The Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol. 6, No. 10

The Journal of industrial and Engineering Ghemistry

Publ ished b y T H E A M E R I C A N C H E M I C A L S O C I E T Y

AT BASTON, PA.

Volume VI O C T O B E R , 1914 No. 10

BOARD OF EDITORS Editor: M . C . W h i t a k e r

Assistant Editor: Le o l a E . Ma r e s

Associate Editors: G. P. Adam son, E. G. B ailey, H. E. B arnard, G. E . B arton , A . V . B leininger, W m . B lum , Wm. B rad y, C . A . B row ne, P. K . Cam eron, W m . C am pbell, F. B . C arp enter, C . E ..C a sp a ri, V . C o b len tz, W. C. Geer, W . F . H illebrand, W . D. H orne, T . K am oi, A . D . L ittle , C . E . L u cke, P . C . M c llh in e y , J. M. M a tth ew s, T . J. P ark e r, J. D. Pennock, Clifford R ichardson, W . D. R ich ard son , G. C . Stone, E. T w itch ell, R . W ah l, W . H . W alker, W . R . W hitney, A . M . W right.

P u b lis h e d m o n th ly . S u b s c r ip tio n p ric e to n o n -m e m b ers of th e A m e ric a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie ty , $ 6 .0 0 y e a rly . F o r e ig n p o s ta g e , s e v e n ty -fiv e c e n ts . C a n a d a , C u b a a n d M ex ic o e x c e p te d .

E n t e r e d a s S e c o n d -c la s s M a t t e r D e c e m b e r 19, 1908, a t th e P o st-O ffice a t E a s to n , P a ., u n d e r th e A c t o f M a r c h 3 , 1879.

C ontributions should be addressed to M. C. Whitaker, Columbia U n iversity, New York City

Communications co n cern in g ad vertisem en ts should be sent to The Am erican Chem ical S o ciety , 42 West 39th St., New York City Su b scrip tions and cla im s lor lo st cop ies should be r e fe r r e ito Charles L. Parsons, Box 505, W ashington, D. C.

Es c h e n b a c h Pr i n t i n o Co m p a n y, Ea s t o n. Pa.

Ed i t o r i a l s:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

On Our Opportunities... 79+

Resignation of A. M . Patterson, Editor of Chemical Abstracts... 794

Original Pa p e r s: The Influence of Organic Admixtures on the Setting of Cement. B y H. K . Benson, C. A. Newhall and Bailey Trem per... 795

The Use of Fine Earth in Mortars. B y H. K . Benson and J . S. Herrick... 796

Water Purification by Ozone— With Report of the Ann Arbor Plant. B y R . W . P ryer... 7 9 7 Studies on the Absorption of W ater by Building Brick. B y Hermann W . M a h r... 800

Isoprene from Commercial Turpentines. B y Chas. H. Herty and J. O. G raham ... 803

Investigations on Oil of Black Sage. B y Charles E. Burke and Charles C. Scalione... 804

Examination of Chinese Wood Oil. B y E. E. Ware and C. L. Schum ann... 806

Oils of the Coniferac. II— The Leaf and Twig, and Bark Oils of White Fir. B y A. W. Schorger... 809

A New M ethod for the Determination of Zinc in Treated Wood. B y M . Hume Bedford and R. Pfanstiel... 811

A New Qualitative Test for Silicates in Soap. B y Harold W. L eitch ... . • • 811

Oxidation of Sulfur Compounds of Coal, and of Nitro­ gen in the Bomb Calorimeter, and the Correction to be Applied in Determining the Heating Value of Coal. B y Samuel H. Regester... .. . 812

Ethyl Ester of Linolic Tctrabromide as a Product in the Analysis of Cottonseed Oil. B y Leroy S. Palmer and Philip A. W right... . - - ... S22 Enzymes of Aspergillus Oryzae and the Application of Its Amyloclastic Enzyme to the Fermentation In­ dustry. B y Jokichi Takam ine...;•••■:... 824

Alcohol in the Manufacture of Phosphoric Acid and Phosphates. B y Paul J. F o x ... 828

The Action between Clay Filters and Certain Salt Solutions. B y W. B. H icks... 829

Selective Adsorption. B y E. G. Parker ... S31 The Estimation of the Lime Requirement of Soils by Means of the Hydroxide of the Alkalin Earths. B y C. R. Moulton and P. F. Trowbridge... 835

A Study of the Dolomitic Limestones of the Allentown Quadrangle. B y Samuel H. Salisbury, Jr., and George C. B e ck ... 837

8 4 3 La b o r a t o r y a n d Pl a n t: D e te rm in a tio n o f C a rb o n in S te e l b y th e D ir e c t C o m ­ b u stio n M e th o d . B y W m . B r a d y ... A n A p p a r a tu s fo r th e A n a ly s is o f C o m p le x G a s M ix ­ tu res. B y G u y B . T a y l o r ... 845

T h e In s ta n ta n e o u s T h e r m o s ta t a n d S m o k e a n d F u m e M o n ito r s, P r e c ip ita to r s a n d R e c o rd e rs. B y W . W . S t r o n g ... 848

Ad d r e s s e s: ^ » " A i r O zo n a tio n . B y M ilto n W . F r a n k lin ... 850

T h e Im p o rta n c e o f E n z y m e s a n d E n z y m e R e a c tio n s in M e d ic in e a n d S u r g e r y . B y W . G . L y l e a n d P . A . K o b e r ... 855

Ob i t u a r i e s: W illia m L o fla n d D u d l e y ... 856

Cu r r e n t In d u s t r i a l Ne w s: S o m e P h as es o f th e In d u s tria l S itu a tio n in G r e a t B r it a in 859 A llo y -S te e l G e a rs in M a c h in e T o o l s ... 862

T h e U n ite d S ta te s C o a l O u t p u t ... 862

B y - P r o d u c t C o k e O v e n s in R u s s ia ... 862

O n A c c u m u la to r E le c t r o ly t e s ... 862

T h e F u lla g a r In te rn a l C o m b u s tio n E n g in e ... 862

No t e s a n d Co r r e s p o n d e n c e: N o te on th e D e te rm in a tio n o f C i n e o l... 863

T h e P r e s e n t S t a t u s o f th e G la s s B o t t le I n d u s tr y in th e U n ite d S t a t e s ... 864

