra o rd in a ry de­

m ands for ra y o n co rd m an u fa ctu re .

F e r tiliz e r ’s F u tu r e . H e a d ach es a re m u ltip ly in g in th e fertilizer field, a n d lik e th e m a n w a itin g fo r th e o th e r shoe to drop, th e in d u s try w ill n o t re s t e asy u n til som e d isp o sitio n is m ade of g o v e rn m e n t n itro g e n p la n ts . N o t o n ly is A m erican in d u stry suffering fro m th e jitte r s , b u t th e C h ilean n itr a te organizations a re also w o ndering w h e th er th e in te n tio n s of th e G overnm ent a re “h o n o ra b le ” to S e ñ o rita C hile.

T he la te s t d e v elo p m en t is th e S ta te D e p a rtm e n t release concerning th e conference a t M exico C ity , w hich s ta te d t h a t th e disposition of th e p la n ts w ould b e discussed w ith th e C hil­

ean G o v ern m en t, if su ch d isp o sitio n h a d a n y effect o n th e pro d u ctio n o r e x p o rt of n itr a te fro m C hile. P la in tiv e ly th e A m erican a n d th e C h ilean g ro u p s a re cry in g , “ W h a t is th e U nited S ta te s G o v e rn m en t going to do w ith th e n itro g e n plan ts?” M o re p lan s a re going a ro u n d W as h in g to n fo r th e disposition o r u tiliz a tio n of th ese u n its t h a n th e re a re “ fleas on a h o u n ’ daw g” .

R ecen tly am e n d m en t S. 55 to th e In d e p e n d e n t Offices A p p ro ­ p riatio n s B ill m e t d efeat. T h is w ould h a v e p ro v id ed $3,000,- 000 to w ard th e c o n stru ctio n , b y T V A , of a s u p e rp h o sp h a te p la n t n e a r M obile, A la. (Continued on page 10)

A p p a re n tly th e feeling of C ongress is a g a in s t th e G o v ern ­ m e n t’s e n te rin g th e fertilizer business, a n d fo r t h a t reaso n i t a p p e a rs t h a t a n o th e r fertilizer m easu re, S e n a te B ill 882, will n o t com e o u t of co m m ittee. T h is bill p ro v id es t h a t th e G o v e rn m e n t ex p an d its n itro g e n c a p a c ity a n d s e t u p in e v ery c o u n ty a n av erag e of seventy-five ex p erim en tal farm s fo r th e use of fertilizers m ad e in g o v e rn m e n t p la n ts . I n ­ d ig n a tio n o v er th is m easu re in fe rtiliz e r circles is ru n n in g hig h , a n d m a n y feel t h a t i t is th e first s te p to w a rd socializa­

tio n of in d u s try . T h e pro p o sed e x p erim en tal farm s, if carried o u t, w ould n u m b er m ore th a n 200,00 0 .

T h e leg islato rs’ id ea t h a t th e fa rm e r n eed s a ssistan ce in fertilizers is in te re stin g in view of th e fa c ts o b tain e d b y T h e N a tio n a l F e rtiliz e r A ssociation on th e p ra ctice s t h a t farm ers will b e follow ing in th e fu tu re . T h is o rg an izatio n ask ed th e farm ers of th e N a tio n several p e rtin e n t q u estio n s, a n d th e replies in d ic a te t h a t th e m essages of ed u ca tio n a l p ro g ram s h a v e b e en heeded. I n answ er to th e q u e stio n as to w h eth er less m o n ey w ould be sp e n t for fertilizers if farm prices declined m o d era tely a fte r th e w ar, 9 6 % of th e farm ers said th e y w ould n o t sp en d less, 8 4 % a re ap p ly in g m ore fertilizer now th a n before th e w ar, 70% said th e y w ould sp en d m ore for fertilizers n e x t y ear, a n d 9 8 % endorsed th e tre a tm e n t a n d services of th e p re s e n t fertilizer dealers. E v e n u n d e r th e strin g en c y of w ar, 5 9 % said th e y w ere ab le to g e t as m u ch fertilizer a s th e y w a n te d th is y ear.

I n view of th is reco rd i t is d o u b tfu l if C ongress will m ak e a n y rad ical disp o sitio n of th e n itro g e n p la n ts a t th is tim e.

F e d e r a l F in a n c e . P u b lic in d eb ted n ess is of far-reach in g im ­ p o rtan c e, a n d th e follow ing from th e re p o rt of th e S e c re ta ry of th e T re a su ry should in te re s t th e chem ical profession. E ig h ty - n in e billion dollars will be s p e n t th is y e a r on th e w ar, 10.7 billion on o th e r g o v e rn m e n t ex p en d itu res. R eceip ts will be a b o u t 45.7 billion, th e deficit a m o u n tin g to 54 billion. D e b t in te re s t will a m o u n t to 3.8 billion. I n 1945 th e to ta l of goods a n d services in th e U n ited S ta te s will a m o u n t to 198 billion, a n d of th is a m o u n t g o v e rn m e n t e x p en d itu res will be e q u al to 50% a n d fed eral receip ts to 2 3 % .

