A L N G i N E E R I N G
P u b lish ed 'M onthly by The A m erican Chemical S o ciety
Editor: C H A S . H . H E R T Y A ssis ta n t E ditor: L o is W . Wo o d f o r d
A d viso ry Board: H . E . Ba r n a r d Ch a s. L . Re e s e Ed ito r ia l Of f i c e s:
One M ad iso n A venue, Room 343 N ew Y o rk C ity Te l e p h o n e: G raraercy 0613-0614
J . W . Be c k m a n Ge o. D . Ro s e n g a r t e n
A. D . Li t t l e A. V. H . M o r y T . B . Wa g n e r
C able A ddress: J IE C H E M
Ad v e r t is in g De p a r t m e n t: 170 M e tro p o lita n T o w er
N ew Y o rk C ity Te l e p h o n e: G ram ercy 3880
Volume 13 A PR IL I, 1921 No. 4
CONTENTS
Ed i t o r i a l s:
On to Rochester...
Echoes from the G6th Congress.
Specific F acts...
Death of Lord M oulton...
The C h e m i c a l I n d u s t r y a n d T r a d e o f S w i t z e r l a n d .
O. P. Hopkins...
Or ig in a l Pa p e r s:
An Application of the Vapor Pressures of Potassium Compounds to the Study of the Recovery of Potash by Volatilization. Daniel D. Jackson and Jerome J. Morgan...
Possible Uses of Corncob Cellulose in the Explosives Industry. L. G. M arsh...
Some Interpretations of the Ammonia Synthesis Equilibrium. R. S. Tour...
The Production of Artificially Dense Charcoal. L. P.
H aw ley...
The Melting Point of Ammonium Sulfate. James Kendall and Arthur W. D avidson...
Rapid Dry Combustion Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Soil Organic Matter and Organic Carbon. J. W. R ead...
Studies on the Nitrotoluenes. VI—The Three-Com- ponent System: o-Nitrotoluene, £-Nitrotoluene,
1,2,4-Dinitrotoluene. James M. Bell and Edward B. Cordon...
Studies on the Nitrotoluenes. VII—The Thrce-Com- ponent System: p-Nitrotoluene, o-Nitrotoluene, 1,2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene. James M. Bell and Fletcher H. Spry...
The Anilides of (3-Oxynaphthoic Acid. E. R. Bruns- kill...
The Non-Biological Oxidation of Elementary' Sulfur in Quartz Media. W. H. Maclntire, F. J. Gray and W. M. Shaw ...
The Melting Point of Diphenvlamine. Homer Rogers, W. C. Holmes and W. L. Lindsay...
The A ctivity of Pliytase as Determined by the Specific Conductivity of Phytin-Phytase Solutions. F. A.
Collatz and C. H. Bailey...
Studies of Wheat Flour Grades. I—Electrical Con
ductivity of Water Extracts. C. H. Bailey and F.
A. Collatz...
282 282 2S3 284 285
292 290 298 301 303
305
307
308 309
310 314
317
319
The Rate of Evaporation of Ethyl Chloride from Oils.
Charles Baskerville and Myron Hirsh...
Boron in Relation to the Fertilizer Industry. J. E.
Breckeuridge...
Determination of Chlorides in Petroleum. Ralph R.
M atthews...
La b o r a t o r y a n d Pl a n t:
Humidity Control by Means of Sulfuric Acid Solutions, with Critical Compilation of Vapor Pressure Data.
Robert E. W ilson...
Notes on Laboratory and Demonstration Apparatus.
Clifford D. Carpenter...
Solvents for Phosgene. Charles Baskerville and P. W.
Cohen...
Ad d r e s s e s a n d Co n t r i b u t e d Ar t i c l e s:
Studies on the Chemistry of Cellulose. I— T he. Con
stitution of Cellulose. Harold Hi bbert. . . . Combustion Smokes. Geo. A. R ichter...
R e s e a r c h P r o b l e m s i n C o l l o i d C h e m i s t r y . Wilder D.
Bancroft...
Sc i e n t i f i c So c i e t i e s:
Rochester Ready for Chcmical Cohorts; Philadelphia College of Pharmacy Celebrates One Hundredth Anniversary; New York Chemists' Club Confers Honorary Membership; Colloid Development;
Calendar of Meetings... ...
No t e s a n d Co r r e s p o n d e n c e:
Note oil the Use of Potassium Permanganate in the Determination of Nitrogen by the Kjeldahl Method;
The Formation of Anthracene from Ethylene and Benzene— Correction; The Estimation of Cellulose in Wood; Phthalic Anhydride Derivatives; A Memorial of Sir William R am say...
322 324 825
326 332 333
334 343 346
352
Wa s h i n g t o n Le t t e r...
Lo n d o n Le t t e r...
Pa r i s Le t t e r...
In d u s t r i a l No t e s...
Pe r s o n a l No t e s...
Go v e r n m e n t Pu b l i c a t i o n s. Bo o k Re v i e w s...
Ne w Pu b l i c a t i o n s...
Ma r k e t Re p o r t...
358:
304 ‘ 305 366 367 368 369 372 374 375
S u b scrip tio n t o non-m em bers, S7.50; single copy, 75 cen ts, to m em bers, 60 cents. F o reig n postage, 75 c en ts. C an ad a, C u b a a n d M exico excepted.
Su b scrip tio n s and claim s for lost copies should be referred to Charles L. P arso n s, S ecretary , 1709 G S tre e t, N . W ., W a sh in g to n , D . C.
282 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 Vol. 13, N o. 4
EDITORIALS
On to Rochester !
T h o se w ho a tte n d e d th e m e e tin g of th e Am e r i c a n Ch e m i c a l So c i e t y a t R o c h e ste r in 1913 h a v e c a rrie d w ith th e m c o n s ta n tly m em ories of a d e lig h tfu l w eek of in te lle c tu a l s tim u la tio n a n d c h a rm in g h o s p ita lity . T h a t o p p o r tu n ity is soon to p re s e n t itse lf ag a in , for th e 1921 S p rin g M e e tin g will b e h eld d u rin g th e w eek of A pril 25 to 29, w ith th e R o c h e ste r S ectio n a c tin g as h o st.
D u rin g th e in te rv e n in g e ig h t y e a rs t h a t S ectio n h a s in c re a se d la rg e ly in n u m b e rs a n d h a s ju s tly e a rn e d th e r e p u ta tio n of b ein g one of th e m o st flo u rish in g of o u r L ocal S ectio n s. I ts m e m b ers are d e te rm in e d to a d d fre sh la u re ls to th e re c o rd of 1913 b y p r o v id in g a p ro g ra m of scientific a n d social a c tiv itie s w hich in su re s a m e m o ra b le m eetin g .
I t is p a r tic u la rly a p p ro p ria te t h a t th o se a tte n d in g a re to h a v e th e p le a su re of le a rn in g to k n o w p e rso n a lly S e n a to r J a m e s W . W a d sw o rth , J r ., a n d C o n g ressm an N ich o las L o n g w o rth , fo r e a ch of th e se d istin g u ish e d m e m b ers of C o n g ress h a s h e a rtily w o rk e d for le g isla
tio n affec tin g c h e m is try . T h e n , to o , a t r e a t a w a its us in th e p u b lic a d d re ss of t h a t v e n e ra b le y o u th , D r.
C h a rle s F . C h a n d le r.
E v e n th e ra ilro a d s h a v e g iv e n th in g s a b o o st by o ffering ro u n d t r ip r a te s a t one fa re a n d a h a lf on th e c e rtific a te p la n . (See p re lim in a ry p ro g ra m fo r d etails.)
T im e s a re q u ie t in a bu sin e ss w ay. L e t’s ta k e a d v a n ta g e of th e o p p o r tu n ity to assem b le fo r co m m o n co u n sel in p r e p a ra tio n for th e a c tiv e d a y s w h ich all a re co n fid e n t lie ju s t a h e a d .