T h e H y d ro c a r b o n s o f U ta h — A C o r r e c t io n ... 865

R e m ed ie s fo r P o ta s h S h o r t a g e ... 866

D r. L e o H . B a e k e la n d in J a p a n ... 866

A m e ric a n E le c tr o c h e m ic a l S o c i e t y ... 867

A m e ric a n G a s I n s t itu t e ... 867

A n n u a l M e e tin g o f th e A m e ric a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie ty C a lle d O ff... 868

S o m e E c o n o m ic A s p e c ts o f In d u s tria l C h e m is try — A C o r r e c t i o n ... 868

Pe r s o n a l No t e s... 868

Go v e r n m e n t Pu b l i c a t i o n s... 869

Bo o k Re v i e w s: T h e O c c u p a tio n a l D is ea se s, th e ir C a u ­ sa tio n , S y m p to m s , T r e a tm e n t a n d P r e v e n tio n ; T h e E le c tr ic a l C o n d u c t iv it y a n d Io n iza tib n C o n s ta n ts o f O rg a n ic C o m p o u n d s; C h e m is tr y o f D y e in g ; T h e O rg a n o m e ta llic C o m p o u n d s o f Z in c a n d M a g n e s iu m ; C h e m is tr y an d I t s B o r d e r la n d ; T h e S ilic a te s in C h e m is tr y a n d C o m m e r c e ... 871

Ne w Pu b l i c a t i o n s... 875

Re c e n t In v e n t i o n s... 876

Ma r k e t Re p o r t... 878

794 T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y V o l. 6, No. 10

EDITORIALS

ON OUR O PPO R TU N ITIE S

W hile the eyes of th e w orld are tu rn ed upon th e m ilita ry a ctiv itie s of E u rop e, business stra teg ists in the U n ited S ta te s w ill n ot fa il to recognize th e te m p tin g op p ortu n ities offered for m akin g ourselves more in ­ dep en dent of foreign supplies.

It m ust n ot be assum ed, h ow ever, th a t th e gap s left in our sto ck s can b e filled b y a sim ple tw ist of th e w rist. W e h a v e received hundreds of inquiries as to w here th is or th a t chem ical m ay be purchased, w ho can design and erect, a p la n t for producing som e p ar­

ticu lar pro d u ct, w h a t concern m akes th e m ach in ery for som e d ifficult process of m anu factu re, etc. M a n y of these letters in d icate a distressing la c k of know ledge of the problem s in v o lv e d or of th e m agn itu d e of th e u n dertakings. M a n y seem to lose sig h t of th e com pli­

ca te d in terlo ck in g of processes and p ro d u cts in the d evelo p m en t of m anu factu re and oth er e q u a lly im ­ p o rta n t considerations. Unless extrem e ly well a d ­ v is e d m an y of th e proposed ven tu res w ill result in failures.

A great respo nsib ility is now being placed upon our profession b y th e sudden cessation of th e im p o rtatio n of chem ical supplies. C h em ists and chem ical engineers h a ve n ever been confronted w ith greater responsi­

bilities nor greater opportun ities. T h e ir resou rcefu l­

ness w ill be ta x e d to its lim it to p rev en t serious in ter­

ru p tion of som e of our in d u strial processes, and on the oth er hand, th e soundest sort of ju d gm en t w ill be required to avo id th e p itfalls of new m an u factu rin g ventures.

M ak in g goods is on ly one phase of successful m an u ­ fa ctu re. T h e w ar in E urop e w ill soon be o ver and the im poverish ed E uropean m anu factu rer will th en com ­ pete w ith even greater se v e rity th a n in th e past. T h e fickle b u ye r will lose his fondness for th e A m erican m an u factu rer w ho tides him over th is crisis, ju st as th e pu blic lose th e ir interest in our soldiers and sailors in tim e of peace. C olleges and lab oratories will rush abroad w ith th eir orders for glassw are and chem icals as th e y h ave in th e p ast, as soon as norm al conditions are restored. T hese and m any oth er facto rs are to be considered in connection w ith th e w holesale ad vice th a t now is th e tim e to build great A m erican chem ical industries. T h e a b ility to build th e plants, develop th e processes and m ake th e p rod u cts u n d o u b ted ly rests w ith th e A m erican chem ists. T h e in vesto r, h ow ever, m ust be ad vised of th e shoals ahead for th e o th er phases of his enterprise. P u b lic good-w ill is needed to su stain th e 'e ffo rts and share th e risks of th e pioneer. A co n stru ctive go vern m en tal p o licy w isely adm inistered to conserve these in d u strial d ev elo p ­ m ents is essential and it is hoped th a t our go vern m ent w ill m eet its ob ligatio n and foster these op portun ities.

T h e great a d va n ta ge s o f in terlo ckin g processes and p roducts in th e large foreign m an u factu rin g p lants of E u rop e can be a tta in e d in A m erica o n ly b y th e a ctiv e coop eration of our m anufacturers.

T h a t g rea t o p p o rtu n ities for developm ent and ex­

pansion h a ve been forced upon us b y th e European crisis is recogn ized b y all. T h e success with which we u tilize these a d v a n ta g e s jvill depend not alone upon our te ch n ical skill and ju d g m e n t bu t upon the coop eration of m an u factu rin g, consum ing and govern­

m en tal in terests w ith a vie w to stab ilizin g the new enterprises d u rin g th eir delicate and expensive develop­

m en tal stages.

RESIG N ATIO N OF A. M . PA TTE R SO N , ED ITOR OF CH EM ICAL A B ST R A C T S

I t is w ith v e r y g reat regret th a t we have to an­

nounce th e retirem en t of D r. P atterso n from the editor­

ship of Chemical Abstracts, because he has been com­

pelled, for a tim e, to give up all confining work. Dr.

P atterso n first join ed th e sta ff of Chemical Abstracts as A sso ciate E d ito r in th e fa ll of 1908. He brought to A b s tr a c ts a fu n d of experience gained during several yea rs of w ork as a scien tific editor, and a spirit of d evo tio n to th e interests of our S o cie ty which have been in v alu a b le . H e soon to o k alm ost complete charge of th e details of m an agem en t, and a year later th e h ead q u arters were m oved from U rbana, Illinois, to C olu m bu s, Ohio. S h o rtly a fterw ard s he was chosen E d itor-in -ch ief. D u rin g th e fo u r y e a rs th a t followed he so d evelop ed and perfected th e organization that, in sp ite of th e lim ited m eans a t its disposal, Chemical Abstracts now gives a m uch m ore com plete record of th e w o rld ’s chem ical literatu re th a n all other ab­

stra ct jo u rn a ls com bined. T h is has been accom­

plished, on th e one h and, b y th e sy ste m atic arrange­

m ents w hich h a v e been m ade to d iscover all sources of p u b licatio n of original chem ical articles in the world, and on th e oth er b y securing a h e a rty spirit of co­

operation and lo y a lty on th e p a rt of assistant editors and abstractors.