S everal in te re stin g conclusions s ta n d o u t. O ne is t h a t th e incom e of th e N a tio n , as re p rese n ted b y th e to ta l goods a n d services, seem s to b e stab ilized a t a b o u t 200 billion. A n o th er is th e s ta te m e n t of th e S e c retary t h a t p o stw a r ex p en d itu res will b e “ far h ig h er th a n p re w ar ex p en d itu res a n d we sh o u ld p la n to red u ce th e d e b t as ra p id ly as econom ic co n sid eratio n s p e rm it” . T h e p ro b lem t h a t faces th e N a tio n in re g ard to th e d e b t is well expressed in th e su m m atio n b y S e c re ta ry M o rg en - th a u t h a t th e “ p re m a tu re re la x atio n of o u r efforts on th e ta x fro n t m ig h t jeo p ard ize th e co n tin u in g success of th e econom ic sta b iliz a tio n p r o g r a m ...to o g re a t a d elay in a d ju s tin g th e ta x s tru c tu re a n d ra te s m ig h t jeo p ard ize th e p o stw a r m a in ­ te n a n c e of h ig h levels of em p lo y m en t a n d business a c tiv ity ” . L a s t a n d m o st im p o rta n t, th e ex p en d itu res for th e in te re s t p a y m e n t on th e d e b t a m o u n t to on ly 2 % of th e N a tio n ’s to ta l goods a n d services. T h is low r a te of in te re s t is tru e o n ly if th e incom e of th e N a tio n is large, a n d o u r p o stw a r econom ic h e a lth dep en d s on keeping i t large. (Continued, on page IS)

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S u g a r f o r I n d u s t r y . W h en su g a r bow ls begin to d isa p p ea r fro m ta b le s, in d u s try h a s a s m u ch re aso n to b e concern ed as th e housew ife. S u g a r of a ll ty p e s is a n im p o r ta n t raw m a te ­ ria l in th e m a n u fa c tu re of d ru g s, p h a rm a ce u tic a ls, a n d chem i­

cals, a n d su c h u tiliz a tio n h a s in creased in re c e n t y ears. P ro c ­ esses for th e m a n u fa c tu re of c itric acid , so rb ito l, a n d ascorbic a cid a re d e p e n d e n t u p o n su g a r in its d ifferen t fo rm s. T h ese u ses a n d th e re q u ire m e n ts of th e b ev erag e a n d c an d y m a n u ­ fa c tu re rs m a k e u p a sizab le to n n a g e of su g a r a n n u ally .

W h en d o m estic p ro d u c tio n a n d im p o rta tio n of su g a r fall below n a tio n a l re q u ire m en ts, in d u s try a t tim e s is forced to re s o rt to s u b s titu te s , su ch a s h o n e y o r m alto se a n d dextrose.

T h is y e ar, h ow ever, th e s u p p ly of s u b s titu te s is also lim ited . T h e s u g a r e s tim a te s for 1945 th u s fa r a re n o t en couraging.

T h e W a r F o o d A d m in is tra tio n ’s S u g a r S ectio n s ta te d in M a y t h a t th e N a tio n ’s a v a ila b le su p p lies will a m o u n t to 7,696,000 s h o rt to n s, ra w v a lu e , of w hich 5,000,000 a re b ein g allo cated fo r civ ilian use (in d u s try a n d h o u seh o ld ), a n d 1,529,000 to o u r ajlies. T h is in d ic a te s t h a t 1,167,000 to n s will b e m ad e a v ailab le for th e a rm e d forces. I t also in d ic a te s a decrease of 1,000,000 to n s for civilians b ased on 1944 a llo catio n s. T h is W F A e s tim a te , how ever, w as p re d ic ate d o n th e ex p ec tatio n of a C u b a n cro p o f 4,100,000 to n s. S ince th e n all b u t a few o f C u b a ’s 160 m ills h a v e finished g rin d in g th e 1944r-1945 cro p , a n d th e tr a d e h a s lea rn ed t h a t i t will a m o u n t to on ly 3,868,000 to n s or som e 232,000 to n s less th a n a n tic ip a te d . C u b a , P u e rto R ico, a n d o u r d o m estic cane a n d b e e t grow ing a rea s-c o m p rise th e p rin cip a l su g a r sources. I f th e P h ilip ­ p in es a n d H a w a ii could r e tu r n to n o rm al su g ar p ro d u ctio n , o u r w orries w ould b e ov er.

T h e H o u se F o o d C o m m ittee , w hich in v e s tig a te d th e s itu a tio n , w as to ld t h a t can e a llo tm e n ts to ex p an d in g C u b a n refineries w ere d o u b led th is y e a r. A t th e sam e tim e U n ite d S ta te s refineries a re o p e ra tin g a t less th a n c ap a city . I n P u e rto R ico a pro lo n g ed d ro u g h t is affectin g b o th th e c u rre n t a n d th e new crops. T h e s u g a r crisis n ev erth eless w as laid a t th e d o o r of th e C o m m o d ity C re d it C o rp o ra tio n ' ‘fo r failu re to e n co u rag e p ro d u c tio n in P u e rto R ico a n d C u b a, w here 6 0 % of o u r s u p p ly is g ro w n ” . T h e c o m m itte e reco m m en d ed a

“ c z a r” to c o o rd in a te th e a c tiv itie s of tw e n ty -tw o fed eral agencies in su g a r c o n tro l a n d u rg e d t h a t n e g o tia tio n s b eg in a t once fo r a cq u irin g th e 1946 C u b a n a n d P u e rto R ic a n crops.

