T n e Journal of Industrial and Engineering Gnemistry
Volume Y
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
JANUARY, 1913 No. 1
B O A R D O F E D I T O R S
Editor: M . C. W h i t a k e r
Associate Editors: G. P. Adam son, E . G. Bailey, H. E . Barnard, G. E . B arton, A. V . Bleininger, W m. Brady, C. A. Browne, F . K . Cameron, F. B. Carpenter, C. E . Caspari, V . Coblentz, W . C. Geer, W . F. Hillebrand, W . D. Horne, T . K am oi, A. D. L ittle, C. E . Lucke, P. C. M cllhiney, W m . McMurtrie, J. M. Matthews, T. J. Parker, J. D. Pennock, W. D.
W. H. W alker, W. R. W hitney, A. M. W right.
Richardson, G. C. Stone, E . T w itchell, R. W ahl,
Contributions a nd c o m m u n i c a t i o n s s h o u l d be a d d r e s s e d to" t h e Editor, M. C. W h it a k e r, C o lu m b ia U n i v e r s i t y , N e w Y or k City P u b lish e d m o n th ly . S u b s c rip tio n p ric e t o n o n -m e m b e rs of th e A m e ric a n C hem ical S o c ie ty , $6 .0 0 y e a rly .
F o re ig n p o stag e , s e v e n ty -fiv e .c e n ts , C an a d a , C u b a a n d M exico e x c e p te d .
E n te re d a s S eco n d -class M a tte r D ecem b er 19, 1908. a t th e Post-O ffice a t E a s to n , P a ., u n d e r th e A c t o f M arch 3, 1879.
Es c h e n b a c i i Pr i n t i n g. Co m p a n y, Ea s t o n, Pa.
T A B L E Ed it o r ia l s:
M orris L o eb ’s W ill...
T h e Code of E th ic s of th e A m e ric an I n s titu te of C hem ical E n g in e e rs ...
E lcctrical E n g in e ers’ R e so lu tio n s R e g a rd in g P a te n t L e g isla tio n ...
M ineral W a s te ... : ...
Or ig in a l Pa p e r s:
The P ro d u c tio n of C hlorine S u b s titu tio n P ro d u c ts of M ethane from N a tu r a l G as. B y C harles B ask erv ille an d H . S. R ie d e r e r ...
A pp licatio n s of D u ctile T u n g sten . B y C. G. F i n k ...
B lue G elatin e C opper. B y W ild e r D. B a n c ro ft a n d T. R . B rig g s ...
T he C lassification of B itu m in o u s a n d R esin o u s S u b stan ces. B y H e r b e r t A b r a h a m ...
T h e E ffect of E x p o su re on B itu m e n s. B y P re v o s t H u b b a rd a n d C. S. R e e v e ...
[ -^'E xam ples of th e E fficiency of C alcium H y p o c h lo rite in X T re a tin g T u rb id W a te rs . B y E d w a rd B a r to w ...
C om position of th e S alines of th e U n ite d S ta te s , I I I : I B r i n e s from th e O cean a n d S a lt L akes. B y j . W .
T u rre n tin e , w ith a n aly se s b y W . H . R oss, A . R . M erz an d R . F . G a r d n e r ...
R ecent A n alyses of th e S a ra to g a M ineral W aters . II.
B y Leslie R u ssell M ilfo rd ...
T h e Q u a n tita tiv e S e p a ra tio n of M ix tu res of C e rta in A cid Coal T a r D yes. B y W . E . M a th e w s o n ...
T he Alcohol R e q u ire m e n t of th e P u re F o o d a n d D ru g L aw an d th e A c cu ra c y of A lcohol A ssays of P h a r m a ceutical P re p a ra tio n s . B y C. H . B rig g s ...
T he M ineralogical A n aly sis of Soils. B y W illiam H . F r y ...
T he Significance of th e L im e-M agnesia R a tio in Soil A nalyses. B y P . L. Gile a n d C. N . A g e to n ...
A P roposed M odification of th e Official M eth o d of D e term in in g H u m u s. B y O. C S m i t h ...
T h e D e term in a tio n of L im e in Cow Feces. B y R . A dam s D u tc h e r ...
Laboratory a nd Pl a n t:
T h e P la n t of th e S a k a i Celluloid C o m p an y a t S ak ai, J a p a n . B y F . C. A x te ll...
R e ce n t D ev elo p m en ts in th e E le c tric S teel F u rn a c e.
B y P . L. V. H d r o u lt...
A n E le ctric H e a te r fo r L a b o ra to ry D istilla tio n s. B y L. T . B ry s o n ...
Am erican In s t it u t e o f Ch e m ic a l En g in e e r s...
Ad d r e s s e s:
P ro te ctio n of In te lle c tu a l P ro p e rty in R e la tio n to C hem ical I n d u s try . B y L. H . B a e k e la n d ...
T he P e rm a n e n t F ire p ro o fin g of C o tto n G oods. B y W illiam H e n ry P e r k i n ...
O F C O N T E N T S
Coal T a r L ig h t O il in th e U n ite d S ta te s : T h e M an u fac
tu re , N a tu re a n d U ses of P ro d u c ts D eriv ed T h e re from . B y J o h n M orris W e is s ...
T h e P a s t, P re se n t, a n d F u tu r e of th e N a v a l S to re s I n d u s try . B y C harles H . H e r t y ...
. T h e T ech n ical P ro b le m s of Coal P re p a ra tio n . B y W . - S. A y r e s ...
T h e B eeh iv e C oke O ven I n d u s tr y of th e U n ited S ta te s . B y A. W. B e ld e n ...
A m erican O il S hales. B y C has. B a s k e rv ille ...
Cu r r e n t In d u s t r ia l Ne w s:
5 ' T h e In d u s tr ia l F u tu r e of M a in e ...
8 R ein fo rced P l a ti n u m ...
Irid iu m in A m e ric an P la c e r P l a ti n u m ...
T h e P u rc h a se of L im e fo r W a te r P u rif ic a tio n ...
T h e E ffect of B oiler S c a le ...
N itric A cid fro m C oke-oven G a s e s ...
T h e E le c tro te c h n ic a l P ro d u c tio n of A m m o n ia ...
r5 T h e P ro d u c tio n of C alcium C a r b id e ...
18 T h e J a p a n e s e W in d o w G lass I n d u s t r y ...
P re c a u tio n s in H a n d lin g C om pressed G a s e s ...
T h e ta T u b in g ...
T h e P ro d u c tio n of C a o u tc h o u c ...
A W a te r T e m p e ra tu re R e g u la to r ...
19 S o ap L y e a n d S ap o n ificatio n C rude G ly c e rin s ...
T h e P ro d u c tio n a n d E m p lo y m e n t of D e x tr in ...