D u rin g all of th is tim e, w ith a v e ry lim ited staff in his office and under th e n ecessity for th e most rigid econ om y in th e co n d u ct of A b stra cts , D r. Patterson perform ed an am ou nt of rou tine w ork in the prepara­

tion and arran gem en t of m anu scrip ts for the printer and in the readin g of proof w hich w ould h ave seemed im possible to a less fa ith fu l and conscientious editor.

He also m ade a carefu l stu d y of questions of orthog­

r a p h y and n om en clature for chem ical term s, which has m ade Chemical Abstracts th e b est au th ority we h ave in th is field.

S om ew h at more th an tw o yea rs ago he a s s u m e d

oth er duties w hich m ade it n ecessary for him to drop a large po rtio n of the w ork w hich he had been doing, and since th en th e F irst A ssociate E d ito r, Mr. J. J- M iller, has ta k e n up th e d etails of m a n a g e m e n t a n d

has now com e in to fu ll ex ecu tiv e control as E d ito r .

M r. M iller has been connected w ith Chemical Ab­

stracts for five yea rs, and we are ex trem e ly f o r t u n a t e

in h a v in g such an able successor to D r . P a t t e r s o n

re a d y to assum e th e ed ito rial chair.

Oct., 1914 T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y 795

STRAW TN ruSION I n i t i a l S e t

T A N N IN In itio l S e t CANE SUGAR

I n i t i a l S o t SOIL EXTRACT

I n it ia l Set

TANNIN F in o / S e t STRAW INFUSION

F i n a l S e l CANE SUGAR

F in a l S e t SOIL EXTRACT

F in a l Set

WOOD ALCOHOL I n i t i o l S e t LIQUID SOAP

In itio l Set OXALIC ACID

I n itio l Set

CITRIC AC/D I n i t i a l Set

OXALIC ACID f i n a l Set

MOD ALCOHOL F in a I S e t

CITRIC ACID Finol Set LIQUID SOAP

Final Set

F io . 2

steam pressure from fine earth a n d 'c e m e n t also con­

firm th e statem en ts alread y cited.

Y e t it is know n th a t in cases w here a given cem ent used w ith a stan dard sand ga v e norm al results as to

1 Eng. News, 4 9 (1 9 0 3 ). 4 4 6 .

* T h i s J o u r n a l , 6 (1 9 1 4 ). 7 9 6 . F io . 1

merous instan ces of th e use of sand containing c la y or silt w ith o u t in ju ry to th e resu lting concrete h ave been cited. H a in ,1 G reisen au er,2 and C . E . Sherm an3 show’

' Eng. News, 5 3 (1 9 0 5 ). 127.

' Ibid.,* 1 ( 1 9 0 4 ). 4 1 3 .

* Ibid., 4 9 ( 1 9 0 3 ). 4 4 3 .

ORIGINAL PA PER S

THE INFLUENCE OF ORGANIC ADM IXTURES ON TH E th a t the presence of organic m atter and of c la y or loam SE T T IN G OF CEM EN T h ad little or no effect on th e tensile stren gth of the By H. k. Benson, c. a. nswhau, ^{a n d} bailey Trbmphr m ortar and in one in stan ce,1 th e claim is m ade th a t Received July 7, 1914 washing ou t loam from th e sand decreased th e tensile Specifications go vern in g th e use of sand in concrete: strength. T h e results o btained b y Benson and Her- quite generally prescribe it to be clean, although nu- rick,2 on m ortar b ricks m ade under h yd rau lic and

796 T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y V o l. 6, No. 10 stren gth and tim e of settin g , th e sam e cem en t when

used w ith a so-called “ d ir t y ” sand, w as g r e a tly re­

tard ed in tim e of settin g or did not harden a t all.

I t is of in terest to know w h a t foreign co n stitu en ts in th e sand, oth er th a n ino rgan ic m a tter, m igh t be re­

sponsible for th e failure of th e cem en t to set. E x ­ perim ents were acco rd in g ly u n dertaken w ith organic com pounds ty p ic a l of such classes as m igh t be exp ected to be present in th e soil or sand deposits.

Schreiner and R e e d 1 sta te th a t th e subsoil contains on th e a verage 0.83 per cen t organic m a tter, as found in thousands of sam ples from all p arts of th e U n ited S ta tes. P ro m in en t am ong th ese organic com pounds are the carb o h y d ra tes, p roteids and lecithins, w hich exist in th e livin g cells of plants. D u rin g decom posi­

tion of th e la tte r, p rim ary and secon d ary decom posi­

tion p ro d u cts m a y resu lt.

E X P E R I M E N T A L

Sam ples of cem ent w ere prep ared from th e clin ker from tw o p lan ts (the O lym p ic brand is m ade b y th e w et m ix and th e Superior b y th e d ry m ix process).

T h e m edium -sized clinker w as screened ou t for use, crushed and ground in a pebble m ill until 99.8 per cent passed th e 100-mesh sieve and 80.0 per cen t th e 200- mesh sieve. F o u r d ifferent sam ples were prepared, n am ely, each brand stra ig h t and each brand ground w ith 21/ 2 per cen t of gyp su m . A ll sam ples w ere used w ith in tw o w eeks a fte r grinding and all w ere k e p t in a ir-tig h t M ason fru it jars.

In order to c arry on th e experim ent a t as n early co n stan t te m p eratu re as possible, th e w ork w as done in a concrete basem en t w hich contained th e m oist closet, w ater and oth er m aterials. S tan d ard m eth od s2 of te stin g were follow ed. In stead of follow ing th e usual p lan of m ixing different cem ents to th e sam e con sisten cy, here th e q u a n tity of w ater n ecessary for norm al consisten cy was used th ro u g h o u t:

T h e p ercen tage of w ater required for A w as 26;

B , 25; C , 26; D , 23.

T h e acco m p an yin g diagram s show th e results of te sts m ade w ith vario u s percen tages of organic co m ­ pounds, th e tim e of settin g being shown in hours. In ad ditio n to these substances, ad m ixtu res of one-half per cen t of th e com pounds en u m erated in T a b le I were studied.

