The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-06-08
007vSspOAdsnes Baltimore County Union
SCIENTIFIC MTsonr.r.aNv

Oo'zap0Ndsnes Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Algerian Fruit Soap-In Radiunland-rce
reserved Flowers-The Plant Food
Eopiem-A New State of Matter
improved Light Tubes-Sugar Hidden.
The commercial production Of vegetable soap
IN powder and cakes, especially as family in
dustry, Is the novel recommendation of q
French chemist after an investigation for the
Algerian government. The Capindus utilis, an
imported tree begins bearing at the age of six
and ct its best may yield each year 200 pounds
or more Of small feshy fruit. The now
abundant product has not been utilized, al
though similar TO the soap substitutes Of China.
Japan, India and the Antilles. The powdered
fruit In water gave soapy solution, which
acted slowly on account Of containing gummy
substance, but on roasting before grinding, the
powder with warm water quickly yielded a
frothy liquid, which proved excellent for wash
ing, and was free from risk of injury to colored
fabrics. The powder is easily made into cakes
with water. Much more saponine was found
than in the Oriental fruit, with indications Of
another constituent having the same soap-like
properties as saponine.
sts
The radium mines at Joachimetei, in Austria
recently supplied the Vienna Academy of
Science with ten tons Of uranium ore, and this
has yielded quarter of million dollars worth
OF radium. which Is to be used for research.
The mines are being converted into radium
cure resort. A local laboratory for producing
radium salts has been established, and the
springs are serving as medicinal baths.
IS
Of the ice-kept flowers of Vercier, a French
florist, China peonies have been most enduring.
some being fairly preserved after FIVE months
in the refrigerator. In his fastest experiments,
he has cut peonies with stems 10 inches long
putting them in water. trimming the ends
every three weeks. and renewing water each
month.
The worlds greatest store of heterogeneous
plant food-the nitrate of soda, or saltpeter,
beds Of Chili-is expected to become exhausted
within third of century. To provide new
supply is therefore a problem of immediate
concern, and for number Of years electricians
have been striving to solve it by using the cleo
trio spark for oxidizing or ''ixing" the nitrogen
of the air. Experiments at Niagara Falls, in
Italy and in Germany have proven commerce.
ally unsuccessful. Last year q factory was
started at Notodden, In Norway, for making
calcium nitrate from air and limestone by
means Of the electric arc flames and this has
given results so promising that new works,
using $1,000 horsepower, will soon be opened.
The calcium nitrate, which proves equal to the
soda saltpeter rs fertilizer, is now produced at
factory cost of $50 per ton. A rival process is
that of Drs. Caro- and Frank, who begin with
calcium carbide, cheap product of the electric
furnace, and by heating this already common
material redhot they cause it to take up atmos-
pheric nitrogen. The new combination Of cal
cium, carbon and nitrogen, called calcium cy-
auimide. Is good and probably economical ferti-
llzer. A possible future addition to our plant
nitrogen may come from saving the waste in
sewage. which now pollutes our streams in-
stead Of feeding our crops. becoming finally
lost in the ocean.
-
The interesting result is reached by Prof.
Quincke, Of Heidelberg, that water and all other
liquids pass through an intermediate stage be-
fore solidffyinR. In this they split up into what
may be called foam-cells, giving a viscous
structure resembling jelly, and in cooled met
ais. as In quickly solidified steel, some of these
cells remain even in the solid state. This may
explain the allotropic notifications noted in
different specimens Of the same metal.
In an incandescent oil lamp now being tested
in Scotland kerosene is vaporized by jet of
carbonic acid before reaching the mantle. A
gallon Of oil yields light of 200 candle-power
for 10 hours.
Not least of the products evolved by NJ.
M0issan with the electric furnace is calcium
hydride, simple compound of hydrogen and
calcium. The commercial manufacture has
been worked out in two stages, the metal cali
cium being first produced by the trolysis of
fused calcium chloride and the metal so OBJ
tanned being then converted into hydride by
heating in horizontal retorts through which is
passed current of hydrogen. The product is
in the form Of hard grey or white Jumps.
which have called hydroliths. The Jumps con-
tain E60ut 90 per cent. of pure calcium hydride.
and they have the peculiar property of giving
on the hydrogen when placed in water yielding
about one cubic meter of gas per kilogram (22
lbs.). The material is practically unaffected
by other ordinary solvents. The hydroliths
furnish q convenient method of transporting
and are expected to be generally adopted for
military ballooning. They have proven very
efficient both for initial imitation and for add
ing more gas while the balloon is still in air.
lnthe search for economical light the mercury
vapor lamp seems thus far to have produced
more ightat less cost than any other but the lack
Of red rays gives disagreeable CHASTITY appear
ance. Two German electricians, Prof. E.
Gehrke and E. Won Bayer, claim remedy in
the addition of zine to the mercury electrodes.
They mix about 10 per cent. of bismuth and,
using current Of not more than 100 volts, they
find the light of the tubes not different from
that of small arc lamps, while it is superior in
taking very little current and being perfectly
steady. The experiments are still in progress.
-
Castor oil powder, according to a new Hol-
land patent, is prepared by precipitating the
casein of a liter of skinned milk, then adding
5millgrams Of 10 per cent. sodium carbonate
solution and 40 grams of milk sugar. and incor-
porating so grams of castor oil. The mass is
dried and powdered.