24 Som e A sp ects of th e F re n c h T u rp e n tin e In d u s try '...
T h e D isp o sitio n of W a s te S u lp h ite L iq u o r s ...
26 N ew P re ss u re F i l t e r s ...
T h e P u rific a tio n of W a te r b y ‘ A llo p h an o id s” ...
"E lcct-rit” ...
29 T h e U tiliz a tio n of W as te S o d a L iq u o r s ...
T h e C asein I n d u s t r y ...
30 N o t e s a n d C o r r e s p o n d e n c e :
O b itu a ry — W illiam W illard D a n ie lls ...
33 T h e P re s e n t S ta tu s of th e W in d o w G lass I n d u s tr y ...
C e n te n a ry of th e G as I n d u s tr y — C o m m itte e R e p o r t___
35 ; P la tin u m T h ie f ...
A r k o s itc ...
37 M etallic P ig m e n ts ...
S u rface C o m b u s tio n ...
A n n u a l T ab les o f C o n sta n ts : P h y sical, C hcm ical an d T echnological, V olum e I I ...
3 T h e D e te rm in a tio n of C h ro m iu m a n d V a n a d iu m in S teel— A C o rre c tio n ...
47 A N ew F o rm of O rs a t A p p a ra tu s — A N o t e . ...
Book Re v ie w s:
49 T ra n s a c tio n s of th e A m erican I n s titu te of C hem ical 49 E n g in e ers ; T h e W o rld ’s C ane S u g a r I n d u s try , P a s t a n d P r e s e n t; H y d ro -M e ta llu rg y of C o p p e r; Soil C o n d itio n s a n d P la n t G ro w th ; H e n le y ’s T w e n tie th C e n tu ry B o o k of R ecipes, F o rm u la s a n d P ro cesses.
5 1 N e w P u b l i c a t i o n s ...
Re c e n t In v e n t io n s...
57 M a r k e t R e p o r t . ...
61 65 68 71 73 74 74 74 75 75 75 75 75 7576 76 76 76 77 77 77 78 79 79 79 79 79 80 80 81 82
8 3
8384
84 84 84
8487 88 90
2 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 Jan., 1913
EDITORIALS
M O RRIS LO EB’S W IL L
Morris Loeb, whose death was reported in the Novem ber, 1 9 1 2 , issue of T h i s J o u r n a l , was known to be a m an of great w ealth only b y his intim ate friends.
F ew realized the diversity of his interests, and his philanthropic w ork was not know n to m any ot his colleagues till a fter his death. His unassuming manner and genuine m odesty were his best known charac
teristics.
T he chem ical profession was alw ays a m atter of deep concern to Morris Loeb. During his lifetime he was an active w orker in the support of the chemical societies, the Chem ists’ Club, the education of chem
ists, and in fa ct all of the interests of chem istry, in addition to a m ultitude of philanthropic and social interests.
H is will, which has ju st been made public, accentuates his true interest in the sciences. He has provided w ith directness, w ith sim plicity, w ith m odesty, but w ith magnificence. The bulk of his estate is to be transferred to his distinguished wife, E d a K u h n Loeb.
H arvard U niversity, his Alm a M ater, will receive, subject to the life interest of Mrs. Loeb, five hundred thousand dollars for the advancem ent of chem istry and physics in other w ays than b y paym ent of fellow ships, scholarships and other direct emoluments to students.
The Am erican Chemical Society is to receive tw en ty- five thousand dollars to be held b y it as a special fund, the income of which alone shall be used for the establishm ent or maintenance of a chem ical type- museum either in connection w ith the Chem ists’
Club of New Y o rk or the National Museum in W ash
ington, or the Am erican Museum of N atural H istory in N ew Y o rk — preference to be given in the order named. The chief object of this museum shall be the preservation of all new substances described as the result of chemical research, either b y obtaining the same b y g ift or purchase from the discoverer, or b y causing the same to be prepared in sufficient q u an tity according to the discoverer’s published direc
tions: all for the purpose of facilitating com parison b y subsequent observers.
The Chem ists’ Building Com pany of New Y o rk is to receive Dr. L oeb’s Chemists’ Building Com pany stock which is valued a t seventy-five thousand dollars.
H is m agnificent p rivate technical library, valued a t fifty thousand dollars, his portraits and m em ora
bilia of scientists, and scientific apparatus have all been given to the Chem ists’ Club.
The Hebrew' Technical Institute, of New Y o rk C ity, receives tw enty-five thousand dollars absolutely and tw enty-five thousand dollars as a special fund, the income of which is to p ay pensions of superannuated em ployees and of the families of em ployees w h o ' died in active service. T h e Jewish Publication Society of Am erica gets ten thousand dollars. One thousand dollars each goes to the Y ou n g W om en’s; Hebrew
Association, the Y o u n g M en’s H ebrew Association, the H ebrew E d ucation al Society of Brooklyn, the H am pton Industrial In stitute, and the U nited Jewish Charities, and tw o thousand five hundred dollars to the N ational A cad em y of Sciences.
In addition to these specific bequests, Professor Loeb provided th a t to each charitable institution to which he contributed, a sum equal to the am ount of his last contribution to such societies should be given for a period of tw o years after his death. To his servants he g av e S io o for each y e a r th at th ey had been in his service.
T he residuary estate, subject to Mrs. L oeb ’s life interest, is to be equally divided am ong the Sm ith
sonian Institution a t W ashington and the following N ew Y o r k institutions: T he Am erican Museum of N atu ral H istory, the M etropolitan Museum of A rt, Cooper Union, the H ebrew Technical In stitute, the N ew Y o rk Foundation, the Jewish P rotectory and A id Society, the H ebrew Charities Building, and the E ducation al Alliance.
T he Sm ithsonian Institution receives its bequest to further the ex a ct sciences. The A m erican Museum of N atural H istory is to collect an exh ibit for the il
lustration o f the industrial use of natural products in ancient and modern times. T h e M etropolitan M u
seum of A rt is to purchase and exh ibit objects illus
tratin g the developm ent of artistic handicraft in Europe and Am erica. Cooper U nion is to endow a professorship. The Hebrew Technical In stitu te is to establish technical courses for mechanics. The Jewish P rotectory and A id Society bequest is for the relief of em ployees. The H ebrew Charities Building is to establish a lib rary and to reduce the rent for the charitable societies occupying the building. The Educational A lliance is to devote its g ift to work am ong wom en and children.
These bequests will be of inestim able value to the Am erican chemists, and the undertakings in which the donor w as so keen ly interested during his lifetim e w ill be firm ly established and their success assured.
