The evening times., 1895-11-02
New Method of Preparing an Import.
ant Compound.


One Of the most valuable light,giving
constituents ofcommon coai-gas = ecetyiene.
but 1t is present in such gas only in very
small quantity. Acetylene is composed Of
Tvs elvt .shirteenths OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
hydrogen. When burned in air iIcm COM
mon gas-set, acetylene produces a smoky
flame. but rrom properly selected burner
Its fiame Is smokeless and cInits more Light
than that OF any other gas.
new method OF preparing acetylene
promises togive thisgas q great uture as an
iluminan.. This method, but recently de.
veloped. consists in heating together N an
electric furnace, pow dered chalk or line,
and some form Of finely divided carbon,
coal, or charcoal. AT the temperature OF
the furnace calcium carbide is formed. This
is dark gray solid, resembling in appear
ance an impure mineralcoa1. It's composed
or five-eigilths calcium and three-efghtbs
carbon. when thrown into wafer, double
decomposition results, the calcium COM
bining> " iih The oxygen OF Tie weter, and
the carbon Uniting v 18th the hydrogen and
forming acet ylene, which escapes from the
water with violent ebuliit.cn ard may be
readily collected In any suuabIe receiver.
The solid calcium carbide can be trans
ported without special precauiiOn other
than 1t be kept dry. The consumer sup
piled with the carbide will be able TO mau-
ufacture his own gas by simply innieTsiHg
the carbide in water. A receiver for stor-
ing the gas will be about all the plant nee
essary. Suitable burners for acetyIene Will
Beed TO be slight notifications OF the COM
mon Jet, SO as to supply the exact proper
tion Of air, otherwise the flame will smoke.
The writer. by using the common Runsen
burner, was able to so regulate the supply
of air and gas as to produce pure white
flame of great briiliaucy, almost insupport-
able to the eye. Acetyleue has a peculiar,
penetrating odor, SO that any leakage Of
the gas would be Immediately detected.
One pound of pure calcium carbide will
yield five aud a half cubic feet OF acety-
lene, measured at &C. and atmospheric
pressure. II il be true, as stated. that
the calcium carbide can be manufactured u t
twenty dollars per ton, computation shows
that under equally favorable conditions the
cost of GOOD LIGHT, twenty-five candle
power, from acetylene would he about
one-third of that from coal-gas, when the
latter sells at FIFTY CENTS PER ONE
THOUSAND FEET Tor l &c. per 900 feet }.
The preparation of acetyicne from the
mineral elements has long been of great
theoretical interest, because IT is the iirst
step in the production of organic sub
stances from the inorganic. Benzrne, naph-
thaiene. and ethylcne may he readily manu-
factured from acetylene. Fruin bcnzene we
obtain that wonderful series of aniline col-
ors and dyes. Ethylene can be converted
into alcohol, and from alcohol many other
organic substances can be produced
The preparation of acetyicne has hereto-
fore been too expensive tn make it OF
practical importance, but the new method
places the gas within the range of cumins r
cial use. both by itself and Is the basis for
the building up OF other compounds. The
most fertile promise, however, is the pos
sibility of isolated gas-iightinG-
S. f. TILLMAN. Prof.U. s. ". A.
The Cosmopolitan Magazine. June, 1895.