The Chemical Age, Vol. 52, No. 1354

¿ j n e e h i :

¡A TU R D A Y , J U N E 9. 1945

R EG ISTER ED AS A N EW SPA PER

8L>. P E R C O P Y P O S T F R E E 8 D .

K ent K.M. m ete rs are ro b u st Vo CTOstructisiB, and expressly suited to induHri^>Sjyag^T and have a high d e g ree of accuracy w hich is well m aintained th ro u g h o u t th e life of th e in stru m e n t/

T hey a re used for m easurem ent of th e flow of steam , w ater, gas, oil o r any o th e r fluid, w h a te v e y th e q u a n tity o r pressure:

They p ro v id e a p e rm an en t record of flow and also, if desired, a clear indication of th e flow passed a t any given m om ent. The to ta l flow is re g istered on a co u n ter.

Records may be k e p t for reference and will show variations betw een different shifts o r p e rm it checking of steam consum ption over p articu lar periods.

T he K ent U niform w a te r m ete r com bines a high capacity w ith th e accuracy of th e displacem ent ty p e and is available in a range of sizes /o r low o r high p ressure.

The K ent M ultelec reco rd s, indicates and c o n tro ls te m p e ra tu re s ; it is sensitive and accurate but stu rd ily built w ith a powerful relay action.

AUDLEY " ENGINEERING COMPANY LIM ITED NEWPORT SHROPSHIRE • Englan d

T H E C H E M I C A L A G E Ju k e 9, 1 945

R E S I S T S E R O S I O N ~ C O R R O S I O N

A n Austenltic Cast Iron for

“ Caustic, Sulphuric, Free Fatty Acid, etc., services.”

d eiJ

h a v e b e e ^ J f oUt s t a n d i n g

t h i s l a t e s t m o d e l lVU itn P l0VC’

a n d h e t e

„m ted

d is tu rb a n c e

K E L V I N • B O T T O M L E Y • A N D • B A I R D • L T D .

L .o n d o n O f f i c e : W i n c h e s t e r H o u s e , O ld B r o a d S t r e e t , E.C .7 'G r a m s : “ O x b r o s , L e e d s ’

’P h o n e : L o n d o n W a h 3731. ‘G r a m s : " A s b e n g p r o , S to c k , L o n d o n ” ’P h o n e : L e e d s 27468 cp.do H ere is a p o rtio n of a very big oil storage in still­

ation w e recently com pleted in Trinidad — th e electrically-w elded tanks illustrated are I 18ft. Oin.

d iam eter and 4lft.6 in .d eep (80,000 barrels capacity).

This is only one of th e many im p o rtan t jobs u n d e r­

tak en during th e past five y e a rs— m ost of which U i l K I C I F T • I F F Ï 3 ^ I f i

we are still unable to m ention. n U l l J U C I L U L U J I U

J u n e 9. 1 945

T yp ew riters can now o n ly be su p p lie d un der lic en ce fr o m the B o a rd o f T ra d e

Imperial Typewriter Company Ltd.

Leicester

A

T HE C H E M I C A L A G E Ju n e 9, 1 945

T H E S E B U L L E T IN S should be read closely bv every steam user. T he steam savings they describe a re p e r­

manent gains and sound business propositions. Copies of (he booklets a re free from your Regional Office of the M inistry o f Fuel and Pow er.

ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OT FUEL AND POWER

More w ork from your

Practical Ideas f o r better stea m usage

h a v e y o u r e a l i s e d th a t the shrewd a n d e nterprising use o f steam brings not only urgently needed fuel econom ies b u t o ften a great im p ro v e m e n t in p ro d u c tio n efficiency o f steam -using plant ? • Steam is very obliging stuff. T h e b etter you u n d e r s ta n d a n d h a n d le it, the m o re w o r k it will d o for you. • Below is a list o f Bulletins w ritten by experts a n d pac ked with practical suggestions. Put these sugges­

tions in to use a n d you will (/) save fuel ; (//) im p ro v e plant efficiency an d o u t p u t ; a n d (///') put in some really good g ro u n d w o rk for p ost­

war ec onom y a n d production.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF CON­

DENSATE (B u lle tin N o. 4)

C o n d e n sa te disch arg ed from steam trap s is n o t by any m eans w aste w ater. It is h ot an d soft a n d clean, an d th ere a re m an y excellent uses for it. R ead a b o u t c o n d en sate and how to deal w ith it.

UTILISATION OF STEAM (B u lle tin N o . 22) T his is a really h an d y an d all­

ro u n d guide to the intelligent use o f steam fo r space h eatin g an d process w o rk . E conom y ideas o n practically every page ; easily and quickly p u t to use.

THE SENSIBLE USE OF LATENT HEAT ( B u lletin s N os. 18 and 19)

T h e L aten t H eat o f steam is its rea d ily usable h eat. H ow best to use it a n d re-use it is to ld j n - . this Bulletin.

FLASH STEAM AND VAPOUR RECOVERY ( B ulletin N o . 28)

Y ou sh o u ld kn o w how to put flash steam an d process v a p o u r to w ork in place o f live steam . T h is ' Bulletin p o in ts the way to su b ­ stan tia l eco n o m ies

J UN E 9, 1945 T H E C H E M I C A L A G E

E L E C T R O L Y T I C

D I A P H R A G M S

i n c o r p o r a t e t h e following essential fe a tu re s

• S m a ll p o re s ize lim its diffusion.

O C o n tro lle d p ore size .

• U n ifo r m and high p o re d en sity e n su re s low e le c tr ic a l resistan ce .

• G ood m e ch a n ica l streng th .

• R esistan ce to acid s and a lk a lis.

This m aterial is m anufactured into pots of various shapes and sizes and also In plates of various sizes.

Thin plates are supplied up to 2 0 ' long x 12' broad varying in thickness dow n to 2.5 mm. Cylindrical diaphragm s are supplied up to 4 8 ' long : 12' d iam eter and up to 36" long x

14" diam eter.

The diaphragm s are produced in four grades ranging in pore sizes from 2 to 7 microns.

Sole Distributors for A ER O X FILTERS LTD ., Glasgow and London.

A E R O X P R O D U C T IO N S ^{L t d .}

CENTRAL HOUSE ■

UPPER W O B U R N PLACE. L O N D O N . W . l Telephone : EUSton 4C86 7

KESTNER SPRAY DRIERS

P R O D U C E A D R Y P O W D E R E D P R O D U C T F R O M S O L U T I O N S , O R S O L I D S IN S U S P E N S I O N , IN O N E O P E R A T I O N A T L O W O V E R A L L

C O S T

K estner P atent Spray D riers are in daily use m anufacturing : FIN E CH EM ICALS FOOD PROD UCTS TAN E X T R A C T S BLOOD PO W D ER

SOAPS D E T E R G E N T S

D YES M ILK

SALTS E T C .

- t 4 ' ! ■ 'A A i ; j j ! ;t. J IF Y O U A R E M A N U F A C T U R I N G

W

A N Y P O W D E R E D P R O D U C T

Y I T W I L L P A Y Y O U T O C O N -

■ M B S I D E R A K E S T N E R P L A N T

KESTNER EVAPORATOR AND ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED

CHEMICAL ENGINEERS .. 5. GROSVENOR GARDENS, L O N D O N , S.W .I

READS

M anufacture an unequalled range of

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F O R A L L T Y P E S O F C O M M O D I T I E S

I f y o u a re in difficu lty o ver sp ecial requirem ents, w e m a y be able to h elp y o u

READS LTD.

21, B R I D G E W A T E R STRE ET, L I V E R P O O L

T HE C H E M I C A L A G E J^{u n e} 9, 1 945

J u n e 9 , 19 4 5 T H E C H E M I C A L A G E

In illustrating N o. 57 Sem i-m icro Balance, w e p re sen t one of th e m ost up -to -d ate Precision Balances now available fo r p rio rity purposes.

i l j j L ’ 1 1 0 , G L O U C E S T E R P L A C E , T e l e p h o n e : W e l b e c k 2 2 7 3 L O N D O N , - W . l

T A S /C R 227

ï k \ M Ù k l l l l Ê a a

1. G round glass screen on to which th e image of th e graticule is projected.

2. T ran sp aren t pro tectin g shelf.

3. G raticule scale a t foot of pointer.

• 4. A djustable stops are fitted w ith spring plungers.