Echoes from the 66th Congress
T h e 0 6 th C ongress h a s a d jo u rn e d , sin e die. L o o k in g b a c k o v e r its h is to ry a re m a rk a b le p ic tu re p r e s e n ts itself. W ith R e p u b lic a n m a jo ritie s in b o th S e n a te a n d H o u se, t h a t Ccfagress s to o d log ically c o m m itte d to th e policy of p ro te c tio n of h o m e in d u s trie s. A t its in itia l session bills w ere in tro d u c e d w hose o b je c t w as th e effective sa fe g u a rd in g of a n u m b e r of ch e m ic al a n d allied in d u strie s— d y es, chem ical g la ssw are a n d p o rce lain , scien tific in s tru m e n ts , p o t
a sh , m a g n esite, tu n g s te n , e tc . As th e w o rk of th e C o n g ress d e v e lo p e d it w as p la in ly e v id e n t t h a t th e p re v a ilin g s e n tim e n t w as s tro n g ly in fa v o r of th e s e bills, y e t n o t one of th e m w as e n a c te d in to law . W e m issed o u r guess; th e S e n a te d id n ’t p a ss th e d y e bill.
T h e u n ce asin g o p p o sitio n of S e n a to rs M oses a n d T h o m a s to th e d y e bill h a s b e e n disc u sse d in th e s e co lu m n s a t le n g th ; S e n a to r P e n ro se fra n k ly a n d p u b lic ly a n n o u n c e d h is o p p o sitio n to th e w hole g ro u p of bills on th e g ro u n d t h a t th e y w ere “ p o p g u n b ills.”
H o w ev er, th e rec o rd of S e n a to r P e n ro se o n th e f a r m e r s ’ em erg en c y ta riff b ill su g g e sts t h a t in th e 6 7 th C o n gress h e ow es v e ry a c tiv e a n d v ig o ro u s s u p p o rt of p ro te c tiv e m e asu res for th e ch e m ic al a n d allie d in d u strie s if he b elieves in p ro te c tio n as a m a tte r of p rin c ip le r a th e r th a n of p olicy, a n d we believ e he does.
T h e failu re of one o th e r m e a su re m u s t b rin g re g re t to all in te r e s te d in o u r in d u s tria l d e v e lo p m e n t, n am ely , th e bill p ro v id in g relief for th e P a te n t Office. H ere, a g a in , w as a case w here a g r e a t m a jo r ity fa v o re d th e le g isla tio n , b u t th e bill w as s tra n g le d b y a rid e r w hich in c o rp o ra te d th e fe a tu re of g iv in g to th e F e d e ra l T ra d e C om m issio n th e rig h t to rec eiv e a s sig n m e n ts of p a te n ts , a n d th e p o w er to a d m in is te r th e m , in c lu d in g th e re g u la tio n of ro y a ltie s. T h e Am e r i c a n Ch e m i c a l So c i e t y p r o te s te d in v a in a g a in s t th is d o u b lin g u p . T h e S e n a te refu se d to a d o p t th e re p o rt of th e C o n feren ce C o m m itte e a n d th e P a te n t Office is still w ith o u t relief.
I n th e n e x t C ongress th e se bills b e a rin g o n p a t e n t q u e s tio n s will a g a in b e in tro d u c e d , p re s u m a b ly as s e p a r a te bills. I f so, th e bill giv in g th e F e d e ra l T ra d e C om m ission, o r a n y o th e r g o v e rn m e n ta l ag e n cy , th e po w ers a b o v e re fe rre d to sh o u ld b e v ig o ro u sly o p p o se d ; for it is c o n tr a ry to th e s p irit of th e tim e s, it will re s u lt in th e g ra d u a l a c c u m u la tio n of tw o d is tin c t classes of p a te n ts — th e one ow n ed b y in d iv id u a ls , th e o th e r b y th e g o v e rn m e n t, a n d in le g isla tio n o v er co n flictin g p a te n ts en d less co n fu sio n will b e b ro u g h t, s tim u la tio n of in d iv id u a l in v e n tio n will b e h a n d ic a p p e d , a n d th e p u b lic , w h ich is th e u ltim a te b en e ficia ry u n d e r th e w hole id e a of o u r p a t e n t sy ste m , will be th e loser.
T h e re will b e no d ifference of o p in io n a b o u t a bill p ro v id in g fo r th e relief of th e P a te n t Office. T h e c rip p lin g of its sta ff d u rin g p a s t y e a rs a n d th e s te a d y d ec rease in th e efficiency of th e serv ice i t c a n re n d e r a p p e a l to all as ju s tify in g a p r o m p t re m e d y . T h e difficulties ju s t ex p e rien c ed in g e ttin g th is relief su g g e st t h a t still m o re fu n d a m e n ta l le g isla tio n in its b e h a lf sh o u ld b e e n a c te d . A t p re s e n t th e P a te n t Office o ccupies a n a n o m a lo u s p o sitio n ; it is a su b d iv isio n of a n e x e c u tiv e d e p a r tm e n t, w h erea s its fu n c tio n s a re p u re ly ju d ic ia l. A n a p p e a l fro m th e decision of th e C o m m issioner of P a te n ts does n o t go to th e S e c re ta ry of th e I n te r io r D e p a rtm e n t, b u t t o th e c o u rts . T h e s a la ry of th e C o m m issio n er is now d e te rm in e d b y t h a t p re v a ilin g for b u r e a u chiefs, w h ereas th e C o m m issio n er sh o u ld b e e s se n tia lly a m a n of ju d ic ia l tra in in g , r e ce iv in g th e h ig h e r s a la ry c o m p a ra b le w ith t h a t of o th e r ju d g e s. F ro m th e fees p a id in p a s t y ea rs, w hich go d ire c t to th e T re a s u ry of th e U n ite d S ta te s , a p p ro x im a te ly $8,000,000 m o re h a s b ee n rec eiv e d th a n h a s b e e n ex p e n d e d b y C o n g ressio n al a p p r o p r ia tio n on th e P a t e n t Office. W h y sh o u ld th e p a te n te e of a new ch e m ic al p ro cess o r c o m p o u n d p a y fees to th e G o v e rn m e n t to a id in m a in ta in in g th e m a rin e s in H a iti o r d ec re a sin g th e p o s ta l d eficit, w hile h e is u n ab le to se cu re d esire d copies or re p ro d u c tio n s of fo reig n ch em ical p a te n ts b ec au se th e C o n g ressio n al a p p r o p r ia tio n fo r t h a t p u rp o se is e x h a u ste d ?
A p p lic a n ts fo r p a te n ts d esire service, th e b e s t serv ice o b ta in a b le . T h e y a re w illing to p a y fo r it. If n ec es
s a ry le t th e fees b e in c re a se d , b u t le t th e m go d ire c t to th e m a in te n a n c e of th e P a te n t Office a t th e h ig h e st p ossible s ta te of efficiency.
Specific Facts
M u c h h a s b ee n sa id , m u c h h a s been w ritte n w ith in th e la s t tw o y e a rs a b o u t th e use of th e d y e p la n ts of G e rm a n y as th e so u rce of h er s u p p ly bf poison g as d u r in g th e w ar. T h e significance of th is fa c t h a s n o t y e t b een g ra sp e d b y th e a v e ra g e c itiz en . W e believ e th is is d u e to t h e use of o n ly g en e ral te rm s in d isc u ssin g t h e m a tte r. - Specific in fo rm a tio n seem s to be re q u ire d to d riv e th e th o u g h t hom e. F o r th is re a so n , th e re is re p ro d u c e d h e re a m o st illu m in a tin g d o c u m e n t.1
Report of the British Mission Appointed to Visit Enemy Chemical Factories in the Occupied Zone Engaged
in the Production of Munitions of War
M em bers of th e B ritish M ission:
Brig. G en. H . H a rtle y , C. O. W . D.