T h e technical press throughout the world deplored the loss of our distinguished colleague and paid tributes to his scientific attainm ents, his pleasing personality, his indefatigable energy in the interests of his fellow chem ists, and his liberal support of plans for pro
fessional a d v an cem en t.1 Our debt of gratitu de has been perpetuated b y his wise provisions, and the bene
fits of his bequests w ill have a lasting influence on the future of the chem ical profession in Am erica.
T H E CODE O F E T H IC S O F T H E AMERICAN IN STIT U T E OF CHEM ICAL EN G IN EERS
T he Code of E th ics adopted b y the In stitu te a t its fifth annual m eeting in D etroit is a w ork of unusual im portance, and w ill have a far-reaching and beneficial influence on the chem ical profession. In reading this code, w hich follows, it becomes apparent th at
Jan.. 1913 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 3 self-evident statem ents are made. W e n atu rally
think th at every one is in agreem ent on these ap parently self-evident statem ents, but, unfortunately, this is not a lw a y s . the case. Independent of the desirability, however, of form ulating even these self-evident truths, there is a purpose b ack of the code which m ay be considered its k e y and which, if once seen, will explain the code and m ake its desirability apparent to every one. This purpose is to solidify, to draw together chem ists in the recognition of a com m unity of interests which, so far as the code goes, com plim ents and reenforces all individual interests. The indirect benefits which all chem ists will derive b y the prom ulgation and general observ
ance b y chem ists of this code are of incalculable value.
The code involves no lim itation of this individuality, but adds to it som ething th a t w ill tend to m ake this same in d ividuality more profitable and beneficial.
The prom ulgation and adoption of this code is but a part of the broad m ovem ent which is receiving con
siderable emphasis in the business w orld in which it is recognized th a t ordinary com petition should be supplemented b y cooperation in order to be most effective and beneficial.
W ithout discussing in detail the various provisions of the code, we would point ou t th a t in line w ith the purpose back of the code it calls for a spirit of help
fulness, the upholding of the profession, the dis
couragement of sensationalism in estim ates and p u b lic statements and the studious endeavor to g ive credit to others for their w ork. In other words, the code sim ply recognizes th a t the chem ical profession depends for its success on the principle th at the chem ist does not live for himself alone. This principle of dependence applies to the relations betw een chem ists and their relations w ith the public. W e all know how dependent chem ists are upon each other. If one wants evidence, let him refer to the tremendous amount of w ork published in our A b stra ct Journals from which w e all draw benefits. T h e dependence of the chem ist upon the public should be equally evident. The chem ist should not do anyth in g to weaken this dependence bu t rather should strengthen it.
Everything th a t tends, as this code does, to strengthen the bonds of dependence betw een the public and the chemist will help the profession.
It is not to be expected th a t th is code w ill revolu
tionize the chem ical profession. I t is, so to speak, a seed planted b y the w ayside which is sure to grow into something v e ry m uch bigger— u ltim ately and inevitably bearing good fruit.
The com m ittee, com posed of G. W . Thom pson, C. F. M cKenna, A . C. Langm uir and A . D. L ittle , performed the delicate task entrusted to them w ith care and success. The final form as adopted b y the Institute is as follows:
A R T IC L E I.—p u r p o s e o f t h e c o d e: T o define the rules of professional conduct and ethics for the members of the Institute.
A R T IC L E I I . T H E I N S T I T U T E E X P E C T S O F IT S m e m b e r s:
1. T h a t in all their relations, th ey shall be guided b y the highest principles of honor.
2. The upholding before the public a t all tim es of the d ign ity of the chem ical profession generally and the reputation of the In stitute, protecting its members from m isrepresentation.
3. Personal helpfulness and fratern ity betw een its
;members and tow ard the profession generally.
4. The avoidance and discouragem ent of sensa
tionalism , exaggeration and unw arranted statem ents.
In m aking the first publication concerning inventions or other chem ical advances, th ey should be m ade through chem ical societies and technical publications.
5. T h e refusal to undertake for com pensation w ork w hich th ey believe will be unprofitable to clients w ith ou t first advising said clients as to the im prob
a b ility of successful results.
6. T h e upholding of the principle th at unreasonably low charges for professional w ork tend tow ard inferior and unreliable work, especially if such charges are set a t a low figure for advertising purposes.
7. The refusal to lend their names to a n y question
able enterprise.
8. Conservatism in all estim ates, reports, testim ony, etc., especially in connection w ith the prom otion of business enterprises.
9. T h a t th ey shall not engage in an y occupation w hich is obviously con trary to law or public welfare.
10. W hen a chem ical engineer undertakes for others w ork in connection w ith which he m ay m ake im provem ents, inventions, plans, designs or other records, he shall preferably enter into a w ritten agree
m ent regarding their ownership. In a case where an agreem ent is not m ade or does not cover a point a t issue, the follow ing rules shall apply:
a— I f a chem ical engineer uses inform ation which is not common know ledge or public property, bu t which he obtains from a client or em ployer, a n y results in the form of plans, designs or other records shall not be regarded as his property, b u t the prop erty of his client or em ployer. .
b— If a chem ical engineer uses only his own knowledge or inform ation or data, w hich b y prior publication or otherwise are public property, and obtains no chem ical engineering data from a client or em ployer excep t perform ance speci
fications or routine inform ation, then the results in the form of inventions, plans, designs or other records should be regarded as the prop erty of the engineer, and the client or em ployer should be entitled to their use only in the case for which the engineer was retained.
c— A ll w ork and results accom plished b y the chem ical engineer in the form of inventions, plans, designs or other records, or outside of the field for which a client or em ployer has retained him, should be regarded as the chem ical engineer’s property.
d— W hen a chem ical engineer participates in the building of apparatus from designs supplied him b y a client, the designs rem ain the prop erty of the client and should not be duplicated b y the
4 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 Jan., i9i3 engineer nor any one representing him for others
w ithout express permission.
e— Chemical engineering data or inform ation which a chem ical engineer obtains from his client or em ployer or which he creates as a result of such information must be considered confidential b y the engineer; and while he is justified in using such data or inform ation in his own practice as forming part of his professional experience, its publication w ithout express permission is im
proper.
/— Designs, data, records and notes made b y an em ployee and referring to his em ployer’s work, should be regarded as his em ployer's property.
g— A client does not acquire any exclusive right to plans or apparatus made or constructed b y a consulting chemical engineer except for the specific case for which they were made.
11. A chem ical engineer cannot honorably accept compensation, financial or otherwise, from more than one interested p arty, w ithout the consent of all parties;
and whether consulting, designing, installing or oper
ating, m ust not accept compensation directly or in
directly from parties dealing with his client or employer.