5. Milled head for z e ro adjust­

m ent.

6. Inner p ro tectin g fro n t slide for beam co m p artm en t.

7. Back knurled edge of p ro ­ jec to r has screw adjustm ent fo r focussing image of graticule on screen.

8. Release hook at each side to enable case to be opened.

(Lamp housing m ust be re ­ moved first.)

O u r d etailed list of C h em ical, M icro­

chem ical and Assay Balances and W e ig h ts will gladly b e fo rw a rd e d on re q u e s t.

T H E C H E M I C A L A G E Ju n e 9, 1 945

R O T A R Y COMPRESSORS

& VACUUM PUMPS

LO W MAINTENANCE COSTS

t LONG LIFE

| I N I T I A L E F F I C I E N C I E S

* M A I N T A I N E D O V E R

| Y E A R S O F S E R V I C E

s \ The B .A . Holland Engineering Co. Ltd., 15 Dartmouth Street, London, S.W.1

J W O R K S : PERTH A V E N U E , S L O U G H

T O W E R S

ANALYTICAL BALANCES Capacity 200 grm . Sensitivity 0.I m grm .

T o w e r s Model 75 £27 . 10 . 0 (illustrated)

T o w e r s Model 55 £19 .-10 . 0

MODEL 75

Made in o u r w orkshops at W idnes.

Full particulars on application J. W . TOW ERS & C O . LTD.

H ead Office and W arks : W ID N ES M AN CH ESTER : 44 C h ap e l S t., Salford 3 L IV ER PO O L : 134 B ro w n lo w Hill

Ju n e 9, 1945 T H E C H E M I C A L A G E

S tav e le y Q u ality is n c accid en t. It is th e natural re su lt o f exp erien ced c ra fts ­ m anship. T h e S ta v e le y W o rks have been in e xiste n ce fo r o v e r 2 0 0 years and generatio n aft&r generatio n o f w ork people h ave passed on th e ir skill to p re se rve th e glorious trad itio ns and th e fin e repu tatio n o f th e C o m p an y which

th e y serve .

T he S taveley C oal & I ron

C o .

L td .,

^{N r .}

C hesterfield

SCIENTIFIC GLASSWARE

G L U E

(C o n tin u o u s E vaporation)

THE POWER-CAS CORPORATION

Stockton - on - Tees

i I

Specialists in the design a n d construction o f Plants

fo r the

^'

Oil an d Fat,

Soap

^(£•

Glycerine Industries

E D I B L E O I L S

(S olvent e x tra c tio n , Refining & D eodorising)

H Y D R O G E N A T E D O I L S & F A T S

H Y D R O G E N G A S P R O D U C T I O N

F A T T Y A C I D S

(C o n tin u o u s fat splittin g w ith o u t catalyst)

G L Y C E R I N E

(R ecovery & Refining)

T H E C H E M I C A L A G E Ju n e 9 , 1 9 4 5

provides long and e fficien t se rv ic e .

T

HE p ro te c tio n a ffo rd e d by th e use of PYREX B rand Scientific G lassw are in all w orks ro u tin e te s ts , and in all chem ical and m an u fa ctu rin g p ro c ess es , is tru ly re m a rk ab le . N o t only is this G lassw are im m u n e fro m th e e ffe c ts o f su d d en th e rm a l ch an g es, b u t it is also highly re sistan t to all acids (e x c e p t h y drofluoric and glacial p h o sp h o ric ).

By v irtu e of th e am azingly low c o -e ffic ie n t of expansion o f .0000032, th e s tru c tu re of PYREX Brand Scientific G lassw are can b e m ad e m o re ro b u st th an th a t of o rd in ary glass.

This gives it additional m echanical stre n g th , which en ab les it to re sist th e physical shocks of ev ery d ay usage . . . . th e re b y saving m uch of th e e x p en s e o f glassw are re p la c e m e n ts .

A s k fo r P Y R E X B rand and see th a t you get it !

PYREX

wrnttwu

S C I E N T I F I C G L A S S W A R E

MADE BY

James A. Jobling & Co. Ltd.

W e a r G l a s s W o r k s , SUNDERLAND.

J u n e 9, 1945 T H E C H E M I C A L AGE

y Y Y Y T Y y r r r Y T T V T Y T Y T T T T V y V T T T Y V Y Y Y T Y

5

t

N o w a v a i l a b l e

DIETHYL CARBONATE

(C2H5 0 )2C 0

P r o p e r tie s o f P u r e S u b sta n c e : —

Colourless, pleasant-smelling liquid.

Boiling point . . . 126°C.

Specific Gravity at 20°C. . 0.975 Refractive Index at 20°C . 1.385 Inflammable

ETHYL CHLOROFORMATE

C1C0 0 C2H 5

P r o p e r tie s o f P u r e S u b sta n c e : —

Colourless, pungent-smelling liquid.

Boiling point . . 93°C.

Specific Gravity at 20°C.- . 1.135 Refractive Index at 20°C. . 1.397 Inflammable

Sam ples an d inform ation on application to :

I M P E R IA L C H E M IC A L I N D U S T R I E S L I M I T E D L O N D O N , S .W .l.

CN III5J

I

k

X T H E C H E M I C A L AGE Ju n e g, 1 945

C h e m ic a l E q u ip m e n t lined w ith Established a Century A c i d - r e s i s t i n g G l a s s E n a m e l and a Half. 1795-1945

T. & C. CLARK & C° LTD

TELEGRAMS:

W OT V F Ü H A M P T O N

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FA S T B A SES FO R IC E C O L O U R S

Benzol, N itro b e n zo l, B lnltrobenzol, N itro n a p h th alen e, B in itro n ap h th alen e, Xylol, N ltro x y lo l, B lnltroxylo!

X ylldine, T o lu o l, O r th o & Para N itro to lu o l, B ln ltro to lu o l (All G rades) Para N ltro O r th o T oluldlne, M eta N ltro Para Toluldlne

O R T H O TOLUID1NE PARA TOLUIDINE

Extensive Range of O il C o lo u rs, A d d C o lo u rs, Basic C olours, D ire ct C o lo u rs, P igm ent C o lo u rs, Azoic C o lo u rs fo r W o o l, also C olours su itab le for all T ra d e s

META TOLUYLENE DIAMINE META PHENYLENE DIAMINE

J O H N W . L E I T C H & C O . , L T D .

MILNSBRIDGE CHEMICAL WORKS

T e le p h o n e: H I I H n F R ^ F I F I T ) T e leg ram s:

189-190 MILNSBRIDGE n U U U L I X s i r i L L U LEITCH. MILNSBRIDGE

IND IA S C O T L A N D C A N A D A

K hatau Valabhdas & C o ., K irk p atrick & L auder Ltd., P re sc o tt & C o ., Regd.

Vadgadi .Bombay. 180, H ope S tr e e t, G lasgow . C.2 774, St. Paul S t. W e st, M ontreal

Ju n e 9 , i 9 1 5 T H E C H E M I C A L A G E x i

SINGLE-PHASE THREE-PHASE

or

D.C. MACHINES

M oto rs are a v a ila b le f o r: —

S o lid B a s e M ounting:

C r a d le M ounting:

R e s ilie n t M ounting:

with or without

A u t o m a tic B e lt-te n s io n A d ju s te r

BALL OR SLEEVE BEARINGS

(lor Vertical. Horizontal, o r Inclined Positions)

• •

B T H produ cts include a ll kinds o f electric p la n t a n d e q u ip m e n t;

M a zd a lam ps, a n d M a zd a lu x ligh tin g equ ipm en t.

