PRODUCTION PERFECTION!
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INDUSTRIAL
AND
NGINEERING CHEMISTRY
LABORATORY IDEALS
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P O R T E R
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quipment
Established 1866
process
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°nd « 1«? 0W«tON‘ .co1 pump5- QU,N\6t W *? O al, Chem.c
This new Porter Side-Entering Mixer has an externally-accessible stuffing box and an in
genious device for sealing the liquid in while packing the stuffing box from the outside.
Other advanced features in the new mixer in
clude weather-proof motor cover, simplified lubrication system, and adjustable motor sup
port. Descriptive folder on request
H. K. PORTER COMPANY, Inc.
GENERAL OFFICES:
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIAFACTORIES:
PITTSBURGH. PA. NEWARK, N. J.
BLAIRSVILLE, PA. NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J.
Porter Side-E ntering M ixer c a n b e rep ack ed from th e ou tsid e in 5 m in u tes . . .
JL W ithout D raining Tank
V ~ -• ... ...a“"
I N D U S T R I A L
a n oE N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y •
i n d u s t r i a l e d i t i o n. . . P u b l i s h e d b y th e A m e ric a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie ty a t E a sto n , P a. E d ito ria l O f f ic e : I- l jj« S tre e t, N . W ., W a s h in g to n 6 , D. C . ; te l e p h o n e , R e p u b lic 5 3 0 1 / c a b le , Jiechem ( W a s h in g to n ) . B usiness O f f ic e : A m e ric a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie ty , 1 1 5 5 1 6 th M e e t( / ; W * ' W a sh in g to n 6 , D. C . A d v e r tis in g O f f ic e : 3 3 2 W e s t 4 2 n d S tr e e t, N e w Y o rk 1 8 , N . V ./ t e l e p h o n e , B ryant 9 - 4 4 3 0 .
f . E n te re d as s e c o n d - c la s s m atter a t th e P o st O f f ic e a t E a sto n , P a ., u n d e r th e A c t
? ^ 8 7 9 , as.2 4 tim es a y e a r — In d u stria l E d itio n m o n th ly o n th e 1 s t, A n a ly tic a l e d itio n m o n th ly o n th e 1 5 th . A c c e p ta n c e f o r m ailing a t s p e c ia l ra te o f p o s ta g e p r o v id e d fo r In S e c tio n 1 1 0 3 , A c t o f O c t o b e r 3 , 1 9 1 7 , a u th o r iz e d J u ly 1 3 , 1 9 1 8 .
f J r mittdnc e s a n d o r d e r s f o r s u b s c rip tio n s a n d f o r s in g le c o p ie s , n o tic e s o f c h a n g e s o r a d d re s s a n d n e w p ro fe s s io n a l c o n n e c tio n s , a n d claim s f o r m issing n u m b ers s h o u ld b e s e n t t o th e A m e ric a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie ty , 1 1 5 5 1 6 th S t r e e t , N . W ., W a s h in g to n 6 , v-. C h a n g e s o f a d d re s s f o r th e In d u stria l E d itio n must b e r e c e iv e d o n o r b e f o r e th e
1 8 th o f th e p r e c e d i n g m o n th a n d fo r t h e A n a ly tic a l E d itio n n o t l a te r th a n th e 3 0 th o f th e p r e c e d i n g m o n th . Claim s f o r m issing n u m b ers w ill n o t b e a l l o w e d ( 1 ) If r e c e iv e d rriore th a n 6 0 d a y s from d a te o f issu e ( o w i n g t o t h e h a z a rd s o f w a rtim e d e liv e ry , n o claim s c a n b e h o n o r e d from s u b s c r ib e r s o u ts id e o f N o r t h A m e ric a ), ( 2 ) if lo ss w a s d u e t o fa ilu re o f n o tic e o f c h a n g e o f a d d re s s to b e r e c e iv ed b e f o r e th e d a te s s p e c if ie d in t h e p r e c e d i n g s e n te n c e , o r ( 3 ) if t h e r e a s o n f o r claim is “ m issing from file s" .
A n n u a l s u b s c r ip tio n — In d u stria l E d itio n a n d A n a ly tic a l E d itio n s o ld o n ly a s a u n it, m em b ers $ 3 . 0 0 , n o n m e m b e rs $ 4 . 0 0 . P o s ta g e to c o u n tr ie s n o t in t h e Pan- A m e ric a n U n io n $ 2 . 2 5 / C a n a d ia n p o s ta g e $ 0 . 7 5 . S in g le c o p ie s — c u r r e n t Issues, In d u stria l E d itio n $ 0 . 7 5 , A n a ly tic a l E d itio n $ 0 . 5 0 / b a c k n u m b e rs , In d u stria l E d itio n
$ 0 . 8 0 . A n a ly tic a l E d itio n p r ic e s o n r e q u e s t / s p e c ia l ra te s to m em bers.
T h e A m e ric a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie ty a ls o p u b lis h e s C h e m ic a l a n d E n g in e e r in g N e w s, C h e m ic a l A b s tra c ts , a n d J o u r n a l o f th e A m e ric a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie ty . Rates o n r e q u e s t . E D I T O R : W A L T E R J . M U R P H Y
Associate Editor: F. J . V A N ANTWERPEN Contributing Editor: D. H. Kli-LEFFER Assistant to Editor: N . A . PARKINSON Manuscript Editor: HELEN K. NEWTON Make-up Editor: BERTHA REYNOLDS Manuscript Assistant: STELLA ANDERSON
Advisory Board
W. L. Badger H. R. M urdock H. E. Barnard A. S. Richardson C. A. Browne W. A. Schmidt W. H. Dow R. N. Shreve Ga st o n DuBo is L. V . Steck
C. F. Kettering C. M . A. Stine W. S. Landis E. C. S u lliv a n C. S. Miner L. W. W aters
E. R. W E ID L E IN
The A m e ric a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie ty assum es n o r e sponsibility f o r th e sta te m e n ts a n d o p in io n s a d
v a n c ed b y c o n tr ib u to r s to its p u b lic a tio n s .