W hen called upon to decide on the use of inventions, apparatus, processes, etc., in which he has a financial interest, he should m ake his status in the m atter clearly understood before engagement.
12. The chem ical engineer should endeavor a t all tim es to g ive credit for work to those who, so far as his knowledge goes, are the real authors of such work.
13. Undignified, sensational or misleading advertising is not perm itted.
14. Contracts made b y chemical engineers should be subject to the Code of E thics unless otherwise agreed.
A R T IC L E III .— F or the adm inistration of this Code of Ethics, a Com mittee on E thics shall be ap pointed b y the president holding office at the tim e of the adoption of this Code w ith the approval of the Council, to consist of five members: one appointed for five years, another for four years, another for three years, another for two years, another for one year, and thereafter, the president then holding office shall appoint one member annually to serve for five years and also fill such vacancies as m ay occur for an unexpired term. A ll of these members shall be over fo rty years of age. The Committee shall elect its own chairm an. The Com mittee on E thics shall investigate all com plaints subm itted to them bearing upon the professional conduct of any member, and after a fair opportunity to be heard has been given to the member involved, shall report its findings to the Council, whose action shall be final.
A R T IC L E IV .— a m e n d m e n t s: Additions to or m odifications of this Code m ay be made according to A rticle V I I I of the Constitution.
E LEC TR IC A L E N G IN EER S’ RESOLUTIONS REGARDING
PA TENT LEGISLATION
The Am erican In stitute of E lectrical Engineers has form ally adopted resolutions bearing on im
pending p atent legislation and it is exceedingly grati
fyin g to note th at this organization has endorsed the p olicy so often recommended in Th i s Jo u r n a l. The investigation of technical m atters b y a com petent commission for the purpose of form ing intelligent legislation m ight yield im proved results on most any great problem , b u t it is p articularly im portant th a t Am erican p atent law and practice be handled w ith care, skill and judgm ent and th at its provisions be based upon scientific and economic considerations rather than upon political foundations.
The resolutions adopted b y the Board of Directors of the In stitute of E lectrical Engineers are as follows:
W h e r e a s, there are pending before the Congress
numerous bills affecting and g re a tly m odifying the P aten t System in the U nited States, and
W h e r e a s, the P aten t System has been, and is,
a tremendous factor in building up the present in
dustrial prosperity of this country, thereby greatly contributing to the prosperity of the cou n try as a whole, and
W h e r e a s, a n y untow ard change in the p atent situa
tion m ight disastrously affect this condition of indus
trial and general prosperity, and the conditions con
trib u ting to their continual augm entation, and
W h e r e a s, in view of the intim ate relation of the
P aten t System to the general w'elfare, no action looking tow ard an y radical change in the P aten t System should be taken w ithout m ost careful consideration, and
W h e r e a s, in our opinion, proper consideration of
such im portant changes as are proposed can be had only b y an unbiased, non-partisan commission, made up of men from various w alks of life and not from any
one vocation, or interest,
Be i t Re s o l v e d.— T h a t the A m erican In stitu te of E lectrical Engineers, acting through its officers and Board of Directors, respectfully urge the Congress, of the U nited States th at they provide for a Commission, made up of unbiased, independent, non-partisan men of such national standing as w ill com mand the respect of the whole c o u n try ; and chosen from different w alks of life; and not more than one from an y one calling or interest; and serving w ithout pay. Such Commission to hold public hearings, and otherwise, as m ay appear to them best, to m ake a thorough and careful stu d y of the Am erican P aten t situation, and to prepare and subm it a com prehensive report and recomm endations to Congress for such changes, if any, as m ay, as the result of their study, appear to them expedient, w hether in the P aten t Office, in the m ethod of Court procedure, or in the organic Paten t Law , and recomm endations as to the Legisla
tion th ey w ould propose for effecting said changes.
A nd th at we further respectfully urge th at the Congress, m ake am ple provision for the expenses of said Com
mission, and
Bei t Re s o l v e d.— T h at we respectfully urge the Con
gress of the United States to hold in abeyance all proposed Legislation affecting the P aten t System in w hatsoever w ay until such tim e as the said Commission shall have had ample opportunity to hold the said hearings,, and make the said stu d y and report, and
Jan., 1913 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 5
Be i t f u r t h e r R e s o l v e d .— T h a t these resolutions be printed and a copy be sent to each Senator and R ep re
sentative of the U nited States who is a m em ber of the Senate or House Com m ittee on Patents.
M IN ER A L W ASTE
The importance of the conservation of the mineral resources of the U nited States is again em phasized b y the recent appearance of “ N otes on Mineral W astes,”
Bureau of Mines Bulletin, 47, b y Charles L. Parsons, Mineral Technologist for the Bureau.
W astes of fuels, the common m etals, fertilizers, combined nitrogen, sulfur, arsenic, the rare earths;
losses in the mining and treatm ent of ores and m inerals;
failure to make use of n ative ores; our need of potash, the platinum m etals, new alloys and new uses for b y products of our present industries; a n y one of these is alarming. B u t there is encouragem ent in the re
ports of the recent advances in the m etallurgy of iron; the desirable properties of the new alloys; the successful application of the electrical precipitation processes to all smoke and fum e problem s; the conserva
tion made possible b y the cem ent industries; the possible use of native feldspars and kaolins in the silicate industries; the recovery of com bined nitrogen from coal, as well as the fixation of atm ospheric nitro
gen.
While a certain am ount of w aste is absolutely neces
T H E PRODUCTION OF CH LO R IN E SUBSTITU TIO N PR O D UCTS OF M ETHAN E FRO M NATURAL GAS'
B y Ch a r l e s Ba s k e r v i l l e a n d H . S. Ri e d e r e r2
The attem pts which have been made to effect a chlorination-of m ethane in order to obtain satisfactory yields of substitution products have been discussed in a previous publication .> I t m ay be noted here that while the form ation of m ethyl chloride, dichlor- methane, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride from methane has been experim entally shown b y several investigators operating w ith various methods, and a number of processes have been patented for the pro
duction of these and other halogen derivatives of methane,-* so far no process has been worked on a commercial scale. Since there is an abundance of natural gas containing 50-90 per cent, m ethane in this country, the problem is of some im portance—
one which we thought would bear investigation along lines differing in certain respects from those hitherto followed.
In general, it m ay be said th a t the ultim ate object of those studying the m atter has been . to produce
1 P a p e r p resen ted a t th e E ig h th In te rn a tio n a l C ongress of A pplied C hem istry, New Y o rk , S ep tem b er, 1912.