Ta b l e I — Re t a r d a t i o n o f Se t t i n g Ce m e n t

A— O ly m p ic s tr a i g h t C — S u p e rio r s tr a i g h t B — O ly m p ic p lu s g y p s u m D — S u p e rio r p lu s g y p s u m

A B C D

I n it ia l F in a l I n it ia l F in a l I n it ia l F in a l I n it ia l F in a l A s p a r a g in e ... 0 . 0 0 2 0 .0 0 2 .0 0 2 4 .0 0 2 4 .0 0 2 9 .0 0 1 0 .0 0 2 4 .0 0 C u m a r in e ... 0 .0 1 3 2 .0 0 6 . 3 0 2 2 .0 0 2 3 .3 0 3 2 .0 0 8 .3 0 2 1 .0 0 G ly c o c o ll... 0 .0 1 2 1 .0 0 3 .0 0 3 1 .0 0 1 7 .0 0 3 6 .0 0 1 4 .0 0 3 1 .0 0 I s o b o r n e o l... 0 .0 0 2 1 .0 0 5 .0 0 1 6 .0 0 1 0 .0 0 2 3 .0 0 7 .0 0 1 7 .0 0 Q u in o lin e ... 0 . 0 0 1 3 .3 0 4 .3 0 1 4 .0 0 1 1 .3 0 2 6 .0 0 6 .0 0 1 4 .0 0

D I S C U S S I O N

T h e ad ditio n of th e variou s su bstances in som e cases w as accom pan ied b y app aren t chem ical actio n such as h eat liberation , color change and form ation of pre­

cip ita te. T h e n atu re of these reactio ns is ind icated in T a b le II . T o ascertain th e com ponen t of the cem en t w ith w hich such reaction ta k es place, com p ar­

ison is m ade w ith a calcium salt in solution. If we

1 B u ll. 4 7 , B u r e a u of S o ils, U . S. D e p t, of A g ric u ltu re . 1 C ite. 3 3 , U . S . B u re a u of S ta n d a r d s .

a ccep t R ich a rd so n ’s th e o ry th a t th e in itial set of ce­

m ent is due to th e decom position of th e calcium alum- in ates w ith th e a cco m p an yin g c ry sta lliza tio n of calcium h yd ro xid e, then a n y su bstance, w hich can effect the rem oval of th e calcium ion b y form ing an insoluble p recip itate , will be able to h asten th e initial set of the m ortar. T h e five substances w hich react thus are tan n in , stra w infusion, oxalic acid, quinoline and soap— all g r e a tly accelerated th e in itial set and all form ed p recip itates w ith cem en t and calcium chloride.

These su bstances also exerted th e g reate st retarding influence in th e final set. If th e la tte r be represented as due to a seco n d ary reaction betw een th e aluminates and calcium h yd ro xid e to form a basic alum inate, as held b y L e C h atelier, a n y su b stance causing the re­

m o val of calcium h yd ro xid e will retard th e reaction.

Ta b l e I I — Ch e m i c a l Re a c t i o n s o p Or g a n i c Re a g e n t s w i t h Cem u n t a n d Ca l c iu m Ch l o r i d e

Re a g e n t s Ce m e n t Ca l c i u m c h l o r i d e

M e th y l a lc o h o l Y ello w p r e c ip ita te N o a c tio n O x alic a c id H e a t lib e r a te d P r e c i p ita te

P r e c i p ita te

C a n e s u g a r N o a c tio n N o a c tio n

C itr ic a c id N o actio n ^ W h ite p r e c i p it a te w hen boiled S tr a w in fu s io n G r a y p r e c i p it a te Y ello w p r e c ip ita te T a n n ic a c id G r a y p r e c ip ita te G r a y p r e c ip ita te L iq u id s o a p P r e c i p ita te P r e c ip ita te G ly co c o ll F lo c c u le n t p r e c ip ita te N o a c tio n S o il e x t r a c t B ro w n p r e c ip ita te N o a c tio n

Is o b o r n e o l N o a c tio n N o a c tio n

C u m a r in e N o a c tio n N o a c tio n

A s p a ra g in e L i g h t p r e c ip ita te N o a c tio n

Q u in o lin e P r e c i p ita te P r e c ip ita te

C O N C L U S I O N S

I— T h e retard in g effect on th e settin g of cement can n o t be a ttrib u te d to an y class of com pounds.

II— C ertain organic su b stances form insoluble com­

pounds w ith th e calcium of cem ent and these retard th e final set.

I I I — In som e cases insoluble com pounds were formed w ith com ponents other th a n th e calcium of the cement and these also exerted a retard in g influence b u t to a less exten t.

IV — T h ere is no evidence of cata ly sis and the action ta k es place p rin cip a lly b y d istu rbin g th e equilibrium.

La b o r a t o r y o f In d u s t r i a l Ch e m is t r y Un i v e r s i t y o f Wa s h i n g t o n

Se a t t l e

TH E U SE OF FIN E EA R TH IN M O R TAR S

B y H . K . B e n s o n a n d J . S . H e r r i c k R e c e iv e d J u l y 7, 1914

In th e constru ction of concrete foundations for p a v in g co u n try roads, sand and g ra ve l are often trans­

po rted considerable distances. I t is evid en t th a t much a d v a n ta g e can be d erived b y using th e soil itself if it can be show n th a t sufficient stren gth can be developed in m ixtures of soil and a su itab le binder. A number of experim ents were acco rd in gly u n dertaken and the results, although p a rtial and incom p lete, are herewith presented.

T h e soil of th e cam p us of th e U n iv ersity of Wash­

in g to n is describ ed 1 as th e E v e r e tt g ra v e lly san d y loam, is form ed from a deep glacial till, and is representative of a large proportion of th e P u get Sound B asin. From a c u t tw e lv e feet in depth, sam ples of soil were taken a t different levels. Sam p le N o. i was a fine sand,

1 " R e c o n n a is s a n c e S oil S u rv e y o f E a s te r n P a r t of P u g e t S o u n d Basin.

B u re a u of S oils, U . S . D e p a r tm e n t o f A g ric u ltu re .

Oct., 1914 T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y 797 containing considerable c la y , ta k en at the botto m of

the cut. Sam ple N o. 2, from th e m iddle of the next stratum, abou t 4 fee t ab o ve the botto m of the cut, was very hard and co m p act in the bank and contained numerous pebbles. Sam ple No. 3, from th e next stratum above, a b o u t 6 feet from the bottom of the cut, was stained yello w and was san d y in texture.

