Recent Developments in Applied Chemistry

Improvement Era Vol. XXXII JULY, 1929 No. 9 Recent Developments in Applied Chemistry M. I. A. Radio K. S. L. Address by Dr. Thomas B. Brighton THERE is probably no other of the sciences which touches our lives as we live them today in as many ways as does chemistry. It will be my pleasure to point out to you some of the com- paratively recent advances, in which the chemist has done his part, which makes our lives longer and more pleasant. Perhaps logically we should start with the chemist's part in improving our food supply. The biochemist, with the discovery of the several vitamines, has brought strongly to our attention the need of certain varieties of food, especially of green, leafy vegetables and fruits. He has shown also the need of a variety of proteins. The industrial chemist, working with the engineer by improving means of refrigeration, makes possible the supplying and keeping of vegetables, fruits and meats at all seasons. Now not only are ice and ammonia being used in refrigeration, but sulphur dioxide is used in electric refrigeration in the home, and solid carbon dioxide, or dry ice, is being used to keep cool foods in transit. Some railroad cars are now kept cool by special ammonia absorption plants instead of by ice. The improvements and economies in flour milling and blend- ing, in bread and cracker manufacture, in the making of butter substitutes, in the keeping up of quality of our foods generally, can be attributed largely to the work of the chemist. The World Threatened With Starvation IN order to grow plants for food, food for plants must be present in the soils. As the soil is cropped from year to year, it be- comes exhausted of its plant foods, and we say it must be fertilized. This fertilizing was done originally by the use of barnyard manure and other animal wastes, but since the supply of these materials was very limited, not over twenty years ago prominent students were predicting that within a generation or so the people of the world would begin to starve because of soil exhaustion. One of the es- sential plant foods, and the one which caused most worry, is nitro-

708 IMPROVEMENT ERA My. "Z9 gen; and it seemed impossible to supply enough to the soil in a form which plants could use. The atmosphere is more than 75 per cent nitrogen, but the plants cannot use free gaseous nitrogen but require it combined with other elements. The chief, almost only, supply of fixed nitrogen known was in the deserts of Chile, where large tonnages of sodium nitrate had accumulated due to the action of the dry air and bacteria on the refuse and remains accumu- lated from sea birds. The supply was being used at such a rate that the end was really in sight when chemists worked out methods of com- bining nitrogen of the air with oxygen or hydrogen to produce com- pounds which plants as well as the industries can use. The most inter- esting and important of these methods of fixing nitrogen is that of Haber. In this process, nitrogen of the air is combined under very high pressures and in the presence of a catalyst with hydrogen from water, to form ammonia. This ammonia can be used to make fertilizers or it can be oxidized to nitric acid. The nitric acid so produced is used in the manufacture of dyes, explosives, lacquers, celluloid and other products. It is worth noting that last year over 50% of the fixed nitrogen used came from the air. In Europe the industry is very well established while in our own country several large plants are functioning very successfully. I used the word catalyst a moment ago, so perhaps should ex- plain that a catalyst is a substance which increases the rate at which a reaction occurs. Thus in the sulphuric acid industry we speak of the "contact process." Here sulphur dioxide and oxygen, in the presence of platinum as a catalyst, combine to form sulphur trioxide, which with water gives sulphuric acid. Another interesting catalyst is finely divided metallic nickel used in the hydrogenation of oils. If through a heated vegetable oil, cottonseed oil, for example, hy- drogen be passed in the presence of very finely divided nickel, the gas is absorbed and a product which is a solid fat is produced. Thus we get the food products, among which we know Crisco and Snow- drift. Without the presence of the platinum or nickel catalyst, no appreciable reaction occurs. While we are talking foods, we might take note of the im- proved glasses now on the market. The best known of these is "pyrex," developed first for use in the chemical laboratory but now used for cooking utensils. This glass has so low a coefficient of expansion that it will stand sudden changes of temperature with- out breaking. It also is much more resistant to shock than ordinary glass and does not break easily when dropped. How We Are Gaining Sunlight STUDENTS of nutrition and of disease have for some time re- alized the value of sunlight, yet they found that the short light