P ric e policies, in d ire c tly , a re in v o lv ed as well, a n d a n in­

d u s tr y w itn ess to ld th e c o m m itte e t h a t th e p re se n t p rice of 3 .10 c e n ts p e r p o u n d f.o .b . C u b a , w hich th e C C C is p a y in g for th e 1945 crop, is th e o th e r e x tre m e to th e s itu a tio n in th e first W o rld W a r w hen th e G o v e rn m e n t refu sed to p a y a n offered p rice of 6.50 c e n ts a lth o u g h th e raw su g ar m a rk e t a t th e tim e w as m o re th a n 20 cen ts.

H e re a t h o m e th e g ro w th of o th e r m o re p ro fitab le crops b y b e e t a n d can e grow ers h a s b e en a t th e expense of su g ar, a n d som e believe t h a t th e G o v e rn m e n t sh o u ld h a v e disco u rag ed th is b y offering b e tte r in c e n tiv e p a y m e n ts fo r th e g ro w th of su g a r. T h e n o rm al a n n u a l o u tp u t of d o m estic su g a r as a re ­ s u lt h a s d ro p p e d fro m 1,800,000 to n s to a ro u n d 1, 100,000 to n s, a n d e v id e n tly n o th in g c an b e d o n e to c o rre c t th e s itu a tio n

th is y e a r. (Continued on page 14)

S y n th e tic R e c la im . N o o n e e v e r a c c u s e d th e c h e m is t o f ru n n in g a w a y fro m tr o u b le , in c lu d in g t h a t o f h is ow n m a k in g . W h e n te c h n o lo g y c r e a te d a s y n th e tic r u b b e r in ­ d u s tr y w ith in tw o y e a rs , i t b r o u g h t o n s e v e ra l o th e r p r o b ­ lem s, a n y o n e of w h ic h w o u ld n o r m a lly c o n s titu te a m a jo r d ifficulty. T h e ru b b e r m a n u fa c tu rin g in d u s tr y h a d b e e n so g eared to th e u se of n a tu r a l H e v e a p la n ta tio n cru d e t h a t n ew processes h a d to b e d ev ised fo r m illin g a n d c o m p o u n d in g th e sy n th e tic s. T ire s of s y n th e tic , esp ecially h e a v y -d u ty a n d m ilita ry ty p es, d e m a n d e d h ig h -te n a c ity r a y o n co rd , h e a v y loadings of carb o n b lack , a n d new c a p a c ity to p ro v id e th e s e m ate ria ls.

N ow com es s y n th e tic reclaim to show t h a t so m e o f o u r p a s t tro u b le s w ere o n ly p re lim in a ry . R e cla im is n o t j u s t a con­

s e rv a tio n p ro d u c t. I t h as p e cu liar p ro p e rtie s w h ich re n d e r it a n esse n tia l in g re d ie n t in c o m p o u n d in g ; . e v e n in n o rm al tim es we h a v e con su m ed as m u c h a s 200,000 to 300,000 to n s a y e a r in th e m a n u fa c tu re of m a n y a rtic le s, in clu d in g tire s.

M o s t of th e reclaim fo rm erly cam e fro m n a tu r a l p la n ta tio n ru b b e r, a n d processes for o b ta in in g i t fro m sc ra p w ere m o re or less stab ilized , from th e sc ra p d e ale r’s y a rd to th e re claim in g p la n t.

R eclaim in g s y n th e tic ru b b e r, o n th e o th e r h n a d , is a com ­ plex p ro c ed u re w hich challenges th e ru b b e r tec h n o lo g ist.

H e h as n o t ju s t one ty p e of s y n th e tic to d e al w ith b u t se v e ral.

T h is m a y m e a n th e d e v elo p m en t of d iffere n t p ro c ed u re s for reco v erin g each ty p e . C hem icals, so lv en ts, a n d oils w hich m a y b e su ita b le for one sy n th e tic a re u n s u ite d for a n o th e r.

T ech n o lo g ists m e n tio n a n u m b e r of com plex o rg a n ic m a te ria ls w hich a p p e a r p a rtic u la rly effective fo r re claim in g G R -S , such a s d ih y d ro x y ary lsu lfid es, m e rc a p ta n s , a n d h y d ra z in e s ; how ever, a t th is sta g e th e c o st of su c h o rg a n ic ch em icals is hig h co m p a red w ith th e co m m o n reclaim oils a n d so lv e n ts, coal ta r , n a p h th a , a n d o th e rs , w h ich sufficed fo r p la n ta tio n ru b b e r.

I t is possible t h a t p re s e n t re claim e q u ip m e n t c a n b e u sed w ith o u t c ellar-to -ro o f a lte ra tio n . A lea d in g tec h n o lo g ist sa y s th is is th e case fo r G R -S n o w a v a ila b le a s sc ra p , a fte r changes h a v e b e e n m a d e in tim e a n d te m p e r a tu r e cycles.