Sample No. 4, 10 fee t from th e botto m of th e cut, was a yellow loam con tain in g considerable fine m aterial and humus and resem bled a ty p ica l garden soil in texture and appearance. Sam ple No. 5, the subsoil, was apparently a decom posed glacial till, h avin g the same color and ch aracte ristics as N o. 2 b u t not being hard or difficult to loosen. Sam ple No. 6 was taken from the surface, fo rm erly a garden, and contained considerable hum us. A ll th e sam ples were air-dried, and passed th rou gh a ten-m esh sieve, the residue, comprising 30 to 40 per cen t, being discarded.

The analyses of th e fine earths th u s obtained, to ­ gether w ith th a t of Sam p le 7, an ordinary m ortar sand, are given in T a b le I.

T a b l E I — S i e v e A n a l y s i s o k F i n e E a r t h s P e r c e n ta g e s p a s s in g m e sh in d ic a te d

Sample N o. 2 00 100 5 0 4 0 3 0 20 10

1... 7 7 .2 9 8 .0 9 9 .0 A ll

? ... 1 7 .0 2 9 .7 6 4 .4 7 4 .3 8 5 .0 9 0 .5 9 5 .6 } ... 6 . 4 1 4 .3 5 7 .5 6 9 .1 8 2 .7 9 2 .2 All f ... 1 0 .7 1 8 .7 5 2 . 8 6 5 .0 7 9 .8 9 1 .7 A ll 5 ... 1 7 .2 3 2 .5 6 8 .7 7 9 .5 8 7 .8 9 3 .1 All

®... 1 4 .6 2 6 .8 6 4 .5 7 6 .7 8 5 .5 9 3 .1 All 7 ... 0 . 5 5 . 0 7 1 .9 9 0 .0 9 7 .5 All

For the prep aratio n of th e m ortar from the fine earth and th e cem en ting agen t, th e general procedure was to m ix th o ro u g h ly , add 12 per cent w ater, silo in a moist closet for 24 hours, m old into bricks, 1 in. X 4 m. X 4 in., and press into shape under a h yd rau lic pressure of 2000 pounds per square inch. These bricks, after air-drying for 24 hours, were then placed in an autoclave and su b jected to th e action of live steam under 80 pounds pressure for 8 to 16 hours. The bricks were then broken in an Olsen m achine, each brick being laid on th e flat surface. T ab les II and II I give the results ob tained b y th e use of various mixes of fine earth and cem en ting agent.

T a b l e I I — F i n e E a r t h M i x t u r e s w i t h L i m e a n d w i t h P o r t l a n d C e m e n t P e r c e n ta g e C r u s h in g P e r c e n ta g e C ru sh in g /--- *--- x s tr e n g th ,--- *---n s tr e n g th

,, F in e ^ L b s . p e r F in e P o r tla n d L b s. p e r

sam ple Iso . e a r t h L im e sq . in . e a r t h c e m e n t sq . in.

1... 9 0 10 5497 90 10 3380

80 20 6200 80 20 6250

70 3 0 7725

2 ... 9 0 10 6250

80 20 34 6 0 SO 20 6250

70 3 0 5700

3 ... 90 10 3 2 9 0

80 20 2740

70 3 0 2650

4 ... 9 0 10 2540

80 20 2440 8 0 2 0 6250

5 ... 9 0 10 36 8 0 90 10 1500

80 20 38 2 0 80 20 5850

70 30 2980

6 ... . . 9 0 10 1940

8 0 20 2720 8 0 2 0 2920

70 3 0 34 1 0 70 30 6070

7 ... 85 15 62 0 0 9 0 10 4700

80 20 4800

70 30 9750

In using P o rtla n d cem ent, siloing of th e m ixes was course im p racticab le, b u t th e other steps were followed as a b o v e outlined. Since it has been shown by Acheson and others th a t soluble organic m atter increases th e colloidal co n ten t of cla y , it was believed that soils o f lo a m y ch aracter m ight be ad van tageo u sly

treated w ith straw infusion m ade b y boiling oats straw w ith w ater and decantin g th e clear liquid. A q u an tity of the infusion necessary to produce th e m axi­

mum p la sticity was then incorporated w ith th e lim e and fine earth m ixtures and th e resulting bricks tested . . T h e earths of san d y te xtu re either d isintegrated in th e au toclave or g a v e low stren gth te sts w hile the loam y earths gave a crushing stren gth of above 3000 lbs.

in m ixtures containing less th an 10 per cent lim e.

Sim ilar results were obtained -with a 2per cen t solution of tann ic acid.

T o confirm th e results given in T a b le II, new m ix­

tures were m ade up w ith v a ryin g qu an tities of lim e, the results of which are given in T a b le II I.

T a b l e I I I— L i m e — F i n e E a r t i i M i x t u r e s P e rc e n ta g e

---- --- C r u s h in g s tr e n g th S am p le N o . F in e e a r t h L im e L b s. p e r sq . in .

3... 9 0 10 . 5550

4 ... 85 15 46 3 0

9 7 .5 2 .5 3300

5 ... 9 2 .5 7 .5 5820

95 5 . 0 6200

C O N C L U S I O N S

As the result of this w ork, it is shown th a t under th e influence of heat and pressure, variou s fine earth p las­

tics m ay be hardened to an exte n t approach ing th a t of concrete. T h e presence of soluble organic m atter does not p reven t th e hardening of lo am y m ixtures of fine earth and lim e. Furtherm ore, as sm all qu an tities of lim e as 2^2 per cent d evelop considerable stren gth in th e hardened brick.

La b o r a t o r y o f In d u s t r i a l Ch e m i s t r y Un i v e r s i t y o f Wa s h in g t o n

Se a t t l e

W ATER PURIFICATION B Y OZONE— W ITH R E P O R T OF TH E ANN ARBO R PLANT

B y R . W . P r y e r R e c e iv e d J u n e 13, 1914

T he problem of o btainin g a safe w ater su p p ly is one of th e greatest questions of th e d a y for m an y cities. T h e difficulty of o btainin g a pure w a ter in sufficiently large q u an tities has proved too great for m ost cities of a n y considerable size, and com pelled them to use a less desirable su p p ly and to p u rify th e same.

A m ethod of purification th a t has m et w ith som e su c­

cess in several E u rop ean cities is th a t of ozonization.

Some cities th a t h a ve all, or p a rt of their w ater su p p ly purified in this w ay, are Paris, Lille and N ice in F ran ce, Ginnekin in H olland, and St. P etersbu rg in R ussia.

In th is co u n try there are on ly a few of these plants, none of them of a n y great size, and none of them a t­

tractin g an y p articu lar notice as exam ples of cheap efficient w ater purification.