M r. F . H . C arr.
C a p t. A. C. G . E gerton.
L ieu t. H . G. G reenwood.
D r. H . L evenstein.
M r. W . M acn ab . M r. A. W . T an g y e.
M r. S. I. L evy, S ecretary.
D eleg ates of allied G o v ern m en ts who accom panied th e m ission in th e B ritish zone:
A m erican—
L ieu t. Col. C. W. Steese, O. D ., U. S. A rm y.
L ieu t. Col. J . F . N orris, C . W . S., U . S. A rm y.
M a j. T . W . Sill, C. W . S., U. S. A rm y.
C a p t. R . D . M cG ra th , C. W . S., U . S. A rm y.
C ap t. J . W. M artin , O rd., U. S. A rm y.
L ieut. H . J . H im m elein, R . D ., U. S. A rm y.
F re n c h —
C ol. M . M arq u ey ro l (direction des P oudres).
C om m . M . C haud.
M ons. T . Sordes.
M ons. N . Sim on.
Ita lia n —
C ap t. C. M azetti.
L ieu t. I. C ardoso.
L ieut. M .-M alvano.
Sig. M . Bonelli.
Sig. M . Piersel.
B elgian—
C a p t. M . Jan le t.
The usual procedure was first to have a general view of a factory in order to get an idea of its lay-out and prewar capacity, and of the way in which this had been utilized and extended for war purposes. Afterwards the mission divided into three sections in order to get details of the war productions, as follows:
In itia l p ro d u c ts (e. g., sulphuric acid, n itric acid, am m onia, chlorine, c au stic s o d a ): M r. T a n g y e, L ieu t. G reenwood, C a p t. E g erto n . Explosives: M r. M acnab, M r. Levy.
Poison gas: M r. L evinstein, M r. C arr.
The information obtained by each section has been embodied in the present report.
In some cases considerable difficulty was experienced in ob
taining accurate details of manufacture, especially as regards substances which have a peace value, and the information must be accepted with some reserve on this account, although it was checked by cross-examination of the officials concerned and by a careful examination of the plant admittedly employed for war purposes.
As a result of its visit, the mission had obtained valuable in
formation as to the methods of manufacture of explosives and poison gases employed by the enemy, and of the initial prod
ucts necessary for their production. It was also able to form a clear impression of the military value of the German chemical industry.
Some years before the war, a combination was formed by the Bayer, Badische and A. G. F. A. companies and somewhat later a second group was formed which included Meister Lucius &
1 R ep rin ted from th e H earings before th e C o m m itte e on W ays a n d M eans, H o u se of R ep rese n ta tiv es, o n H . R . 2706 (th e o riginal n u m b er of th e L o n g w o rth bill for th e p ro te c tio n of th e co al-ta r chem ical in d u stry ), p a g es 210-214.
Brüning, Casella & Kalle. During the war, these two groups amalgamated, and the Griesheim Elektron, Weiler ter Meer, Leonhardt, and other smaller companies, entered the combina
tion, which is known as the I. G. It was largely owing to the efTorts of this combination that Germany was enabled to con
tinue the war in spite of the blockade. The I. G. works pro
duced the bulk of the synthetic ammonia and nitric acid needed for the production of fertilizers and explosives, all the poison gas (with the exception of some chlorine and phosgene), and a large proportion of the high explosives.
The following are the more important works of the I. G.
which were not visited, as they are outside the occupied zone:
F acto ries of th e A k tien G esellschaft fü r A n ilin fab rik atio n . F acto ries of th e G riesheim E lek tro n G esellschaft.
F a c to ry of th e B ay er Co. a t E lberfeld.
F a c to ry of th e B adische Co. a t M erseburg.
F a c to ry of C asella & C o., M ain k u r, n e ar F ra n k fu rt.
F a c to ry of L e o n h a rd t & C o., M ulheim , n e ar F ra n k fu rt.
A summary of the information obtained as to the war produc
tion of the factories visited is given under the headings of “ Initial products/' “Explosives and poison gases.”
INITIAL PRODUCTS FOR MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES AND POISON GAS.
The principal materials concerned are ammonia, nitric acid, sulphuric acid, and chlorine, and it was on the output of these that the war production of chemical munitions depended. The expansion of output by the factories of the I. G. combination during the war is shown by the following tables:
A m m onia (.metric tons Ar//a per day).
1914 1918
O p p a u ... 25 250 M erse b u rg ... (*) 400 T o ta l... 25 650
* Nil.
N itric acid (metric tons 100 per cent acid per day).
1914 1913
L ev erk u sen ... 56 180 H ö c h st... 150 375 O p p a u ... ? 100 Ludw igshafen ... 40 (?) 40 W eiler te r M e e r... 12 24 T o ta l... 258 719
Oppau has the power to produce now 500 tons HNOj daily, still retaining sufficient ammonia to supply the output at Höchst.
Sulphuric acid (metric tons 100 per cent acid per day).
1914 1918
I.ev e rk u se n ... 340 470
H ö c h st... 224 280 L u d w ig sh afen... 275 410 W eiler te r M e e r... 48 60 T o t a l... 887 1220
Meister Lucius & Bruning have also erected a large new plant at Höchst which has not yet started and was not examined.
The Bayer Co. has erected at Dormagen a large vitriol plant equal to 250 tons per day.
Chlorine (metric tons per day).
1914 1918
L ev erk u sen ... 7 20 H ö c h st... 4 8 L u dw igshafen... 13 35 T o t a l... 37 63
Explosives.—No arrangements appear to have been made prior to the outbreak of war to utilize the resources of any of the dye factories for war purposes, and on mobilization their chemists were called up for military service. After the battle of the Marne the Government realized the need for expanding the output of explosives and most of the chemical works were producing small quantities by the end of 1914. The demands made on them increased during 1915, but it was not until 1910 that plant was laid down to assist in the enormous production of explosives required by the Hindeuburg program. Most of the big extensions of the synthetic ammonia and of the nitric and sulphuric acid plants date from this time, many chemists being released from the army and the scientific staff of some of the works being augmented. Standardized plant used for the manufacture of dyes was converted for the production of ex
plosives with remarkable speed; for instance, at Leverkusen a T. X. T. plant producing 250 tons per month was put into opera
tion in six weeks.
2S4 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 Vol. 13, N o. 4 The following table shows the amounts produced in the fac
tories visited:
H igh explosives and intermediates.
diates arc shown only v Ives in the producing i [M etric tons p er week.'
Q u an tities of interm ed iates are shown only where these were n o t con
v e rte d to finished explosives in the producing works.
_ _ c. . £
® ; u « ci j ï —
P 5* £ r. y S £•
V ~
I I . ¿ 1c .S' c o crt *c S u **
c c - .-ä 2
250 250 150 40
200 ( 2)
600 3»
30 n y3
50
Í2Ó
15 300 35
150
F a c to ry Ü rd in g e n . ...
K u p p e rsteg ...
T ro isd o rf 250
S c h le b u sc h .. . . . . . . O p la d en ...
W îesdorf... 35
(?)50 40
40
0 .7 0 .7
O utput o f finished Poison gases from various works.
M o n th ly o u tp u t T o tal (m etric to n s), produc-
. tion (if F a c to ry A ver
age. M ax
im um . know n).
Tons. D a te of com m encem ent.
1. C hlorine--- Leverkusen 000 Prio r to war.
H ö ch st 240 Do
Ludwigshafen 860 1 *261 38]600 Do.
2. P h osgene.... L everkusen.. 30 Do.
Ludw igshafen 2SS 621 10,682 Do.