2 The au th o rs h ave filed ap p licatio n s fo r p a te n ts on th e novel featu res presented in th is p ap er.
3 B askerville a n d H am o r. Th i s Jo u r n a l, 4, 216.
1 M allet, U . S. P a te n t 220,397, O c to b er 7, 1879; Colin, U . S. P a te n t 427,/44, M ay 13, 1890; K !w orthy a n d L ance, F re n c h P a te n t 353,291, M ay 15, 1905;M acK ayc. U .S . P a te n ts 880.900, M arch 3, 1908, a n d 1,009,428.
N ovem ber 21, 1911; W alter. G e rm a n P a t e n t 222,919, N o v e m b er 5, 1909;
and P feifer and Szaro asy , 12,058 D . A nm . P . 24.872, S e p te m b e r 25, 1911.
sary, we are rem inded th a t our prodigal annual use and destruction of our natural resources m ust cease.
A ges were necessary for their accum ulation and they m ust be m ade to serve for the ages to come.
In his preface to this bulletin, Dr. Holmes points out th a t the present generation will not stin t them selves nor will th ey tolerate financial loss of a n y kind in utilizing their resources for their ever-increasing needs. T he rights and duties of the Federal G overn
m ent are recognized “ as being lim ited to the carrying on of inquiries and investigations w ith a view to de
term ining the nature and exten t of this w aste of resources, the means b y which it m ay be diminished, and the setting forth of the facts in the case.” A more detailed report on this su bject is prom ised as soon as the necessary research can be carried out.
It is our opinion th a t this w ork is the most im portant now being done b y the governm ent. No scientific society is in a position to support the researches neces
sary to disclose the “ facts in the case.” I t should be the first d u ty of chem ists and engineers, individually and collectively, to cooperate w ith the Bureau of Mines in this investigation. Judging from the prelim inary report, the B ureau is attack in g this problem on broad lines and w ith m ost excellent talent. Dr. Parsons’
wide personal acquaintance in the profession will assure him of the helpful cooperation of all chem ists in this gigantic undertaking.
a constant yield of an interm ediate product. Bearing in mind the dem onstration of P hillips' th at the tend
ency of methane, when chlorinated, is to constan tly produce either m ethyl chloride or carbon tetrachloride, it occurred to one of us (C. B.) th a t it would be more advantageous to obtain the end-product, from which, am ong other products, chloroform could be prepared b y reduction. A ccordin gly a num ber of experim ents were conducted w ith a view of devising a com m ercial process for the production of carbon tetrachloride from natural gas.
E X P E R I M E N T S W H E R E I N A S P A R K D IS C H A R G E W A S E M P L O Y E D
In prelim inary experim ents, an apparatus similar in principle to th a t used b y Phillips was em ployed.
It was finally decided, however, to construct an a p paratus w ith a closed circuit, producing a circulation of the gases b y heat on the rise, cooling on the drop, and recovering the products in a trap at the bottom ; suitable openings being made in the apparatus for the introduction of chlorine and natural gas, and for the insertion of spark term inals in such a m anner as to bring the spark in the junction line of the gases (Fig. I). Several m odifications were m ade in this apparatus during the course of the experim ents, and in the later experim ents a horizontal reaction cham ber (Fig. II), provided w ith a glass pocket for the col
lection of any condensation products in a liquid form
1 A m . Chem. J 16, 362.
ORIGINAL PAPERS
6 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 Jan., 1913 and w ith a hollow carbon term inal for the introduction
of the natural g as,1 was used. In the experiments wherein this form of reaction cham ber wras used, just
F i , . J
A , ch lorine c y lin d er; B , receiver fo r s u b stitu tio n p ro d u c ts of th e re a c tio n s ; C, co n d en ser; D , p ressu re g ag e; E , hydrochloric acid ab so rp tio n c h am b er;
F , funnel fo r in tro d u cin g w a te r; G , electric h e a te r; H , tu b e fo r in tro d u cin g n a tu ra l gas, w hich p lay s b etw een carb o n sp a rk te rm in a ls I. K ; L , cock fo r releasing p ressure.
as in the case of the original form of chamber, bridging betw een the carbon terminals invariably occurred, although com bustion ensued alm ost im m ediately upon starting the spark. A very small yield of prod
ucts was obtained.
The first three runs, using the original form of ap paratus, showed th at chlorine substitution products could be obtained, although the character of the products could not be determined owing to the small yields. The spark in these runs generally showed a dual character, p a rtly resembling an arc and p artly presenting the true color of a spark. U ndoubtedly there were considerable ultra-violet rays in this latter portion.
In the runs, using the reaction cham ber illustrated in F ig. II, the spark showed little of the deep blue
£ and more of the flame. Since the gas was continuously directed into the spark, it burned continuously.
In the first three runs it is doubtful if the flow of natural gas was continually into the direct line of the spark, as no continuous flame was observed as in the runs w ith F I n
A
A, hollow carb o n tra n sm issio n tu b e for n a tu ra l gas: th is c arb o n is one te rm in a l; B, solid g ra p h ite sp a rk te rm in a l; C, re a ctio n c h a m b e r of g lass; D , chlorine in le t; E , e x it for gaseous p ro d u c ts of reaction.
th e modified apparatus, and it seemed reasonable to conclude th at w hatever chlorination was effected w as through the agency of the ultraviolet rays and not b y the com bustion.
In all of the above experim ents natural gas saturated w ith w ater w as introduced into the circulating atm os
phere of chlorine.
1 B esides n a tu ra l gas, m e th a n e, p rep ared b y v ario u s m ethods, was u sed in p re lim in a ry e x p erim e n ts. I n th e following ex p erim en ts, how ever, n a tu ra l g as alone w as used.
E X P E R IM E N T S W H E R E IN U L T R A -V IO L E T RAYS W E R E U T IL IZ E D
T he apparatus used in the experim ents w hich follow n e xt was constructed as shown in Fig. I I I . The>
reaction cham ber was a cruciform tub e of glass, through tw o opposite com ponents of w hich was inserted a quartz tube containing iron terminals.
In beginning, the apparatus w as filled w ith chlorine, the heat and the spark started, and then natural gas (85 per cent, m ethane)
was adm itted. The K A — > /— — 8= 7 p r e s s u r e variation s
showed th at a reaction occurred, b u t no prod
u ct could be observed excep t a crystalline film suspended on the w ater in the receiving &
vessel. A b o u t 5 liters of natural gas 'were used. E ven a fter con
tinuing the run for 8 hours, during which tim e 31/j liters of natural gas were used, no appreciable prod
u ct w as obtained.
A ccordingly, • the a p p aratus was changed so th at the natural gas was adm itted below through the U-tube intended for a drain, causing it to bubble through the hydro
chloric acid in the re
ceiver.