In th e sum m er of 1912 a large force of men were a t w ork ju st above th e in tak e of th e A n n A rb o r W ater Co.

p lan t, buildin g a dam for th e E astern M ich igan E dison C o. T h e situ ation was v e ry sim ilar to th a t a t Ith aca , N ew Y o rk , a t th e tim e of th e epidem ic of ty p h o id fe v e r in 1903; w ith this disastrous experience in m ind, these tw o com panies un ited to avoid , if possi­

ble, an epidem ic in A nn A rbor.

T h e m ajor p a rt of th e w ork was done du rin g th is

798 T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y V o l . 6, No. 10 tim e, while th e w riter w as in th e service of these tw o

corp orations as sa n ita ry inspector. T h e usual pre­

cautions, such as lo catin g th e cam ps below th e in tak e, h a v in g all closets th a t were a b o v e th e in ta k e w a ter­

tig h t, and ha;ving th e co n ten ts burn ed below , were ta k en . T h e w ater w as p la te d d a ily and as soon as th e course of th e riv e r w as tu rned , h yp o ch lo rite of lim e was used in large am ounts. -It is indeed g r a ti­

fy in g to report th a t n o t a single case o f ty p h o id fever, th a t could be in a n y w a y laid to th e w ater, d eveloped during this tim e.

W A T E R S U P P L Y

T h e w ater th a t is tre a te d a t th e A n n A rb o r p lan t is ta k en from th e H uron R iv e r a b o u t tw o m iles ab o ve th e c ity . T h e source of th e river is in a chain of lakes tw e n ty to th ir ty m iles, b y riv er, from th is place. T h e river is co m p a ra tiv e ly free from con tam in atio n b y m an, b u t as th e v a lle y of th e river and its trib u taries are m uch used for grazin g purposes, chances for con­

ta m in atio n from anim als are exceed in gly good. In ­ deed th e w riter h as p ictu res show ing th irty -fiv e head of ca ttle w adin g in th e river less th a n one m ile ab o ve th e in tak e.

T h e w ater is p um ped from th e river to a roughing filter lo cated on a hillside b ack of, and above, th e p um ping sta tio n . T h is filter is 30 ft. square and con ­ sists of a b o u t 5 ft. of sea sand. H ead of w a ter on fil­

te r is from 4 to 5 ft. T h e filter is w ashed fre q u e n tly b y reversin g th e flow of th e w ater.

F ro m th e filter th e w ater flows b y g r a v ity to th e b o t­

to m o f th e fore b a y , a single com p artm en t ju s t in fro n t of th e rear b ay s. F ro m th is fore b a y th e w ater flows th rou g h reg u la tin g v a lv e s in to th e rear b a y s, w hich are th ree sep arate com p artm ents lo cated in fro n t of th e first w ell of each unit. C on crete constru ction is used th ro u gh o u t.

S T E R I L I Z I N G W E L L S

T h ese wells are from 8 to 9 ft. from w ater level to th e b o tto m , and are arranged in step -like form ation , th e b o tto m of each being a b o u t 5 ft. low er th a n th a t of th e one before. T h ere are th ree of these w ells in each u n it and th ree un its in all. T h e w a ter flows from th e rear b a y s, th rou gh pipes, to th e b o tto m of th e first w ell, rises th ro u gh , flows o ver and th rou gh pipes to th e b o tto m of th e second w ell and sim ilarly from th e second to th e th ird . T h e openings from th e th ird w ell lead d ire ctly into th e p um p ing basin.

T h e ozo nized air under from 5 to 8 lbs. pressure is forced up th ro u gh each w ell, w hich is d ivid ed in to tw o sectio ns b y baffling p la te s consisting of a m etallic screen co vered w ith sm all pebbles to a depth of a b o u t 6 in.

T Y P E O F O Z O N I Z E R U S E D

T h e ozonizer in use is v e r y sim ilar to th e Siem ens-D e Frise ty p e , som e of th e differences being the use of an ou ter alum in um pole, su b stitu tio n of m ica tu b es for a glass dielectric and th e absence of a w ater ja c k e t for cooling purposes.

T h e o u ter alu m in u m pole is fasten ed in an iron casing and is groun ded, w hile th e inner alum inum pole is in su lated a w a y from th e casin g and is connected

d ire ctly to th e tran sform er. B etw een th ese aluminum poles are th e m ica d ielectrics, and th e space between th e d ielectrics and th e alum in um poles is about ‘/is in. T h ere are 109 sets of tu b es in each ozonizer, and th ree ozonizers are used. W hen th e curren t is turned th rou gh th e ozonizer, th e discharge ta k e s place through th e m ica tu b es, and is w h at is k now n as the silent or brush discharge, ch aracte rize d b y a peculiar bluish v io le t rad iation.

A 110 v o lt altern a tin g cu rren t generator furnishes th e pow er, w hich is step p ed up b y transform ers to from 11,000 to 12,000 vo lts.

A steam -d riven air com pressor forces air, under from s to 8 lbs. pressure, th rou gh th e space around

Pir a te I — Ar r a n g e m e n to p Oz o n i z i n g We l l s

th e m ica dielectrics, where it is ozonized, and from th ere to the b o tto m of th e sterilizin g wells.

O Z O N E C O N T E N T O F A I R A N D V O L U M E R A T I O O F O ZON­

I Z E D A I R T O W A T E R

T h e a vera ge of several d eterm in atio ns of ozone in

•the ozonized air show s th a t th e am o u n t of actu al ozone averages a b o u t 0 .5 gram per cubic m eter, th e lowest am ou nt fou n d being 0.384 gram , and th e highest am o u n t being o . 705 gram . I t should be said, however, th a t w hen th e am ou nt of ozone w as found to be o. 70S, th e vo ltag e on th e circu it from th e generator was 125, in d icatin g a vo ltag e of 12,300 in th e ozonizers.

T h is is high er th a n is u su a lly carried and indeed high er th an can be carried w ith o u t co n stan t danger of breakage. T h e am o u n t of w ater passing through th e ozonizing w ells per hour is calcu late d to be 5 0 , 0 0 0

gallons, or 18 9 .4 cu bic m eters. T h e am ou nt of ozo­

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Oct., 1 914 T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y 799 nized air varies som ew h at, b u t th é m axim um am ount

observed b y th e w riter was 8 5 .4 cubic m eters per hour. T h is m akes th e ratio of ozonized air to w ater 1 :2 .2 and th e am o u n t of actu al ozone averages o. 227 gram per cubic m eter of w ater, or is 0 .227 part per million.

The com parison of th e ozone conten t and the vo l­

ume ratio of ozonized air to w ater a t this plan t, w ith the figures from som e oth er plants, presents an inter­

esting contrast.