B u t th e id en tific a tio n , g rad in g , a n d s o rtin g of s y n th e tic s is so m e th in g else a g ain . I t could n o t now b e c a rrie d o u t e x ce p t for th e d e sig n atio n s re q u ire d o n m a n u fa c tu re d goods, w hen G R -S is u sed , in a cc o rd an ce w ith W a r P ro d u c tio n B o a rd re g u ­ latio n s. C h em ical te s ts h a v e b e e n w o rk ed o u t to a s s is t in id en tify in g th e v a rio u s s y n th e tic s in r u b b e r sc ra p , a n d som e a re said to b e successful. A so lu tio n of th is d ifficu lt p ro b lem w ould c o n s titu te a n im p o r ta n t c o n trib u tio n . A m a n u fa c ­ tu r e r of a rtic le s re q u irin g th e sp ecial p ro p e rtie s o f n eo p ren e, to c ite o n e specific in sta n c e , w ill n o t b e a b le to u se n e o p ren e reclaim if h e finds t h a t i t is c o n ta m in a te d w ith d e te rio ra tin g m a te ria ls.

R eclaim re se arc h m a y h a v e to b e re o rie n te d a lo n g th e lin e of d e v elo p in g o u ts ta n d in g p ro p e rtie s in s y n th e tic re claim s for special a p p lic atio n s. T h is g o al will re q u ire a d d itio n a l re ­ fin em e n t of reclaim processes a n d a p ra c tic a b le s y s te m o f so rt­

in g a n d collecting sc ra p . C o s t will b e th e d o m in a tin g co n ­

sid e ra tio n . (Continued on page 18)

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T h e e n tire p ro g ra m will b e nullified if costs a n d prices of s y n th e tic reclaim s a re p e rm itte d to a d v an c e to u n w o rk ab le levels. T h e d ev elo p m en t sh o u ld b e accelerated , as crude n a tu ra l reclaim is v an ish in g a n d n o n e m a y b e a v ailab le ov er th e n e x t tw o y e ars. T h e R u b b e r B u re au s ta te s th a t th e su b ­ s ta n tia l a d v an c es in th e reclaim in g of s y n th e tic ru b b e r scrap will u n d o u b te d ly p ro v e to b e th e in su ra n ce p o licy for con­

tin u e d o p e ratio n s in th is field. Som e 16,000 to n s of reclaim a m o n th h a v e b een sufficient to m e e t d em an d , b u t now th is m u s t b e in creased to a ro u n d 25,000 to n s, o r on ly 1000 to n s a m o n th below th e h ig h es t to n n ag e figure e v er ach iev ed in th is in d u stry .

Protecting Pipe Lines. R esearch a n d field te s ts co nducted b y th e m ag n esiu m in d u s try to develop “ cath o d ic p ro tec ­ tio n ” for u n d e rg ro u n d p ip e lines h a s e v id e n tly p ro v ed fru it­

ful. I n a re c e n t discussion o n p o stw a r chem ical o u tlets, W illard H . D ow said t h a t th is new tec h n iq u e of c o m b atin g corrosion in in d u s try m ig h t ab so rb a s m u ch as 60,000,000 p o u n d s of m agnesium an n u ally , a n a m o u n t w hich is som e 10,000,000 p o u n d s in excess of th e D ow C hem ical C o m p an y ’s o u tp u t.

T h e m agnesium fo r th is p u rp o se serves in th e form of an ex pendable allo y anode. A n u m b er of th ese are in stalled in th e soil a d ja c e n t to th e p ip e line to b e p ro tec ted , a n d th en c o n n ected to th e line. T h e e a r th a ro u n d a n d ab o v e th e an o d es is c o n d itio n ed b y m ixing w ith a backfill, th e com posi­

tio n of w hich will v a r y in accordance w ith soil resistiv ities.

F o r low -resistance soils A quagel a n d g ro u n d h y d ra te d gypsum (CaSO<.2HjO) axe em ployed, a n d for h ig h -resistan ce soils A quagel, a n h y d ro u s sodium su lfate, a n d h y d ra te d gypsum are u tilized .

B asically, cath o d ic p ro tec tio n a g a in st corrosion is n o t new as S ir H u m p h re y D a v y , ov er a c e n tu ry ago o u tlin e d a sim ilar id ea for p ro te c tin g th e copper sh e a th in g th e n used o n ships.

I t re sts o n th e fa c t t h a t corrosion of m e ta l surfaces u n d e r­

g ro u n d is a n electro ly tic actio n . P o rtio n s of th e su rface a c t lik e an o d es a n d co rro d e; o th e r a rea s b e h av e a fte r th e fashion o f c ath o d es a n d a re u naffected. E a r th o r w a ter su rro u n d in g p ip e lines a c ts as a n electro ly te, a n d c u rre n t flows froth anodic to cath o d ic areas. B y tra n s fe rrin g th is a ctio n to a n “ ex­

p e n d ab le ” a n d rep laceab le an o d e in th e e a rth , d e stru ctio n of th e p ip e line or o th e r s tru c tu re th ro u g h corrosion is eith er g re a tly re d u ce d or elim in ated .

