SA TU RDA Y, A P R IL 2 0, 1946
R EG ISTER ED AS A N E W S P A P E R
od. Pk e Co p y p o s t Fb ee 8d.
SZ2 5 5 S
STiAAt
KENT K.M. METERS
are robust in constru ction and e xp re ssly suited to I Ind ustrial usage, and have a high degree of accuracy w hich is w e ll maintained throu ghou t th e life of th e in stru m e n t.
T h e y are used fo r m easurem ent o f the flo w o f steam , w a te r, gas, oil o r any o th e r flu id , w h a te ve r th e q u antity o r pressure.
T h e y provide a perm anent record of flo w and also, if j.
desired, a cle ar Indication of the flo w passed at any j given m om ent. T h e total flo w Is registered on a M i
co unter. Records may be k ep t fo r reference and 'J, w ill sh ow variatio n s between different sh ifts '¡¡¡k
\ o r p e rm it checking o f steam consum ption / 'v jjj
Ns o y e r p a rticu la r periods. /
THE CHEMICAL AGE
T H E B O A T RACE
T h e se d ru m s a re w eld ed th r o u g h o u t an d a r e m a n u factu re d In la rg e q u a n titie s T h e y c a n b e su p p lied p a in te d , gal
vanised o r tin n e d . A lso m a n u factu re d In s tain less ste e l. C apaci
tie s ra n g in g fro m 20 to 150 g allo n s.
SIEBE, GORMAN & Co. U .
PUMPS
FOR ALL P U R P O S E S 1
Centrifugal and Diaphragm 11' to 4'd ia.
PETROL, ELECTRIC OR HANDPOWER.
N E W A N D R E C O N D I T I O N E D . S A L E O R H IR E .
T H E
G R E E N W I C H PUMP
& PLANT CO., LTD.
DENHAM S T R EET , GREENW ICH, S .E . 10.
T e le p h o n e : G R E E N W IC H 3189.
D
id you know that iodine may play an important part in the new television? It has been found that the quality of the television screen can be enhanced if iodine is added to the fluorescent sub
stance when the screen is being made.
There seems no limit to the number of uses science can find for iodine. The manufacturers of paint, imitation marble, optical instruments, dye- stuffs, films, insecticides, cattlefood, car headlights and catgut, to name a few, all find an important use for io d u e. Veterinär)" surgeons use it in the treat- : ment of more than one hundred and fifty animal diseases. Doctors use it in the treatment and pre
vention of over two hundred human diseases.
Each year man's knowledge o f Iodine grows. A ll the literature has> been recorded and collated by the Iodine Educational Bureau to assist Medicine, Industry and Agriculture. The Bureau is ready to advise any institution or commercial undertaking.
T h m “ n ° ebartt'
Io d in e E d u c a tio n a l B u rea u
1 7 8 S T O N E - h o u s e ; B I S H O P S G A T E , R . C . i i
Ap r i l 2 0 , 1 9 4 6
GAS MASKS
o f all ty p e s
O X Y G E N R E S U S C IT A T IO N A P P A R A T U S f o r rev iv in g p e rs o n s , a p p a re n tly d r o w n e d , a s p h y x ia te d
o r e le c tric -s h o c k e d .
ASBESTOS, A C ID & W A T E R P R O O F C L O T H IN G G LO V ES, G O G G L E S , D U S T RESPIRATORS, e tc .
‘‘NEPTUNE" WORKS, DAVIS ROAD,I0LWORTH, Surrey
•P h o n e ; Elm brW *« SMO 'G ra m » : S i.b a , S u rb ito n
TANKS & VESSELS
Ap r i l 20, 1946 THE CHEMI CAL AGE
M a n c h e s t e r 19
G A 5 P L A N T C O . L T D . T e l. N o . : H eaton M oor 2261
Stainless Steel
Aluminium and other
Weldable Metals
London Office : 149-151, Abbey House Victo ria Street, S.W .1
M I X E R S P A NS Receivers Dryers, etc.
A lso at
M A N C H E S T E R and C A R D IF F
i f
Illustration shews M .S. Rubber Lined Tank for Hydrochloric Acid
T A N K S . C Y L I N D R I C A L A N D R E C T A N G U L A R PUMPS A N D F L O W M ETERS, E T C .
A
WALLACH
B R O SL T D F.W. POTTER i SOAR l t d . 49 • TA BERN A CLE ST « L O N D O N E - O 1C L E rk ęn w ell 1448.9
FO R O R D IN A R Y F IR E RISKS
will e m p ty and e le v a te u p to 50 fe e t th e c o n te n t* o f any ca rb o y , b o ttle o r v essel, and co m p lies w ith all th e c o n d itio n s of th e F acto ry A c t o f 1937.
Install in your premises these efficient and sturdy Valor F ydrant N ew type F ire E x
tinguishers m ade to the latest official British Standards Specification for ordinary fire risks. O ther types and re
placem ent facilities available.
Further details on application.
K E S T N E R ’ S
5, G ro sv e n o r G ard en s, W e stm in ste r, L o n d o n , S.W.
APPLIED BEFORE W O RK
PREVENTS DERMATITIS KEEPS HANDS HEALTHY
2 gallon capacity. x 7 /
Ref. No. E l 22., N '
TH E VALOR CO. LTD .,
B R O M F O R D , E R D I N 'G T O N , B I R M I N G H A M , R07A LET LIM ITED , I f NOS'OL'C STREET. MANCHESTER
“ P O T T E R ’S --- Machinery Guards
® D E S IG N F .D F O R S A F E T Y 0 B U I L T F O R S E R V I C E
g fcnt-m 'aSTir-'-li T In d u s tria l
Y ” S A F E T Y
E Q U I P M E N T
a r e in stalle d In Potter’s guiirds w orks th ro u g h o u t th e co u n try an d a re d istln - g u lsh a b le b y th e ir sound c o n stru c tio n , good fittin g an d m a n y exclusive featu res.
A C ID & A L K A L I R E S IS T IN G C L O T H I N G , C A R B O Y S A F E T Y D E V IC E S , R U B B E R , A S B E S T O S , L E A T H E R & C O T T O N G L O V E S , S P L A S H P R O O F G O G G L E S A N D F A C E S H IE L D S , and everyth in g fo r the protection of the Industrial W o r k e r . W rite to-day lo r a copy of o u r " B lu e Book lo r Safety A p pliances” —th e re s u lt o l fllty y e a rs ’ eip e rle n e e In
p ro tectin g In d u stry .
P I l l P P S T R E E T . LO N D O N . E C.2 T f /e c h e r » t ■ 6 fSh©M f«te 2177 13 h
T H E C H E M IC A L A G E
S a f e t y F i r s t
Ap r i l 2 0 , 1 9 4 6
S A F E T Y F I R S T
T H E “ O L D B U R Y ” P A T E N T C A R B O Y D I S C H A R G E R
FYDRANT
The FIR E EXTIN G UISH ER
Ap r i l 20, 1946 THE CHEMI CAL AGE
B R I T I S H E R M E T O C O R P O R A T I O N L T D . B e a c o n W o r k s , H a r g r a v e R o a d , M a i d e n h e a d , B e r k s . T e le p h o n e : M aidenhead 2 2 7 1 /4 .
I - C A S E H A R D EN ED 1 ER M ETO R IN G 9 - C U T S ITS A IN G F L A N G E
"1- AS Y O U T IG H T E N T H E J L O C K IN G N U T
I t ’s alm ost as q u ick as th at I N o threading, flaring o r w o rk of any kind on the pipe ends.