O zo n e c o n te n t

G r a m s p e r R a t io of c u b ic m e te r o zo n ized a ir

P la n t a t o f a ir to w a te r

S a in t M a u r ... 2 . 0 3 : 4 N ic e .'... 2 .5 9 1 1 : 4 S t. P e te r s b u r g ... 2 .5 4 : 1 A n n A r b o r ... 0 . 5 1 : 2 . 2

C O S T O F O P E R A T I O N

The exact cost of op eratin g this p lan t is rather^diffi- cult to obtain, ow ing to its close connection w ith the

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P l a t e I I —C r o s s S e c t i o n o f O z o n i z i n g W e l l s

rest of th e syste m , and these figures m ust be regarded as an estim atio n on ly. T h is estim ate does not include the cost of p um ping from th e river, as it is assum ed that this w ould be done w h eth er th e ozone plan t were operated or not.

For the prod u ction of th e electrical energy abou t 12 H. P. are required, w hile th e air com pressor is estim ated to require 7 H . P. On th e assum ption th a t 1 H. P.

per hour requires 4 lbs. of coal, th is would m ake the operating cost for coal alone, ap p roxim ately $ 1.9 0 Per million gallons. Oil p ackin g repairs, etc., to ta l to about S i . 44 per m illion gallons. T o th is m ust be added $6.56 to co ve r interest on investm ent, calcu la­

ted at 5 per cen t, taxes and insurance, calcu lated a t Prevailing rates, and dep reciation calcu lated a t 4

per cent per year. T h is m akes a to ta l operating cost of app roxim ately $9.90 per m illion gallons. A s ordinarily operated, one m illion gallons pass through in 20 hours. E stim ates of the op erating costs per million gallons for several oth er ozone p lan ts are as follow s: St. M aur, $ 15 .6 0 ; G innekin, $20.00; How- ard-B ridge S ystem , 8 16 .80 (estim ate for 10,000,000 .g allo n plant, $7.2 0) ; E stim ate for 20,000,000 gallon

plant for Paris, $8.00.

B A C T E R I C I D A L A C T I O N

T h e w riter has tested th is plan t frequ en tly during th e last tw o years, and a t no tim e has found a n y con­

siderable reduction in the b acterial count betw een the ozonized and the filtered w ater; indeed, u su ally more bacteria were found in th e ozonized th an in th e fil­

tered w ater. Possible reasons for this will be consid­

ered later.

T h e results as shown in th e tables below were ob­

tained w ith th e ozonizing wells as described in th e first part of this article. Several changes h ave been made in the arrangem ent and operation of these wells, and th e y were tested ou t th o ro u g h ly w ith no noticeable im provem ent as regards bactericid al action.

T he first change m ade was to tu rn all th e ozone through wells No. 1 and N o. 2 of each unit. T h e second to cu t ou t one un it en tirely and tu rn all th e ozone through wells No. 1 and N o. 2 of units N o. 1 and N o. 2.

No apparent benefit resulted from these changes, how ever, and the tables give one a fair idea of the action of th e filter alone and of the filter and ozone com bined. These tables show th e to ta l num ber of organism s found per cc. on stan dard nutrient agar after 48 hours at 3 7 0 C .

N o . o f B a c t e r i a i n W a t e r

A u g . 15, 19 1 2 R a w F ilte r e d O zo n ized

9 a.m... 6 5 0 5 6 0 6 2 0 l l A . M ... 4 4 0 3 0 0 2 2 0 1 p.m... 3 7 0 190 160 F ilt e r w ash ed a t 2 . 3 0 p .m .

3 p.m... 7 0 0 4 8 0 7 1 0 5 p.m... 4 6 0 1 7 0 2 1 0 7 p.m... 3 5 0 1 2 0 140 9 p.m... 5 8 0 2 7 0 3 1 0 A ug. 2 7 , 1912

9 a.m... 4 5 0 7 0 2 2 0 10 a.m... 4 8 0 18 0 120 11 a.m... 4 2 0 9 0 1 2 0 12 m... 2 8 0 2 0 0 140 1 p.m... 5 2 0 150 160

2 p.m •... 4 6 0 14 0 130

3 p.m... 3 4 0 1 4 0 130 4 p.m... 6 1 0 1 8 0 170 5 p.m... 2 0 0 1 3 0 2 1 0 6 p.m... 3 2 0 1 2 0 150 7 p.m... 4 1 0 2 2 0 180 8 p.m... 4 6 0 1 3 0 120 F ilt e r w as w a s h e d a t 8 . 3 0 a .m .

N o v . 2 3 , 1912

1 0 .3 0 a.m... 2 4 0 2 0 0 120 1 2 . 3 0 p.m... 1 6 0 1 1 0 6 0

3 . 4 5 p.m... 14 0 6 0 3 0

5 . 4 5 p.m... 16 0 2 0 3 0

8 . 3 0 p.m... 7 0 4 0 1 6 0

9 . 3 0 p.m... 3 0 0 1 2 0 9 0 A v e ra g e of 2 5 s a m p le s 3 8 2 + 1 7 5 + 188 +

P articu lar a tten tio n was paid during th is tim e to presum p tive tests for th e colon germ . D u rin g the sum m er th is organism w as on ly o ccasion ally found in th e river w ater and v e ry rarely fou n d p ast th e fil­

ter. H ow ever, on N o v. 23, 1912, and m any tim es since, m an y acid-producing colonies w ere found on th e w riter’s plates of th e w ater m ade w ith C onradi- D rigalski m edia, and these seem ed to be p ra ctica lly as num erous in th e ozonized as in th e filtered w ater.

M a n y of these acid-producing colonies h a ve been

Soo T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y V o l. 6, No. 10

tested ou t in pure cu ltu re, and th e fa c t th a t B . coli can go th rou gh th e ozonizing w ells has been proven b eyon d a doubt.

A s an exp lan ation o f th e n e g a tiv e efficiency of the ozone considered alone, I m ight sta te th a t th e b o tto m of th e th ird well of each u n it is low er th a n th e height of w ater in th e pum p ing when full. C o n seq u en tly, these th ird w ells are flooded w ith basin w ater, and as th is is open and lo cated near a railro ad , it is liable to receive m ore or less co n tam in atio n . T h is is the e xp lan atio n a d van ced b y som e; b u t each d a y , during th e entire tim e th a t th e w riter w as ta k in g sam ples, th e w a ter in th e basin w as low , and co n sequ en tly no basin w a ter cou ld g e t b a c k into th ese wells. I t would seem th a t th e y w ould gra d u a lly sterilize th em selves if th e ozone were present in large enough q u an tities to h a ve a n y beneficial actio n on th e w ater in them , b u t sam ples ta k e n a fter te n hou rs’ continu al op era­

tion , du rin g w hich tim e no basin w ater could get into these w ells, show ed no im provem en t in th e ozon­

ized w ater.