1 ^r

J

B T H ^{R U G B Y}

T H E B R I T I S H T H O M S O N • H O U S T O N C O M P A N Y L I M I T E D . R U G B Y . E N G L A N D A 3320

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MOTORS

The m ost popular

in the

x i i T HE C H E M I C A L A G E Ju n e 9, 1 945

TYPHOX

A N D T I T A N I U M P O T A S S I U M O X A L A T E

I0 1 A I MORDANTS *« ' L IA T H IR D Y ftN C

W R I T E F O R P A R T IC U L A R S

PETER SPENCE & SONS LTD.

NATIONAL BWLOifrGS • ST. MARY'S PARSONAGE

M A N C H E S T E R , 3

LONDON O F F IC E : 7 7 8 /7 8 0 SA LISBU RY HOUSE EC.2

> TL 3

ACID-RESISTING p-CEM EN TS

P A T E N T A C I D - P R O O F N O N - S L I P F L O O R S

T A N K L I N I N G S E T C . . E T C .

F. HAWORTH ( AC,gS5IB?NO)

L T D .

RAMSBOTTOM • LANCASHIRE

P h o n e : G ram s :

R a m sb o tto m 3254. •* C e m e n t,” R a m sb o tto m .

JAMES TA TE & CO.

V ICTO R Y W O R K S . E A S T P A R A D E B R A D F O R D

SUITABLE FOR STEAM, W A TE R , AIR, SPIRITS, OIL, and CHEMICALS

= T A T E

SEM I-B A LA N C E D SOLENOID O P E R A T E D V A LV ES

Ju n e 9 , 1 9 4 5 T H E C H E M I C A L A G E x i i i

t o a n m i i r y

& E N G I N E E R I N G C O M P A N Y L I M I T E D

W O R K S W I D N E>S L A N C S

LONDON OFFICE 3 8 V I C T O R I A S T S W I A B B E Y 3 9 6 I

GAS C O O L IN G UNIT IN STAINLESS STEEL Fitted w ith 706 U in. Stainless Steel Tubes.

6 ft. d ia m e t e r by 8 ft. long b e t w e e n T u b e Plates. Riveted and w eld e d c o n s tru c tio n .

XIV T HE C H E M I C A L A G E Ju n e g, 1 9 + 5

R E A S O N S F O R U S I N G

‘A n a l a R ’ C H E M I C A L S

0 T h e y a r e of B rit is h M an u fa ctu re

0 T h e y co n fo rm to p u blish ed sta n d a rd s of p u rity 0 T h e y a r e su p p lied u n d e r lab e ls show ing

m a x im u m lim it s of all lik e ly im p u ritie s 0 T h e y a r e b o ttle d u n d e r co n d itio n s w h ich

e n su re fre e d o m fro m co n ta m in a tio n

0

T h e y a r e so p u re th a t ‘ rea g e n t e r r o r s ’ a re e lim in a te d

‘ A n a laR ’ lab o rato ry chemicals a re essentially in tended fo r use as th e standard analytical m aterials in lab o rato ries w h e re im p o rta n t and responsible w o rk is u n d erta k en . The ' ANALAR ’ specifications are set out in the publication

" ANALAR STANDARDS FOR LABORATORY C H EM IC A LS."

T hird Edition

Price : 5s. Od. Postage e x tra

T H E B R I T I S H D R U G H O U S E S L T D .

G R A H A M S T R E E T L O N D O N N .l

B A M A G

ACID PRODUCTION

C O N C E N T R A T I O N

^{a n d}

R E C O V E R Y PLANTS

For quality and capacity unequalled by other units of comparable size

B A M A G

B A M A G L I M I T E D , U N I V E R S A L H O U S E 60, B U C K I N G H A M P A L A C E R O A D , L O N D O N , S . W . I

O N W A R OFFICE A N D ADMIRALTY LISTS - T elep h o n e : SLOANE 9282 (8 lines)

The Chemical Age

A W eekly Journal Devoted to In du strial and E ngin eering C hem istry

B O U V E R IE H O U S E , 154 F L E E T S T R E E T , L O N D O N , E .C .4 Telegram s: ALLANGAS F L E E T LONDON

GLASGOW : 116 Hope Street (Central 3970)

Telephone: CENTRAL 3212 (10 lines) BIRM INGHAM : Daim ler House, Paradise Street (Midland 0784-3) TH E CHEMICAL AGE offices are closed on S aturdays in accordance w ith the adoption ot the five-day .week by

Benn B rothers Limited v - i ' \

____

Annual p ro s c rip tio n 2 i s f VOL. LII

No. 1354.

June 9 1945

» M l !

A m m onia Synthesis from C oke-O ven^G ass^ /

S

Y N T H E T I C a m m o n ia is o n e o f th e w e a p o n s o f w a r . I n tim e o f w a r f a r e th e c o s t a t w h ic h th e a m m o n ia is p r o d u c e d d o e s n o t m a tte r . I n tim e o t p e a c e th e a m m o n ia is t u r n e d in to s u l ­ p h a te o f a m m o n ia o r o th e r f e r t i l is e r a n d c le a r l y it m u s t h a v e a r e a s o n a b l e m a r k e t p ric e . O n e r e s u l t o f th e n e e d fo r e x ­ p lo s iv e s in th e l a s t w a r w a s th e c r e a tio n o f th e g r e a t s y n th e tic a m m o n ia p l a n t a t B e llin g h a m . A b y - p r o d u c t f r o m th is p l a n t w a s a c o m p le te c h a n g e in th e a m m o n ia p o s itio n in th e c a r b o n is in g in d u s tr ie s . I n 1 9 1 4 a m m o n ia w a s th e p r i n c i p a l b y - p r o d u c t fro m c o k e o v e n s a n d w a s a v e ry i m p o r t a n t b y - p r o d u c t f ro m g a s w o r k s . A f te r 1 9 1 8 it w a s p r o ­ d u c e d l a r g e l y a t a lo s s o r p e r h a p s , in c e r t a i n c ir c u m s ta n c e s , a t a s m a ll p ro fit.

S y n th e tic a m m o n ia c o n tr o lle d th e m a r ­ k e t a n d w e s h a l l

p r o b a b ly b e r i g h t in s a y i n g t h a t b y - p r o ­ d u c t a m m o n ia o n ly p r o v e d to b e w o r th r e c o v e r in g in a m a r ­ k e ta b le f o rm b e c a u s e a p o lic y o f liv e a n d le t liv e w a s p u r s u e d by th o s e w h o w e re r e s p o n s ib le f o r m a r ­ k e ti n g s y n th e tic a m m o n ia .

T h e d e m a n d fo r a m m o n ia h a s g r e a t ly i n c r e a s e d d u r i n g th e p a s t 45 y e a r s . T a k ­ i n g t h e w o r l d 's to ta l n i tr o g e n p r o d u c tio n in 1 9 1 0 a s 10 0, t h a t o f 1925 w a s 2 30 a n d

On Other P ages

N o tes and C o m m en ts ...

l ia w M aterials f o r P lastic s and S y n th e t ic R u b b er s — I

Co ntro l Orders R e v o k e d : F lu o r ­ s p a r ; B o n d in g M ateria ls ...

C heaper T h io p h e n e

A m e r ic a n P a te n ts ...

Meu:ton' C ha m b ers A w a r d W a r Damage C ompensa tion L e t t e r to th e E d it o r : D D T and

Gam in exane

Personal N o tes ...

P es t C ontro l ...