And a safe, certain jo in t th at w ill w ithstand pressures up to 15,000 lb. per square inch. T h e se cret ? T h e sim ple, steel E R M E T O ring, heat treated into a tough little c u tte r w h ich , by the m ere tightening of a nut, bites into any metal tube and builds up its ow n sealing collar.
T h e tubes may be solid draw n o r w eld ed, it makes no difference, w h ils t the joints may be broken and re-made in a m atter of m oments.
W h e th e r y o u r requirem ents are fo r steam , w a te r, gas o r o il— E R M E T O couplings w ill save tim e in installation and give se cu rity in action. En q u ire fo r details to-day.
Pa tented throughout the W o rld .
ERM ETO Couplings are available as straight Couplings, Elbows, Tees, Crosses, Saddle-Bosses, Banjos, etc., for standard or heavy weight Steel, Copper or Aluminium tubes.
i v THE CHEMI CAL AGE Ap r i l 2 0 , 1 9 4 6
YORKSHIRE TAR. DISTILLERS 17 CLECKHEATON .YORKS.
T E L . C L E C K H E A T O N
7 9 0 ( 5 L I N E S ) T E L E G R A M S TO*
YOTAR CLECKHEATON
We will gladly send you our new catalogue No. 257 on application.
TZ’TT* Q rr v]VrT7'’0 *Q Chemical Engineers
J V U j O A I T J C j X V O 5 G R O S V E N O R G A 1G A R D E N S , L O N D O N , S . W . l . For o ve r fifty years w e have specialised in fans for the chemical in d u stry, built to resist the co rro sive action of acid gas.
E x a m p le s : For handling chlorine gas we make K e stn e r fans of Keebush ;
fo r su lphuric acid gas, lead o r lead alloy ;
fo r n itric acid gas, stainless steel, etc.
etc.
Ap r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6 THE CHEMICAL AGE V ’
The woriw«i r
a ir « e m u l a t o r s m ay be
„ hig h a s 4 .5 0 0 lbs. par s q u a r e i n c h ■ T o th o s e
w h 0 h a v e t ° « o r b n e a r
tf,ern \ t '*
^or't't'^ . 4\e**
co"" _ _ via'°
'"*/!» \K *' W* _ O**
at tf>eI0 • ^ o'
"fmease
» a h o '® r s t r u c t u r e w ith r 1 s e a m o r W .M
a n y w h e r e in t h e i r g r e a t
size * A n d to those who
specify them o f course!
T H E C H E S T E R F IE L D T U B E C O M P A N Y L IM IT E D • C H E S T E R F IE L D • E N G L A N D
A M ender o f the Tube Investments Group
^ f
C.R.C.3
v i THE CHEMI CAL AGE A p r i l 20, 19 4 6
Enquiries invited fo r sites fo r these new chemical in d u strie s :—
Plastics R esins, synthetic Safety glass T oilet preparations Vitam in foods Waterproofing m aterials W ood distillation
products T h e above are industries for which raw materials are norm ally available at the P o rt of Hull o r can be supplied by existing ind ustries.
Adhesives Artificial fibres Candies Carbon, active Cellulose products Cosmetics Dextrin Glucose Gums
Insulating m aterials Leather goods
„ . artificial Lim e products M ineral oil refining Oils— edible, techni
cal and m edicinal Ore refining Pigm ents
'¿d e n c e to - THE TOWN CLERK • HULL«
’ G ram s G ra ze b ro o k, Dudley
IRON & A L L O Y CAS TINGS H O M O G E N E O U S L E A D L I N I N G
D U D L E Y
WORCS Dudley™«/
S pecialists in th e m a n u factu re of P lan t f6r th e C hem ical and A llied T rades.
Vessels and T anks of all d e sc rip tio n s In Mild & S tain less S te e l and A lu m in iu m .
Ap r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6 THE CHEMI CAL AGE v ii
ATHOLE G. ALLEN (Stockton) LTD.
STOCKTON-ON-TEES
Telephones : , , , ,
S T O C K T O N 6375 (3
lines) CO. DURHAM
N O N MEMBERS O F TR A D E A S S O C IA T IO N S
A R E PR O D U CER S OF
B A R IU M COM POUNDS
BARIUM CHLORIDE
Fully Sold f o r E x p o rt
BARYTES
L im ited S upplies O n ly
¡ROM COMPOUNDS
FERRIC CHLORIDE (PERCHLORIDE OF IRON)
P ro m p t D eliv ery H o m e and E x p o rt
FERROUS CHLORIDE
P r o m p t D eliv ery H o m e an d E x p o rt
TO LU EN E N IT R A T IO N PRO D U CTS
MONO NITRO TOLUEN E DI-NITRO TOLUENE PARA NITRO TOLUEN E ORTHO NITRO TOLUEN E
E n q u irie s In v ited fo r H o m e and E x p o rt
v iii THE CHEMI CAL AGE Ap r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6
FL U O R S P A R
HIGH G RAD E
0 97/98% 0
Ca F2 C O N T E N T
0 0
is n o w a v a i l a b l e
frn m
G L E B E M I N E S L I M I T E D
E Y A M • D E R B Y S H I R E
Telephone : Eyam 241
R I C H A R D S I M O N & S O N S , LTD.
PHŒNIX W O RKS, BASFORD,
N O T T I N G H A M
M U L T I T U B U L A R D R I E R S
R O L L E R F I L M D R I E R S
~ " F L A K E R S A N D C O O L E R S
M A N Y S T A N D A R D S IZ E S Includ
ing L A B O R A T O R Y M O D E LS . We have test plants on a commercial
scale always available W e offer accumulated exp erience of SO years' specialization.
O U R W O R K S , the largest In the U nited Kingdom devoted especi
ally to D R Y IN G M A C H IN E R Y , are laid out and equipped w ith the latest plant fo r this particular purpose.
Ap r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6 THE CHEMI CAL AGE IX
T h e s e lf - s e a l lip m a k e s a le a k - p r o o f jo in t, in d e p e n d e n t o f s w a g in g p r e s s u r e . T h e h o s e w ill h o ld its p r e s s u r e w ith o u t l e a k a g e in a b lo w -la m p fla m e a t 1,000° C . f o r n in e ty m in u te s o r m o r e .
If y o u h a v e a n y p r o b le m s r e g a r d i n g fle x ib le H o se A s s e m b lie s , w r ite to o u r T e c h n ic a l D e p t. (E ), F o le s h ill, C o v e n tr y .
DUNLOP
F L A M E P R O O F HOSE ASSEMBLY
D U N L O P R U B B E R C o ., L t d . , FO L ESH IL L, C O V E N T R Y
6 H / 9 0 8
THE CHEMI CAL AGE Ap r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6
C H E M I S T R Y A ID S I N D U S T R Y
A remarkable multi-functional
base
S in c e w e in tro d u c e d TEEPOL X , h a rd ly a m o n th h as p assed w ith o u t o u r fin d in g ,
■or u sers su g g estin g to u s, n e w a p p lic a tio n s io r th is in te re s tin g sy n th etic.