3. D iphosgenc.. Leverkusen 300 Ju n e, 1915.
H ö ch st 139 266 3 Í6 Í6 S eptem ber, 1916.
4. C hlorpicrin.. Leverkusen 200 Ju ly . 1916.
H öchst 45 101 Í , Í27 A ugust, 1916.
5. X y ly l bro
m ide ... Leverkusen 60 M arch. 1915.
6. B rom acetone do 20 Ju ly . 1916.
Brom ace
tone, brorn- eth y im eth y l-
k eto n e... H öchst 19 45 685 A pril, 1915.
S. Phenyl car- bylam ine
ch lo rid e ... do 65 124 721 M arch , 1917.
9. M u sta rd gas. Leverkusen 300 4,500» Before Ju ly , 1917.
10. D iphenyl-
chlor arsine H öchst 150 300 3 ,0 0 0 M ay, 1917.
D iphenyl- cyano
arsin e... do F e b ru a ry , 191S.
11. E th y ld ich lo r
arsine... do 78 150 1,092 A ugust, 1917.
12. D ichlor-
m e th y l.. . . do 26 51 233 Septem ber, 1917.
13. D ibrom m ethyl
e th e r... do
7
29 69 A pril, 1917.O utput o f Interm ediate Products fo r Poison Gas M anufacture.
T o ta l D e stin a -
o u tp u t tion of
In te rm ed ia te (m etric Place of in term ed iate Finished gas. p roducts. to n s), pro d u ctio n . pro d u cts.
P h enylcarbylam ine... P h en y l m u stard oil (*) _ K alle H ö ch st.
M u stard g a s ... Thiodiglycol 7 ,0 2 0 Ludw igshafen L everkusen a n d 1 o th er
O a O
"3 v.— u \ F a c to ry
L everkusen..
D om agen...
Ü rd in g en ... 60
H ö c h st 500 140
L u d w i g s h a fe n ... 25 O p p a u 200 M erseb u rg ... (?) W iesdorf...
S ch leb u sch .. 100 . . .
* F o r 3 m o n th s o n ly .' 2 Sm all. 5 F o r 1 year.
O th er in term ed iates—Ludw igshafen, sodium benzene su lphonatc, 100 tons per week.
O th er explosives— Schlebusch, hexanitrodiphenylsulphide, 15 tons per week.
Poison gas.—At first chlorine and phosgene were the main requirements, but afterwards a variety of organic substances were employed, all of which were made by the factories of the I. G. combination. Many of these substances were new and difficult to prepare, and rapid production was only possible owing to the speed with which the peace organization of the dye factories could be utilized for this purpose. When the Govern
ment wished to introduce a new gas, a conference of the various firms was held at Berlin to determine how the manufacture should be subdivided in order to use existing plants to the best advantage. For instance, th e’ initial %stages of the manufac
ture of mustard gas were carried out at Ludwigshafen and the final stage at Leverkusen.
The following table shows the production of gas and inter
mediate products in the various factories visited:
Propellant explosives, detonating substances, etc.
[M e tric tons p er week.) N itro - Di-
cellu- e th y l d i- Di- N itro - Cor- Fu l- lose phenyl- phenyl glycer- d ite D y n a - T e t- min pow der, urea, am ine. inc. paste, m ite. ryl. ate.
. . . . 35 7 ...
D ip h enylchlorarsine. P h en y l arsinic acid 1,600 do.
1,2 0 0 K alle D ip h en y lar s e n i c
acid 4 ,8 0 0 Leverkusen
E thy ld ich lo rarsin e... E th y l arsenious ox
ide
factory.
U nknow n.
Do.
P ro b ab ly A. G . F.
A., Berlin.
S40 Ludw igshafen H öchst.
• Lead azide
1 N o t obtained.
Not e.— I n add itio n H ö ch st produced 3,000 tons of d ip h en y l chlor- and cyanarsines from own in term ed iates.
MILITARY IMPORTANCE OF THE GERMAN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY.
The above figures for the output of explosives and gas show- the great military value of the factories of the I. G. combina
tion. Although no arrangements had been made to mobilize them at the outbreak of hostilities, they were rapidly converted to W'ar purposes, thanks to their highly trained personnel and the great technical resources of their peace organization. In the future it is clear that every chemical factory must be re
garded as a potential arsenal, and other nations can not there
fore submit to the domination of certain sections of chemical industry which Germany exercised before the war. For mili
tary security it is essential that each country should have its chemical industry firmly established, and this must be secured as one of the conditions of peace, as otherwise we are leaving Germany in possession of a weapon which will be a permanent menace to the peace of the world.
The key to Germany’s war production of explosives was the Haber process for the production of ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen. It is significant that large scale production by this process only began at the end of 1912, and that ill the early part of 1914 great pressure w'as put on the Badische Co. to increase its output. During the war, owing to the extension of the Haber plants at Oppau and Merseburg, Germany has become inde
pendent of foreign countries for her supplies of ammonia and nitric acid, substances indispensable for the manufacture not only of high explosives but also of fertilizers for food produc
tion. Without such a process Germany could not have made the nitric acid required for her explosives programme, nor ob
tained fertilizers for food production after the supply of Chile saltpeter had been stopped by our blockade, and it is probable that she could not have continued the war after 1916. In the event of another war we might be cut off from supplies of saltpeter.
The resources of the German dye industry are of no less mili
tary importance. M ost of the gases employed toward the end of the war were complex organic substances, none of which had been made previously except in small quantities, and some of which were prepared for the first time during the war. Gas warfare will undoubtedly continue to develop ill this direction, and in the future organic substances will be employed which we do not know to-day. The use of gas will always offer great opportunities for surprise in military operations, and the ex
periences of the present war has shown that rapid production of a new gas is essential if the surprise is to be effective. Any country without a well-developed organic chemical industry will be severely handicapped in this respect.
H . Ha r t l e y,
Brigadier General, On Behalf of the Members of the Mission.
Lo n d o n, February 26, 1919.
1 E stim a te d from cap a c ity of p la n t. P ro b ab ly th e sam e q u a n tity was produced a t som e o th e r facto ry as the o u tp u t of thiodiglycol from Ludwigs- hafey would suffice for this.
D eath of Lord M oulton
On M a rc h 9, 1921, L ord M o u lto n , th e h e a d of B ritis h D yes, L td ., a n d P re s id e n t of th e A sso c iatio n of B ritish C h e m ic al M a n u fa c tu re rs , d ie d su d d e n ly a t his resid e n ce , O nslow S q u a re , L o n d o n . T h r o u g h o u t th e c ritic a l w a r p e rio d he p e rfo rm e d a n in e stim a b le p u b lic se rv ic e th ro u g h his w o rk as C h a irm a n of th e A d v iso ry C o m m itte e o n C h e m ic a l P ro d u c ts a n d th e C o m m itte e o n H ig h E x p lo siv e s. A fte r th e w a r his ta le n t s w ere u n selfish ly a n d in te n se ly d e v o te d to th e p e r m a n e n t e s ta b lis h m e n t of th e B ritish d y e in d u s try . H is g u id in g p rin c ip le w as th e gospel of “ w o rk a n d still m o re w o rk .”
T H E C H E M I C A L I N D U S T R Y A N D T R A D E O F S W I T Z E R L A N D
By O. P. Hopkins
1824 Bb lm on t Ro a d, Wa s h in g t o n, D . C.
T h e w ar p la c e d S w itz e rla n d in a m o st tr y in g a n d d e lic a te p o sitio n . A lw ays in d a n g e r of b eing forced in to th e conflict, she fo u n d h e rse lf h a r d p resse d for fa v o rs fro m b o th sides, a n d e q u a lly h a r d p ressed to find sufficient food a n d fuel for h e r ow n people. Som e in d u strie s, esp ecially th o se e n g a g ed on lu x u rie s, suffered fro m fo reig n im p o rt re s tric tio n s , w hile th e g re a t te x tile in d u s try w as d e p riv e d of raw m a te ria ls b y foreign e x p o rt re stric tio n s. She is aliv e to te ll th e ta lc , ho w ev er, a n d in m o st w ay s b e t te r off th a n h e r b ellig e re n t neig h b o rs.