M ag n esiu m , in p ro p e r b a la n c e w ith o th e r m etals, is said b y D ow engineers to b e h ig h ly desirab le for a n expendable an o d e. I t h a s d riv in g v o lta g e to p ro te c te d steel (a g ain st a co p p er su lfa te reference electrode) of 0.7 to 0.8 v o lt, an d show s no ten d e n c y to p o lariz atio n . T h e co m position of th e alloy, o n th e b asis of th e ir la te s t re p o rts , e v id e n tly is im ­ p o r ta n t. T h e an o d e now offered to in d u s try for th is p urpose is a c o n tro lled c o m p o sitio n in w hich th e iro n a n d nickel con­

te n t is h e ld to less th a n 0.0 0 3 % . I n one ty p ic a l field in sta lla ­ tio n to ta l c u rre n t o u tp u t w as o nly 10 am peres, a n av erag e o u tp u t of a b o u t 37 m illiam p eres per anode.

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lune, 1945 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 NbrS T IMF

/ 7 n a r r a y of varied articles aw aits yo u th is m onth. D ep art- ' * ing from th e custom , followed th is year, of m aking sym ­ posia a feature, we p resen t a n issue of v aried discussions. We w onder if th e read er has noticed th e q u ality of th e sym posia alre ad y published in 1945. I t speaks well for A C S m em ber­

sh ip an d for intellectual w riting qualities of chem ists and chemical engineers of th e S o c i e t y . In th e five issues of 1945, papers from six sym posia were presented.

T h is m o n th we begin w ith th e su b ject of cracking paraffins.

G reensfelder a n d Voge, of Shell D evelopm ent C om pany, present th e first of a series of articles to appear in I . & E . C. on th e cata­

ly tic cracking of pure hydrocarbons. T his tim e Greensfelder is exam ining th e cracking of paraffins, ranging from propane to wax, an d using a silica-zirconia-alum ina cataly st. T he au th o rs note th a t th ere is a selective m an n er in w hich th e carbon-carbon bond ru p tu res, an d th a t th e use of cataly tic cracking m ethods is five to six ty tim es as rap id as th erm al cracking.

M icrobial Amylase P rep aratio n s is th e awesome title of paper N o. 2. An am ylase is an enzym e th a t a cts as a saccharification a g e n t for starches. Therefore a m icrobial am ylase is an enzyme th a t has its origin in a m icroorganism . T he authors, L u Cheng H ao a n d Jo h n Jum p, come from th a t little scientific “League of N a tio n s”— th e Joseph E . Seagram & Sons’ train in g school. H ao a n d Ju m p find th a t, com pared to m alt as a sta rch saccharification ag en t, th e m old am ylase is far m ore efficient on a w eight basis.

T h e uncom prom ising rules of economics, however, m u st be con­

sidered, an d price is a t p resen t a deterring factor. Y et it is on such problem s th a t chem istry forages an d grows fat.

P o ly th en e is a new generic term , th e gift of du P o n t and Im ­ p erial C hem ical In d u stries. I t is also a new plastic; in fact, th e n am e connotes those polym ers of ethylene suitable for plastics.

H ah n , M acht, an d F letcher, of th e du P o n t organization, present a n extensive article on th e new m aterial, an d exam ine its proper­

tie s an d characteristics. One of th e im p o rta n t uses for th is late st of th e plastics is insulation for electrical equipm ent, and as such has h ad a varied an d useful life in th e A rm y a n d N avy.

M olasses stillage is a problem in applied chemical economics.

As far as th e m echanics of th e disposal operations of th is w aste m aterial go, th e solution has already been found. Facing the su g a r m an u factu rers, however, is th e question of w h at to do w ith i t once it has been m echanically processed. Reich, of Pennsyl­

v an ia S ugar C om pany, airs these difficulties th is m onth. Going ev en fa rth e r, he discloses th e results of low -tem perature carbon­

izatio n of stillage in a new furnace. T h e results of th e low- tem p e ratu re technique are varied according to th e chemical conditions of th e stillage fed to th e furnace. P roperties can be changed from h a rd to soft, dense to porous. E n d p ro d u ct can serve as a chicken feed or a wood charcoal su b stitu te.

Pickling liq u o r is a m ajo r w aste disposal problem to certain in d u stria l areas in th e U n ited S tates. T h is m o n th we carry a n o th e r c o n trib u tio n on th e su b ject b y one of our forem ost ex­

perts* W . W. H odge; w ith H o ak a n d Lewis of Moil oh In s titu te o f In d u stria l R esearch, he exam ines th e tre a tm e n t of these liquors w ith lim estone a n d lime. Considerable savings are found possible w ith th is com bination.

M ixing in high-pressure autoclaves is a necessary chem ical operation, an d th e m eans of its doing are m any. H ow ever th ere is alw ays room for im provem ent; K iebler, of C arnegie T ech, adequately describes how it was accom plished in coal research experim ents. Pressures w ent as high as 6000 pounds per square inch, an d th e s tirre r a tta in e d ab o u t 120 r.p.m .