Parlia m entary Topics

General N e w s f r o m W e e k to W e e k 507 Fo r th co m in g E v e n ts ... 509 Com m er ci al Intellig e n ce ... 509 Com pany N e w s ... 509 S t o c k s and S h a res ...- 509 British C he mical Prices ... 510

t h a t o f 19 3 6 w a s 40 5.. B y f a r th e g r e a t e s t p a r t o f th is in c r e a s e w a s d u e to s y n th e tic p ro c e s s e s , a n d it is . t r u e to s a y t h a t a lt h o u g h th e r e t u r n f r o m a m m o n ia in th e c a r b o n is in g i n d u s tr ie s h a s d e c r e a s e d so s e r io u s ly a s to h a v e c a u s e d f o r so m e y e a r s a s e r io u s e c o n o m ic d is tu r b a n c e in th o s e in d u s t r ie s , th e r is e o f th e s y n th e tic p r o c e s s e s h a s tille d a n im p o r ­ t a n t g a p w h ic h c o u ld n o t o th e r w is e h a v e b e e n fille d . I t is o n ly n a t u r a l , a n d h a s h a p p e n e d in m a n y o t h e r in d u s t r ie s , t h a t w h e n a b e tte r p r o c e s s w h ic h p r o d u c e s a n im p r o v e d m a t e r i a l, o r w h ic h in v o lv e s lo w e r c o s ts t h a n th e e x is ti n g p r o c e s s , is f o u n d , th e o l d e r p r o c e s s o r p r o d u c t m u s t be s u p p l a n te d . A l th o u g h th e v i r tu a l d i s a p p e a r a n c e o f a m m o n ia f r o m th e c r e d if s id e o f th e c a r b o n i s i n g b a la n c e sh e e t' is to be r e g r e t t e d , i t c a n n o t b e h e lp e d . T h e c lo c k c a n n o t b e tu r n e d b a c k .

T h e r e a r e m a n y p l a n t s o n th e C o n ­ t in e n t m a n u f a c t u r i n g s y n th e tic a m m o n ia fr o m c o k e -o v e n g a s , b u t th e r e is o n ly o n e s u c h p l a n t in th is c o u n tr y , t h a t o f

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" F e r t i li s e r s , L t d . S o m e p a r t o f th is p l a n t , p a r t i c u l a r l y t h a t r e l a t i n g to th e p r o d u c tio n o f th e s y n th e s is g a s , h a s b e e n d e s c rib e d b y M r. J . W a t s o n N a p i e r in a p a p e r to th e 495

497 502 502 503 504 5('5 505 500 506 507

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T H E C H E M I C A L . AGE Ju n e 9 , 19 4 5 C h e m ic a l E n g i n e e r i n g G r o u p a n d th e

I n s t i t u t i o n o f C h e m ic a l E n g in e e r s . I t i s 'q u i t e c l e a r f r o m th is p a p e r t h a t th e p r o c e s s e s o f l iq u e f a c t io n , e tc ., b y w h ic h th e h y d r o g e n a n d th e n i tr o g e n a r e p r o ­ d u c e d a r e i m p o r t a n t, a n d n o t o v e r - e f t y to c o n tr o l. M r. N a p i e r is to b e c o n ­ g r a t u l a t e d u p o n a r e m a r k a b l y lu c id d e s c r ip tio n o f th e p l a n t a n d e v id e n tly u p o n c o n s id e r a b le s k ill in its m a n a g e ­ m e n t. T h e d e s i g n e r s o f th e p l a n t a r e a ls o to be c o n g r a t u la t e d on a n e m in e n tly w o r k a b le u n it. W e d o n o t p r o p o s e h e r e to d is c u s s th e t e c h n ic a l a s p e c ts o f th is p l a n t . W e a r e in te r e s te d in its m o re g e n e r a l a p p li c a t io n in th is c o u n tr y . It is h a r d l y to b e e x p e c te d t h a t a t th is s ta g e M r. N a p i e r c o u ld h a v e m a d e a d e ta i le d a p p r a i s a l o f th e v a lu e o f th e s y n th e s is f r o m c o k e -o v e n g a s a s c o m ­ p a r e d w ith o th e r m e th o d s o f p r o d u c in g a m m o n ia , s u c h a s t h a t f r o m th e s e m i­

w a te r - g a s p ro c e s s . H e c o n te n ts h im s e lf b y p o i n ti n g o u t t h a t h y d r o g e n fro n t c o k e -o v e n g a s “ is e s p e c ia lly e c o n o m ic w h e re p o w e r c o s ts a r e r e a s o n a b le a n d w h e re th e r e is a n a v a i l a b i l i t y o f c h e a p c o k e -o v e n g a s . ” T h e r e is a g r e a t d e a l o f c o k e -o v e n g a s in th e c o u n tr y a n d o n e is le d to w o n d e r w h e th e r th e p r ic e t h a t c a n b e p a id fo r 'c o k e -o v e n g a s a s a r a w m a t e r i a l f o r a m m o n ia s y n th e s is w o u ld b e su ffic ie n t to c a u s e th e c o k e -o v e n i n ­ d u s t r y to c o n s id e r t h is m e th o d of d is p o s in g o f its s u r p l u s g a s a s c o m p a r e d w ith p r e s e n t m e th o d s , s u c h a s th e # s a le f o r to w n g a s p u r p o s e s .

N o e v id e n c e i s c o n ta in e d in th e p a p e r , n o r w a s g iv e n d u r i n g th e d is c u s s io n , on t h is im p o r t a n t s u b je c t, b u t w e s u s p e c t f r o m th e a u t h o r ’s r e f e r e n c e to “ c h e a p c o k e -o v e n g a s ” t h a t th e s y n th e tic p r o ­ d u c tio n o f a m m o n ia fro m c o k e -o v e n g a s c a n b e ju s tif ie d o n ly w h e n th e c o k e -o v e n g a s is really- c h e a p . T h e c a p i t a l c o st o f th e p l a n t is h i g h a n d w e w e re l e f t w ith th e im p r e s s io n t h a t th e c a p i t a l c h a r g e s a r e t h e g r e a t e s t s i n g l e f a c t o r in th e c o s t o f s y n t h e ti c a m m o n ia b y t h is p ro c e s s . I f t h a t is so it w o u ld se e m t h a t i m p r o v e m e n ts a r e p o s s ib le . T h e r e m ay' b e m e a n s o f i n c r e a s in g th e p r o d u c tio n p e r u n i t o f c a p i t a l e m p lo y e d . I t w a s m e n tio n e d , f o r e x a m p le , t h a t c e r ta in p a r t s o f th e p l a n t w ill o n ly c o n tin u e in o p e r a t io n f o r a c o m p a r a t i v e l y s h o r t t im e b e f o r e b e in g s to p p e d fo r c le a n in g . W h e r e c a p i t a l c o s t is h i g h m a x im u m p r o d u c tio n p e r a n n u m is i m p o r t a n t.

T h e r e is , o f c o u r s e , a n a l t e r n a t i v e m e th o d o f u t i l i s i n g c o k e -o v e n g a s fo r c h e m ic a l p u r p o s e s , n a m e ly to u s e th e h y d r o c a r b o n s c o n ta in e d in th e g a s — m e th a n e , e th a n e , e th y le n e , a n d th e b e n ­ zen e h y d r o c a r b o n s — f o r p r o d u c tio n o f c h e m ic a ls . I t w a s p o in te d o u t b y M r.

G r e e n f ie ld t h a t if a ll th e s e h y d r o c a r b o n g a s e s w e re r e m o v e d f r o m th e g a s th e r e m a in i n g h y d r o g e n a n d C O w o u ld b e s u ffic ie n t in th e r m a l v a lu e to h e a t th e o v e n s . A s a g a i n s t th is if a s y n th e tic p r o c e s s p r o v e d to b e s u c c e s s f u l e c o n o m i­

c a l l y t h e o v e n s c o u ld b e h e a te d by, p r o ­ d u c e r g a s m a d e f r o m lo w - g r a d e f u e l a n d th e w hole! o f th e g a s c o u ld b e liq u e f ie d , e a c h o f th e s e p a r a t e f r a c t io n s o b ta in e d b e in g u tilis e d a s a c h e m ic a l in te r m e d ia te .