C o p y rig h t 1 9 4 4 b y A m e ric a n C h e m ic a l S o c ie ty
3 1 , 4 0 0 c o p ie s o f th is issue p r in te d
Installation of coolers at a petroleum refin
ery engaged In producing isobutane and butane appears above (courtesy, Young R a d ia to r C o .) .
I S S U E D M A R C H 7 , 1,944 « V O L . 3 6 , N O . 3 » C O N S E C U T I V E N O . 5
E D I T O R I A L S ... 193 Atmospheric Pollution by Heavy In d u s t r y ... E. Wendell Hewson 195 Weir Flow in Overflowing T a n k s ... Karl Kammermeyer 202 Water Sorption by S t a r c h e s ...L. Sair and W . R. Fetzer 205 Sunlight Resistance of Hycar O R Compounds . B. S. Garvey, Jr., and R. A . Emmett 209 Effect of Time and Temperature of Cure on GR-S Tread Stocks. Change in Properties,
212; Cure in Thick S e c t i o n s ... A . E. Juve and B. S. Garvey, Jr. 215 Fanweed Seed O i l ...J. R. Clopton and H. O . Triebold 218 Eddy Diffusion...A . A . Kalinske and C. L. Piert 220 Lactic A cid Condensation P o ly m e rs ... E. M . Filachione and C. H. Fisher 223 Methyl Acrylate Production by Pyrolysis of Methyl Acetoxypropionate
C. H. Fisher, W . P. Ratchford, and Lee T. Smith 229 Acetylation of A lk y l L a c t a t e s ... M . L. Fein and C. H. Fisher 235 Mechanism of Solvent A c t i o n ...Arthur K. Doolittle 239 Thermoplastic Flow of Polystyrene ...N. M . Foote 244 Chart for Distillation of Binary M ix tu re s ... J. W . Faassen 248 Comparison of Methods for Improving W o o d ...
Louis Klein, Henry Grinsfelder, and S. D. Bailey 252 Higher Paraffin Hydrocarbons... Alfred W . Francis 256 B Complex Vitamins in Sugar Cane and Sugar Cane J u i c e ...
William R. Jackson and Thomas J. Macek 261 Corrosivity of Lubricating Oils. . . . George W . Waters and Hugh D. Burnham 263 Effect of Waste Sulfite Liquor on Aggregation of Soil P a r t i c l e s ...
R. B. Alderfer, M . F. Gribbins, and D. E. Haley 272 Basicity Factors of Limestone and L i m e ...
Richard D. Hoak, C. J . Lewis, and Willard W . Hodge 274 Thermal Expansion Properties of Plastic M a t e r i a l s ... ... .
R. F. Clash, Jr., and L. M . Rynkiewicz 279 Phase Equilibria in Hydrocarbon Systems. Volumetric Behavior of n-Butane
R. H. Olds, H. H. Reamer, B. H. Sage, and W . N. Lacey 282 Commercial Peanut M e a l ... R. S. Burnett and T. D. Fontaine 284 I. & E. C. Report (Advt. Sect.) 5 A s W e See It (Advt. S e c t . ) ...51
i _____________________ 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 36 No 3
W H E N Y O Ù M 2Æ7
Y O U R FILTER S T A T I O N
. that’s the time to decide on your
FILTER AID
-Tiltration engineers and progressive makers of filter equipment agree th a t there should be a definite relation
ship between filter equipment and filter aid. This means the filter aid best suited to your needs must be determined beiore j our filter station can be properly designed.
Whether you are planning a new filter station or want the capacity of present equipment, Johns- Maavflle’s 30 years' experience in working with filter equipment manufacturers and filter-aid applications may prove of valuable assistance to you. We will be glad to co-operate with you and your equipment maker in carrv-
mg out the test work necessary to assure the proper balance between filtration equipment and filter aid for greatest efficiency.
Nine "standardized grades of J-M Celite Filter Aids are available providing a wide range of porosities and screening properties. I f you are already using Celite, certain minor changes in equipment and procedure may further in
crease capacity, reduce cost. I f not, it will pay you to in
vestigate these high fiow-rate filter aids immediatelv Write Johns-Manville, 22 E ast 40th St., New York, N. Y.
Celite is a vailable for prom pt shipm ent
Johns-Manville
R ttw H M * S iajsiaid Scpsr-C»} . Hyflo Si-jwr-CiJ
C jiiiis o .s c i . c*Et*N*.sc3 . a a » Ne. sas G I V E M A X I M U M F L O W R A T E S W I T H R E Q U I R E D C L A R I T Y
i t z * Ceil** 535 * Csiita Ho. 545 ^ ‘ 1 --- ---
O N E V E R Y F I L T R A T I O N S E R V I C E
INDUSTRIAL a n d ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
P o A ic a a A . P la m v U u f ,
Postw ar Conversion of Industry. Publication of the Barucli-Hancock report on plans for the return of war industry to private management came at a time (February 18) when public feeling was immensely buoyed up by new successful blows against our enemies and curbed by sober
ing words from Prime Minister Churchill. Hope of an early end of the war alternates with fear th a t it will be unduly prolonged. Yet thoughtful analysis of the prob
lems involved in returning industry to peaceful pursuits after an all-out war and preparation to meet them are timely now, quite aside from the immediate m ilitary situa
tion. Baruch and Hancock have investigated these prob
lems carefully and unemotionally. Their report is already well on the way to general acceptance as a plan th a t can .be followed. I t has been widely acclaimed as a restate
ment of the case for free enterprise, and as a method of rehabilitating the American system from .the damage suf
fered in mobilization for war. Primarily, the report’s recommendations are: prom pt return of' industry to its owners, withdrawal of government from industry, curtail
ment of government bureaus as rapidly as possible, and controlled sale of government surplus materials to avoid undue depression of prices with its atten d an t grievous ef
fects on the rehabilitation of industry. By these and other steps the proposal is to rehabilitate discharged veter
ans and war workers as prom ptly as possible by providing useful work for them, without the necessity of doles or charity and with minimum unemployment. Particular emphasis is also placed on methods of easing the financial consequences of term ination of war contracts, sale of government-owned plants, arid conversion of production from military to civilian purposes. No sum mary can do more than suggest in the broadest possible term s the full meaning of this 120-page document. I t m ust have.the;
highest priority on the list of essential reading of all those, charged with adm inistrative responsibility in industry.'