Tw o papers from th e Sym posium on C atalysis in th e P etroleum In d u stry are included in th is issue; o th er articles from th is group were p rin ted in April. T hom as, of U niversal Oil P ro d u cts Com ­ pany, w rites on R eactions of H ydrocarbons in th e P resence of C racking C atalysts, w ith special em phasis on olefins. A rdem , N ew ton, an d B arcus, of H oudry Process C orporation, a u th o r a pap er on C ataly tic C racking of C uts from C oastal C ru d e; “ cute chemical congeneracy” , com m ent we on th e title. T h e au th o rs use a silica-alum ina c ata ly st on four narrow -boiling fractions from C oastal crude. A g reat deal of th e p ap er is given over to d eter­

m ining th e results of varied severity of cracking.

T he gradual b u t certain depletion of high-rank A ppalachian coking coal will some d ay create k n o tty problem s. F o r m an u ­ factu rers in th e M idw est these problem s alm o st becam e c u rren t as a resu lt of th e tran s p o rta tio n shortage. R elief could be ob­

tain ed by using Illinois coal, w hich has a higher m oisture co n te n t th a n th e regular eastern grade. I n o rder to experim ent w ith th is ty p e of coal, Reed, Jack m an , a n d H enline b u ilt a slo t-ty p e oven which, according to th e results, exactly duplicates com m ercial units.

I f th e N a tio n ever exhausts its petroleum fuels, eth y l alcohol is w aiting to ta k e th eir place; we need n o t w orry over th e proper antiknock agent— it has alread y been tested . P itesk y an d Wiebe, of N o rth ern R egional R esearch L ab o rato ry , give an extensive rep o rt on th e use of iron p en tacarb o n y l, F e(C O )s, as an antiknocker in alcohol. H ow ever, i t has o th er im p o rta n t uses t h a t will probably be realized before th e N a tio n is forced to utilize such a su b stitu te fuel. T ropical countries a re seriously consider­

ing it as a su b s titu te in w artim e, a n d m an y of th e farm organiza­

tions are already sponsoring it. N orelli a n d G ard, of W esting- house E lectric & M an u factu rin g C om pany, w rite of th e ir experi­

m ents in determ ining th e effect of tem p e ratu re on th e stre n g th of phenolic lam inates.

W ith the Departments. M unch, o ur in stru m e n ta tio n spe­

cialist, s ta rts his colum n th is m o n th w ith a brief analysis of p o st­

w ar business, th en considers m eans of determ ining sodium an d potassium . H e also covers th e rem ote recording of pressure an d a new gas analyzer. B row n will cover in tw o in stallm en ts th e m odern m ethods of m easuring sm all differences— techniques worked o u t by th e m echanical industries a n d well w o rth know ing by th e chem ical fra te rn ity . Von P ech m an n is tack lin g a n old bugaboo of th e chem ical field, w aste due to carelessness of w ork­

ers. M ethods of p reventing th e w rong m easurem ent a n d m ixing of chem icals are discussed.

INDUSTRIAL ^{a n d} ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

P U B L I S H E

*

Z W —

S u m m e r Course C h em ists?

R ECENTLY a technical journal published by one of our better known scientific schools carried the following interesting news item :

M iss -— h ad been working in th e in d u stry for only two months before she enrolled for th e train in g an d found it of g reat value for orienting her for her work.

N or was th is th e young labo rato ry technician’s first experience a t ---- . A fter her g raduation f r o m ---high school in 1943, she enrolled in one o f ---- ’s w ar train in g courses in industrial chem ­ istry.

A fter only one sum m er course, M iss ---- stepped right in to a position as chemist for t h e ---- lab o rato ry a t ---com pany.

A statement of this kind is one which the chemical profession deplores because of its tendency to convince the lay public that a chemist can be produced by “one summer course”. Particularly disheartening is the reali­

zation that such a misleading statement appears in the publication of an institution that is engaged in the training of chemists and chemical engineers.

The readers of

are well acquainted with our efforts to obtain full and proper recognition of the profession. It is inexcus­

able for any institution to publish an erroneous state­

ment conveying the idea that chemists can be trained in “one summer course” following a high school educa­

tion. For good and sufficient reasons, we must dif­

ferentiate between laboratory technicians on the one hand and chemists and chemical engineers on the other.

The news item quoted is a distinct backward step in the program of educating the public as to what constitutes a chemist or chemical engineer. It is the duty of each member of our profession to protest when material of this type appears.

Developing E s p rit de Corps

W EBSTER’S New International Dictionary defines esprit de corps as “the common spirit pervading the members of a body or association of persons. It implies sympathy, enthusiasm, devotion, and jealous regard for the honor of the body as a whole”.

Esprit de corps is a rather subtle emotion; it usually results not from one but from a combination of many different factors. One of the principal reasons why armies, from time immemorial, have worn uniforms, insignia, and decorations, is to assist in the develop­

ment of an esprit de corps.

Strangely enough, but a relatively small percentage

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

of

members now wear the

identification pin. With a national and inter­

national membership of well over 40,000, and with a large segment traveling extensively, it is highly desir­

able that pins be worn.

Recently your Editor was traveling on the Twin

man occupying the seat opposite asked if he might bor­

row a magazine. Noting the ACS lapel button, he men­

tioned that he, too, was a member of the

What would have been a rather dull and uninteresting trip was transformed into an entertaining, &nd it is hoped, mutually profitable experience.