I t a p p e a r s to o u r u n i n s t r u c t e d m in d r a t h e r u s e f u l to p o n d e r o v e r th e f a c t t h a t o x y g e n , m e th a n e , e th y l e n e , a n d o th e r g a s e s p r o d u c e d d u r i n g th e p r o c e s s o f m a k i n g th e s y m th etic m ix t u r e fo r a m m o n ia p r o d u c tio n a r e to o o fte n n o t u t il i s e d f o r c h e m ic a l o r o t h e r p u r p o s e s . W h e n s te p s a r e ta k e n to u til i s e c o k e -o v e n g a s c o m p le te ly in s t e a d o f o n ly its h y d r o g e n c o n te n t, th e v a lu e o f th e g a s m a y b e c o n s id e r a b ly g r e a t e r . W e m ig h t a t th is s ta g e c a l l a tt e n ti o n to a p a s s a g e in a r e c e n t p a p e r “ T h e C a r b o n is in g I n d u s t r i e s a f te r th e W a r , ” r e a d b y D r . F o x w e ll to th e C .O .M .A . on F e b r u a r y 1.

“ C h e m ic a l u t il i s a ti o n o f c o k e -o v e n g a s m u s t b e lim i te d in sc o p e b y th e m a r k e ts f o r th e p r o d u c ts . . . . I t in v o lv e s c o n ­ s id e r a b le c a p i t a l e x p e n d i t u r e a n d a f u l l ­ tim e h i g h - g r a d e o p e r a t in g sta ff. If th e s e p ro c e s s e s a r e to b e p r o f ita b le th e y m u s t b e c o n ti n u a ll y o p e r a te d a t h ig h o u t p u t ; in n o s e n s e c a n c h e m ic a l u t il i s a ti o n b e a n i n te r m it t e n t p r o c e s s fo r u t i l i s i n g s p a r e g a s . . . . I t w o u ld n o t b e a n a l t e r n a t i v e to l in k a g e w ith th e g a s in d u s t r y , b u t a n a d d it i o n a l b u s in e s s v e n tu r e to w h ic h b o th i n d u s t r ie s s h o u ld c o n tr i b u t e . ”

C anadian R esins an d Chem icals, L td ., who m an u factu re “ Y in y lite ” resin s in th e ir p lan t a t S haw inigan F a lls . Q uebec, are now co n stru ctin g an ad ditional p lan t th ere for a n cillary p ro d u cts^ T h e new p la n t, som e 05.000 sq. ft. in area, will house eq u ip m en t co nsisting of B an b u ry m ixers, tw o-roll m ills, calen d ars, and p lan ish in g press.. On com ­ pletion of th is ad d itio n , th e com pany will be in a position to m an u factu re not only resin s but also p lastie com pounds m ade therefrom .

J UNE O, 19 4 5 T HE C H E M I C A L A G E 495

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U R I N G th e l a s t th r e e y e a r s , th e q u a n t i t y o f c r u d e t a r d i s t il l e d in th is c o u n tr y h a s d e c lin e d , a c c o r d in g to f ig u re s c o n ta in e d in th e S t a ti s t i c a l D ig e s t o f th e M .F . & P . ( H . M . S . O ., ts . 6d .), f r o m 2,17 2 ,0 0 0 to n s in 194 2 to 2.12 4 .0 0 0 to n s in th e f o llo w in g y e a r a n d to 2,0 8 3,0 0 0 to n s l a s t y e a r . C o m p a r e d w ith 19 3 8, o u t p u t in 1944 in c r e a s e d by, 2 2 3.0 0 0 to n s. O u t p u t o f c re o s o te o il re a c h e d its p e a k in 1942 w ith 6 4,000,000 g a ll o n s a g a i n s t 5 5,000,000 l a s t y e a r.

R e fin e d c r e s y lic a c id o f a ll g r a d e s a c c o u n te d f o r 7,0 5 6 ,0 0 0 g a ll o n s in 19 4 4, c o m p a r e d w ith 7,2 42,00 0 a n d 6,176 ,00 0 g a ll o n s in th e tw o p r e c e d in g y e a r s . O u t p u t o f c r u d e n a p h th a l e n e h a s flu c ­ tu a te d b e tw e e n 14 ,0 0 0 a n d 15 ,0 0 0 to n s , w h ile p r o d u c tio n o f th e i m p o r t a n t p y r i ­ d i n e b a s e s h a s sh o w n a d e c lin e f ro m

15 7 .0 0 0 g a ll o n s to 13 2 ,0 0 0 g a ll o n s o v e r th e l a s t th r e e y e a rs .

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N Y O N E w h o r e a d w ith c a r e th e r e p o r t in T h e T i m e s l a s t w e e k on

“ O p e r a tio n F i d o , ” m u s t h a v e b e en s t r u c k b y th e e x t r a o r d in a r y r a p id i t y w ith w h ic h s u c c e s s in f o g - l if t i n g w a s a tta in e d . T h e r e p o r t s ta te s t h a t “ u p to 1942 m o st e x p e r t s p r o n o u n c e d th e t a s k to b e h o p e ­ l e s s ,” th e P r im e M i n i s t e r ’s m in u te w a s d a te d S e p te m b e r 26, 19 4 2, a n d by N o v e m b e r 4 in t h a t y e a r s u c c e s s fu l e x ­ p e r im e n t s h a d b e e n c a r r ie d o u t. I s it l ik e l y t h a t a “ h o p e le s s ” p r o p o s itio n w o u ld h a v e b e e n b r o u g h t to f r u itio n in so s h o r t a tim e if n o o n e h a d d o n e a n y ­ t h i n g a b o u t i t b e f o re ? S h o u ld th e P e t r o le u m W a r f a r e D e p a r t m e n t ta k e q u ite a s m u c h c r e d it f o r “ F i d o ” a s it is c la i m i n g ? T h e - f o l l o w i n g e x tr a c t fro m t h e C o k e O v e n M a n a g e r s ’ Y e a r B o o k , 19 3 9, d e r iv e d f r o m a p a p e r r e a d in A p r i l , 19 3 8, b y W . L . B o o n a n d G. E . F o x w e l l , s u g g e s ts t h a t th e g a s in d u s t r y m a y h a v e h a d s o m e th in g to d o w ith it.

“ F o g L iftin g .—F o g is o f v ery c onsider- a b le h in d ra n c e to b o th civil a n d m ilita ry a v ia tio n , a n d a tte m p ts a re b e in g m ade to m ak e u se of coke fo r d isp e rsin g fog from a ero d ro m es. B y th e use of d irec tio n a l w ire less beam it is possible in foggy w e a th e r to b rin g a ir c r a f t to w ith in 50 ft. of th e g ro u n d in p erfect sa fety , a n d it h a s been show n th a t b y th e com bustion of coke ro u n d th e w in d w a rd side o f an aero d ro m e

C O M M E N T S

th e fog m ay u su a lly be d isp e rse d u p to a height- of CO o r m o re feet above th e g ro u n d . F o g is n o t- th e co m p a rativ ely sim ple s u b ­ s ta n c e w hich it a p p e a rs to b e, fo r m e te o ro ­ logical e x p e rts reco g n ise several k in d s of fog, a n d it is fo u n d th a t d iffere n t k in d s of fog re a c t in d iffere n t w ays to th e e s ta b lis h ­ m en t of a lay er of w arm a ir b e n e a th them . W o rk is b ein g c o n tin u e d on th is p ro je c t an d it is re aso n a b le to ho p e th a t a p ra c tic a l so lu tio n of the prp b lem of d isp e rsin g all kin d s of fog w ill soon be re a c h e d .”

T h e r e w e re s o m e e x p e r t s ' a t a ll e v e n ts w h o d id n o t c o n s id e r th e p r o b le m “ h o p e ­ l e s s .” W h a t w e s h o u ld lik e to k n o w is :

\V h y w a s th e w o rk d i s c o n tin u e d , a p p a r ­ e n tly , b e tw e e n 19 38 a n d 194 2 ; a n d w h a t w e re th e e x p e r ts o f th e D . S . I .R . d o in g n o t to r e c o g n is e its im p o r ta n c e ?