Acceptance of the Baruch-IIancock plan has been en
thusiastic in most quarters. N aturally some persons for reasons of their own, usually political, arise to criticize and to oppose this as they would any other plan. Yet the lucid common sense of the proposals seems likely to prevail as the innate sanity of Americans comes into play. Above all, the measures proposed are reasonable-^so obviously reasonable th a t opposition to the general proposition, from
whatever direction, is likely to be short-lived. Implemen
tation of the various phases of the report is already under way by executive order of the President appointing War Mobilization Director Byrnes to head the program. Con
gress, in a recalcitrant mood over the President’s veto of the tax bill, seems likely to insist upon a more im portant function in the development of the program th an th a t initially planned. Thus a period, albeit a short one, of political maneuvering seems in immediate prospect. Per
haps in view of th a t situation, it is well th a t the report has been published now to allow time for controversies to cool off before the need for action becomes pressing.
Chemical industry, as often pointed out, occupies a peculiar position in our economy in peace, in war, and in any conversion from one to the other. While disposal of government-owned ordnance plants is a m atter of direct concern to the industry, the problem of chemical conver
sion from a war to a peace footing is one of adjustm ent, rather than of complete dislocation as it is with the auto
motive industry, for instance. Demand for the products of chemical plants necessarily depends on the rehabilita
tion.of industry generally, and the promptness of the con
version process elsewhere will establish the magnitude of the demands chemical producers m ust satisfy. Meanwhile the beginnings are already evident of a gradual relaxation of shortages and stringencies of critical materials needed for the construction of new and the repair of old chemical producing equipment. This may be expected to grow as production capacity passes its peak, arid will free increas
ing quantities of fabricated equipm ent and metals to be used in refurnishing chemical plants. Already Gopher Ordnance Works is being dismantled. Others may be expected to follow as need for their output diminishes.
Thus chemical
in d u s tryis already approaching closer to its postwar problems and to the means, for their solution than is industry generally. N o t th a t the time has yet come when effort can be relaxed on production required by the military situation, but rather th a t the shapes and sizes of the pieces to be fitted together into postwar industry are already becoming apparent. Certainly the time is here when each unit of the industry m ust begin shaping plans for the days to come. The publication of the Baruch- IIancock proposals and their acceptance both by the people generally and by the
(Continued on ■page 8) / I n ¿Hi&iftSLetatiue ma+Uhl*f, cUcjMt jp ti cUemUid., a U ettu cal e*tyi*te&U., a w le/zecutio&i, ¿n th& che+Hical pAoJLucu^uf. a n d cltesn ica l co*t^Mni*u^ ¿&iduAi>UeA.
S
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. 36, No. 3
As easily as X-rays pass through the human body, Thermex high frequency oscillations pass through thick sections of wood, plastics, rubber, cork or other non-conducting mate
rials. The high frequency electric field changes direction millions of times per sec
ond, which generates heat rapidly and uniformly throughout the product. ' o You will find Thermex equipment is first
in every way: engineering advancements, variety and number of applications, ease of installation and use, portability, and full range of sizes. Submit your problem for consideration now. The Girdler Corporation, Thermex Division, Louisville, Ky.
T H E F I R S T I N D U S T R I A L H I G H D I E L E C T R I C H E A T I N G E Q U
V T HELICOID RIBBON \C0NVEY0R CONVEYOR
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Other Link-Beli Offices
Atlanta ... ...Raymond 6101 Baltimore-1 ... Calvert 4871-2 Boston-15 ... ;.... Commonwealth 3530 Buffalo-3 ....____...___Washington 7707-8 Cleveland-13 ... Main 5468 Dallas-1 ________ ____ Riverside 8046-7-8 Denver-2 ... ... ..Main 0231-2 Detroit-4 ... ... Tyler 4-1100 Grand Rapids-6... 8-8459 Houston-2, Texas... Charter 4-2755 Huntington-9, W . Va... Huntington 5991
lndianapolis-6 ... ... ... Market 5411 Kansas City-6, Mo... ... Harrison 3053 Los Angeles-33... ... ... Angelus 6171 Louisville-2, Ky... Jackson 0956
Minneapolis-5 ... ... Atlantic 5575 New Orleans-13_____ ___ Raymond 5228 New York-7... ... Cortlandt 7-6590 Oakland, Calif...HJgate 4286 Philadelphia-40 ...Radcliff 6000 Pittsburgh-19 ...Atlantic 1692-3 Portland-9, Ore... :... Atwater 6481 San Francisco-24...Delaware 6400 St. Louis-1... Chestnut 1777-1778 Seattle-4 ... .... ... ...Main 0222 Washington-5, D.C... ...National 4871 Wilkes-Barre ...»... ... .2-5719
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March, 1944 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
D i a l L I N K - B E L T
Screw conveyors offer m an y advantages in handling b u lk m aterials, such as high efficiency; savings in power, space and m aintenance— low first-cost. T h e y perm it th e use of dust and m oisture-proof enclosures and w ith direct con
nected reducer drives, provide a simple, com pact conveying system . T h e re is a stan d a rd L ink-B elt design for every service in th e full range of sizes.
L ink-B elt experienced engineering . . . m an ufacturing ability . . . and facilities . . . com bine to give you a coopera
tive service th a t is outstanding in th e use of screw conveyor.
Call th e n earest L ink-B elt n um ber listed.
9254-B
L I N K - B E L T C O M P A N Y
N a tio n ’s le a d in g M a n u f a c tu re r o f M a te ria ls H a n d lin g a n d P o w e r T ran sm issio n M a c h in e ry . C h icago 8, In d ia n a p o lis 6, P h ila d e lp h ia 4 0 , A tla n ta , D a lla s 1, P itts b u r g h 19, M in n ea p o lis 5, C le v ela n d 13, D e tro it 4 , S a n F ran c isco 2 4 , T o ro n to 8.
