The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-15

(, n successftil solution allould go fur. to.
4 wards Ieassiiring those who nrc dis
posed to view with nlnrm the rnpir
tl,eNiaustiot, of the worlds chief suppl.
LOT combined nltrogen-nitratc of soda.
I .Mpny devices have been patented
/ for carrying into practical operation
the direct conversion OF nitrogen vi
/ the air Into available fertilizer but nc
1 attempt was made to carry out the pros
cess on a commercial scale until about
I five years ago, when the Atmospheric
Products Company. with capital OF
| s1,O00,0O0 established II plant at Ma
4 CARA Falls.
| ut can readily be seen thta n process
| like this would involve a large ex-
| perience for electro current, mninte-
| nance of plant with other technical
difficulties. and while u considerable
amount of nitric ncld was produced. the
process was not commercial SUCCESS.
While not successful have described
| the process somewhat fully as 1t was
| the first attempt to utilize the atnos-
| pheric nitrogen on large scnle, and
| illustrates IN a general way some OF
the principles involved III the direct
conversions of nitrogen to nitric acid.
Experiments have shown that the
yield of nitric oxide depend upon tho
following factors: First, the tempera-
tcnslty of tho current: third. the COM
position of the gas mixture, and fourth.
the electrodes.
ut has been shown by several In
vestiEators that tho thcrmic
oxidation Of nitrogen to nitrous oxide
increases with the temperature. Birke-
land & Eyde have taken advantage OF
this principle in their process. which Is
now being tried on a comparatively
larger scale in a plant in Norway. Their
process Is to pass air through fur
mace in which an electric arc is rapidly
flashing in a magnetic field. The tenn
perature of the arc is something like
{. 900 degrees F., and at this
high temperature the nitrogen COM
bines with the oxygen In somewhat
larger proportions than in the previous
process. The nitrous fumes resulting
are passed over water, trlckling over
broken quartz, where weak nitric
, acid results.
"The most recent method for fixing
atmospheric nitrogen seems at the
present time to be more promising than
former processes. This consists In
combining under certain conditions the
nitrogen of the air with calcium car
bide, forming calcium cyanamide. One
of the most economical methods for OBJ
tHlnl0S LHe HllToSeu IIoill LIZ dit IVA
this process Is to liquify the air under
great pressure. and then disttll off the
nitrogen. A company has been formed
in this country which contemplates the
erection OF a factory in the near fu-
ture.
considering the enormous consump-
ton of heterogeneous compounds and
how necessary they are to agriculture
and the arts and sciences, we must adj
nit that the solution of the problem
of supplying them from the air will be
of incalculabIe value, and even though
the processes are not entirely ripe.
they will be rapidly improved, and
There is every indication Of ultimate
, success.
The discovery of these new methods
of utilizing the nitrogen of the air is
probably but the entering wedge of
the cheapening of all kinds of plant
| foods
4 After a general discussion of points
suggested by the paper, and unani-
nous vote of thanks to Mr.. Carpenter.
the club adjourned until the second
Friday in January