Its ran g e o f ap p lic a tio n covers so m any in d u s trie s, so m an y p ro cesses, th a t it is
■didicult to give in fo rm a tio n w h ich wifi n o t be e ith e r too g en eral o r to o lim ited . B u t w e can say th a t w h e re v e r chem ists a re c o n c e rn e d w ith p ro b le m s o f re d u c in g su rfa c e o r in terfa cial te n sio n s, o f w e ttin g
■or p e n e tra tio n o r d is p e rsio n , t e e p o l x is m o re th a n likely to p ro v e valuable.
P h ysically, it is a clear p a le -a m b e r liq u id ra p id ly so lu b le in w a te r o f an y h a rd n e ss a t an y te m p e ra tu re . C h em ically , it is n e u tr a l, h ig h ly stab le, n o n -h y d ro ly sin g , a n d re ta in s its p ro p e rtie s in ap p licatio n s co v e rin g a w id e p H range,
l i th e se c h a ra c te ristic s, c o u p led w ith m o d e ra te cost a n d read y availability in b u lk w ith o u t re s tric tio n s su g g est a s o lu tio n o t any p a rtic u la r p ro b le m w e shall be g la d to le t y o u have fu llest d etails
•either by p o st o r in a p e rso n a l interview .
t e e p o l x is a B ritish p ro d u c t.
TEEPOL X
TECHNICAL PRODUCTS LTD
s t. He l e n’s c o u r t, g r e a t s t. He l e n’s. L O N D O N , e . c . 3
t e l e p h o n e : a v e n u e 4 3 2 1
YOU WOULDN’T SELECT A FO R EM A N BY TH IS M ETH O D
Guess-work as a pastim e can afford delight and am u sem en t; b u t when applied to industrial processes it is ap t to be so very disappointing. T h e results are apt to be distinctly disquieting. You simply cannot afford to leave anything to chance, and if your process involves the use o f technical chemicals there is only one thing to do and that is to make sure.
A wide range o f fine chemicals for technical purposes is m anufactured by M ay & Baker L td. T h e ir m anufacture is strictly controlled at every stage to ensure uniform ity in the finished product, and you can place complete reliance in them.
If you are faced w ith technical problems o f a chemical nature, the experience accum u
lated by their analytical and research labora
tories is at your disposal through the Technical Service D epartm ent.
I MAY & BAKER LTD.
D A G E N H A M
M a n u f a c t u r e r s o f S i n c e
F i n e C h e m ic a ls 1834
Telephone : ILFord 3 0 6 0 Sales Dept. t Ext. 72. Technical Service Dept.: Ext. 71
T .C.3003
A p r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6 T H E C H E M IC A L A G E x i
AL B U M
T h e Flying Bomb o r “ V. I ” launched against
" S o u th e r n E n g la n d ” from various sites on the C o n tin e n t. T h e Germ ans reckoned w ith o u t o u r su per Fighters w hich chased and destroyed hundreds of these pilotless m issiles. O ne of the sights of W o rld W a r N o. 2 pictured fo r you by—
TANKS
BOW LING IRON WORKS, BRADFORD
LO N D O N O F F I C E : 46, V ICTO RIA STREET, S .W .I. T E L E P H O N E : ABBEY 3226
xii THE CHEMI CAL AGE A p r i l to, 1 9 4 6
A. J. RILEY & SON, L td
BATLEY, YORKS
N o r t h e r n O f f i c e a n d F u e l E n g i n e e r : 'P h o n e : H o r s h a m 9 6 5 T . C. F E G A N , C A N N O N F I E L D , H A T H E R S A G E , n r . S H E F F I E L D ' G r a m s : E v a p o r a t o r
E S T A B L IS H E D 1888
M A I N T A I N
S T E A M
W IT H
L O W G R A D E F U E L S
IN STA L
F O R C E D D R A U G H T F U R N A C E S
THE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING & WILTON’ S
PATENT FURNACE CO., LTD., HORSHAM, SUSSEX
Te/egrom s: '* B O ILE R S , B A T L E Y ." Telephone: 657 B A T L E Y (3 lines) M akers of
M ILD S T E E L R IV E T E D A N D W E L D E D V ESSELS J A C K E T E D PA N S C O M P L E T E
W IT H A G IT A T O R S S H E E T L E A D O R H O M O G E N E O U S
LIN E D V ESSELS T A R , B E N Z O L E & O IL S T IL L S C O N D E N S E R S , E V A P O R A T O R S
A N D D IS T IL L IN G P LA N T S M ILD S T E E L PIPES
A L L P R E SS U R ES L A N C A S H IR E , C O R N IS H E C O N O M IC & W .T . B O IL E R S
Ap r i l 20, 1946 THE CHEMI CAL AGE
S. K. KABBUR, LIMITED
3, BÄSTION ROAD, FORT,
= B O M B Ä Y = ----
with over 40 distributing centres all over India, are interested in the following groups
of Dyestuffs :
BASIC VATS
ACID NAPHTHOLS
DIRECT BASES
D IA ZO FAST SALTS
SULPHUR RAPID FAST CO LO URS CO LO URS SOLUBLE IN OIL
Samples and quotations should be sent to their correspondents —
MESSRS. KABBUR & CO ., LTD.
“ RADHA HOUSE,”
HIGHER A RD W IC K , MANCHESTER, 12.
In the event o f business payment is made on delivery to their warehouse at M anchester
Bank References are—
The Eastern Bank, Ltd.
■The National Bank of India, Ltd. : The Imperial Bank of India
The National City Bank of New York
■
M a d e in G r e a t B ritain
• Y APPOINTMENT
Imperial Typewriter Company Ltd Leicester
THE CHEMI CAL A G E Ap r i l 2 0 , 1 9 4 6
A N H Y D R O U S HYDROFLUORIC
ACID
o o o
J A M E S W I L K I N S O N
& SON, LTD.
T I N S L E Y P A R K R O A D
A T T E R C L I F F E • S H E F F I E L D 9
Ap r i l 2 0 , 1946 THE CHEMI CAL AGE
I H E egg-shell was evolved many thousands of years ago as an answer to a packaging problem.
Reads of Liverpool have been in existence but three quarters of a century it is true, yet in that period th e y too have evolved many hundreds of Containers for particular products.
Their engineers and designers arc always at your service to provide the most satisfactory Metal Containers for y o u r products. Their standard
range of Tools is from a gramophone needle tin to a 45-gallon Drum and includes most types of Metal Packages in common use. Designs will be submitted for new shapes and types of Metal Containers without obligation, with or without printing.
I t will pay you to get into touch with Reads and ask their advice upon current and future packaging problems.
R2 0 4 1 - C 1
READS LIMITED, 21 BRIDGEWATER STREET, LIVERPOOL, 1 ROYAL 3 2 2 3
AND 2 0 5 GRAND BUILDINGS, TRAFALGAR SQUARE, LONDON, W.C.2 ABBEY 5351
ALSO A T G L A SG O W , BELFAST LEICESTER A ND CORK
x v i THE CHEMI CAL AGE Ap r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6
ES TA B LIS H E D 1840
DANKS OF NETHERTON LT1
TDC H E M IC A L P L A N T PRESSURE VESSELS JÄ C K E T T E D P A N S M IX E R S R E C E IV E R S
ALL TYPES OF WELDED AND RIVETED STEEL
FABRICATIONS
N ETH ERTO N , DUDLEY,
W O R C S .