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^{H E} r e c e n tl y fo r m e d A lu m in iu m D e v e lo p m e n t A s s o c ia tio n h a s i n t r o ­ d u c e d i ts e l f to th e p u b lic b y o r g a n is in g a n e x h ib itio n a t S e l f r id g e s to d e m o n ­ s t r a t e th e m a n y u s e s to w h ic h th is v e r s a tile l i g h t m e ta l c a n b e p u t. T h e s e r v ic e s t h a t a lu m i n iu m h a s r e n d e r e d in a i r c r a f t p r o d u c tio n — a f ittin g t r ib u t e w a s p a id to S ir S ta f f o r d C r ip p s a n d h is w o r k a t th e M .A . P .— n e e d n o e m p h a s is . P r o d u c tio n c a p a c ity h a s r is e n f r o m u n d e r 500,000 to n s y e a r ly b e f o r e th e w a r to its p r e s e n t le v e l o f a b o u t 2,500,000 to n s , w h ic h th e A s s o c ia tio n ’s e x e c u tiv e s h o p e to b e a b le to m a i n t a i n . T h e m a in c iv i l ia n e m p lo y m e n t o f a lu m i n iu m is b e in g s o u g h t in th e b u i ld i n g i n d u s t r y , w h ile its u s e in t h e c o n s tr u c tio n o f r o l l i n g s to c k , s h ip s , a n d m o to r - c a r b o d ie s w ill a ls o b e h i g h e r t h a n in 19 3 9. I n a d d itio n , th e h e a v y p e n t- u p d e m a n d f o r k itc h e n e q u ip m e n t, f o r to y s , a n d f o r d e c o r a tiv e p u r p o s e s m u s t a ls o b e ta k e n i n to a c c o u n t. A l th o u g h th e in d u s tr y h o p e s to c o - o p e r a te w ith th e p la s tic s , tim b e r , a n d g l a s s i n d u s t r ie s , it w ill b e i n te r e s t in g to w a tc h th e s te e l i n d u s t r y ’s r e a c tio n . C l e a r l y , a t th e p r e s e n t c o s t o f

^ 8 5 p e r to n , c a r r y i n g o u t th e A s s o c ia ­ t io n ’s p l a n s m a y n o t b e e a s y , b u t it is h o p e d to r e d u c e th e p r ic e to ^ 6 5 p e r to n w ith in a b o u t 18 m o n th s . I n d e e d , it is to b e h o p e d t h a t th is y o u n g i n d u s t r y w ill p a y e v e r y a tt e n ti o n to s e r v i n g th e n e e d s b o th o f th e d o m e s tic ’a n d f o r e ig n m a r ­ k e ts , w ith o u t a d o p t i n g th e r e s t r ic ti v e p r a c tic e s o f s o m e o l d e r in d u s t r ie s . It

is to b e r e g r e t te d t h a t n o n e o f th e i n d u s ­ t r y ’s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f o u n d it n e c e s s a r y to c o n v e y to th e t e c h n ic a l P r e s s a m o re a c c u r a t e p i c t u r e o f th e a lu m i n iu m in d u s ­ t r y ’s w a r e ffo rt a n d o f n e w te c h n ic a l d e v e lo p m e n ts . W e a llo w o u r s e lv e s to w o n d e r w h e t h e r a n y o f o u r f o r e ig n c o m ­ p e ti t o r s , s a y th e A m e r ic a n o r S w is s p r o d u c e r s , w o u ld h a v e n e g le c te d th is o p p o r t u n it y o f s t r e s s i n g t h e i r te c h n o ­ lo g ic a l a c h ie v e m e n ts .

An A lkali Ju b ilee

I

T is j u s t fifty y e a r s s in c e th e C a s tn e r K e l ln e r C o m p a n y w a s f o u n d e d , an e v e n t o f g r e a t s ig n if ic a n c e to t h e B r itis h a l k a l i in d u s t r y . H a m il t o n Y o u n g C a s tn e r , b o r n a t B r o o k ly n , N . Y ., c a m e to T .o n d o n in 1886 to e s ta b lis h a s m ą ll w o rk s n e a r W a t e r l o o B r id g e . A s a b o y h e h a d d a b b le d in c h e m is tr y a n d in e le c t r i c a l e x p e r im e n ts — a c o m b in a tio n w h ic h w a s to m e a n m u c h in l a t e r y e a r s . A f te r a c o u r s e in c h e m is tr y a t C o lu m b ia C o lle g e a n d a p e r io d a s a n a l y s t in N e w Y o r k , h e tu r n e d h is a tt e n ti o n firs t to a r ti f i c i a l d ia m o n d m a k i n g , a n d th e n , w ith f a r g r e a t e r b e n e f it, to th e p r o d u c ­ tio n o f s o d iu m f o r a lu m i n iu m m a n u f a c ­ tu r e . ( A lu m in iu m , th e “ s i l v e r fro m c l a y , ” w a s m a d e in th o s e d a y s e x p e n ­ s iv e ly b y d is p l a c e m e n t w ith th e a id of s o d iu m .) A l th o u g h b y a c c id e n t in h is f u s io n p r o c e s s , u s i n g h u g e s te e l c r u c ib le s f o r h e a t i n g c a u k tic s o d a w ith iro n c a r b i d e , C a s t n e r p r o d u c e d s o m e s m a ll d ia m o n d s — o r w h a t w e re t h o u g h t to b e d ia m o n d s , t h o u g h th e i n f a l l i b l e X - r a y te s t a p p li e d s u c c e s s f u lly to H a n n a y ’s p r o d u c ts w a s n o t th e n a v a i l a b l e —-it w a s f o r t u n a t e t h a t h e c h o s e s o d iu m - m a k in g a s h is m é tie r . F ro m L o n d o n C a s tn e r w e n t to O ld b u r y to w o r k h is s o d iu m p r o c e s s w ith th e A lu m in iu m C o m p a n y th e r e . A n d a lt h o u g h e le c tr o ly tic a lu m i n iu m b a n is h e d th is m e th o d , h e h a d a s e c o n d s t r i n g to h is b o w , v i s . , th e p r o d u c tio n o f c a u s tic s o d a a n d ch lo rin fe f r o m b r in e . H e m a d e s o d iu m fro m e le c t r o l y ti c c a u s tic s o d a ; s o d iu m p e r o x ­ id e f o r b l e a c h i n g f r o m h is s o d iu m ; to o k o u t a n A m e r ic a n p a t e n t in 189 4 f o r h is w e ll- k n o w n m e r c u r y c e ll m e th o d fo r c a u s tic s o d a ; a n d in 1895 jo in e d w ith K e l ln e r , a n A u s tr ia n a ls o e n g a g e d in p r e p a r i n g c a u s tic s o d a a n d c h lo r in e f r o m b r i n e , to f o r m th e C a s tn e r K e l ln e r C o m p a n y w h ic h p la y e d a l e a d i n g p a r t in th e h i s t o r y o f th e a l k a l i i n d u s tr y .

4 9 6

T he “ B ritish A s s .” at Work

O

N E o f th e m o s t g r a t i f y i n g e ffe c ts o f v ic to r y in E u r o p e , f r o m t h e p o in t of v ie w o f a n y o n e i n te r e s t e d i n s c ie n c e , w ill b e th e r e s u m p tio n o f th e n o r m a l a c t i v it i e s o f th e B r i ti s h A s s o c ia tio n . N o o fficial a n n o u n c e m e n t o f f o r th c o m in g a r r a n g e m e n t s h a s y e t b e e n m a d e , b u t th e e n te r p r is e a n d e n e r g y o f th e p r e s i d e n t , S ir R ic h a r d G r e g o r y , a r e s u c h t h a t w e feel s a f e in a n t i c i p a t i n g a r e t u r n to n o r m a l a t th e e a r l ie s t p o s s ib le d a te . T h e s e h o p e s h a v e b e e n b r o u g h t to m in d th is w e e k b y th e a p p e a r a n c e o f a n e w n u m b e r (V o l. I l l , N o . 10) o f T h e A d v a n c e m e n t o f S c i e n c e (5s.), th e o r g a n b y w h o s e m e a n s th e A s s o c ia tio n h a s f u lf ille d i ts f u n c tio n so w e ll u n d e r w a r c o n d itio n s . T h e p r e s e n t n u m b e r , b e s id e s c o n ta i n in g r e p o r t s o f th e c o n f e r e n c e w ith th e I n d i a n S c ie n tific D e l e g a ti o n a n d of th a t 011 th e P l a c e o f S c ie n c e in I n d u s t r y , c o m p r is e s a n e w f e a t u r e — th e f irs t b a tc h o f a s e r ie s o f a u th o r i t a t i v e a r ti c l e s o n A p p lic a tio n s o f S c ie n c e , th e p r o m o tio n o f i n te r e s t in w h ic h is o n e o f th e firs t f u n c tio n s o f th e A s s o c ia tio n . A lo n g w ith o th e r s , th e s e a r e to b e p u b lis h e d in th e f o r m o f s e p a r a t e p a m p h l e ts , as c ir ­ c u m s ta n c e s ( a m o n g th e m th e P a p e r C o n tr o lle r ) p e r m it.