A n u m b e r of h e r in d u s trie s w ere h elp ed b y th e w ar.
T h e h ig h p ric e of h e r m o n e y is a t once a n in d ic a tio n of h er econom ic s tre n g th a n d a h a n d ic a p in th e m a rk e tin g of h e r goods. N in e -te n th s of th e p essim ism in Swiss tr a d e is b a s e d on th is ex ch an g e difficulty.
A lth o u g h th e m a jo rity of th e in h a b ita n ts are engaged in a g r ic u ltu r a l p u rs u its , S w itz e rla n d is k n o w n a b ro a d for its m a n u fa c tu rin g in d u strie s, th e p ro d u c ts of w hich are la rg e ly ex p o rte d , w h erea s a g ric u ltu re su p p lies o n ly a p a r t of th e c o u n tr y ’s needs. T h e se in d u strie s are u n iq u e in t h a t th e y d e p e n d a lm o st w h olly up o n im p o rte d ra w m a te ria ls. T h e m ore v a lu a b le ex p o rts in n o rm a l tim e s a re em b ro id e rie s a n d c o tto n goods, silk goods, w a tc h e s a n d clocks, m a c h in e ry , re a d y -m a d e c lo th in g , tim b e r, w oolen goods, chem icals, cheese, co n d en sed m ilk, a n d ch o c o la te. Swiss m ilk is u se d in th e m a n u fa c tu re of cheese, c o n d e n se d m ilk, a n d choco late, som e of th e ch em icals a re b a s e d u p o n d o m e stic su p p lies of s a lt, lim e, a n d a s p h a lt, a n d th e tim b e r is hom e g ro w n , b u t th e g r e a t b u lk of m a n u fa c tu re d goods is m a d e e n tire ly of im p o rte d m a te ria ls. T h e y a re m a in ly h ig h ly finished goods t h a t sell on a q u a lity b asis in th e m o st c o m p e titiv e m a rk e ts . All of w hich is a tr ib u te to th e skill of th e Swiss w o rk m a n , th e excellence of t h e c o u n try ’s te c h n ic a l tra in in g , a n d th e in te llig en c e of th e Swiss m a n u fa c tu re r.
W h a te v e r m a y h a v e been th e effects of th e w ar on o th e r in d u strie s, th e re is no d is p u tin g th e f a c t t h a t th e c h e m ic al in d u s trie s as a w hole w ere b e n e fited , p a r tic u la rly th e d y e a n d elec tro c h e m ic a l b ra n c h e s. A cco rd ing to th e census of 1911, th e re w ere a t t h a t tim e 197 e n te rp ris e s en g a g ed in th e m a n u fa c tu r e of chem icals, e m p lo y in g 8G92 w orkers. I n 1918 th e re w ere 270 co n c ern s, em p lo y in g 17,704 w orkers. B efore th e w ar th e e x p o rts of ch em icals (n e a rly 90 p e r c e n t of th e p ro d u c tio n is e x p o rte d ) w ere ro u g h ly v a lu e d a t $20,000,000, a b o u t o n e -fo u rth of w hich w ere dyes. D u rin g th e first six m o n th s of 1920 th e v a lu e of ch e m ic al e x p o rts re a c h e d th e im p o sin g to ta l of $30,000,000, of w hich m ore th a n tw o -th ird s were dyes. (T h e se a re ch em icals in th e s tr ic te r sense of th e w ord a n d d o n o t in c lu d e m a n y allie d p ro d u c ts.) W h e reas th e ch e m ic al ex
p o rts ra n k e d a b o u t n in th b efo re th e w ar, th e y now ra n k th ir d , ju d g in g fro m th e in c o m p le te 1920 r e tu r n s .
T H E D Y E IN D U S T R Y
C o a l-ta r d y es w ere m a n u fa c tu re d a t a n e a rly d a te
in S w itz e rla n d , a n d a f a ir sh a re of th e c re d it for th e d e v e lo p m e n t of th is in d u s tr y is n o t a lw a y s g iv e n th e Swiss c h e m ist. T h e e a rly a n d successful s t a r t is u su a lly a t tr ib u te d to th e e x c ellen t te c h n ic a l tra in in g a ffo rd e d , to th e s te a d y d o m e stic d e m a n d fo r high- class colors, a n d to th e f a c t t h a t n o p a t e n t law s affec t
ing ch em icals w ere in fo rc e in S w itz e rla n d p re v io u s to 1908, a c irc u m sta n c e fa v o rin g th e u se of fo reig n p a te n ts w ith o u t re s tric tio n . A t a n y r a te , th e p r o d u c tio n of th e b e s t class of d y es in c re a se d s te a d ily u n til a n e x p o rt tr a d e of m o re th a n $5,000,000 w as re c o rd e d in 1913, th e y e a r b efo re th e w ar b eg a n . As fa r b a c k a s 1S9G th e e x p o rts w ere v a lu e d a t $2,600,000. I t is u n d e rsto o d t h a t th e e x p o rts a m o u n t to m ore th a n 80 p e r c e n t of th e p ro d u c tio n a n d t h a t th e lo w er-p riced s ta p le dyes do n o t figure p ro m in e n tly in th e tra d e .
W h e n th e G e rm a n d y es w ere ex c lu d e d fro m th e w orld m a rk e ts th e Swiss m a k e rs fo u n d it im p o ssib le to m e e t th e d e m a n d s m a d e u p o n th e m . T h e y w ere n o t a b le to m a in ta in th e ir p re-w a r e x p o rts so f a r as q u a n t ity w as co n c ern ed , a s th e re w ere d ifficulties in g e ttin g su p p lies of in te r m e d ia te s a n d also d ifficulties in d eliv erin g th e fin ish e d p ro d u c ts . B u t p rice s rose ra p id ly a n d th e m a k e rs p ro fited . P re v io u s to th e w ar th e in d u s tr y relied la rg e ly u p o n in te rm e d ia te s fro m G e r
m a n y , b u t th e s e su p p lie s w ere c u t off, a n d th e d y e p la n ts w ere o bliged to u n d e rta k e th e m a n u fa c tu re of in te r m e d ia te s fro m cru d e s su p p lie d b y A u stria , E n g la n d , G e rm a n y , F ra n c e , a n d ev e n th e U n ite d S ta te s , a v e r y close c o o p e ra tio n b ein g w o rk ed o u t w ith th e E n g lish fo r a n ex c h an g e of c ru d e s for finished dyes.