LO N D O N O FFIC E—
329,'H IG H H O L B O R N , L O N D O N , W .C . I
TYPHOX
A N D
T IT A N IU M PO TA SSIU M O X A L A T E
IDEAL M O R D A N TS FOR LEATHER DYEING
W R I T E F O R P A R T IC U L A R S
PETER SPENCE & SONS LTD.
NAÍ'i'áNAL è Ù K Ô W G i - Í Tp'vM ' Í FA h iÓ N A Ć E
M A N C H E S T E R , 3
LONDON OFFICE: 778/780 SAUS6URV HOUSE EC.2
B A K E L A Q U E
Synthetic Resin Laminated Boards, Tubes, Rods, and
Mouldings B A K E L A Q U E
Resins, Varnishes and Moulding Powders
M ICA and M IC A N IT E
In all forms
Vulcanised Fibre and Leatheroid
Varnished Cloth, Tape and Tubing
Presspahn, Fullerboard Ebonite and all Insulating Material for
^Electrical Engineers
ATTW ÂTER I SONS LTP
P R E S T O N ESTABLISHED 1368
Ap r i l 2 0 , 1 9 4 6 T H E C H E M IC A L A G E x v ii
T H E F R E E IN G A N D D IS P E R S IN G A C T IO N O F T H E D O R R M EC H A N ISM M A Y BE A U G M E N T E D B Y W A S H IN G S P R A Y S FR O M W H IC H T H E W A S H S O L U T IO N , F L O W IN G C O U N T E R - C U R R E N T T O T H E C O A R S E S O L ID S , R E S U L T S IN C O M P L E T E S E P A R A T IO N O F FIN E S O R S O L U B L E S FRO M T H E G R A N U L A R M A T E R IA L .
D O R R - O L I V E R CO., LTD.
ABFORD H O U S E, W IL T O N RD., L O N D O N , S.W.I.
Vic 0391 5
3 -s t a g e
W a s h i n g C l a s s i f i e r
B
xviii T H E C H E M IC A L A G E A p r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6
R o t a r y o r R e c i p r o c a t i n g
for F acto ry o r L a b o rato ry
V a cu a o b t a in a b le ; j S in g le S t a g e — o p to -005 ' m ’nt ; D u p le x — u p to
•00001 m /m o ff p e r fe c t . A ll S iz e s & T y p o s
fo r
| | High V a c u a £
| 3 D is p la c e m e n t CjP D e s s ic a tio n
D is tilla tio n S f j j g ÿ M o ist A ir kW * C i r c u i t s n J
ptilsometer Iß am p sl
A L L D U T IE S For Food and
Chemical Industries
and Processes
L I S T N o . 3086
pulsometer engineering C
tlin c £ lm o Iro n w o r k s .R e a d ir u i
BA9IAC
OIL & F A T T R E A T IN G PLA N TS
give
HIGHEST GRADE OF PRODUCT • LOW EST REFINING LOSSES • MINIMUM CON TRO L AND FLEXIBILITY IN OPERATION Complete installations designed and built to individual requirem ents
I S A M ,4 «
B A M A G L I M I T E D
R IC K E T T . S T R E E T , L O N D O N , S .W .6 Fulham 7761 Sales and E x p o r t D e p t. : 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 la c e R o a d , L o n d o n , S .W .I . Sloane 9282
B 23a
The Chemical Age
A Weekly Journal Devoted to Industrial and E ngin eering C h em istry
B O U V E R I E 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 Tt-'egram s : A LLA N G A S F L E E T LO N D O N
G LA SG O W : 1 1 6 H ope S tre e t (C entral 3970)
T e le p h o n e : C E N T R A L 3 2 1 2 (12 lines) B IR M IN G H A M D aim le r H ouse, P a ra d ise S tr e e t (M idland 0 7 8 4 - 5 )
T H E C H E M IC A L A G E offices are closed on S a tu rd a y s in ac co rd an c e w ith th e a d o p tio n ot th e fiv e-d ay w eek b y B enn B ro th e rs L im ited
VOL. L IV
N o. 1399.
April 20, 1946
A n n u al S u b sc rip tio n 2 1 s.O verseas 26s.
Research or D ie ! T
H E conference convened by fcboF e d e ra tio n of B ritis h I n d u s trie s w as designed to p u t before B ritis h in d u s try th e n eed for re se a rc h . T he a p p licatio n of science to in d u s try , th e re la tio n betw een research and in d u s tria l ex p an sio n , and th e p ra c tic a l m e a n s by w hich re s e a rc h can a ss ist in d u s try w ere am ong th e m o re im p o rta n t m a t te r s ’ u n d e r discussion. T h a t such a conference w as a tte n d e d by no less th a n 1400 d eleg a tes fro m all p a r ts of th e c o u n try a u g u rs w ell for th e new sp irit t h a t h a s com e in to in d u s try . Y ears ago K in g G eorge V gave a clario n call:
“ W ak e u p , E n g la n d ! ” T h e sleeping g ia n t h as a t la s t s tirr e d . B ese a rc h is being h arn essed to h is c h a rio t.
W e a re bound to say t h a t so f a r as th e chief sp eak ers w ere concerned n o th in g v ery new em erg ed . W h a t th e y said w as
e x a c tly w h a t w e h ave b een p re a c h in g in th ese colum ns for y e a rs. W e h ave n ev er ceased to call a tt e n tio n to th e n eed fo r re se a rc h a n d y e t m orę research if w e are to keep ah e a d of our c o m p e tito rs an d re ta in o u r p lace in th e w orld.
I f , in co m m en tin g upon th e re m a rk s of th e ch ief sp e a k e rs, we seem to say th in g s w hich o u r re a d e rs h ave h e a rd b efo re, t h a t is th e reason.
I t is a sign of th e tim e s t h a t all six sp e a k e rs in th e first
On Other P ages Notes and Comments Papers on Pigments Monsanto’s Expansion Fibrous Proteins Non Ferrous Meta Is
institu tio n of Chemical Engineers 423 Safe ty in Plant Design— III
British Plastics Federation Closed Carbide Furnace Death fr om DDT
Imperial In s titu te’s Report Letters to the Editor Parliamentary Topics German Technical Reports Swiss Chemical Industry Personal Notes ...
Liquid ¡L iq u id Extraction Oil and Colour Chemists
General News fr om Week to ll'eek 430 Stocks and Shares ... 433
B r i t i s h Chemical Prices ... 439
m o rn in g ’s discussion w ere K n ig h ts of th e B ealm . T h e re w as a tim e w hen k n ig h t
hood w as bestow ed only fo r g re a t deeds, m o stly on th e field of b a ttle , th o u g h som e
tim e s fo r services in th e council ch am b e rs of kings. T h a t h as ch an g ed , and th e accolade is now bestow ed on m en w ho, th ro u g h th e ir skill in science, in m edicine, in th e a r ts , o r even in th e business, have benefited th e ir fellow s. W e look fo r an in creasin g recognition- of science in th e councils of th e n a tio n . I t is of no use a sk in g fo r g re a te r a p p licatio n of science if scientific m en are n o t accorded reco g n i
tion. T he scan d alo u s co m m en ts of a c e rta in M in iste r of th e Crow n on th e ca p a c itie s of colliery m a n a g e rs will n o t lig h tly be fo rg o tte n . “ T hey know no m o re a b o u t social m a t t e r s / ’ he said ,
“ th a n a pig know s know s ab o u t a p ia n o .”