July, 1929 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN APPLIED CHEMISTRY 709 waves, the so-called ultra-violet, could not pass through window glass. These wave lengths arc of extreme value to life, especially to the growing child. So there has come the development of varieties of glass which will allow the passage of the ultra-violet light. Already some hospitals and sanitariums have their sunrooms built with windows of this glass which allows these most valuable and health-giving light waves to pass through. We might note, too, the development of special electric lamps which imitate the sun in their light. These are possible only because of the light studies of the physicist and physical chemist. In our own city a considerable portion of the ultra-violet light from the sun does not reach us because of absorption by the smoke in our winter atmosphere. In this field, too, the chemist has made great progress. By study of combustion he has shown how to burn coal in the larger plants without producing smoke. More important, he has made much progress in coal treatment to pro- duce a product which burns without smoke. In mak- ing this low-temperature coke, a large amount of gas as well as quantities of oils and tars are produced. These oils are valuable as motor fuels while from the tars come solvents and the base ma- terials for making dyes and medicinals. Other products are pitch and creosotes for disinfectants and wood preservatives, etc. Chemistry Solves Big Industrial Problems THE mention pf motor fuel from coal should remind us of the improvements made in gasoline as well as economies in its production. Much of the crude petroleum, as it comes from the wells, contains perhaps 20 per cent of light hydrocarbons which might be classed as gasoline. Yet, by process of cracking, it is not unusual to produce upwards of 70 per cent of gasoline from the crude oil. The less valuable oils are broken down into lighter ones which we commonly consider as gasoline. This makes for a much more efficient utilization of this great natural resource. As our wells go dry, we still can look to our supplies of oil shale as well as to coal and alcohol for our motor fuels of the future. In order to obtain high efficiency from a gasoline engine, high compression of the gasoline-air mixture is necessary. Under this compression, at the temperatures involved, most gasolines ignite and so-called "knocking" occurs. After years of research and study of literally thousands of compounds, lead tetraethyl has been found very efficient in preventing this pre-ignition knock. This product which we commonly hear referred to simply as the ethyl of ethyl gasoline makes possible better efficiency and greater power in the newer, high-compression motors.

710 IMPROVEMENT ERA July, 1929 During the world war certain so-called "dopes" were developed for coating the fabric on the wings of aeroplanes. These had to be water-proof as well as able to stand the extremes of heat and cold. From these products have been developed a large number of our newer lacquers and varnishes. We know the Duco type of enamel and how much longer it withstands the weather than the old paint and varnish. Since these new cellulose products are dissolved in volatile solvents, it is possible to finish the painting of an auto- mobile in fewer hours than the number of days formerly required when ordinary paints and varnishes were used. The basis of these new lacquers is cellulose, the chief constituent of cotton fiber and of wood. Cleaned cotton or purified wood pulp is properly treated to produce gun cotton, smokeless powder, celluloid, pyroxylin or artificial ivory, artificial leather, noninflammable moving picture films, paints and lacquers and also rayon. Rayon was at one time referred to as artificial silk but chem- ically it is the same as cotton. Cotton or cleaned wood pulp is treated with the proper reagents to produce a jelly-like mass. This jelly is pressed through tiny holes into solutions which cause it to set. Each jlittle stream of jelly produces a thread of rayon. These threads after curing and washing can be dyed, spun and woven into cloth of great beauty. Last year over 250 million pounds of rayon were produced, about one-third of which was used for the manufacture of stockings. A pound of rayon will make thirty to forty pair of stockings and costs from $2.00 to $4.00 according to variety and quality. The demand and production are steadily increasing and the quality is being steadily improved. So we may look for more and better silky fabrics. Our attention should be drawn to the improvement made in dyes. At one time the United States was almost entirely dependent on Germany for its dye supply. During the world war this supply was cut off so that we were stimulated to make our own. Now we are independent of the rest of the world, though some varieties are still imported, and besides the old standard colors many new ones have been produced, as is evidenced by the dyed fabrics now being used. Not even the rainbow or the sunset can rival the artificial colors in richness and variety. While the dye chemist has been improving the number and quality of his products, the rubber chemist has been busy. By re- search and experiment he has learned how to make tires and tubes and rubber goods which wear several times as long as similar articles did a few years ago. The ordinary rubbers you wear during the winter will probably last two seasons, whereas, ten years or less ago. two pair were required for one season. This has come through