In the n e xt experi- |A , cru cifo rm glass re a ctio n v ia d u c t; B,
ment, a considerable iron tcrminals: c- <iuartz tu b e c o n tain in g iro n te rm in a ls ; D , c o n d en se r; E , receiver;
q u a n t i t y o f p r o d u c t sy p h o n fo r e m p ty in g receiv er; G, chlorine c o l l e c t e d i n t h e r e c e i v - in le t; H , electric h e a te r ; I, n a tu ra l g as in-
ing vessel: 7 liters Ict; K' conncction to —
of natural gas were used and the tem perature of the heater was m aintained so low th a t no vapors were observed in the rising tube above the furnace. A fter another run, in w hich 31/, liters of natural gas were used, the apparatus was disconnected and the product was separated from the hydrochloric acid in the re
ceiving vessel. Ten cc. of product were obtained;
this was purified and fractionated. The first fraction came over a t about 64° C., and the fractions up to 76° C. were collected. A second fraction was then taken up to 88° C. and a residue rem ained in the fractionating bulb. The first and second fractions were colorless and clear, w hile the residuum possessed a yellow color. The first fraction am ounted to about 75 per cent, of the total,, the second and the residue to about 12.5 per cent. each. These experim ents showed th at approxim ately a 20 to 25 per cent, yield of carbon chlorides (chloroform and carbon tetra
chloride) could be obtained from natural gas, using
Jan., 19 13 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 a circulating atm osphere of chlorine in the apparatus
described.
In the succeeding experim ent the apparatus was m ade absolutely air-tight and a therm o-electric couple was introduced into the furnace to enable tem perature readings. A run was m ade without a spark. P re
liminary experim ents showed th a t but a slight reaction occurred and th at the crystalline product (hexachlor- ethane) formed was inappreciable, although ve ry little natural gas was used; accordingly no further experiments were made w ith ou t a spark w ith this apparatus.
In the following run, which lasted for 8 hours, con
siderable product collected, and the yield seemed to be in proportion to the natural gas used. The next runs were made after sweeping the apparatus w ith chlorine. A fter n atural gas and chlorine were both added, the reaction proceeded sm oothly and it was finally stopped b y adm itting chlorine alone. The product amounted to 14 cc. from about 10 liters of natural gas; this was purified and fractionated, and was found to consist of carbon tetrachloride and a small amount of chloroform and hexachlorethane.
For the n ext experim ents, an outlet siphon for the hydrochloric acid produced and an inlet tube for natural gas were provided in the receiver. The apparatus was com pletely filled w ith chlorine, b u t no heat was used in the circuit. A b o u t 4 liters of natural gas were used in each run, and considerable product was obtained; the product was not separated, owing to the fact th at it w as in p art distributed throughout the apparatus. I t w as determ ined th at the product is very sparingly soluble in hydrochloric acid and chlorine water. A tte m p ts were m ade to ascertain whether the u ltraviolet rays have a n y influence on the reaction betw een chlorine and m ethane. B e
ginning w ith daylight, the u ltraviolet source w as then started and observations were m ade on the speed of the reaction. A s in the preceding experim ents, the issuing natural gas was saturated w ith w ater b y passage through a w ater bottle. H ow ever, the variations in pressure were not sufficiently m arked to lead one to infer that the u ltraviolet rays have a n y effect on the reaction. In order to definitely establish this fact, a reaction cham ber was constructed to accom m odate an “ U viol” lam p to replace the spark section. P ro
visions were also m ade for exposing or not exposing the mixed gases to u ltraviolet light, depending upon what was necessary to produce a reaction, for drying the gases b y passage through sulfuric acid after the separation of the products of chlorination, and for passing the residual gases over quicklim e. T he form of apparatus used is shown in Fig. IV .
Beginningw ith a full charge of chlorine, the apparatus was run for one d ay and no appreciable reaction could be observed. From the experim ents made, it seemed probable th at the ultraviolet rays are not the necessary active rays required, for it was found th a t the reaction occurs in daylight, and the passage pf the solar rays through glass w ould exclude ultraviolet light. From the observations made so far, it appeared th a t the solution of the problem was to find the proper rays.
Therefore, the “ U v io l” lam p was rem oved and the aperture closed.
A tungsten filam ent lam p was m ounted outside of the reaction cham ber, surrounded b y a reflector, and no appreciable reaction occurred, although runs were made under v aryin g conditions. U sing an in
candescent gas m antle containing 10 per cent, of ceria, w hereby the proportion of red rays was in
creased, w ith and
w ithout the aid of . D\ . c dayligh t, the reac
tion was practically nil, w hile w ith a m antle containing 3 per cent, of ceria on ly a slight re- a c t i o n occurred.
W ith the 3 per cent, ceria m antle, the reaction would take place when d a y light was adm itted, b u t w ould p racti
ca lly cease in the dark. A t tim es a slight reaction was noted when w orking in the dark, bu t this was attrib uted to diffused light en
tering through the laboratory d o o r .
D ark here means t h e exclusion of daylight.
In the n ext series of experim ents a m- projection lantern, using only one con
denser lens a n d ordinary carbons was placed in such a position as to ligh t the upper section of the r e a c t i o n cham ber. The lan
tern was run on an 8 am pere 235 vo lt current, and it was
A, re a c tio n c h a m b e r of g la ss; B , large th in -w a lle d q u a rtz t u b e ; C, U v io l la m p in se rte d a fte r c u rre n t is s ta r te d ; D , tu b e c o n n e ctio n t o m a n o m e te r; E , cock fo r releasing p re s su re ; F , fu n n el fo r in tro d u cin g w a te r;
G, t r a p ; H , tu b e for in tro d u cin g n a tu ra l g as before o r a fte r th e h e a te r, I ; K , chlo rin e in le t; L, co n d en ser; M, receiv er; N, s h o w n c o n c l u s i v e l y sy p h o n fo r rem o v in g h e a v y p ro d u c ts o f re- , , , , , a c tio n ; O, sy p h o n fo r rem o v in g w a te r solu- t n a t t n e a r c I l g n t ^jon Qf h y d ro g e n chloride p ro d u ced in th e
cause the reaction reactio n s.
to take place. Colored screens were then interposed betw een the lantern and the reaction cham ber, and in this m anner the rays favoring the reaction were de
termined. A spectroscopic exam ination of the screens (solutions of coal tar dyes, blue, green, red and yellow, such as are used in the P in otyp e color-photography outfit) showed th a t the blue screen passed through the green and g ave b u t a dim indication in the deep red; th at the green cu t out e very ra y excep t the green w ith a bluerfringe; and th a t the yellow and red screens
8 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 Jan., 1913 excluded the blue end of the spectrum along w ith
p art of the green. A num ber of experim ents demon
strated th at the unscreened arc light and the arc light screened w ith the blue allowed a good reaction speed, while the interposition of the green, yellow and red screens slowed down the reaction alm ost imme
diately and to a considerable degree; on replacing the blue screen, however, the reaction was a t once ac
celerated. It was found th at it made little differ
ence whether chlorine or natural gas was being run into the apparatus, except th at the character of the product varied accordingly. Further experiments showed th at the blue end of the spectrum is the active agent for the reaction of chlorine and natural gas.