A p p lications of Science

T

H E fiv e w h ic h h a v e so f a r a p p e a r e d a r e : F o o d , b y P r o f e s s o r M a r r a c k ; W a t e r , b y P r o f e s s o r B o s w e ll; A n t h r o ­ p o l o g y , b y M rs . Q u i g g i n a n d P r o f e s s o r H u t t o n ; F a t i g u e , b y P r o f e s s o r C a th c a r t ; a n d M i n e r a l R e s o u r c e s , b y D r . D a v id W il l ia m s . W e h a v e r e a d th e m a ll w ith th e g r e a t e s t i n te r e s t , b u t th e first arid th e la s t, w ill b e o f e s p e c ia l i n te r e s t to r e a d e r s o f Thf. Ch e m i c a l Ag e. I t is n o t th a t th e r e is a g r e a t d e a l t h a t is n e w in th e a r t i c l e s ; r a t h e r it is f o r t h e i r s y s­

t é m a ti s a ti o n o f th e a v a i l a b l e f a c ts t h a t th e y a r e w o r th y o f s tu d y . T h e s u r v e y of m a l n u t r it i o n in P r o f e s s o r M a r r a c k ’s a r t i c l e h a s a n u n h a p p y to p ic a l i n te r e s t , w h ile p e r h a p s th e o u t s t a n d i n g f e a t u r e o f D r . W i l l i a m s ’s c o n tr ib u tio n is th e s tr e s s h e la y s o n t h e . s t a g g e r i n g l a c k , o u ts id e th e U .S .A ., o f a c c u r a t e in f o r m a tio n a b o u t m in e r a ls . H i s b r i e f s u r v e y o f g e o p h y s ic a l p r o s p e c t i n g is a ls o o f h i g h i n te r e s t. I n f i n e ,.t o a n y o n e w h o h a s th e s l i g h t e s t d e s ir e to c la r if y h is id e a s a b o u t th e s c ie n tific f u t u r e , t h is e x tr e m e ly m e a ty v o lu m e is w e ll w o r th i ts p r ic e .

Ju n e 9 , 1 9 4 5 T H E C H E M I C A L A G E

Ju n e 9 , 19 4 5 T H E C H E M I C A L A G E 497

Raw M aterials for P lastics and Synthetic R ubbers—I

N ew B ritis h D evelopm ents E sse n tia l

b y D . D . H O W A T , B . S c ., P h .D ., F .R .I .C ., A .M .I .C h e m .E .

D

U R IN G th e last few y ears th e fut lire’ of th e plastics and sy n th e tic ru b b e r. ind u s­

trie s has been d ebated w ith g re at vigour and a w ealth of sp eculation. Some of th e pic­

tu res p ain ted have exhibited featu res highly suggestive of th e scientific rom ances of a

•Tules V ern e o r the early H . G. W ells.

D em o n stratio n s of a m oulded bed and of a m oulded coffin h av e given rise to fears th a t p lastics will encom pass us b o th in life and d eath . T h e fu tu re m ay offer m otor cars w ith m oulded p lastic bodies and houses w here p lastics have replaced wood, brick, and m ortar.

W a r - T im e A d v a n c e s

A lready d u rin g th e w ar th e ap p licatio n s of p lastic s have found extensive use in the a c tu al s tru c tu re of th e aeroplane w hile th e u se of p lastic bonded plywood in th e decks and bu lk h ead s of high-speed m otor -torpedo- boats foreshadow s even g reater expansion for th e products of th is new est chem ical in d u stry . N ylon, in th e form of to o th b ru sh bristles, had alread y entered th e m ark et before^ th e w ar and it will alm ost c ertain ly find v astly extended use in tex tile s, fab rics, and o th er fields. S y n th etic resins as surface finishes on aeroplanes h av e played a su b s ta n tia l p a rt in reducing skin friction w ith consequent in ­ crease in speed.

T h e in tro d u ctio n of th e clear tran sp are n t acry late p lasties has been a v ita l a d v an ce:

sh eetin g for aeroplane enclosures m anufac­

tu red of m ethyl m eth acry late resin affords, to g eth er w ith in h eren t properties of easy sh ap in g , lig h t w eight (it is h a lf th'e' w eight of g la s s ), and resistan ce to w eath erin g , and th e very w ide angle of view in all directions so u tte rly essential in pilot- and g u n n er cock­

p its . E q u al in im p o rtan ce w ith the oth er properties is its resistan ce to sp lin te rin g .

P la s tic moulded plywood m ay a lm ost be considered as a com pletely new constru ctio n al m aterial, w hich niay readily he m oulded to shape w hile possessing th e w eath erin g and d im ensional s ta b ility required far even a ir ­ c ra ft ap plications. F uselag es, w ings, sta b ili­

sers, flooring, and jettis o n fuel tan k s h av e all been easily constructed from th is useful m ate ria l.

W aterp ro o f fabrics m ay be m ass-produced by th e use of resin-coated tex tile m aterials, over a m illion rain co ats of th ese m ateria ls h a v in g been issued to th e U .S . A rm y, re ­ leasing 750,000 lb. of n ib b e r for o th er more essential purposes.

P o ly sty re n e, a p lastic w hich m ay be m ade slig h tly flexible, h as been used extensively as

sh e ath in g for electrical cables, p articu larly for high-frequency cables w here low pow er losses are im p o rta n t. O u tstan d in g electrical

•p ro p erties are associated w ith polystyrene, w hich has a pow er facto r of 0.0002 and a p e rm ittiv ity of 2.4.

I n 1942, th e J a p a n ese conquest of M alay a an d the Ea-st In d ies introduced a com pletely new and unexpected fe atu re into th e w ar, nam ely, th e seizure by th e Axis Pow ers of practically the e n tire world resources of n a tu ra l ru b b er. U p to 1941 the consum ption of ru b b e r in the U .S.A . w as about 660,000 fonS p e r an n u m , w hile in 1941 th e figure had risen to 750,000 to n s. T o su p p ly the w ar needs of B rita in and th e U .S.A . the W a r P ro d u ctio n B oard in A m erica estim ated th a t a m inim um a n n u al production of one m illion tons of sy n th e tic ru b b er would be required.

No large-scale p lan t for sy n th e tic n ib b er m an u fa ctu re existed in B rita in , w hile in 1939 U .S . p lan t was capable of producing only 2500 torn; of sy n th e tic ru b b er. Several of the m ost v ita l m aterials for sy n th e sis, such as benzene, were u rg en tly required for o th er w ar purposes, for exam ple, th e production of 10 0- octane petrol.

C h e m ic a l E n g in e e r s ’ T a s k As th e production of th is huge q u a n tity of sy n th e tic ru b b e r was lite rally a m a tte r of life and d eath for th e U nited N ations, the v a st chem ical engineering in d u stry in the U .S .A . w as given an unprecedented tas k , th e rap id and successful accom plishm ent of which was essential for m ilita ry victory. M r.