T he m o s t significant fa c t facin g us to-day is t h a t as one re s u lt of th e w ar th e w hole w orld h as becom e in d u stria lis e d . N atio n s t h a t w ere h ap p ily co n te n t to b uy th e ir m a n u fa c tu re d goods before th e w ar h av e tu rn e d th em selv es in to v a s t w orkshops.
T he goods t h a t th ese people c a n m a k e are those on w hich o u r own in d u s tria l s u p re m acy w as b ased. T hey a re w h a t m ig h t be called th e com m on
place m a n u fa c tu re s , b u t m a n u fa c tu re s 417
419 421 422 422 427 429 430 430 431 431 432 432 433 434 435 435
4 I 6 THE CHEMI CAL AGE Ap r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6
n ev erth eless re q u irin g g re a t c a p ita l e x p e n d itu re an d tech n ical skill. I t is skill, how ever, w hich can be le a rn e d because it is th e com m on know ledge t h a t is ta u g h t in ev ery u n iv e rsity and tech n ical college.
T he g re a t basic in d u s trie s of th is and o th e r c o u n trie s a re likely to lose th e ir e x p o rt m a rk e ts b ecause of th is up su rg e of in d u s tria lism in every co u n try . S ir Clive B aillieu p o in ted o u t th a t as a consequence of th is w e m u s t ch a n g e fro m a n a tio n of m a n u fa c tu re rs to one of c re a to rs. “ B rita in d elivers th e g o ods” is a good slogan and one t h a t m u s t n e v e r be n eg lec ted , b u t i t m u s t b e su p p lem en ted by a new slogan:
“ B rita in c re a te s th e g o o d s.” H ow can new goods, new processes, new in d u strie s be c re a te d ex cep t th ro u g h re s e a rc h ? If o u r re a d e rs seem to h av e h e a rd t h a t b e fo re, our an sw er is t h a t we h av e p reach ed i t fo r y e a rs , b u t re ite r a tio n in th e end ca rrie s conviction.
W h a t rese a rc h w ill c re a te th e new th in g s upon w hich our fu tu re so g re a tly d e p en d s? F ir s t, th e re m u s t be a d e q u a te fu n d a m e n ta l re s e a rc h , fo r, alth o u g h its re s u lts m ay be slow in com ing to fru itio n , th e y a re fre q u e n tly of g re a te r u ltim a te benefit th a n th o se of applied research .
“ W h o could h av e fo re se e n ,” rem a rk e d S ir E d w a rd A p p leto n , “ t h a t 0 . W . R ic h a rd s o n ’s e x p e rim e n ts on th e loss of ele c tro n s from h o t w ires w ould le a d to b ro a d c a s tin g an d t h a t J . J . T h o m so n ’s ca th o d e -ra y tu b e s w ould lead to te le visio n ? B o th of th e se h av e c re a te d new in d u s trie s and em p lo y m en t on a larg e scale and h a v e a lte re d o u r social h a b it s .”
T he e le c tric a l in d u s try arose in e x a c tly th e sam e w ay fro m fu n d a m e n ta l research by F a ra d a y , K elvin, a n d o th e rs. The really s p e c ta c u la r advances in in d u s try , and in p a rtic u la r th e c re a tio n of in d u s trie s t h a t pro d u ce g re a t ch an g es in o u r social h a b its and m odes of liv in g , com e from th is ty p e of research . H o w a re w e to se t a b o u t g e ttin g enough fu n d a m e n ta l r e se a rc h ? P e rh a p s th e advice of S ir R o b e rt R obinson is as good as a n y : “ T h e p re sc rip tio n fo r th e a tt it u d e of in d u s try to u n iv e rsity d e p a rtm e n ts is a sim ple one.
S u p p o rt th e u n iv e rsitie s , give th e m th e ir h e a d , an d keep in to u ch w ith th e m .”
W h a t of in d u s tria l re s e a rc h ? T he value of th e R ese a rc h A ssociations is u n q u estio n ed . F o u n d e d som e 30 y e a rs ago, th e y h av e proved th e ir w o rth and h ave stood th e te s t. T h e ir o rg a n isa tio n to -d ay is n o t g re a tly changed from w h a t i t w as th e n . T hey h av e assisted m an y a sm all
firm t h a t could n o t o p e ra te a re s e a rc h d e p a r tm e n t of its o w n ; th e y have b ro u g h t re a lisa tio n of science an d scientific m e th o d s an d teac h in g s in to m a n y a b o a rd room w h ere i t w as previously unknow n.
W h a t is needed is t h a t every firm should h ave upon its staff a t le a s t one m a n who can a p p re c ia te w h a t can be done by th e ap p licatio n of re s e a rc h a n d w ho can u n d e rs ta n d an d ex p lain to his colleagues th e m e a n in g of th e rese a rc h re s u lts t h a t are m a d e av ailab le to h im e ith e r th ro u g h th e rese a rc h associations o r th ro u g h pu b licatio n .
M an y firm s m a in ta in t h a t th e gam ble of rese a rc h is m o re th a n th e y can afford.
O ur reply is t h a t th e y c a n n o t afford to n e g le c t science. E v e n if th e y discover n o th in g , th e scientific m e th o d w ill leav en th e w hole w orks. K now ledge is pow er.
One sp e a k e r a f te r a n o th e r th re w o u t th e sim ile of fishing. “ I f you fis h ,” said S ir K dw ard A p p leto n , “ you m ay n o t c a tc h fish. I f you d o n ’t fish, you w o n ’t c a tc h a n y th in g .” T his c o u n try m u s t fish in deep w a te rs , i t m u s t fish in shallow w a te rs , i t m u s t fish in eve'ry kin d of w a te r know n to science an d in d u s try . F o r upon its catc h es all m u s t live in th e fu tu re .
L e t th e re be no despondency because of th e ch an g es in o u r c o n d itio n w hich re n d e r u s d e p e n d e n t up o n o u r scientific ach ie v em en ts for success in th e fu tu re . We have a g r e a t . record of scientific a ch ie v em en t b e h in d us. S ir W illiam L a rk e d ecla red roundly t h a t all m odern civ ilisatio n is based on B ritis h discovery an d ach ie v em en t. H e vow ed t h a t our n a tio n a l te n d en c y to u n d e rs ta te m e n t and self-d ep reciatio n w as a p o sitiv e d a n g e r to th e S ta te , an d t h a t o u r re tic e n c e h a d now b een c a rrie d to su ch a p itc h t h a t it sav o u red of d efeatism . W e h av e declared m an y tim e s t h a t B rita in m u s t tell th e w orld. T h a t h a s n o t. in g e n eral, been r e g ard ed as. a dignified proceed in g in academ ic circles, b u t we for~OUr p a r t r e echo w ith acclam atio n th e w ords of Sir W illiam L a rk e : “ I t is w ell to rem em b er w h a t B ritis h in d u s try h a s achieved in th e la s t 2 0 0 y e a rs , an d th e b en efits t h a t i t has con ferred on th e social a n d m a te ria l life of m a n k in d as a re s u lt of th e fa c t t h a t th is c o u n try w as th e b irth p la c e of th e fu n d a m e n ta l discoveries of such m en as D a lto n , P rie stle y , D avy, F a r a d a y , W a t t , R u th e rfo rd , and T hom son, th ese d is coveries b ein g tr a n s la te d by B ritis h in d u s tr ie s in to th e provision of th e am en ities and services of o u r d aily life. A sim ila r
Ap r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6 THE CHEMI CAL AGE 417 revolution is in p rogress to -d ay . N ever
before in th e h is to ry of m a n k in d h as th e re been such a flow ering of th e tre e of h u m an know ledge as in th e p re s e n t c e n tu ry , and p a rtic u la rly in th is c o u n try in th e la s t te n y ears. T he re s u lts of th e app licatio n of t h a t know ledge are even y e t im m e a s u r
ab le ; fo r ex am p le, in th e p ro d u ctio n of new m a te ria ls ; in ,m e d ic in e ; in th e in t e r
n a l com bustion e n g in e ; in a e ro n a u tic s ; an d in th e release of ato m ic en erg y , to n am e only a few o u ts ta n d in g g ro u p s ."