Offices, w a re h o u se s a n d d is trib u to rs in p rin c ip a l cities.
S. BLICKMAN, i n c
1202 GREGORY AVE., WEEHAWKEN, N.J.
TA N KS . KETTLES • CONDENSERS • A GITATO RS . EVAPORATORS • P A N S • V A TS .- CYLINDERS
W ith w ar orders reduc
ing the speed of delivery — w ith all em phasis on g ettin g equipm ent th at w ill stand up in the em ergency—w ith all efforts directed to w ard conserving metals and alloys—engi
neers w ill m ake frequent use of this ready reference covering all the facts about w hat to look for w hen specifying stainless steel processing equipm ent:
/, What grade will you
order?
3.How will you design for economy and for conservation of steel?
2 . What finish will
How can you be sure serve you best? of sound welds?
These and other questions, im portant to your production, are answered in, the new inform ative brochure issued by
S. Blickman, Inc.
SEND NOW
BOOK
Reports on the P oitw G A
Chemical^ World
Administration provide a basis on which plans for the future can be based. W hatever shape the details may take, the plan lays the burden of postwar economic re
habilitation on private enterprise and thus answers the most im portant question heretofore confronting industry.
The sanity of this answer, of the return to the American system of individual and private enterprise when peace re
turns, seems too clear to require more th an its statement here. T h at left wingers in government and out will attem pt to change this is to be expected—but so is their failure.
Meanwhile, as far as it can, without jeopardizing war production, industry must get ahead with its plans now.
Action Is Needed. Thurm an Arnold is now tin Associ
ate Justice of the United States Court of Appeals. Sitting as such, in association with Justices Edgerton and Miller, Arnold recently handed down a decision of extreme im
po rt to the whole economic structure of the United States.
The decision was given in the case of an appeal by the Teletype Corporation against an action by the Patent Commissioner disallowing a patent application. Arnold upheld the P aten t Office, which is not uncommon, b u t the reasons why he agreed with the P aten t Office are novel and, in the opinion of I. & E. C. Editors, extremely dangerous:
The record shows the appellant. . . . an employee of the Teletype Corporation . . . . has assigned his patent rights to that company . . . . Today routine experimentation in the great corporate laboratories can produce results beyond the imagination . . . . but such contributions to industrial art are more often than not the step by step progress of an entire group, not the achievement of the individual. Such an advance is the product not of inventive ability but of the financial resources and organizing ability of those who operate the laboratories...To give patents for such routine experimentation on a vast scale is to use the patent law to reward capital investment and create monopolies for corporate organizers instead of men of inventive genius.
The decision also states th a t patents are not intended as rewards for the highly skilled scientist who completes the final step in a technique or for the collective achievement of a corporate research organization.
To state th a t this is a serious m atter for the chemical field is putting it mildly, ft represents a radical departure from our understanding of the fundam ental basis of p at
ents. The chemical fraternity is highly vulnerable, for chernists have developed the a rt of group inventions.
We doubt th a t the skills necessary for the successful and rapid completion of any of the many new war researches could be found in one man. Research today is practically forced to the group technique. Experimentation, no m at
ter how simple, requires equipment, and equipment, no m atter how dilapidated, represents capital investm ent;
patents granted for inventions proved by experiment on dilapidated old equipm ent reward capital investm ent just as surely as they reward invention coming from th e larg
est, newest, most elaborately equipped laboratory in the country. The test of invention cannot give, we hold, prime consideration to the size of organization, capital investment, or am ount of nickel plate on the equipment.
The whole m atter of group research and patents brings
us back to the recommendations
(Continued on page 10)M a rch , 1944
rie n c e g a in e d b y so lv in g m a n y e n g in e e rin g a n d co n stru ctio n p ro b lem s in c o n n e ctio n w ith g a s p ro c essin g .
In q u iries in v o lv in g g a s e s , g a s eo u s m ix tu res o r liq u id h y d ro c a rb o n s re c e iv e a c tio n -a tte n tio n from a p io n e e r-m in d e d , fore
s ig h te d o rg a n iz a tio n . So — nex t tim e, jot d o w n G irdlerl
W h e n co n fro n ted w ith a p ro b lem re q u irin g a m o re efficient a n d ec o n o m ic al g a s p ro c ess, call on G irdler! T im e-tested, p ra c tic a l p ro c e sse s a r e a lr e a d y a v a ila b le for m ost p u rp o se s. A n u n p re c e d e n te d p ro b lem ? T hen, re m e m b e r this. G ird ler h a s a com p lete staff — s p le n d id re s e a rc h facili
ties — a n d a b a c k lo g of e x p e
T H E D IS C i l ) IS P U L L E D D I R E C T L Y A W A Y F R O M I T S S E A T B Y T H E O P E N IN G L U G (2) B E F O R E I T S T A R T S T O M O V E T O T H E O PEN P O S IT IO N .
Ease of operation is accomplished by the lifting action of the seating disc before it moves to the open position. Reed Valves are a lw a ys easy to operate as the discs cannot become wedged into the seat.
Line pressure, rather than mechanical tighten
ing, holds the discs against the seats permitting a w ide variation of fluid temperatures without sticking the valve.
Reed Valves are designed and constructed to provide positive shut-off and ease of operation with the greatest factor of safety, under the most severe service conditions.
W rite N O W for the Reed V a lv e Catalog 41.
I. & E. C.
Reports on the
C h e m T o d L r r , d P lo M ln c j,
of the P atent Planning Commission th a t Congress formu
late a new, uniform, reasonable, and understandable test of invention. Action in this field is badly needed, for if gtoup research is not rewarded, industrial progress will go underground—research will become a secret art.
Futuristic Finance. “In any event” , said Senator Van- denberg, “ we are in a bad fix.” “ T h at is right” , said Sena
tor O’Mahoney. Occasion for this dire outlook was the report by the latter on the postwar economic outlook, in which special attention was given to the National Debt of the United States. At the end of the year the out
standing public indebtedness was about 147 billion dollars.