A n o th er exp lan atio n of th is n ega tiv e efficiency, a d va n ced b y D r. F . G . N o v y , professor of b acterio lo g y in th e U n iv e rsity of M ich igan , is as follow s: a m icro­

scopical p article of organic m a tter m ay contain several b acteria and still appear as one colony and be counted as an in d ivid u a l. N ow this ozonized air te ars th rou gh th e w ater under several pounds pressure, and it is p rob ab le th a t som e of these particles of organic m atter, co n tain in g germ s, are broken in to several sections and g iv e several colonies, w hereas th e y all showed as one co lo n y in th e raw or filtered w ater.

In th e sum m er of 1912 a large dam was b u ilt ju st a b o v e th e form er in tak e of th e w ater com p an y. A s th e m anager of th is co m p an y w ished to be abso lu tely sure of th e q u a lity of th e w ater supplied to th e city , th e use of h yp o ch lo rite of lim e was begun. P late co u n ts of th e ta p w ater in th e c ity are m ade e v e ry d a y and th e am o u n t of lim e is va ried to suit th e requ ire­

m ents. A t th e present tim e th e in tak e is ab o ve th is dam , and as th e w ater is b ack ed up for n ea rly tw o m iles, a v e ry good settlin g basin is form ed. T h is w ater contain s considerable organic m atter and th e am o u n t of h yp o ch lo rite used is rath er high, from 10 to 16 lbs. per m illion gallons. T h e percen tage of a v a ila b le chlorine in th is averages a b o u t 3 3 V 3 per cen t, th u s m akin g th e a vailab le chlorine used com e to an a vera g e of a b o u t 0 .5 p art per m illion. E v e n w ith th is co m p a ra tiv e ly high am ount of h yp o ch lo rite, th e germ cou nt in th e service w ater w ill average m ore th a n 50 per cc. H ow ever, th e colon bacillus is ra re ly fou n d .

N ow chlorine is m uch more soluble in w ater th an is ozone, and gram for gram is as stron g, if n ot a stronger, d isin fectin g a gen t. C o n seq u en tly, th e fa lla c y of t r y ­ ing to p u rify a w ater w ith 0 .2 27 p a rt per m illion of ozone, when th e w ater is c o m p a ra tiv e ly rich in organic m a tter, and w hen 0 .5 p a rt per m illion of ava ila b le chlorine does n o t give ideal results, m ust be plain to all.

T h e w'riter w ishes to th a n k D r. A . K . H ale, of the A n n A rb o r W a te r C o ., for his m an y favo rs. T h e

w riter desires also to th a n k D r. V . C . V au gh an and Dr.

F . G . N o v y , of th e U n iv e rsity of M ichigan, and Mr.

G ard n er S. W illiam s fo r their m an y helpful sugges­

tions.

De p a r t m e n to f Me d i c i n ea n d Su r g e r y Un i v e r s i t y o p Mi c h i g a n

An n Ar b o r

STU D IE S ON T H E A B SO R PTIO N OF W ATER BY BUILD­

IN G B R IC K B y H e r m a n n W . M a h r

R e c e iv e d J u ly 2, 1914

T h e absorp tion of w ater b y building brick has prob­

a b ly been given m ore atten tio n th an all th e other prop­

erties of th is im p o rta n t construction m aterial. We are, how ever, still in d o u b t as to th e best method of cond u ctin g th e te st for a b so rp tive pow er. Attempts to exp lain th e significance of th e am ou nt of water taken up and th e relatio n of this va lu e to th e strength of the m aterial h a ve been u n availin g . H o w ard 1 has pre­

sented papers p o intin g ou t th e indefiniteness of the term absorp tion as app lied to b rick. In spite of this confusion, th e absorp tion requirem ent is regarded as of im p ortance in ju d gin g q u a lity , a p p a re n tly because of a w ell-grounded b elief th a t fu tu re investigations would open up th is d ark continen t.

Some experim enters h a ve a tte m p te d to evolve ab­

sorption te st m ethods w hich g iv e to ta l porosity, and th e stan dard m ethod of T h e A m erican Society for T estin g M aterials, proposed in 1913, has this object in view . I t has been po inted ou t b y several authorities, am ong th em J. C . Jon es,2 th a t no con stan t relation exists betw een th e ab so rp tive pow er and porosity of bricks. W e are, therefore, forced to conclude that the tw o are d istin ct prop erties h a vin g som e sm all depend­

ence on one another. In ve stig a tio n s of absorption of w ater h ave been m ain ly from th e exterior of the brick, and these h a ve failed to answ er m any queries.

N ecessarily th e stru ctu re of th e b rickjd io ld s these secrets.

T o in v estig a te th e stru ctu re of b ricks as revealed b y th e absorption te st and th e significance of the latter, a s tu d y of these m aterials w as undertaken. The b ricks em p lo yed were o f d ifferent degrees of burning and were su b m itted b y H udson R iv e r and N ew Jersey m anu factu rers. P revio u s to im m ersion th e y were dried for 24 hours a t 110 ° C . T h e y were then sub­

je c te d to abso rp tion tests, eith er th e 48 hours’ total im m ersion or th e b oiling te st proposed b y a c o m m i t t e e

of T h e A m erican S o cie ty for T e stin g M aterials in 19 13 .3 T h e im m ersion liqu id w as a 2 per cent solution of po tassium ferro cyan id c. A t th e close of the test superficial m oisture w as rem oved and w eights deter­

m ined. T h e b ricks were th en sp lit across (or length­

w ise), in to sections, b y m eans o f a b rick chisel. The surfaces th u s ob tain ed were tre a te d w ith a 5 per cent solu tio n of ferric chloride. W hen th e section was dried th e zones and channels of p en etratio n b y the liquid were colored blue. T h e tw o surfaces from the same fra ctu re show ed m arkings in p ra ctic a lly all instances

1 N a ti o n a l B ric k M a n u f a c t u r e r s ’ A ss o c ia tio n , B u ffalo M e etin g , Febru­

a r y 5, 1909.

* T r a n s . A m e r . Cer. S o e., 9.

* P roc. A m e r . Soc. fo r T estin g M a te ria ls , 13 (1 9 1 3 ), 287.