B ra d ley Dew ey, the ru b b er d irecto r of th e W ar P ro d u c tio n B oard, reported in .Tune. 1944 th a t with about fifty p lan ts in operation sy n th e tic ru b b e r was being m an u factu red at th e r a te of slig h tly over one m illion ten s per y ear. A t th e sam e tim e th e av erag e price

"had been bro u g h t down from 40 o r 50 cents to 12 cents per lb. A com parison w ith the 1939 figure of 7 cen ts p e r ib. for n a tu ra l ru b b er show s th a t th is new in d u stry1 is alm ost c ertain to offer stro n g com petition in th e world m ark e ts w ith th e re tu rn of norm al tim es. I t is h ighly u n likely, to sa y th e least of it, th a t th is g ig an tic productive cap acity in th e U .S.A .. will be allow ed to fall idle w hen n a tu ra l ru b b er ag ain becomes available.

I n ad d itio n , sy n th e tic ru b b e r m ay be easily produced in a v arie ty of types especially s u ite d fo r in d iv id u a l p u rp o se s, e.g ., w ith a h ig h resistan ce to oil, to chem ical action, or to .a su b sta n tia l degree of h eat. F u rth e r developm ents and im provem ents w ill, u n ­ doub ted ly , occur in th e sy n th e tic ru b b er in ­

493 T H E C H E M I C A L A G E J u n e 9 ; 1945 d u stry and ii is a t least possible llia t the

era of n a tu ra l ru b b e r is v irtu a lly a t an end.

A m inim um period of four y e ars a fte r th e end of th e w ar will probably be req u ired1 to enable m oderate production to be resum ed in th e p la n ta tio n s, d u rin g w hich tim e the sy n th e tic in d u stry will be able to establish- its position. W orld req u irem en ts of ru b b e r in 1950 h a v e 'b e e n estim a te d1 a t 1.900,000 tons, a figure w hich if realised will afford scope for both n a tu ra l an d sy n th e tic rub b ers.

In 1913, in addition to sy n th e tic ru b b e r, '■120,000 to n s of p lasties were produced in the U .S .A ., th e estim ated value of the p lastics being over £90 m illion. A ctual figures for th e various ty p es of p lastics and th e respec­

tive values are given in T ab le I.

TA B LE I

PliODCCTlOX ASI) V.U.CK OF PLASTICS IX 1043 IX THE U .S .A .

T ype Prwluction Value

in 1000 lb. in $1000 Vinyl resin ... 86,600 53,260 Polystyrene ... 3,500 1 , 12')

>’itrw el In lose ... 85,200 , 22,150

E th y lc e llu lo s e ... 3,900 1,600

Acrylic monomer 36,400 40,400

P hth alic a l k y d ... 147,100 44,130

Cellulose acetate 00,200 34,920

Melaniine and urea 123,600 44,990

Cellulose viscose 79,400 35,730

Phenol form aldehyde ... 283,400 68,010

C a s e i n ... 41,700 10,430

Totals 951,000 362,740

R a w M a t e r ia l S u p p lie s

Supplies of the necessary q u a n titie s of raw m aterials for th e sy n th e tic chem ical in d u stries hav e become a p redom inant factor. As an exam ple, 210,000 tons of raw m aterials, m ainly form aldehyde, benzene, and phenol, were required to produce 126,000 to n s of phenolic plastics. Of th e m illion tons of sy n th e tic ru b b ers, 70 per cen t, is composed of B u n a-S (or G li-S ) pre-em inently su ited for ty re tread s. A lm ost 600,000 tons of b u ta ­ diene a re required for th e m an u fa ctu re of th is ru b b e r, th e b u tad ien e being, obtained from alcohols, n a tu ra l gases, and petroleum refinery gases. T h e m ag n itu d e of th e raw- m aterial problem is show n by E ld e r1 who estim a te s th a t e ig h ty m illion bushels of corn would be required in th e fe rm en ta tio n pro­

c e s s to yield th e alcohol to «furnish 220,000 tu n s of b u tad ien e per y ear.

A lthough m ain ten an ce of these enorm ous production figures is scarcely p robable in the years im m ediately a fte r th e w ar, th e o u tp u t most co n tin u e to be large w ith a continuously expanding m ark et for th e products. (Some of ih e possible lines of ap p licatio n and .d e v e lo p m e n t h av e alread y been indicated.) W h at p a rt will B ritish chem ical in d u stry play both in supplying th e hom e m ark e t and in com peting for a reasonable sh a re in the world m a rk e t? So fa r as the plan t and chem ical-engineering tech n iq u e are con­

cerned. th ere a p p ea r to be no insuperable difficulties, but in view of som e of the

figures qu o ted ,’ the essence of th e problem in B rita in is th a t of raw m aterials. If, how ­ ever, B ritish chem ical in d u stry is to have a n y real chance in th e b a ttle of p lastics, stren u o u s efforts will h av e to be m ade to provide the raw m ate ria ls required. • In B rita in (he lim ited acreage of lnnd m u st be devoted s u b s ta n tia lly to food crops, so pro­

duction of alcohol from hom e-grow n cereals is n ot an a ttra c tiv e proposition, nor a re large cro p s-o f soya beans, alth o u g h in th e U .S.A . w ith vast areas of land H e n rv F o rd has show n th a t these bean s m ay c o n stitu te a valu ab le source of plastics raw m aterial.

F r o m C o a l to O il

D uring th e p a st y ears coal and its b y ­ pro d u cts h av e yielded th e b u lk of th e raw m aterials for th e plastics in d u stry , b u t w a r­

tim e developm ents in th e U .S .A . h av e altered th e whole focus of th is branch of sy n th e tic ch em istry slow ly b u t in ex o rab ly tow ard s oil.

B enzene, form erly o b tain ed alm ost exclu­

sively from coal, is now fu rnished in in ­ creasing q u a n titie s by th e oil-refining in ­ d u stry , w hile th e m ost recent revolutionary developm ent has been th e pyrolysis of n a tu ra l gas to give acetylene. I f tliis develop­

m ent co n tin u es, as is v irtu a lly assu red , a fu rth e r h an d icap will be imposed on th e in ­ d u stry in B rita in w here th e 100,000 tons of crude oil produced an n u ally from th e newly- discovered fields are q u ite in ad eq u ate to form th e basis of a s y n th e tic in d u stry .

N o arg u m en t as to th e a d v an tag e s of the u tilisa tio n of oil-rcfinery by-products m u st be allowed to obscure th e clam an t need to u tilise coal, w hich ex ists in abundance in th is coufttry as a source m aterial for th e p lastics in d u stry . In fact, so fa r as B rita in is con­

cerned, th e ideal solution should em body a co-ordinated, scientific, and planned u tilis a ­ tion of coal, coal-carbonisation p ro d u cts, and petroleum -refinery pro d u cts as source m ate ria ls for a sy n th e tic chem ical in d u stry . Closely allied to th is is th e n ecessity for cheap elec­

tric pow er to perm it th e large-scale m a n u ­ fa c tu re of calcium carbide in th is c o untry.

A cetylene, th e source of m an y im p o rtan t in term ed iate s in the plastics and sy n th e tic ru b b e r in d u strie s, will only be m ade a v ail­

able in th e necessary q u a n titie s w hen a national schem e of hydro-electric power developm ent h as been put in to o peration.

In considering coal as a source m aterial for p lastic s, a point of in te rest is tjie volume of evidence im plying th a t coal itself is in ­ h e ren tly p lastic in n a tu re . In 1929, D r. H . E . A rm strong1 sta te d t h a t “ some day probably we shall be forced to adm it th a t coal, for th e m ost p a rt, is b u t a n a tu ra l b a k e lite ."

C orrelation of a g re at volum e of d a ta ap p ears to show fairly definitely th a t th e c o n stitu tio n of coal, in essence, m ay be based upon the stru c tu re assigned to a h ardened phenolic resin. I f coal is a high polym er, essentially plastic in n a tu re , it is not unreasonable to