The interest charges for this am ount of money, according to the Senator, roughly equal 2.8 billion. This represents an increase in interest paym ents, in one year, of a billion dollars, since the record shows th a t the interest paid on the accumulating debt was only 1.8 billion.
O’Mahoney considered it significant to point out th at the total income tax paid by citizens in 1942 am ounted to 3 billion dollars or ju st about the interest charges. Con
tinuing into our economic status, the Senator used his favorite comparison of bigness— the assets of the billion- dollar corporations as compared to the total assets of the states. Adding all the assets of the thirty-four billion- dollar corporations (M etropolitan Life Insurance is the largest with assets amounting to 5.99 billion dollars), he finds the total equal to only 73.55 billion. Then he totals the assessed valuations of the forty-eight states to a grand total of 143 billion dollars. This is some 3 billion less than the national debt as of the end of 1943.
Senator T aft volunteered the information th at he had seen estimates of the value of property in the nation placed at 350 billion dollars, “ but the debt is going to be th a t be
fore we are through.”
Manpower in Postwar. A great deal of emphasis is placed on the fact th a t there will be more workers in the peace period than there were before we became embroiled in the present war. Figures seem to be pegged a t about 8 to 9 million additional men. Getting to the basis of these figures, we find that they are about equal to the number of unemployed in the year 1940, when we turned out more goods and services than ever before (but not since) with 46 million working. Investigating farther, we find that the balance was calculated as follows:
8 . 9
million unemployed in
19 4 03.9 million available due to natural increase in population
—2.0 million assumed as a minimum of unemployed
— 1.3 million in the armed forces 9.5 million total
I t is important that the technical personnel of the nation know these figures, but it is even more important th a t a little more be known too: Over the twelve years from 1929 to- 1941 the nation’s output per man-hour increased 34%, or 2.5% compounded annually. Adding it all together, our source (Department of Commerce) predicts there will be avail
able in 1946 a potential capacity of manpower which is 50%
greater than that existing in 1940.
(Continued on page 14)EASE OF OPERATION
IN ANY S E R V IC E
REED VALVE DIVISION
of the R E E D R O L L E R B IT C O M P A N Y
P . O . B O X 2110 H O U S T O N , T E X A S
10
March, 1944 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
T h e B R IN E L L testing m ach in e, show n above in Tube T u rn s’ lab o ra to ries, scientifically determ ines the hardness, o r w ear resistance, of fin ish ed fittings.
E n d u ra n c e is in d isp en sab le in w elding fittings, for th e destructive forces in p ip in g — stra in , p re s
sure, v ib ratio n , corrosion an d erosion — are m ore
highly concentrated a t th e fittings.T u b e T u rn s’ exclusive
forges fittin g s w h ich v irtu a lly elim in a te p re m a tu re w ear, leakage, an d m ain ten an c e th ro u g h o u t th e life of p ip in g . System atic h ard ness tests insure th e ; e n d u rin g q u alities possessed b y a ll T u b e -T u n i , seam less w elding fittings.
TU BE TURNS (Inc.) L ouisville, Kentucky. Branch O ffices: N ew Y ork, Chicago, Philadelphia, P ittsburgh, C leve
land, D ayton, Washington, D. C., Houston, San Francisco, Seattle . . . D istributors located in a ll principal cities.
CO 11 te, ove* TU£\
T O S C V /C ft
• S L U D G E TO B E SU a v i l i e O U T O C C A S IO N A L L Y
LEGENP
T h e P ro c e s s E n g in e e r in g S erv ice a v a ila b le th r o u g h S w e n s o n d eserv es s e rio u s c o n s id e r a tio n i n y o u r p la n n in g f o r p la n t d e v e lo p m e n t.T h ro u g h y e a rs o f se rv ic e t o th e c h e m ic a l i n d u s trie s a n d in tim a te u n d e r s ta n d in g o f p ro c e s s e s a n d p ro b le m s , S w en so n h a s c o n trib u te d i m p o r ta n t d e v e lo p m e n ts f o r th e im p ro v e m e n t o f p r o d u cts a n d r e d u c tio n o f co sts.
A ty p ic a l in s ta n c e is th e c h e m ic a l
re c la im sy stem fo r w a ste s p in b a th in th e p r o d u c tio n o f v isc o se ra y o n a n d c e llo p h a n e . T h i s p ro c e s s w ill p ay f o r e q u ip m e n t in a y e a r o r less.
S w e n s o n e n g in e e r s w e lc o m e th e o p p o r tu n ity t o d isc u s s p ro c e s s e s i n v o lv e d in y o u r o p e r a t i o n s w i t h a v iew o f d e te r m in in g h o w S w e n so n e n g in e e r in g , S w e n s o n serv ic e, an d S w e n s o n e q u ip m e n t c a n b r in g im p o r ta n t b en efits t o you.
*4- vaiMB NCR.M
V A L V E * 0 / 1 F V * I V £ N O *
| *TMt/tuemc oL A ¿/TATOR.
- i f **£<K t/AiVH
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fVNNEL OÜ.Vlf/ÔLE OVERFLOW i <■/> s t - VsrecL nfs
£ .Via' 1 ¿ 'n ic ke l, n e t
cor. uiooo /hk. LIQ 5P. OR. I.i+s
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t t . L . F i i T a À r e
<,a.304 ^ol'M 9, S * f‘ #4 CL jn,on,*mo
S U T WASH VAC. FILTER / tx in f 9 * *■ V » tL '
3 % N ic k C L Ct.
tO » D iN S -A T E 4i N e - to c o â j'.m enti e.i
S W E N S O N E V A P O R A T O R C O H A R V E Y , :LL., U .S .A .