W e h av e, too, th e m en. W h e re th e s tu d e n ts are to come from h as long been a h e a d ach e to m a n y . S ir E r n e s t Sim on p o in ted o u t t h a t i t w as a soluble problem . T he In te llig e n c e Q u o tien t (I.Q .) of th e a v erag e in d iv id u a l is 1 0 0; t h a t of th e m o st b rillia n t is a b o u t 100. T he u p p e r h alf of th e s tu d e n ts a t M a n c h e ste r U n iv e rsity show ed 127 and u p w ard s. I t h as been proved t h a t only o n e in six of th e people in th is country' w ho h av e I.Q . v alu es of ov er 127 ev er g ets to a U n iv e rsity . W e m u s t indeed go in to th e hig h w ay s and com pel th e m to com e in.
W e h av e, too, th e m oney. A re c e n t su rv ey m a d e by th e E .B .I . show ed t h a t th e re are som e 9000 g ra d u a te s engaged in re se a rc h and d evelopm ent in B ritis h in d u s try an d t h a t th e to ta l e x p e n d itu re on re se a rc h and d ev elo p m en t, so far as it has been ascertained, is of th e o rd e r of
¿£20,000,000 annually.^ M oreover, those in d u s trie s w hich h av e been in v e s tig a te d propose to e x te n d th e ir research staff d u r ing th e n e x t tw o y e a rs by 25 p er c e n t, an d v a stly to in crease th e ir laboratory' space. T h a t is a h e a rte n in g fa c t. I t is clea r t h a t B rita in is pulling up h e r r e se a rc h socks.
T he conference m a y c e rta in ly have re p e a te d old tr u th s , b u t i t h a s also shown t h a t B ritis h business is becom ing fully alive to th e v alu e of research . I t has been an im m ensely h e a rte n in g experience.
I t h a s also been a w a rn in g to those who w ill n o t liste n t h a t unless th e y , too, place th e ir f a ith in re s e a rc h , unless th e y , to o , fish in th e w aters- of science, th e y will su re ly sin k su b m erg ed by th e v e ry w a te rs t h a t th e y would n o t heed.
N O T E S A N D
R esearch in T ech n ical C olleges O M E W H A T b e la te d ly , th e M in istry of E d u c a tio n h as issued a “ d ire c tiv e ” to L ocal L ab o u r A u th o ritie s, in s tru c tin g th e m in th e ir a ttitu d e to th e ir local te c h n ical colleges, w ith special referen ce to th e m a n n e r and m eth o d in w hich research should be c a rrie d on th e re in . I t is very m u ch w h a t w e h av e been p re a c h in g for y e a rs p a s t, an d we sincerely hope t h a t official san ctio n will lead to su ita b le actio n . N o t th e le a s t in te re s tin g p a r t of th e d o cu m en t (w hich, b y th e w ay, is e n title d “ C irc u la r 9 4 ,” p ric e one penny from H .M . S ta tio n e ry Office) is th e reco m m en d atio n t h a t rese a rc h should be linked closely w ith local in d u s try . “ E v e ry e n c o u ra g e m e n t,” i t is s ta te d , “ should be given to th e d ev elo p m en t of schools of r e search w hich enh an ce th e re p u ta tio n of th e college no less th a n t h a t of th e in v e s ti
g a to r. T he provision of a d e q u a te la b o ra to ry eq u ip m e n t and la b o ra to ry assistan ce is an im p o rta n t c o n trib u tio n to su c c e ss.”
I t th e n goes on to say t h a t th e m o st s u ita b le ty p e of rese a rc h is t h a t u n d e r
ta k e n a t th e d ir e c t or in d ire c t suggestion of in d u s try , th u s b rin g in g college and in-
C O M M E N T S
d u s try in to close c o n ta c t. R o u tin e t e s t ing fo r in d u s try , how ever, should be done only w hen in d u s tria l fa c ilitie s are n o t available.
T h r ee-F ifth s T each in g
A
S to th e te a c h e rs th em selv es, i t is recom m ended t h a t th e y should, w hen th e y h a v e given s a tisfa c to ry evidence t h a t th e y a re c o m p e te n t to u n d e rta k e re se a rc h , be given every fa c ility to g e t on w ith th e ty p e of w ork in w hich th ey a re in te re s te d . M ore p a rtic u la rly , an y c o m p e te n t scien ti s t o r tech n o lo g ist serv in g on th e staff of a te c h n ic a l college should be encouraged to a c t as a c o n s u lta n t to in d u s try , p ro vided t h a t such w o rk does n o t in te rfe re w ith th e p ro p er d isch arg e of h is te a c h in g d u tie s. I t is laid dow n t h a t th re e -fifth s of a te a c h e r ’s tim e m u s t be devoted to“ a c tu a l te a c h in g ,” b u t th is is p e rm itte d to in clu d e re s e a rc h w ork w hen such w ork includes th e a c tu a l in s tru c tio n of s tu d e u ts . I t is, in c id e n ta lly , “ very d esirab le ” t h a t te a c h e rs should c a rry o u t rese a rc h w ith th e ir sen io r s tu d e n ts . Special a rra n g e m e n ts are su g g ested fo r occasions on w hich i t m a y be d esirab le fo r
4 1 S THE CHEMI CAL AGE Ap r i l 2 0 , 19 4 6
a te a c h e r to dev o te all his tim e , fo r a lim ite d p eriod, to a p a rtic u la r piece of r e se a rc h w o rk , an d due c o n sid eratio n is given to th e p u b licatio n of rese a rc h r e s u lts. T he a tte n tio n of L ocal A u th o ritie s and College P rin cip als is called to th e ex isten ce of th e g ra n ts m a d e th ro u g h th e D .S .I .R .— b u t th e y , su rely o u g h t to h ave know n a b o u t th e m . T his is all v ery s a tis fa c to ry , provided t h a t i t is n o t m erely lip-service, an d provided t h a t th e M in istry oi L a b o u r allow s enough s tu d e n ts to be released to m a k e th e c a rry in g o u t of r e se a rc h a reaso n ab ly sta b le job. W e shall w a tc h fo r dev elo p m en ts w ith an in te r e ste d eye.