T h e d e m a n d d id n o t fall off w h en h o stilitie s ceased, th e p ro d u c tiv e c a p a c ity h a s b e e n g re a tly in c re ase d since t h a t tim e , a n d th e d eliv eries of ra w m a te ria ls h a v e b ee n s a tis fa c to ry , so t h a t th e v a lu e of th e e x p o rt tr a d e h a s re a c h e d a r a th e r re m a rk a b le figure. In 1918, th e la s t y e a r of th e w ar, th e v a lu e of e x p o rts w as giv en as $18,900,000. I n 1919 th e v a lu e h a d risen to $26,000,000, a lth o u g h th e q u a n t ity w as still slig h tly below th e figure for 1913. F ig u re s for th e full y e a r 1920 a re n o t a v a ila b le , b u t e s tim a tin g th e to ta l a t tw ic e th e v a lu e of th e e x p o rts fo r th e first six m o n th s , we a rriv e a t th e im p re ssiv e su m of $44,500,000. T h e q u a n t ity e x p o rte d , e s tim a te d in th e sa m e m a n n e r, w as 25,977,000 lb s., a n in c re ase of 8,107,000 lbs. o v e r 1919 a n d of 6,518,000 lbs. o v e r 1913. T h e d e v e lo p m e n t of th e e x p o rt tr a d e in d y es h a s been as follow s:
Qu a n t it y
Yea r P ou n d s Va u j b
1890... 5,417,000 $2,700,000 1 9 1 3 . ... 19,459,000 5,500,000 191 8 ... 12,939,000 18,900,000 191 9 ... 17,870,000 26,000,000 192 0 ... 25,977,000l 44,500,000«
1 Tw ice th e to ta l for th e first six m o n th s.
T h e in c re a sin g a c tiv ity of th e Swiss e x p o rte rs h as c a u se d no lit tle d iscu ssio n in th is c o u n try . I t is fe lt by som e t h a t G e rm a n d y es a n d Swiss d y es m a d e fro m G e rm a n o r A u s tria n m a te ria ls are co m in g in
2S6 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 ol. 13, N o. 4 fro m S w itze rlan d t h a t w o u ld be ex clu d ed b y th e W a r
T ra d e B o a rd if p ro p e rly d escrib ed . I t is r a t h e r diffi
c u lt to g e t a t th e f a c ts . T h a t n o coal is m in e d in S w itz e rla n d is well k n o w n . F a c ilitie s fo r th e d is tilla tio n of coal t a r re c o v e re d a t g as p la n ts h a v e re c e n tly b ee n c re a te d , b u t n o s ta tis tic s of p ro d u c tio n a r e a v a il
a b le . T h e b u lk of th e cru d e s a re im p o rte d , a n d so m e of th e in te rm e d ia te s . I n 1919, u n d e r th e h e a d in g of an ilin e , a n ilin e oil, a n d a n ilin e co m p o u n d s fo r t h e m a n u fa c tu re o f d y es, th e t o ta l im p o r ts w ere o n ly 1,756,000 lb s., o f w hich S4 p e r c e n t w ere fro m E n g la n d , 9 p e r c e n t fro m G e rm a n y , a n d sm a lle r p e rc e n ta g e s fro m F ra n c e a n d t h e U n ite d S ta te s . (T h e se s ta tis tic s a re fro m official Sw iss re tu rn s , w hich a re co n sid ered relia b le .) I n 19IS, a w a r y e a r, a b o u t 4,000,000 lb s . w ere im p o r te d , o f w hich o n ly 7000 lb s. w ere a t t r i b u t e d t o G e rm a n y . T h e im p o r ts of a n ilin e in te rm e d ia te s fo r th e f irs t six m o n th s of 1920 w ere m u c h h e a v ie r, h o w ev e r— i , 600,000 lb s., o r a t th e r a t e of m o re th a n 9,000,000 lb s. fo r th e y e a r.
G e rm a n y ’s sh a re fo r th e firs t six m o n th s w as 172,620 lb s.
B u t th e Sw iss d y e m a k e rs now r e ly la rg e ly u p o n cru d e s r a th e r th a n u p o n in te rm e d ia te s , a n d th e s t a tis tic s show t h a t in 1919 th e im p o rts of su c h c ru d e s, g iv e n as “ c o a l- ta r d e riv a tiv e s fo r th e m a n u fa c tu re of d y e s” in th e Sw iss s ta tis tic s ,1 a m o u n te d to 5,291,000 lb s., of w h ich E n g la n d su p p lie d 29, F ra n c e 2S, G e rm a n y 27, A u s tria 15, a n d th e U n ite d S ta te s a b o u t 1 p e r c e n t.
I t is o b v io u s, ho w ev er, t h a t th e im p o rts o f c ru d e s in 1919 a re n o t la rg e en o u g h t o a c c o u n t for th e e x p o rts of n e a rly 18,000,000 lb s. of d y es, in c lu d in g in d ig o ; so, in th e h o p e of s h e d d in g m o re lig h t o n th e s u b je c t, su p p o se we lu m p to g e th e r th e im p o r ts of su c h c ru d e s fo r 1916, 1917, 191S, a n d 1919. T h e to ta l for th e s e y e a rs is 49,000,000 lb s., of w hich A u s tria su p p lie d 47 p e r ce n t a n d G e rm a n y 19 p e r c e n t, th e re s t co m in g fro m E n g la n d , F ra n c e , a n d th e U n ite d S ta te s . T h e la rg e s t im p o r ts a re re c o rd e d fo r 1916, w h en A u s tria su p p lie d th e b u lk of th e p u rc h a se s. F o r th e firs t six m o n th s of 1920, th e im p o r ts of su c h cru d e s w ere 6 ,SOS,000 lb s., o r a t th e r a t e of a b o u t 14,000,000 lb s. f o r th e y e a r, exceeding t h e a v e ra g e fo r t h e fo u r y e a rs p rev io u s.
D u rin g th e s e six m o n th s , G e rm a n y su p p lie d 2.7 p e r c e n t a n d A u s tria 4.2 p e r c e n t, th e ch ief so u rce s of s u p p ly b ein g E n g la n d , t h e U n ite d S ta te s , a n d F ra n c e . I t w ill b e o b se rv e d t h a t G e rm a n y a n d A u s tr ia s u p p lie d a co n sid e ra b le p ro p o rtio n of th e c ru d e s im p o rte d o v e r a p e rio d of fo u r a n d a h a lf y e a rs, b u t t h a t th is p ro p o rtio n is g ra d u a lly b ein g re d u c e d .
A n o th e r p o in t is t o b e co n sid ered . A re G e rm a n - finished d y e s im p o rte d in to S w itz e rla n d fo r re e x p o rt?
A cco rd in g t o th e s ta tis tic s , o n ly to a s lig h t e x te n t.
I n 3 919, a to ta l of 516,000 lb s. ca m e fro m G e rm a n y for c o n s u m p tio n in S w itz e rla n d a n d 23,000 lb s. fo r r e e x p o rt. F o r th e firs t six m o n th s o f 1920 th e im p o rts for c o n s u m p tio n a m o u n te d to 649,000 lb s., p ra c tic a lly all o f w h ich o r ig in a te d in G e rm a n y , w ith sm all a m o u n ts fro m A u s tr ia a n d C z ec h o slo v a k ia. D y e s im p o rte d for r e e x p o rt d u rin g th e sa m e p e rio d a r e n o t sh o w n .
I n view of t h e foregoing fa c ts , c a n i t b e assu m e d t h a t
1 U n d er th is heading in th e Swiss s ta tistic s are included b esx cn e, tohi-
« u t , xylene, an th ra c en e , n a p h th alen e, a n th ra c en e oil, chloride of n a p h th a len e , n itro n ap h th a le n e , d in itro to h ien e, b en io ic acid, carbolic acid, etc.
d y es a re co m in g in to th is c o u n try fro m S w itz e rla n d t h a t o u g h t to b e ex c lu d e d ? T h e w rite r h e s ita te s t o ex p ress a n op in io n . T h e re m a y be, b u t i t is p ra c tic a lly im p o ssib le to p ro v e it. If a n im p o rte r is to ld t h a t th e d y es h e is im p o rtin g a r e n o t m a d e of m a te ria ls of G e rm a n o r A u s tr ia n o rig in a n d h e m a k es a ffid a v it t o t h a t effect, h o w is i t p o ssib le to p ro v e t h a t h e is in e rro r? I t id e n tic a l d y es c a n b e m a d e fro m G e rm a n a n d E n g lish cru d e s a n d b o th m a te ria ls a r e u se d in th e sa m e Sw iss p la n t, is i t p ossible to id e n tif y t h e d y e s m a d e fro m th e G e rm a n m a te ria l? A n d if i t i s possible, c a n th e lim ite d sta ff of th e p re s e n t W a r T ra d e B o a rd c o n d u c t th e n e c e ssa ry in v e stig a tio n s?