Again and again, while traveling, your Editor has been able to meet a number of chemists and chemical engineers, many of them

members, simply be­

cause they were wearing the identifying insignia of the Chemical Warfare Service. An

button would ac­

complish the same desirable result in the case of civilians.

Let’s tell the world we are proud to be members of the

Let’s identify our­

selves as

members.

If chemists and chemical engineers expect the public to think of them as members of a profession, they must first learn to do the many things that make for an in­

tense, live esprit de corps.

Roosevelt on Science

T HE following excerpt is from the last speech pre­

pared by our late President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, shortly before his untimely and tragic death, and was to be delivered, via the radio, to those who were to attend the 350th Jefferson Day dinners. It is of special significance to scientists, and a direct chal­

lenge to them to contribute more of their time, energies, and abilities to the solutions of moral, economic, and political problems:

Thom as Jefferson, himself a distinguished scientist, once spoke of “ th e brotherly spirit of science, which unites into one family all its votaries of w hatever grade, and however widely dispersed throughout th e different quarters of the globe” .

T o d ay science has brought all th e different q uarters of th e globe so close together th a t it is impossible to isolate them one from another.

T oday we are faced w ith the preem inent fact th at, if civiliza­

tion is to survive, we m u st cultivate th e science of hum an rela­

tionships—th e ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together and w ork together, in th e sam e world, a t peace.

S e n sib le S u g g estio n

/ " ^ H A R L E S E . W I L S O N , p r e s i d e n t o f G e n e r a l E le c - t r i e C o m p a n y a n d f o r m e r ly e x e c u tiv e v ic e c h a i r ­ m a n o f t h e W a r P r o d u c t i o n B o a r d , h a s , i n t h e S a t u r ­ d a y E v e n in g P o s t f o r M a y 5 , e x a m in e d c a r e f u lly o u r w a r e c o n o m y . H i s t h e m e is t o s h o w t h e A m e r ic a n p u b lic t h a t w e w ill g e t s o m e th i n g o u t o f t h e w a r i n t h e f o r m o f s c ie n tif ic d e v e l o p m e n t . M o s t o f t h e i n v e n t i o n s d e ­ s c r ib e d a r e f a m i l ia r t o t h e r e a d e r s 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 a n d n e e d n o r e p e t i t i o n h e r e . W ils o n a d m i t s t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e s e d e v e lo p m e n ts , b u t h e s e e s o t h e r d i v id e n d s t h a t w e , a s a n a t i o n , w ill g a in f r o m t h e w a r . O n e o f t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t , h e t h i n k s , is t h e d e m o n s t r a t i o n t h a t i n d u s t r y a n d g o v e r n ­ m e n t c a n c o o p e r a te . T h i s is a n a d v a n t a g e t h a t is v e r y w e lc o m e t o b u s in e s s a n d t h a t s h o u ld n o t b e l o s t i n t h e p o s t w a r . W ils o n h o p e s t h a t c o o p e r a tio n w ill b e e x ­ t e n d e d i n d e f i n i te l y t o a c o n ti n u i n g p r o j e c t o f p r e p a r e d ­ n e s s . H o w e v e r , f o r a p r e p a r e d n e s s p r o g r a m w e n e e d r e s e a r c h o r g a n iz a t i o n s , a n d h e s u g g e s ts t h a t s o m e o f t h e w o r k o f t h e O ffice o f S c ie n tif ic R e s e a r c h a n d D e v e lo p ­ m e n t b e e x te n d e d i n t o a l o n g - r a n g e p r o g r a m . O t h e r g o v e r n m e n t a l o r g a n iz a t i o n s , s u c h a s t h e N a v a l R e ­ s e a r c h L a b o r a t o r y , t h e A ir F o r c e L a b o r a t o r i e s , t h e o r d n a n c e l a b o r a t o r i e s a n d p r o v i n g g r o u n d s , a n d C h e m ­ i c a l W a r f a r e S e r v ic e , s h o u ld b e m a i n t a i n e d . B u t h e e m p h a s iz e s t h a t t h e i r u s e f u ln e s s w o u ld b e in c r e a s e d a n d t h e i r o u t lo o k b r o a d e n e d i f t h e y w e re p r o v i d e d w i t h c o m p e t e n t c iv ilia n a d v is o r y c o m m itte e s . T h e c h a ir m e n w o u ld w o r k w i t h h i g h - r a n k i n g o ffic e rs a n d , a s s u c h , w o u ld c o n s t i t u t e a s m a ll g e n e r a l- s ta f f g r o u p t o k e e p t h e a r m e d f o r c e s a b r e a s t o f s c ie n tif ic c h a n g e s . T h is p l a n h a s o u r f u ll a p p r o v a l . F r o m t h e n u m b e r o f s u g ­ g e s t io n s i t is c e r t a i n t h a t t h e p o s t w a r w ill se e t h e a d o p t i o n o f s o m e s u c h p l a n . T h e p r e s e n t s c ie n tific o ffic e s h a v e p a i d o ff t h e i r o r ig in a l i n v e s tm e n t a s f a r a s w a r i m p r o v e m e n t s a r e c o n c e r n e d . I f w e a r e t o r e m a i n s c ie n tif ic a lly s t r o n g a n d w e ll p r e p a r e d f o r a n y e m e r g e n c y , w e m u s t i n c o r p o r a t e t h e b r a i n s a n d a b ilitie s o f s c ie n ­ t i s t s i n t o t h e a r m e d f o r c e s . T h e r e is a c o m m o n c o m ­ p l a i n t t h a t t h e g e n e r a l s t a f f a lw a y s p r e p a r e s t o f ig h t t h e l a s t w a r ; if, u n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e r e is t o b e a “ n e x t w a r ” , t h e u t m o s t o f o u r r e s o u r c e s s h o u ld b e a p p lie d d u r i n g p e a c e t o t h e t a s k o f k e e p in g t h e N a t i o n a l e r t a n d a b le t o m e e t t h e d a n g e r .