F u rth er T h ou gh ts on the B u d get
M
R. D A L T O N ’S w ay of giving w a rn ing is good. L a s t a u tu m n he a n n ounced ch an g es to com e in to effect th is A p ril. T o-day he announces a lte ra tio n s w hich w ill only ta k e place a t th e end of th e y e a r. W hile relief is all th e k in d er .for being given quickly, change of any k in d is all th e b e tte r fo r being m a d e w ith c au tio n an d d elib e ra tio n . T he B u d g e t cau ses 110 im m e d ia te u p h e a v a l any w h ere.I t h a s n o t been th e cause of S tock E x c h an g e sp ecu latio n or of sp ecu latio n of a n y k in d . T he o v e rrid in g n a tio n a l needs a re w ork an d e n te rp rise . I t re m a in s to b'e seen w h e th e r th e w holesale rem ission of ta x a tio n in th e low er g rad es of incom e is lik ely to encourage w ork. On th e o th e r h a n d i t is c e rta in that, th e fa ilu re to give an y relief to th e h ig h e r ra n g e s in th e I n com e T ax scale an d th e rem o v al of all in c e n tiv e to g re a t w e a lth , w h a te v e r else m a y be said fo r i t , is n o t ca lc u la te d to e n c o u ra g e e n te rp rise . To say t h a t th e n a tio n is n o t now w orking as i t should is fa r too w ide a g e n e ra lis a tio n , b u t th e fa c t is n o t in d is p u te ; T he B u d g e t te n d s to rem ove f u r th e r th e a p p a re n t need fo r w ork fo r th e m ass of th e p o p u la tio n , an d to p ro m o te th e n o tio n of p u n is h m e n t for those on w hom th e p ro s p e rity of tr a d e an d com m erce have h ith e rto relied.
W hat of Inflation ?
T
H E rem o v al of E .P .T . w as in e v ita b le , an d th e C hancellor is r a t h e r less th a n h o n est in h is p re s e n ta tio n of th is p a r t of h is proposals. A fte r th e la s t w a r, E xcess P ro fit D u ty w as ta k e n off w h en , by reason of fallin g p ro fits an d claim s fo r re p a y m e n ts , i t becam e a lia b ility on th e E x c h e q u e r; an d a sim ila r position is nowa p p ro ach in g . M r. D a lto n , how ever, a t te m p ts to claim c re d it fo r a concession w hich is, in fa c t, n o th in g of th e k in d , an d m ak es it th e excuse fo r th e in tro d u c tio n of an e n tire ly new form of profits ta x . T h is re v o lu tio n ary p roposal is cleverly cam ouflaged by th e suggestion th a t i t is m erely an a lte ra tio n of th e n a m e of th e o u t-o f-d ate N a tio n a l D efence C on
trib u tio n . T he C hancellor is to be con
g ra tu la te d on th e policy of going slow w ith ta x rem issions. W e h av e alw ays p aid o u r w ay, and we hope alw ays to do so. T h e business classes c e rta in ly do n o t w a n t th e spurious relief of o v e rd ra fts and loans. T he C hancellor m ig h t, how ever, w ith a d v a n ta g e , h av e ex ten d e d th e sam e sound p rin cip le to th e o th e r side of th e a cco u n t and considered going slow also- w ith e x p e n d itu re . M r. D a lto n ’s r e f e r
ences to in flatio n conform to th e o ldest of o ra to ric a l devices, th e m e th o d of co n fess and avoid. A C hancellor w ho con
n ives a t a co n tin u o u s process of in c re a s
in g w ages, w ho h im self d is trib u te s la rg e su m s by w ay of rem ission of ta x a tio n , who p e rp e tu a te s a pern icio u s sy stem of subsidies to keep dow n th e cost of liv in g , an d w ho finally a d m its t h a t h is proposals a re d e p e n d e n t up o n an A m erican lo an , is w holly o u t of c o u rt in p lead in g an y real in te r e s t in th e v e ry p re s e n t d an g e rs of inflation. .
Fuel E con om y and Soap
T
H E in te rim re p o rt issued by th e F u e l E fficiency C o m m ittee of th e Soap- m a k e r s ' an d F a t-sp litte rs* F e d e ra tio n , covering th e first h a lf of 1945, show s co n tin u e d p ro g ress. I t is a cle a r in d icatio n t h a t even w hen fu el econom y m easu res h av e been in force for som e tim e , th e re still re m a in f u r th e r w orlds to conquer.A lth o u g h th is c o m m itte e h ad achieved m u ch by th e end of 1944, a h ig h e r ta r g e t w as s e t, an d th is , to o , has-b eeir-ach io v ed . T h e y e a r 1943 show ed a sav in g of 7 p e r c e n t, of th e fu el used as. com pared w ith 1942, e q u iv a le n t to 380 to n s a w eek. The first h a lf of 1944, com pared, w ith th e y e a r 1943, show ed an a d d itio n a l sav in g of 17.4 p e r c e n t., a m o u n tin g to 10 0 0 to n s of coal p e r w eek. C om pared w ith th e first h alf of 1944, th e 12 m o n th s e n d in g J u n e . 1945, show a still f u r th e r sav in g of 323 tons a week,' o r 0 .6 p e r c e n t, of th e first half- y e a r 1944 basis. T h u s in th e 2^ _years since 1942 th e in d u s try h a s saved 151,275 to n s of coal.
A p r i l 20, 1946 THE CHEMICAL AGE 4 1 9
Papers on Pigm ents
M a n u fa c tu re a n d P r e - T r e a tm e n t D iscu ssed
A
T the m eeting of the London Section of tlie O .C.C .A ., held on M arch 22, D r.L>. M. S tead, of the Scottish Section, p re sented a p ap er on “ Some A spects of P ig m entation and Pigm ent M an u factu re,” in which he discussed pigm ents ra th e r g ener
ally ; and inasm uch as his experience lay with the colour pigm ents ra th e r th a n the w hite, the em phasis was on colour. Ho exam ined (a) the properties sought by the pigm ent users, and (b) the more fundam en
ta l properties controlling the class (a) p ro perties.
T he p ain t m an u factu rer, ho said, looked lor pigm ents of good w ettability in oil m edia, optim um developm ent in those media, insolubility in oil, low absorption, and so on. T h ere were p a rtic u la r properties the printing-ink m aker required. Pigm ents might have to be non-bleeding in a num ber o f environm ents o th er th an drying oils.
The more fundam ental properties in class ib) could r.ot be defined quite so readily as those in class (a), but it was fairly certain th a t control of p article size, size d istrib u tion, particle shape, surface ch aracteristics, refractive index, and specific gravity would, given compounds of suitable constitution, enable any p a rtic u la r property to be de
veloped to its optimum value.
C o n s titu tio n a n d C o n tro l
Dr. Stead touched on the constitutional tre n d in several colours. The m olecules of coloured substances, he said, were the bricks from which pigm ent stru ctu res were built, an d he discussed not only the modifications and alteratio n s of properties th a t were possible, but also the various properties of pigm ents and the controlling factors. He felt th a t in the use of dispersing agents and surface-acting compounds we w ere learning to exercise a control of pigm ent p ro p erties which was likely to exceed in im portance any oth er controlling facto r he had m entioned. B u t developm ents in th a t field did not rest entirely with th e pigm ent maker.
H e would be giving quite a false picture of pigm ent m aking if he did not point out th a t, in pigm ent m anufacture, practice had far. outstripped th eo ry ; control was being exercised by em pirically determ ined methods long before theory gave the reasons for such control. A g reat deal of w-ork rem ained to be done, and called fo r the utm ost refine
m ent of physical m ethods. Im provem ents would be effected more rapidly the more com plete was th e co-operation betw een pig
m ent user and m aker.
In the discussion w hich followed, th e C hairm an (M r. It. J . Ledw ith) asked w hether surface-active agents, w ith which
one obtained from tim e to time some ra th e r strange results, w ere frequently added by pigm ent m anufacturers to the pigm ents as they were sold to the p a in t industry.