T u rn in g a g a in to th e s ta tu s of t h e Sw iss d y e in d u s t r y , i t is in te r e s tin g to n o te t h a t t h e th r e e b ig co n c e rn s h a v e p ooled th e ir in te re s ts fo r a p e rio d of fifty y e a rs a n d ca n b e a s su m e d to b e o p e ra tin g a n d m a rk e tin g th e ir p r o d u c t on a n efficient basis. T h e y seem con
fid e n t o f t h e f u tu r e a n d a re c o u n tin g o n a c o n tin u a n c e of th e ir p ro fita b le n ew c o n n e ctio n s in su c h q u a r te r s a s A lsa ce -L o rra in e a n d B elgium . T h e y reco g n ize c e rta in se rio u s h a n d ic a p s , chiefly th e ex c h an g e r a te . Swiss m o n e y is a t a h ig h p re m iu m in m o s t E u ro p e a n c o u n trie s, w h ereas G erm a n m o n e y is v e ry c h e a p . A lso, Sw iss w o rk m en h a v e re c e n tly g ain e d th e e ig h t-h o u r d a y a n d h ig h e r p a y , a f a c t t h a t is cited o v er a n d o v e r b y all Sw iss w rite rs o n fin an cial a n d b u sin e ss to p ic s.
N ev e rth e le ss, th e p essim ism c o n c ern in g o th e r b ra n c h e s of th e chem ical in d u s tr y is a lm o s t e n tir e ly m issin g in c u r
r e n t discussions of t h e f u tu re of th e d y e in d u s try .
E L E C T R O C H E M IC A L IN D U S T R IE S
T h e w a r g re a tly s tim u la te d th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f h y d ro e le c tric p o w e r in S w itz e rla n d , a s th e re w as a se rio u s s h o rta g e of coal fro m th e b e g in n in g of h o s
tilitie s. T h e a v a ila b le w a te rp o w e r is e s tim a te d a t 4,000,000 h o rsep o w er, of w h ich 500,000 h o rse p o w e r h a d b ee n u tiliz e d b y 1914. A t th e e n d of 1919 new in s ta lla tio n s h a d ra ise d th e to ta l to 720,000 h o rse p o w e r, a n in c re a se of n e a rly 50 p e r c e n t.
T h e c a rb id e p la n ts w ere esp ec ially a c tiv e d u rin g t h e w a r, fo r i t w a s n e v e r p o ssib le to m e e t t h e d e m a n d s fro m th e b e llig e re n t c o u n trie s. F ro m a p ro d u c tio n of 7500 to n s in 1913 th e r e w as a c o n tin u a l in c re a s e u n til a to ta l of 40,000 to n s w as re a c h e d in 191 S. T h e n ca m e th e p o st-w a r slu m p a n d p r o d u c tio n fell off t o
10,000 to n s , w ith no sig n s of im m e d ia te re c o v e ry . T h e c a p a c ity fo r m a n u fa c tu r in g c a rb id e in E u ro p e n ow exceeds th e p e a c e -tim e d e m a n d a n d th e S w iss a re n o t h o p efu l of th e f u tu re . As in o th e r c o u n trie s, a t te n t io n h a s b ee n d ire c te d to th e in c re a se d m a n u f a c tu re of c y a n a m id e fro m c a rb id e , u sin g th e a ir- n itro g e n fac ilities d ev e lo p e d d u rin g th e w a r, b u t th e Swiss p e a s a n t is r a th e r s k e p tic a l a b o u t th e v a lu e o f th is fe rtiliz e r a n d h a s w elcom ed th e r e tu r n o l o th e r artific ia l m a n u re s w ith w h ich h e w a s well a c q u a in te d b efo re th e w a r. O w ing to th e sm all size of th e c o u n try , m o s t of th e p la n ts t h a t m a k e c a rb id e a r e w ith in e a s y re a c h o f c o m m u n itie s t h a t a re tu r n in g to e le c tric ity f o r lig h tin g a n d h e a tin g a s th e r e s u lt of th e long-con- tin u e d co al sh o rta g e , a n d th e s e p la n ts a r e m a k in g t h e b e s t of th e o p p o r tu n ity to sell c u r r e n t fo r s u c h p u rp o se s.
T h e y will m a k e c a rb id e a s a sid e lin e i n th e f u tu r e .
N ev e rth ele ss, i t is r e p o r te d t h a t s e v e n of th e fifteen p la n ts in o p e ra tio n in 191S w ere clo sed in 1919.
T h e a lu m in iu m p la n ts w ere also s tim u la te d b y th e w ar. T h e y m a n u fa c tu re a h ig h -g ra d e m e ta l a n d first- class w ares, and- h a v e been a b le to c o n tin u e o p e ra tio n s d u rin g th e p o s t-w a r p e rio d . E m p lo y m e n t w as s te a d y in 1919, w h en th e c a rb id e in d u s try w as so h a r d h it, b u t bu sin ess w as n a t u r a lly n o t so good a s d u rin g th e w ar.
T h e e x c h a n g e r a te is th e p rin c ip a l h a n d ic a p .
P la n ts t h a t m a n u fa c tu r e d n itr ic ac id d u rin g th e w ar a re tu r n in g th e ir a t te n t io n t o s o d iu m n i t r a t e a n d
•calcium n itr a te , b u t t h e fa r m e r s a r e n o t e n th u s ia s tic u sers of th e la tte r . T h e e le c tro ly tic p ro d u c tio n of c a u s tic so d a , b le a c h in g p o w d er, a n d ch lo rin e is of som e im p o r ta n c e a n d w as r e p o r te d a c tiv e in 1919.
T h e m a n u fa c tu re of ferro a llo y s, e sp ec ially ferro - silicon a n d fe rro c h ro m e , is a p ro m isin g in d u s try , a l
th o u g h i t h a s ex p e rien c ed a p o s t-w a r slu m p a lm o s t a s se rio u s a s t h a t affe c tin g t h e c a rb id e in d u s tr y . T h e o u tp u t of ferro silico n h a s b ee n a s h ig h a s 16,000 to n s a y e a r. T h e p ro d u c tio n o f a b ra s iv e s in c o n n e ctio n w ith t h e elec tro c h e m ic a l i n d u s t r y is also n o te w o rth y .
D R U G S A \ D P H A R M A C E U T IC A L S
A lth o u g h n o lo n g e r ra n k in g w ith th e d y e in d u s tr y in im p o rta n c e , th e m a n u fa c tu re of d ru g s is s till flo u rish in g i n S w itz e rla n d . T h e p e rio d of g r e a te s t p ro s p e r ity w as d u rin g th e w a r a n d t h e in flu e n z a epidem ic, b u t b u sin e ss h a s b e e n f a irly g o o d sin c e th e n . C o m p e titio n f ro m E n g lish a n d A m eric an m a n u fa c tu r e rs is fe lt o n th e C o n tin e n t in som e lin e s, a n d co n sid e ra b le a n x ie ty is fe lt o n th e sc o re of th e r e tu r n of G e rm a n p ro d u c ts . A fu ll lin e of v e g e ta b le alk a lo id s is p ro d u c e d , t h e e x p o rts a m o u n tin g to o v e r 51,000 lb s. in 1919 a s c o m p a re d w ith 44,000 lb s. in 1913, th e in c re a se in v a lu e , of co u rse , b e in g m u c h g re a te r. T h e m a n u fa c tu r e of s y n th e tic d ru g s h a s b e e n d e v e lo p e d alo n g w ith th e d y e in d u s tr y , a n d t h e p ro d u c ts a re co n sid ered to b e of fine q u a lity . T h e s ta tis tic s d o n o t g iv e d e ta ils a s to th e v a rie tie s of d ru g s ex p o rte d .