W h a t P rice R eview ing?

T H E hundreds of chemists and chemical engineers who gratuitously give of their time, energy, and abilities in the role of reviewers of manuscripts offered for publication in

journals deserve unstinted praise for the important service they render the journals, the

and sci­

ence. Quite frequently for perfectly good reasons they remain anonymous and therefore cannot receive the credit due them and the personal thanks of the authors whom they have assisted..

S12 Vol. 37, No. 6

One of the many pleasant discoveries made by your Editor when he came to Washington about two years ago was the very cordial relationships which usually develop between author and reviewer. The highly ethical approach of reviewers evaluating manuscripts is a credit to our profession; similarly, the receptive attitude of authors to many of the suggestions made by reviewers, even .though such suggestions are not always accepted, and in this connection we wish to reiterate the statement which we make so frequently to authors that they are not obliged to accept suggestions of reviewers unless they are fully in accord.

Very infrequently, however, we do have a clash of personalities and misunderstandings, and we present the following comments from a reviewer with the idea of improving still further a very satisfactory state of affairs:

I t seems to me t h a t a review er should m ake certain n o t only th a t th e d a ta presented are o f a w orthw hile n a tu re , b u t he should also help th e prospective co n trib u to r to present these d a ta in th e b est possible w ay. A n im p o rta n t p o in t in th is connection is proper “ labeling o f th e goods” . Y oung au th o rs usually m ake th e m istake o f using too inclusive a label, w hen a specific label would do m ore ju stice to th e a u th o r an d w ould avoid disappointing th e reader. O ften a su b title m ay be used for th is purpose. A general title should involve th e responsibility o f coordinating one’s contribution w ith all im p o rta n t d a ta an d concepts available on th e su b je ct'm atter.

I feel t h a t an y d o u b t w hich presents itself to th e review er on perusing a m anuscript should be tak e n v ery seriously b y th e a u ­ th o r. T he review er is usually an ex p ert in th e specific field. I f this ex p ert has difficulty in u n d erstan d in g ju s t w h at th e a u th o r is driving a t, how m uch m ore difficulty will th e general read er have?

I n helping to clear u p th is d o u b t th e review er is really doing a service to th e a u th o r, an d while he expects no g ra titu d e , a t least he does n o t like to be b ark ed a t. A ny intelligent a u th o r will see this po in t. T hose who b a rk lay them selves open to th e suspicion th a t th ey are eith er n o t intelligent or th a t th ey w a n t to hide som ething b y barking. I t is this w hich casts a reflection on th eir w ork; n o t th e suggestions m ad e b y th e reviewer. I n som e cases, a uthors have m ade th e suggested changes b u t h av e still b ark ed against th e review er . . . review ers are usually v ery b u sy people and like to have th eir efforts appreciated ju s t like o th er m ortals.

And while on this general subject we add the view­

point of still another reviewer who writes us as follows:

T he average p ap er contains a n in tro d u ctio n , som e review of th e p ertin en t literatu re, a description of m aterials an d m ethods used, an d a list o f references. Such “ overhead” item s often use u p a good share of th e to ta l space occupied b y th e p ap er, b u t are, o f them selves, no contribution. Along w ith th em th ere is th e real m eat of th e article— th e new facts a n d d a ta w hich h av e been uncovered. T o save space, th e ra tio of “ M eat” to “ over­

h ead ” should be increased, b u t th ere seems to be a d istin c t te n ­ dency for ju s t th e opposite to happen. I can cite m an y older

apers (and some m odern ones too of course) w hich could easily ave been w ritte n u p as a dozen o r m ore sep arate articles if th eir au th o rs h ad chosen to do so.

M an y present-day w orkers u n fo rtu n ately seem to feel it neces­

sa ry to present each m inor advance in th e s tu d y of a large p rob­

lem in th e form of a p aper, w hereas th ree or four sim ilar a d ­ vances perhaps could ju s t as well have been published a t one tim e an d th e p aper would have been only a little longer. T h e step - by-step m ethod of publishing actually lays an even g reater stra in on our facilities, because n o t infrequently th e first conclusion, in th e light of late r w ork, is seen to h ave been in error. Still m ore papers th en have to be published (frequently from o th er laboratories as well as from th e original one) m erely to g et th e record back to th e place w here it was before th e original erro r was p u t o ut.

Since our “reviewer corps” is recruited mainly, if not wholly, from authors, we do not believe there will be many who will disagree with these remarks.

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 S T R Y