SUBCE TANK
Title- f l o w s u s e r 4
'< t CO H D fU SAJe Cn 19 9 0 0 » / M A
4 0 6PM , 3 1 .7 'F M A T £ R /4 L B /U A H C E
C a p a c ity
TO SUMP
A nalysis of Requirements
Design and Layout
Manufacture of Equipment
5WEN5DN
E V A P O R A T O R S • F I L T E R S • C R Y S T A L L I Z E R S
DOUTHITT G R A Y -JEN SE N SP R A Y D R YER S
March, 1944 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
Swenson-Engineered Chemical Reclaim System Used in the Manufacture of Viscose Rayon
I n th e p ro d u c tio n o f viscose ray o n , filam ents a re sp un in a b ath o f ac id , zinc sulfate, a n d / o r g lu co se w h ic h m ust be k e p t ab ove a definite m inim um c o n c e n tra tio n . As th e s p in n in g p ro g re ss e s, acid becom es m o re a n d m o re d ilu te an d th e sp in b a th c o n ta in s an in c re a sin g p ro p o r tio n o f by
p ro d u c t G lau b e r salt.
R ecla m a tio n o f th e w a ste sp in b ath so lu tio n , cry stallizing ou t th e G lau b e r salt, an d re c o n c e n tra tin g th e acid , becam e a p ro b le m fo r S\yenson engineer^. T h ey d e s ig n e d special ac id -resistan t ev a p o rato rs, cry stallizers, a n d filters fo r the p u rp o se , p e rm ittin g th e recovery o f th ese ch em ical values.
T h e p ro c ess is also used in th e p ro d u c tio n o f cello p h an e.
By m eans o f fu rth e r ev ap o ratio n , filtratio n , a n d d ry in g , th e b y -p ro d u ct G lau b e r sa lt is tra n s fo rm e d in to anhy dro us so d iu m su lfate—a p ro d u c t fo r w h ic h th e re is a su b stan tial m arket dem and.
T h u s S w enson JProcess E n g in e e rin g has in tro d u c e d tw o h ig h ly p ro fitab le ch em ical p ro c e ss o p e ra tio n s in th e p r o d u ctio n o f viscose ra y o n a n d ce llo p h a n e.
S W E N S O N E V A P O R A T O R C O M P A N Y Division of W hiting Corporation
15671 L athrop Ave. Harvey, Illinois
O N L Y S W E N S O N P R O V ID E S T H J S F I V E - W A Y S E R V I C E
4
Test Operation
5
Periodic Check-Ups
Ö© ©or
o ol
N o matter what your conveying problems are, chances are that D R A C C O Pneumatic Conveyors can move your chemicals with maximum efficiency and at the lowest possible cost. Flexibility enables us to meet about every conceivable handling problem. It doesn't matter if your plant is old or new or if the buildings or operations are scattered
D R A C C O Pneumatic Conveyor lines can be run overhead or underground if necessary. The illus
tration shows a line carried 600 ft. underground Prom railroad siding to plant. D R A C C O Engineers lave over 25 years’ experience solving conveying Problems of every description. W h y not consult
hem about your handling problems? They have educed cost to a M IN IM U M for many.
• For Further Information W rite •
DRACCO CO RPO RATIO N
4055 E. 116th St Cleveland 5, Ohio
• New York O ffice , 130 W . 42nd St. •
PNEUMATIC CONVEYORS * DUST COLLECTORS s
World Today
D epartm ent of R ed Tape. W ashington’s Wonderland proliferates red tape at the slightest provocation, or none at all. Seldom does it impinge on the sacred rights of the heavy-voting farm population; and in avoiding this politi
cal inhibition, legislative and regulatory dodges of sur
passing strangeness are often adopted. Our red tape hound unearthed this striking example recently.
Congress, in a serious mood after Pearl Harbor, re
enacted with minor amendments the Explosives Act of 1917 designed to control explosive substances and their con
stituents, and to prevent their use by enemies and saboteurs.
The list of substances covered includes nitrates, chlorates, perchlorates, liquid air, liquid oxygen, and phosphorus.
Anyone buying, selling, possessing, or using these sub
stances in quantities greater than 4 ounces is required under the law and its subsidiary regulations to secure a license from specified agencies, which include County C ourt clerks. A person can be licensed on proof of citizen
ship and paym ent of a fee of not more than 25 cents. T h at is a good law with a proper purpose. No reason appears for establishing 4 ounces as the. maximum exception, but the procedure to get a license need not seriously incon
venience anyone having legitimate need for it.
Trouble arose when the law was applied to the more than a million tons of-sodium and ammonium nitrates used annually as fertilizer. To subject farmers to the necessity of securing explosives licenses to fertilize their farms was, and is, political dynam ite. Let industrial operators pay their quarters for licenses! Yes, let schools, hospitals, pharmacists, and anyone else call on the County Clerk, but spare the farmers! They have votes. Thus a blanket license to all farmers and agricultural workers was immedi
ately issued so th a t no one in this broad category could be embarrassed by this im portant measure of protection from sabotage. Never mind th a t this license, in effect, put tons of nitrate into unprotected barns. Forget rank favoritism to a single class of people.
Currently this peculiar bit of favoritism is being con
sidered for am endm ent and for an equally peculiar reason!
I t appears that, although a farmer may buy tons of am monium or sodium nitrate without let or hindrance, the situation is very different if he plans to pickle a side of beef.
In th a t event he m ust secure an explosives license to pu r
chase any quantity of the required potassium nitrate above the exempt negligible am ount of 4 ounces. In this par
ticular, the multitudes of other users of the controlled m aterials have common cause with agriculture. Four ounces, apparently an arbitrary am ount, is too small to meet adequately the need of anyone, even a beef pickling farmer. Hence an effort is being made to increase the exempt quantities of nitrates, chlorates, perchlorates, and phosphorus to give them meaning and to cut for legitimate users the prescribed red tape. Certainly it is impossible to see greater danger in the few pounds of these products required in laboratories or industrial establishments than in tons of them lying in a barn. Reason certainly dictates revision of the regulations to a logical basis for everyone concerned. There is hope th a t this may be done, now th a t
farmers want it.
(Continued on page 22). / SAID YES, YOU CAN HAVE ALL
THE TAYLOH FULSCOPES YOU NEED, . . HELLO, HELLO-ARE YOU
STILL WEHE?