P E R F U M E R Y A X B C O S M E T IC S
T h e m a n u fa c tu r e of a rtific ia l s c e n ts ca m e in to p ro m in e n c e in S w itz e rla n d b e tw e e n 1S90 a n d 1900, a n d h a s g ro w n in to a n im p o r ta n t in d u s tr y since.
I t goes h a n d in h a n d w ith t h e d y e a n d m e d icin al in d u s trie s . T h e re is a lso a c o n sid e ra b le o u tp u t of n a tu r a l sc e n ts. T h e e x p o rts of fin ish ed p e rfu m e s a n d co sm etics a m o u n te d t o o v e r $1,200,000 in 1913.
T he to ta l fo r 1919 w as so m e w h a t below t h a t o f 3913 in q u a n t ity , b u t p ric e s w ere u p d u rin g t h e p e rio d of lu x u ry -b u y in g t h a t follow ed th e a rm istic e- I t is a n in d u s tr y t h a t suffers d u rin g p e rio d s o f b u sin e ss d e
p re ssio n su c h a s m a rk e d th e l a tte r h a lf o f 1920.
A s c o m p a re d w ith 1913, th e e x p o r t t r a d e in so a p s, b o th to ile t a n d c o m m o n , sh o w ed a b ig in c re a se in 1919, a lth o u g h a t b e s t i t is n o t c o m p a ra tiv e ly a la rg e tr a d e . T h e Sw iss m a n u fa c tu re rs w ere c a u g h t w ith la rg e s to c k s of h ig h -p ric e d oils o n th e ir h a n d s w h en th e s lu m p in p rice s cam e.
H E A V Y C H E M IC A L S
S w itze rlan d is n a tu r a lly n o t a la rg e p ro d u c e r of h e a v y ch e m ic als, a s th e re a re few d o m e stic ra w m a
t e r ia l s a n d t h e g e o g r a p h ic a l p o s i ti o n o f t h e c o u n t r y m a k e s t h e c o s t o f i m p o r t i n g s u c h m a t e r i a l s p r o h ib itiv e . T h e o n ly s o d a f a c t o r y w a s c o m p e lle d t o s u s p e n d o p e r a t io n s f o r a t i m e d u r i n g t h e w a r , b u t w a s l a t e r o p e r a t e d a s a n e s s e n tia l w a r - t im e i n s t i t u t i o n in s p i t e o f t h e h ig h p r ic e o f c o a l. I n 1914 t h e r e w a s o n ly o n e s u l
f u r i c a c id p l a n t , b u t t h e g r e a t c h e m ic a l p l a n t s a t B a s le l a t e r e s t a b l i s h e d a p l a n t f o r t h e m a n u f a c t u r e o f s u lf u r ic a n d h y d r o c h lo r ic a c id s . D o m e s t ic s u p p l ie s o f n i t r i c a c id a r e m o r e t h a n a d e q u a t e a s a r e s u lt o f t h e d e v e lo p m e n t o f n it r o g e n f i x a ti o n p l a n t s d u r i n g t h e w a r . H e a v y c h e m ic a ls a r e m a n u f a c t u r e d t o s o m e e x t e n t b y e le c tr o l y tic p ro c e s s e s , a s m e n tio n e d e ls e w h e re .
T H E M A R K E T F O R IM P O R T S
B e a r in g in m i n d t h e s iz e o f t h e c o u n t r y , i t w ill b e s e e n In t h e fo llo w in g t a b l e t h a t S w itz e r la n d im p o r t s c h e m ic a ls o n a f a ir ly la r g e s c a le — t h a t Is, h e a v y c h e m ic a ls . T h e s o u r c e o f s u p p l y h a s b e e n E u r o p e a n r a t h e r t h a n A m e ric a n , h o w e v e r . I n n o r m a l ti m e s d e p e n d e n c e is p la c e d p r e t t y la r g e ly u p o n G e r m a n y a n d t o a le s s e r e x t e n t u p o n E n g la n d . A m e r ic a n p a r t i c i p a t i o n h a s b e e n ir r e g u l a r a n d I n c id e n ta l a n d c o n fin e d t o a c o m p a r a ti v e ly few a r t ic l e s — a fe w a d d s , d e n a t u r e d a lc o h o l, t i n s a l t s , d y e in g e x t r a c t s , p h o s p h a t e , t u r p e n t i n e , a n d p h a r m a c e u tic a ls . A t a b l e s h o w in g t h e i m p o r t t r a d e in d e t a i l fo llo w s :
Ikports or CaEEMTCJits axd Ata.xED Products
3913 3916 1919
CRrvrcALS Pound* Pounds Ponnds
Acetate of:
Aluminium...,.—. . . 2,650 . . . 3,530 Chromium, pyrolignite of iron 194,450 33,730 16,530 Lead, nitrate of lead_____ ____ 34.170 1,930 146,399 G e r m a n y ... 33,510 440 -48,280 Uniled Kingdom — . . . . . I ,540 98,310 Aoetrlcne, EqueSed under pres-
sure-... 6,830 33 ,$50 440
Acids:
Acetic and lactic, methanol, crude; acetone; methyl*
ethylacetone; prepara
tions with pvridine base.. 4, 449 ,810 4 ,554 ,020 2,079, 400 Austria-Hungarv... ... 334.250 610,460 182,540
France... 39,400 66,300 177,910
Germanv ... 3.696,020 552,260 1,026,910 Urated Kingdom ... 30.3 40 949. 530 291,010 United States ... 695,560 2.262,600 253,750 Arsenic; antimony compounds,
n. e. s.; chloride of sulfur;
bisulfide of calcium; sul
fide of arsenic... . . 99.430 17,420 15,430 Germany.... ___ . . . 79,810 15,650 25,210 Arsenious (white arsenic);
chlorides of barium, cal
cium, and manganese;
magnesium carbonate and
sulfate ... . 2,369,560 4,466,120 1,145,540 Austria-Kungarv. . . 220 119,730 131,770 Germany... 1,40$ ,310 4,078,990 1,024,710
United States ... 2,200 11,630 2,200
Boric and phosphoric__ . . . 69,670 231,050 244,710
France. ... 11,240 146,390 11,240
German v 57,540 440 6,390
Italy... 220 61.950 106,700
United States. ... ... ... 29,100 Citric and tartaric-. ... 351 »200 378,310 122,360 France ... 78.930 106,700 50,270
Germanv ... 162,920 . . . 3,310
Ita ly ...’. _______ , _ 106,260 250.450 6».560 Hydrochloric... ... 17,302,090 1,569,030 2,533,110 Austria- Hungarv... . . . 277,780 549,610 France... T____ ... 1.302.270 899.700 283,520 Germany , , ... 15,987,050 7.500 1,650,380 Nitric ... 503,090 648.820 615,090 France. ... 41,230 494,940 14.110
Germany ... 425,270 66*3 587,970
OxaBc, oxalate of potassium.... 119,939 545,640 366.630 G erm an y ..,..,.______ _ 119.930 545,640 303,360 Sulfuric, suliurous acid in
aqueous solution... . . 21,189,510 2,677,070 5,019,430
Austria-Hun gary... .. . . . - 709,230 France... 1,515,900 1,289,040 1,936,320
Germanv... ____ 19,583.890 20,720 1,957.480
Italy ... 43,720 1,011,04« 354,500
Sulfuric, fuming; chk*rosu3-
furic acid ... 3,873,300 1.430,580 2,323,450 Austria-Hungary... . . . 676,600 France... 272,490 500,190 1.242.960 G e r m a n y .,..,..., 3.597.060 . . . 36,750 United Kingdom. . . . ____ 440 870.390 135, 960
