The Savannah morning news., 1900-11-18
NEW USE FOR PHOSPHATE.
Phosphorus ABsTR ACTED FROM
1T ny ELECTRICITY.

view win Dr Mnchniskc-Dttticui-
ties That Are Overcome ~ the New
Proccss-Thc work Described.
Urom tao brooklyn Eosiel.
Heretofore 90 m- phosphorus 80 the
world was manu-. etlfel from bones but
last week. SITTER almost years expert
menurg. she AHgi1-Amcricsn Chemical
Company. - Iong Island Guy. in an Off
col teen. demonstrated that phosphorus
can bs atstu .cd from phosphate rock
ly means ~ powerful electric ore.
The company has been conducting al its
experiments behind locked doors 90 a
small building W Ions Island City Here
an enormous electric Transforming plant
has been erected. An Eagle rcpresenfa-
Use was permitted 10 witness the lrst
Official test made ia the presence o.
Thomas r. Fleming. tho treasurer. and
i. J Machalske. tho chen.s, nn4 wee
president OF the Anglo Amer.-la chem
ical Company.
The building where che experimenting
has been carried Oh Is q small one STORY
structure. but Sc contains probably lnc
most powerful electrical machinery Boz
Grcster New York The electric arc ia
street lamp i- joss tlau hHt AN inch in
length hut Within tHs small building nn
ar I5 inches lone 900 b. drawn from eneh
Of the f-iH.a c1rhan. sa-loue power be-
ilg required to accomplish tHs.
The company tts crested Two electrical
furnace. cautet-r-e cfe. tho sinle he.ur
the invention ~ b Afachslskc. Pm h..
Tor The manufacture % yellow ana rel
phosphorus PRINCIPALLY from phosphate
rock hy means az the intense hraf 81 on
electric arc To is well known iu industries
that phosphorus De- the only element FOR
the ordinary preparation OF which animal
81 distances are employed 10 O. never
known 90 occur uusan aincd On nature.
bur 10 is found ahuudautly Ia the form
Of phosphate OF lime which s. contained
in minera.s. coprolite phosphorte ana
apatfe. ana occurs dlmuscd though gen
orally IN small proportion. through an
soils upon which plants grow. for this
substance s. an essential constituent ~
the food ~ mos plants and especially OF
the cereal plants which form SO large
proportion 81 the food Of animals. The
seed OF such plants ar. especially rlrl in
phosphntcs u calcium and magnesium
Animals feeding uyon these plants san
further accumulate the phosphorus, for %
enters chiefly in tbs form OF calcium
phosphate into the composition % almost
every solid and llquId in the animal. body.
and s. especially abundant IN the bones.
which contain about throe-nfths 81 their
weight Of calcium phosphate Il Is from
this source thar the supply Of phosphorus
e. chiefly derived.
What is here termed animal matter 10
a cnrtilagiuous substance. converted into
gelatmc when the bones are heated with
water under pressure and containing carr
bon. hydrogen. nitrogen and oxygen. IL
was formerly the custom 70 get rid Of
this by burning the bones in an open fire.
hut tho increased demand for chemical
product and the diminished supNh of
bones have taught economy. 80 THAI the
cartilarinous matter g. now dissolved Gus
by heating the bones with water az
high pressure for the manufacture o.
glue; or the bones are subjected to de-
siructive distliiation 80 as 20 save the
ammonia which they evolve. and the bone
charcoal thus produced IS used by the
sugar refner until is decolorizing power
are exhausted. when Il = heated ia con
tact with air 20 burn away the char
coal and leave the bone ash. consisting
chiefly OF calcium phosphate.
Ia order 10 extract tie phosphorous the
bone ash is heated FOR some time with
diluted sulpburic acid. which removes tho
greater part az the calcium IN tne form Of
the sparlnRly soluble sulpEate. leaving the
rhosphoric acid in the solution. which Be-
strained from the deposit eyaporated 60
q syrup. mixed with charcoal thoroughly
dried la an iron pot. and distilled .n an
earthen rotor. when the carbon removes
the oxygen. ana phospnorous disiils over.
being condensed la a receiver containing
water 90 protect IL from the action OF the
ar u j. noticed that this process Of
max ug phosphorus is 100 expensive. etc,
and 20 overcome these difficulties Dr r. J.
Macnaiske has devised for the ANGLO
American Chemical Company two elec-
trical furnaces. Each consists OF reccp-
Facies. y by Is inches in size, having a
carbon bottom and lined with magnesla.
a special mixture and covered with hre
clay aud red bricks. Each furnace has
au apparatus on TOP for feeding tho
phosphate rock into the reiort. an appa-
Isuis FOR holding an electrcde, feet long
ana Z inches la diameter.
The bottom and top carbon are con-
nected with numerous special electrical
apparatus ana mach.neres. When the
current is turned on In five minutes "a
temperature OF about 700 degrees is pro-
duced which smels in fifteen minutes
80 pounds o. phosphate rock. setting free
vapors Of phosphorus. which are CON
densod under water. and the residual slag
on The operation Is a continuous one.
The result or this tremendous are, which
can be- drawn to 10 inches, IL very b,auti
fui. but can only bo rendered in dun tones
By drying to make proper description
Of a. /, may be well. therefore. 60 state
briefly what is seen when the furnace Is
arranged for the melting OK sphate
rock Tho interior Of tine furnace reminds
one Of dark crater, the dun red poles
revealing the metallic lustre and gray
shadows 81 the rock beneath them A
little later these poles become tipped with
dazzliic white. and in the course OF three
80 four minutes the temperature rises TO
about coo degrees. Sucn a Umperature
viii keep well melted any known metal.
etc. though 2o'o degrees more are readily
attained in the furnace.
Each pole is soon surrounded with
lambcut halo 81 Ireen-blur hue 81 the
sunset. tie ceutral band o. the are chang
ing rapidly from peach blossom 90 laycn-
de- and purple. The arc can then Do
Enlightened, and o. the poles are drawn
fcrthcr and further asundcr the rregular
masses OF rock fuse iu dropic,s below ln
intense blue nel1 o. light passing into
green Of lusfrous emerald Then the las.
fragments OF roek melt into "a shining
glowing. most brilliant and turbuleuty
boiling lake, which reflects tine GLOW ms
poles ln glory ~ green and gold. shot
with orange hucs. Suu q fcw minutes
later a shower OF brilliant flames is pro-
jocted from the furnace. amid the cloud
OF russell or brown yapors which wrcathe
the HIDE crater.
HHHN lar |Haa