'• H B * I
‘m m m »
S i l
★ K E E P O N B U Y I N G U . S. W A R B O N D S A N D S T A M P S ★
March, 1944 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
Dont faint w h en w e tell you that w e ’re ready fo r new o rd e rs o n T ay lo r Fulscope C ontrollers. I t ’s true!
For a year an d a h a lf w e ’ve been w o rk in g at to p speed to fill o rd e rs fo r in stru m en ts fo r h ig h o ctane g aso lin e, synthetic ru b b e r, alc o h o l a n d m any o th e r to p -p rio rity war needs. As a re su lt o f th is, w e ’ve ex p an d ed and stream lined o u r p ro d u c tio n facilities to th e p o in t where w e can actually get b ack to n o rm a l delivery schedules o nce m ore!
If you need T a y lo r In stru m e n ts fo r " c a t” crack in g , isom erization, alkylation, d eh y d ro g en atio n , o r any other co n tin u o u s p ro c ess, call your Taylor F ield E n
gineer. O r w rite o r w ire th e T a y lo r In s tru m e n t C om panies, R o ch ester, N . Y ., a n d T o ro n to , C anada.
Instruments fo r indicating, recording, a n d controlling temperature, pressure, hum idity, flow, a n d liq u id level.
TAYLOR REPAIR SERVICE.
W e can n o w give th e sam e p ro m p t service as o n n ew in stru m en ts.
W e have co m p lete re p a ir facilities at R o c h e s
ter, T u lsa, an d San F rancisco, also in T o ro n to .
MEAN
ACCURACY FIRST
pgSs»
This 93 ft. fusion- welded bubble tower is typical of the unusual d e s ig n s B & W is equipped to fabricate.
Monster elbow con
nection and header produced by exclu
sive B& W forging m e th o d — a n e x am ple of compli
cated fabrication.
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. 36, No. 3
M arch, 19 4 4
-?■> '.'i Vli.-?"
No technical problem is too difficult, no fabricating job too complicated for B&W when it comes to providing pro
cess equipment for today's requirements.
That's because designing and building pressure vessels, drums, tanks, towers, tubes, piping and related products is a major activity at B & W — and has been lor many years.
Here practical solutions for many prob
lems are constantly being developed—
solutions for new problems encountered in the application of high pressure, high temperature equipment for producing
"ingredients of victory". In the course of these developments, B & W engineers have created new manufacturing techniques that save time and critical materials with
out sacrificing safety or quality.
Any requirement for processing equip
ment can be brought to B & W with con
fidence of getting sound engineering and finished products of established efficiency and economy.
BABCOCK & WILCOX
THE B A B C O C K &. W IL C O X C O M P A N Y
85 LIBERTY STREET, NEW YO RK 6, N. Y.
Vapor Piping of Alloy Steel with straight find mitre- sawed joints welded by B&W fusion method.
B & W Streamlined Open
ings in Pressure Vessels reduce stress concentra
tion; permit lighter weight construction with com
plete safety.
Reaction chambers with collecting headers de
signed and fabricated bv B&W for oil refinery.
SSggaS
“ U" TYPE — C a p a c i- i f t i e s f r o m 1 .0 2 t o 31.20 G .P .H . a t p re s su re s fro m 190 to 4800 p .s.i.
frr* “ M” TYPE — C a- [j c p a c i tic s f r o m2.12 i r J V to 1512 G .P .H . a t p re s su re s fro m 50 m m t o 2900 p .s.i.
Our line of Proportioning Pum ps covers so vast a range of types and sizes, capacities and pres
sures, th a t practically ■ any proportioning prob
lem in the process industries can be successfully handled.
Your requirem ents will be analyzed by our experienced engineers,'who out of the thousands of Hills-M cCanna installations over the past 30 years, have a t their fingertips, authentic d ata to guide their recommendations to you.
Your purchases are protected by the Hills- M cCanna reputation for performance as prom ised—feeding accurate dosages of ingredients with mechanical regularity, undef easy control.
S e n d fo r C atalog P-41 fo r c o m p le te te c h n ic a l d a ta .
j "SA” TYPE — C a p a c itie s fro m 1.2 to 7.44 G . P . H . a t p re s su re s fro m 200 t o 1200 p .s.i.
“ HJ” TYPE — C a p a c itie s fro m 6.30 t o 1 2 6 -G .P .H . a t p r e s s u r e s f r o m 3 50 t o 5500 p .s.i.
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. 36, ko. 3
“ H” TYPE — Ca- p a c itie s fro m 6.30 t o 2 2 3 .8 G . P . H . a t p re s su re s fro m 200
to 5500 p .s.i.
*‘R" TYPE — C a p a - c itie s fro m 1.02 to 3 1.2 0 G .P .H . a t p re s s u re s fro m 190 t o 1200 p .s.i
“ I ” TYPE — C a p a c itie s fro m 4.7 t o 390 G .P .H . a t p re s s u re s fro m 65 t o 1200 p .s.i.
“ GC’TYPE—
C a p a c itie s fro m 5.04 t o 400 G .P .H . a t p re s su re s fro m 190 t o 10,500 p .s.L
P o s i t i v e A c t i n g C h e c k V a l v e s
“ V e rtic a l C o m p o site ” C h ec k V a lv e, u sed w ith**‘S ” -“ U ” -
“ R ” T y p e P u iftp s. All H ills- M c C a n n a C h e c k V a l v e s c o m b in e s u c tio n a n d d is c h arg e in t h e sa m e b o d y — a u to m a tic a lly m in im ize a ir-
b in d in g , fric tio n d ro p , tu rb u le n c e .
“H o riz o n ta l C o m p o s i t e ” C h e c k V a lv e u s e d w ith
“ H ” -“ G C ” T y p e P u m p s .
H I L L S - M c C A N N A C O .