I t was found th at screening is of little use, since the inactive red, yellow and green rays are hardly of an interfering character. The prim arily im portant con
dition was found to be a source of light rich in the rays of the visible blue spectrum —-that is, the spectrum from the bluish green through the visible violet.
W e have found th at the invisible spectrum (the ultra
violet) does not induce the desired a c tiv ity and that it plays little part in the reaction.
A s it was not alw ays convenient to fuse the large glass tubes in m aking connections, it m ay be of interest to give the m ethod resorted to for m aking tight junctions through which such corrosive gases as chlorine and hydrogen chloride m ay be passed. The glass tubes were first cu t smooth and closely fitted to each other.
The junction was then wrapped w ith wet, thin sheets of asbestos paper. A fter drying, the asbestos was given several coats of B akelite varnish No. 4. The n ext d ay this was tigh tly wrapped w ith electric adhesive tape and thoroughly coated again several tim es with the Bakelite varnish.
De p a r t m e n t o f Ch e m i s t r y Co l l e g e o f t h e Ci t y o f Ne w Yo r k
APPLICATIONS OF D U C TILE TUNG STEN1
B y C . G . Fi n k
Less than ten years ago tungsten was universally conceded to be a ve ry brittle metal. Since the intro
duction of ductile tungsten,3 however, large quantities of drawn wire, flexible and strong, are being daily produced for the m anufacture of incandescent lamps.
W e have studied the physical and chem ical proper
ties of this new tungsten, and have obtained a num ber of ve ry interesting results.
The ductile m etal is practically insoluble in all of the common acids,3 its m elting point is higher than th a t of a n y other m etal,4 its tensile strength exceeds th a t of iron and nickel, it is non-magnetic, it can be drawn down to smaller sizes than a n y other m etal, and its specific g ra v ity is 70 per cent, higher than th at of lead.
It was natural th at a m etal w ith such striking proper
ties as these should soon find applications other than th at for incandescent lamps.
1 P a p e r p resen ted a t th e E ig h th In te rn a tio n a l Congress of A pplied C hem istry, N ew Y o rk , S ep tem b er, 1912.
2 C. G. F in k , Trayis. A m . Electrochem. Soc., 17, 229; \V. D. Coolidge, T ra n s. A m . Elec. In st. Eng., 29, 961.
3 W . E . R u d er, J o u r. A m . Chem. Soc., 1912, 387.
* I. L an g m u ir, T ra n s. A m . Electrochem. Soc., 20, 237.
E L E C T R IC A L C O N T A C T S
W rought tungsten has been substituted w ith success for platinum and platinum -iridium as contact points in spark coils, voltage regulators, telegraph relays, e tc .1 The service far exceeds th a t for platinum and platinum -iridium contacts due to the greater hardness, higher heat co n d u ctivity and lower vapor pressure of tungsten as com pared w ith platinum .
T U N G S T E N F U R N A C E S
These furnaces are of tw o types. The typ e recently described b y W inne and D antsizen2 consists of an alundum tube wound w ith tungsten (or molybdenum) wire. To prevent oxidation the tube is encased in an air-tight box w ith an inlet and outlet for hydrogen.
This furnace is adm irably well suited for laboratory experim ents. Tem peratures of i6 o o ° -i8 o o 0 C. can be easily m aintained for hours, whereas platinum at these tem peratures would rapidly disintegrate.
A second typ e of tungsten furnace^ is constructed on lines sim ilar to those of the Arsem vacuum furnace.
A tungsten m etal tube takes the place of the helical carbon resister. The tube is surrounded b y a screen and the whole enclosed in an air-tight com partm ent alm ost identical to th at used b y Arsem . The com p artm ent is either evacuated or a small q u a n tity of gas, such as hydrogen, is introduced. This furnace lends itself adm irably for the stu d y of reactions at ve ry high tem peratures, such as the production of artificial gems.
T U N G S T E N G A U Z E
W e have used this gauze successfully for separating solids from acid liquors. W e performed these experi
m ents on a lab oratory scale. H ow ever, this gauze could well be used on a com m ercial scale. F or ex
ample, for the rem oval of sludge from copper refining baths, and for centrifugal apparatus, in general, when
ever acid liquids or acid gases are dealt with.
Furtherm ore, it m ight be used in apparatus such as described b y C ottrell1» for the rem oval of sulfuric m ist from gases. The Cottrell electrodes consist of three concentric cylin drical screens of iron wire, the inner and outer ones acting as discharge electrodes while the interm ediate screen and the outer leaded glass containing vessel act as collecting electrodes from which the deposited acid drains into a leaden pan below.
Tungsten gauze is not attacked b y sulfuric acid and would consequently g ive a much longer life than iron gauze.
W R O U G H T T U N G S T E N T A R G E T S F O R R O E N T G E N T U B E S
This application has proved to be one of the m ost inter
esting. Tungsten is very well suited for targets or a n ti
cathodes and the realms of application and efficiency of the Roentgen tube have been thereby g rea tly increased.
A s has been shown b y Coolidge, the high specific g ra v ity, high melting point, high heat cond u ctivity and low vap or pressure m ake tungsten a far more efficient target than an y other metal.
1 W . D . C o o l i d g e , Trans. Am . In st. Elec. Eng., 3 1 , 8 7 0 ; T h i s J o u r n a l . 4, 2.
3 T rans. A m . Electrochem. Soc., 20, 2 8 7 . 3 U. S. P a t., 1,006,620.
4 Th i s Jo u r n a l, 3 , 5 4 2 .
T H E R M O C O U P L E S
W e are investigating the therm oelectric properties of the couple, tungsten-m olybdenum . The electro
m otive force increases w ith the tem perature up to about 5400 then decreases and passes through zero m illivolt a t about 1300 °. W e have found this couple very convenient for high tem perature measurements in the tungsten-hydrogen furnace.
S T A N D A R D W E IG H T S
A material suitable for standard w eights m ust preferably be hard y e t plastic, it m ust not be easily scratched nor marred, b u t still not be so hard th at it will chip or break; furtherm ore, it m ust w ithstand the action of the atm osphere and finally it m ust be small in bulk. Now w rought tungsten can be made so hard that it will readily scratch glass and still be ductile;
furthermore, the density is high (19.3 to 21.4) and it is unaffected b y the atm osphere. Tungsten weights remain wonderfully constant.