D r. Stead replied th a t some types of s u r
face-active agents were generally added when some p a rtic u la r properties which they im parted was required, such as ready dis
persibility in aqueous media. In general, these agents were added deliberately, but not as a secret m eans of deluding th e user !
T h e F lo c c u la tio n Q u e s tio n D r. II. F . Bowles asked w hether D r. Stead considered it b etter for the pigm ent m aker to add dispersing agent to the pigm ent during its m anufacture, or w hether it was b e tte r or as good fo r the p ain t or ink m aker to put the' dispersing agent into the medium and to grind it on to th e pigm ent surface th a t way. Secondly, w as it b e tte r, from the pigm ent m aker’s point of view, to have a pigm ent flocculated o r deflocculated in th e final p ro d u c t! In th a t connection, when doing some work on the flushing of pigm ents some years ago he believed th a t in every case in w hich pigm ents w ere displaced from w ater into oil they were completely floccu
lated, w hereas by dry grinding m ore often th an not the same types of pigm ents were deflocculated.
The lecturer replied th at the effects p ro duce?! by dispersion were different acco rd ing to w hether dispersion was effected during or a fte r m anufacture. In many cases there was no enhancem ent of stren g th by subse quent incorporation, and in those cases it was necessary th a t the pigm ent m aker should do it during m anufacture. F rom the m anufacturing point of view, th e w orking up was easier when pigm ents were floccu
lated th an when deflocculated. B ut the pigm ents, as they were sent out by the m aker, were in m ost cases considered to be b etter for the user if they were defloccu
lated ; th a t w as achieved in many coses by the users, in th e ir subsequent processes, by the use of dispersing agents.
T here had been controversy for a good m any years as to w hether flushed pigm ents w ere b e tte r th a n pigm ents which w ere dried out and subsequently incorporated in th e media. In some cases im provem ent w as achieved by flushing, w hereas in o th er cases there was a deterioration in respect of some properties. In a way it w as not easy for the pigm ent m aker to e n ter into th e flush
ing field, because pigm ents were required in such an enorm ous variety of m edia; if a pigm ent m aker flushed a pigm ent into a medium, then he w as p artly determ ining th e product which the user w as going to
4 2 0 THE CHEMI CAL AGE Ap r i l 2 0 , 1 9 4 6
m ake. H is feeling was th a t the flushing process should be carried out by the user where he found th a t an im provem ent in p ro p erties was effected, as i t certainly was in some eases.
M o r e I n f o r m a t io n W a n te d D r. F . \Y. Stoyle, emphasising the real necessity for co-operation betw een the pig
m ent m aker and user, suggested th a t chem
ists m ight try to take advantage of th e occa
sion to try to bring all th e users of pigm ents of the same type into some sort of group, so th a t by discussion they m ight determ ine common ground. H e also suggested th a t interm ediate m anufacturers m ight need en
couragem ent by being given a- picture of the potential dem ands. H e also reinforced D r.
S te a d ’s plea for the use of sim pler nam es in discussing the various products, so th a t chem ists who dealt w ith them m ight know w hat they were. If pigm ent users could be encouraged to tak e the chem ists m ore into th eir confidence and to use nam es which m eant som ething, th a t would help to re in force co-operation.
D r. S tead agreed, suggesting th a t co
operation m ight be prom oted 11 the user furnished to the m aker the m axim um am ount of inform ation about his needs. T he m akers would like to be inform ed in advance of tren d s and of exact needs. They did not wish to know th e u ser’s secrets; they ju s t w anted inform ation w hich w ould help them to give the best service.
M r. W ells urged th a t the pigm ent m anu
fa c tu re r could give more help by th e provi
sion of d ata w hich th e p a in t chem ist was forced to determ ine for him self. O ften, for instance, they liked to know the oil absorp
tion and som etimes even the specific gravity.
I t was not at all easy, in a m a tte r such as oil absorption, to obtain consistent results.
T he pigm ent m akers carried out such tests much more frequently and were much b e tte r p ractised in th e actual d eterm in atio n s; but it did not appear easy to obtain the figures from them .
D r. S tead suggested th a t the determ ination of specific gravity m ight well be done by a central body and the figures published for th e whole tra d e . In the determ ination of oil absorption it was difficult to secure consis
ten t results, and he suggested th a t a t first some centralised research was necessary in o rd er to arriv e a t a sta n d a rd m ethod which would enable any operator to obtain con
sistent results.
On pigm ent nom enclature, he favoured a name which was m oderately descriptive.
P igm ents of known constitution should be named uniformly and sensibly, and he be
lieved th e tren d w as in', th a t direction.
H r. Iiolness, proposing the th an k s of the m eeting to D r. S tead, rem arked th at the pigment user who wished to disperse a pigm ent in oil required a pigm ent of very
different properties from the user who had to disperse a pigm ent in aqueous media.
W as it possible fo r the pigm ent m aker to do a good tu rn sim ultaneously to him self and to those who dispersed th e ir pigm ents in oily m edia by flocculating his pigm ent when he had it in the w ater phase or w ater dispersion by the use of a hydrophobic film on th e surface? Surely, if it were possible to flocculate a pigm ent in th a t way, it would have surface properties which would enable it to disperse w ith the g reatest of ease in oil. As to the effects of sm all am ounts of im purities in pigm ents, he recalled a recent claim th a t when a nickel salt was added to an iron blue, the iron blue w as re sista n t to alkali. If th a t were so, he said, it w as probably one of the most am azing chauges w hich a qu an tity of im purity could produce in a pigm ent.
D r. Stead said the incorporation of a hydrophobic compound to assist dispersion in an oil m edia w as actually done. Theories had been advanced w ith reg ard to th e effect of nickel in iron blues.
M e e tin g s a t B r is to l
The B ristol Section of the O.C.C.A . m et 011 M arch 29 to h ear M r. G . A. Campbell.
M .Sc., lecture on “ T he P re-treatm en t of P ig m en ts.”
In tro d u cin g his subject, M r. Campbell referred briefly to the well-known processes employed in the industry, as follows : (1) flushing of w hite le a d ; (2) incorporation of alum inium s te a ra te ; (3) introduction of gums and dextrines to w ater p a ste ; (4) tr e a t
m ent of prussian blue w ith oxalic a c id ; (5) use of rosin in lake m anufacture. In ad d i
tion, reference was made to (a) the control of particle form by h e a t treatm en t as adopted in the m anufacture of lithopone and t i t a nium , and (b) th e control exercised by con
c en tratio n of solution and rate of stirrin g as well as tem p eratu re during production of precip itated pigm ents.
W hen the p re-treatm en t process was adopted to assist dispersion a n d /o r w etting, this was usually accom plished by changing solids from the hydrophilic to the hydro- phobic sta te , which was easily_ oil-wetted.
An excess of dispersion agent, however, could in polar liquids produce “ stru c tu re ,”
and in this connection, it was explained th a t w ith a raw linseed-oil p ain t the continued , addition w ould cause the system to pass from a flocculated stage, through a thixotropic, to w hat could be called a p a in t condition. W ith continued additions, this would produce thixotropy, and false body, reaching finally in all probability to a “ livered ” stage. The two related processes of w etting and dis
persion were e x p la in e d ; the w etting agent essentially induced a low ering of surface tension.
As a pigm ent m an u factu rer, M r. Camp