July, 1929 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN APPLIED CHEMISTRY 7 1 1 improved methods of curing the rubber latex, of vulcanizing and of applying the rubber. Much progress has been made in preventing the deterioration of rubber with age by the addition of so-called anti-oxidants. The Chemist's Contribution to Medicine EFORE finishing, we ought to be reminded of the progress made by the biochemist in the field of medicine. We know of the vitamines and their importance to health. We have heard of in- sulin, discovered at the University of Toronto, which brings hope and comfort to the patient suffering from diabetes. This com- pound, obtained from the pancreas, makes possible the use of certain amounts of starch and sugar, so-called carbohydrates, by the sufferer and, if the case is not too far advanced aids greatly in its cure. In the fields of antiseptics much has been accomplished, and instead of the old, smelly carbolic-acid type, we now have some of the type of mercurochrome which are not irritating, are effective and even can be, under proper conditions, injected into the blood stream. Dakins' solution, a neutral solution of sodium hypochlorite, did wonderful service during the war in preventing gangrene and is still used in hospitals. Even more useful is chloramine T, a close relative but more stable and less irritating. Very important and interesting is hexyl-resorcinol, which is 50 times as powerful as carbolic acid and yet can be taken by mouth. It disinfects the blood stream and especially the kidneys and renders the urine sterile. Besides antiseptics have come new anesthetics and, instead of only cocaine for local anesthesia, we have procaine, apothesine, butyn and others for special purposes which are less toxic, cheaper and are not habit-forming. The chemist has learned to associate certain structures in the molecule with specific effect, so can make a drug with almost any given desired effect. In the lines of total anesthesia have come improvements over the use of ether or chloroform by use in some cases of nitrous oxide, of ethylene or even of acetylene. Much remains to be done here, however. Of very great interest and importance is the study of the se- cretions of the so-called ductless glands. For the relief of those who have asthma, hives or heart failure we now have adrenalin or epine- phrin. It not only is of use as mentioned but stops bleeding locally when injected, by causing a contraction of the blood vessels. This substance has been synthesized and its structure is understood so that it can be prepared pure and of definite strength. Another product rather recently discovered is thyroxin, a substance present in the thyroid glands, connected in its effects with growth and metabolism

712 IMPROVEMENT ERA July, 19^9 control. Studies bringing much information about the pituitary and other glands and the so-called hormones connected with them have been very fruitful, and medicine is profiting greatly therefrom. We can expect still greater progress as the years go by for the work is really not much more than well begun. We might go on into the fields not only of foods, clothing and medicine, but also those of communication, housing, transportation and reaction and at every turn we should find the chemist doing his part in the preparation, purification, protection, or improvement of practically everything with which we come in contact. There is no science which has more to do with our lives and their living than chemistry. Humanism The greatest and best educators in the world's history are those who teach faith in God as the end of all teaching. Their words live, and forever uplift humanity. Some educators, however, teach humanism, which is to give man all credit for his accomplishments. They make the end of their teachings superman, and do not recognize God in anything. Such teaching is destructive of faith in the Father of us all, "the giver of every good and perfect gift." , Such edu- cators fail to recognize God as the giver of the intelligence they enjoy, of the air they breathe and the food they eat. In their conceit, as Nebucadnezzar, they are lifted up in the pride of their own achievements and they teach others what great things man alone can accomplish. They do not worship God, but they worship mentality, notwithstanding the commandment: "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me." They look upon the mighty cities and the beautiful palaces and gardens and in the pride of their hearts they say: "See the great Babylon that we have built by our own power and for our own honor and majesty." Surely the words of Daniel to Belshazzar apply to the teachers of human- ism: "Thou hast praised the idols of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood and stone, but the true God who lets thee live and gives thee all things, thou hast not praised." When the awakening finally comes and they see the result of their teachings in the destruction of the faith of their pupils, they would willingly pull the mountains down on their heads, as the Book of Mormon states, rather than face and answer their Maker, but they cannot. Then they will fully realize the terrible meaning of the Savior's words: "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea," (Matt, 18:6) . — Joseph S. Peery.