T U N G S T E N C E L L S
W e have taken up the stu d y of the electrochem ical behavior of tungsten and have m ade up a series of cells and combinations. A ll m easurements were made at 250 and com pared w ith the calom el electrode as standard. Our readings for the cell tungsten, aqueous sodium hydrate, potassium chloride, calomel, m ercury are:
5 N NaOH, 0.68; 2 N . 0.62; iV, 0.57; */»; ’N , °-525 ’>
7 io jV, 0.50; '/jo N , 0.48; l /tv N ,' 0.455; 7 ... N , 0-4 4 5! Vsjo N , 0.380; and 0.0 N , 0.06 volt. In the last cell the tungsten rod was immersed in distilled water.
The addition of sm all am ounts of im purities to the tungsten m etal causes the tungsten— sodium hydrate electrode to assume E . M. F. values th a t approach that of zinc in zinc sulfate.
The values for potassium hydrate are sim ilar .to those for sodium hydrate. The E. M. F. of the cell Hg— H g2W sO „ + N a,W O , solid— NajWC^ sat. soln.—
solid N ajW O,— W was found to be 0.505 vo lt and promises to be a good standard cell.
M IS C E L L A N E O U S A P P L IC A T IO N S
Besides the applications of tungsten cited above, m any others have been b u t p a rtly wTorked out and others merely suggested.
Owing to its chem ical sta b ility the finest sizes of wire down to 0.0002" or 0.005 mm. in diam eter are well adapted for galvanom eter suspensions arid for cross hairs in telescopes. It has also been sug
gested to use these fine wires in surgical operations in place of the coarser gold and silver wires. A further suggestion is the use of the wire in musical instruments. T he tensile strength and elasticity of tungsten wire are excep tionally high (see tab le be
low) .
It could be used to advan tage in clim ates where steel is readily corroded.
We are investigating the form ation of hydrocyanic acid gas b y passing over heated tungsten wire m ixtures of nitrogen and acetylene or m ethane.1
1 Com pare B erth e lo t an d Lipinski, Z . Elektrochemie, 17, 287.
Jan., 1913 T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L
The heat of form ation of H CN is: C2H 2 + N , = 2HCN — 9400 ca l.1
W e are m aking acid-proof dishes and tubes out of tungsten. Furtherm ore, tungsten wire recommends itself as a unit resistance since it can be m ade absolutely pure, can be easily duplicated and is not corroded.
Since tungsten is non-m agnetic and elastic it is being tried out in electrical meters, replacing the phosphor-bronze springs.
Sim ilarly w atch springs could be m ade which would never become m agnetized. F in ally we m ight mention:
tungsten pen points, tungsten drawing dies, tungsten knife blades, tungsten reinforced asbestos curtains and fire-proof coverings, etc.
Ta b l e o f Ph y s i c a l a n d Ch e m i c a l Pr o p e r t i e s o f Du c t i l e Tu n g s t e n
D en sity . 19.3 to 21.4
T ensile s tre n g th , 322 to 427 kg. p e r sq. m m .
Y o u n g ’s m o d u lu s of ela stic ity , 42,200 k ilogram s p e r s q u a re m m . (steel 20,000): t. c., tw ice as elastic as steel.
M elting p o in t, 3177 (L an g m u ir) 3 1 0 0 ± . 60 (v. P ira n i & M eyer).
B oiling p o in t, 3700° (?).
T h e rm al c o n d u c tiv ity , 0.35 g ra m cal. p e r cm . p e r sec. p e r 1 ° (P t, 0.166) (calcu lated , see fo o t-n o te 1, colum n 2, p. 8).
E x p a n sio n coefficient, 4.3 X 10~° (P t, 8.8 X 10~fl).
Specific h e a t, 0.0358 (W eiss).
R e s is tiv ity (25°) h a rd : 6.2 m icro h m s p e r cu. c m .; an n ealed : 5.0 m icro h m p e r cu. cm .
T e m p e ra tu re coefficient of resistan ce, 0.0051 (0 ° -1 7 0 °).
H a rd n e ss, 4.5 to 8.0 (M ohs scale).
In so lu b le in H C l, II2SO<, H N O 3. H F , N aO H . K O H , (aq .) K 2Cr20 7 + H2SO4 (sec fo o t-n o te 2, co lu m n 1, p. 8). Soluble in m ix tu res of H F an d H N O3, an d in fused n itrate s, n itr ite s a n d peroxides.
T h e boiling p o in t of th e m e ta l h a s n o t y e t b een d eterm in ed .
T h e Y o u n g 's M odulus of E la s tic ity we d e te rm in e d w ith a w ire 0.00648 cm . in d ia m e te r e n d 784.86 cm . long. T h e sm allest w eig h t (P ) w as 250 a n d th e la rg e st 1125 g ram s. T h e ela stic elongation w as 0.35 cm . fo r th e sm allest w eight a n d 1.65 cm . fo r th e larg est. T h e average fo r five differen t w eig h ts w as 42,200.
T h e h a rd n e ss v alu es w ere d e te rm in e d w ith th e scleroscope an d th e v alu es tra n s la te d in to th e Mohs scale.
Ge n e r a l El e c t r i c Co.
Ne w a r k, N . J .
B L U E G ELA TIN E C O P P E R2 B y Wi l d e r D. Ba n c r o f t a n d T. R . Br i g g s
Copper and the copper alloys such as brass and the bronzes lend them selves v e ry readily to artistic decora
tion b y means of colored superficial films or “ p atin as.”
G reat as is the v a rie ty of colors which m ay thus be im parted to copper, nevertheless a rich and true blue patin a for this m etal is p ractically unknown.
I t was while seeking such a blue surface film th at the electrolysis of copper acetate solutions containing gelatine was first performed. One gram of gelatine was dissolved in 325 cc. of a x per cent, solution of cupric acetate and this m ixture electrolyzed between carefully cleaned and burnished electrodes of sheet- copper. The electrolysis was continued for five m inutes a t a cathode (and anode) current density which varied between 0.15 and 0.45 am p /dm ’ . The process w as carried out at room tem perature.
The electrolysis performed, the cathode w as found to be covered on its inner surface w ith a thin, pale brown deposit, which, when rubbed w ith the fingers, was seen to possess a peculiar, slippery surface caused b y a ve ry appreciable am ount of gelatine deposited sim ultaneously w ith the m etallic copper. No gas
1 W arte n b u rg , Z . f. anorg. Chem., 52, 299.
2 P a p e r p resen ted a t th e E ig h th In te rn a tio n a l Congress of A pplied C h em istry , N ew Y o rk , Sep tem b er, 1912.
A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y 9