2 3 4 5 N E L S O N S T R E E T , C H I C A G O 1 8 , I L L I N O I S
P R O P O R T I O N I N G P U M P S • A I R & W A T E R V A L V E S • C H E M I C A L V A L V E S * M A R I N E V A L V E S •* F O R C E F E E D L U B R I C A T O R S • D O W M E T A L C A S T I N G S
A D V E R T I S E M E N T — T his entire page is a paid advertisement. Prepared M onthly by V . S . Industrial Chemicals, Inc.
U.S.I.CHEMICAL NEWS
March A M o n t h l y S e r i e s f o r Chemists and Executives of the Solvents and Chemical Consuming Industries ic 1944
Vital War Uses o f Butyl Series Continue to Grow
Drug and Vitam in Syntheses Hinge on
Claisen Reactions
R etting Cocoanut F ibres Facilitated by Alcohol
o- S. Navy pilot and bis Dauntless Dive Bomber over Wake island. His piane, his ammunition, his
l-nrUm Me r 1____~ ___ t
Use of small quantities of ethanol to re
duce the surface tension of alkaline retting baths serves to assure more uniform treat
ment of both fine and coarse cocoanut fibres, according to a French-owned patent now vested in the Alien Property Custodian.
Shorter exposure of the fibres to the solution and consequent prevention of fibre degrada
tion are cited as a further benefit.
The patent describes a cold retting process in which ethanol is added to the bath in the ratio of 5 parts to 10,000, and pH is main
tained above 7.
Solvents, P lasticizcrs, R eagents Consum ed on B ig-Tonnage Scale
Consumption of butyl alcohol and its derivatives, long before the war, reached such proportions that no industrial chemist would hesitate to place them well up among the most widely useful products of the organic chemical industry. Nevertheless, war requirements have so accelerated the demand for these chemicals that even today’s stepped-up production can do little more than keep pace.
Take a typical bomber, for example. Di
butyl plithalate serves as a plasticizer for the lining of its self-sealing gas tanks. Butyl ace
tate and butyl alcohol are used as solvents for the lacquers and dopes. Butyric acid helps make the plastics used at a dozen points.
In d alo n e M an u factu re
One dramatic example of a butyl com
pound at work is to be found in the new all
purpose insect repellent which is making such an important contribution to the comfort and safety of our armed forces. Here dibutyl ox
alate is used in large quantities as a starting material in the synthesis of Indalone, one of the essential ingredients.
Butyl acetate continues to be used in in
creasing quantities for high-grade lacquers, where its excellent solvent power and slower evaporation rate are essential. Dihutyl phthal- ate is one of our most widely used plasticizers, being used with cellulose derivatives, plastics, synthetic resins, and synthetic rubber. Sub
stantial quantities, too, are used for stabilizing smokeless powder.
Maintenance of maximum production of the butyl compounds is another one of the many examples of America’s chemical ingenuity.
For with the early cutting off of our West Indies molasses supply, it became urgently necessary to switch to new raw materials.
/~) / I 7 77 C
fuOUTtesy ran simatcutt iru/iu muvuy»
One pull and this air-borne life raft is quickly inflated from its "b o ttle " of liquid CO«.
Diethyl Oxalate Suggests New Fields fo r Research
Supplementing an article on diethyl oxalate in the December 1943 issue of Chemical News, here are some further reactions suggestive of potentially valuable lines of research:
1. Diethyl oxalate reacts with PCI- to form dichloroethoxyacetoethvl ester. Heated in the presence of palladium black, this ester is de
composed into unaltered oxalate and oxalic ester chloride.
2. Alpha-pyrones, according to a recent patent, are capable of reducing the blood pressure of animals. The patent gives the synthesis of 5-methyl alpha-pyrone as typical:
Propionic aldehyde is condensed with mal- onic acid in the presence of pyridine to yield 2-pentenoic acid which is then esterified. The resulting ester is condensed with diethyl oxal
ate in the presence of potassium alcoholate to form the potassium salt of ethyl-4-methyl-5- carbethoxy-5-hydroxy-2,4-pentadiene-l-oate.
This is then hydroyzed to the acid, which in turn is heated with acetic acid saturated with hydrogen bromide to form 5-methyl-6-carboxy- alpha-pyrone. The latter, heated with freshly- reduced copper, yields 5-methyl alpha pyrone.
3. If sodium triphenylmethyl is used as the condensing agent, diethyl oxalate reacts with
( C o n tin u e d o n n e x t p ag e)
S odium E th o x id e F in d s W idening U tility as C ondensing A gent
Although the Claisen type of condensation reaction has been known for many years, it is only comparatively recently that reactions of this type have come into their own in com- mercial-scale organic synthesis. With every passing month, however, it now becomes increasingly apparent that the Claisen Conden
sation is one of our most versatile reactions.
One measure of the growing utility ot this reaction is the increasing demand for sodium ethoxide to serve as the condensing agent.
The simplest “ Claisen” is the reaction of 2 mols of ethyl acetate in the presence of sodium ethoxide, to form ethyl acetoacetate. In the production of atebrin, the side chain is formed by the condensation of ethyl acetoacetate with diethyl amino ethyl chloride, again using sodium ethoxide. In the synthesis of vitamin B, two intermediates are formed by Claisen Condensations using sodium ethoxide: aceto- butyro lactone and sodium formyl beta-ethoxy ethyl propionate.
Still another example is the preparation of sulfadiazine. Here, large quantities of sodium ethoxide are used to condense ethyl formate with ethyl acetate to form the intermediate, ethyl sodium formyl acetate.
These are a few of the currently significant applications of sodium ethoxide. With the rapidly mounting interest in the production of complex synthetics, the list of uses for this U.S.I. product will doubtlessly multiply.
C a ro ten e E x tr a c te d
f r o m S w e e t P o ta to e s
Recognizing sweet potatoes as an important potential source of carotene, or provitamin A, government researchers have been investigat
ing possible methods of large-scale extraction.
One of these methods, employing acetone, gave a product of 90 per cent purity in a yield of about 39 per cent.
The acetone extraction was carried out in four or five stages, the first two serving to dehydrate the potato pulp but absorbing little carotene. The third and fourth stages, in which a larger volume of acetone was used, extracted most of the carotene which was subsequently crystalized out.
