Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1908-191?, 1909-10-23
COAL L'SBY- PRODUCES
TAR ONE OF THE MOST VALU.
ABLE IN COKE MAKING.
Splendid Work Done by Chemists In
Working Up Useful Substances
from This once Despised
Waste" Material.


ness with which former wasted ele-
mcnts Of coal are recovered and trans
formed into valuable products In the
manufacture of coke from hard coal
u Is not 50 long ago that gas works
we're paying to have one Of these by
products. then called a waste.product,
carted away from the works This
was tar. Not only was no revenue de-
rived from It, but lt actually cost mon.
ey to get rid OF IT, Now, this tar Is
one Of the most valuable by-products
In coke making From every ton OF
coal converted into coke about nine
gallons Of coal tar are produced. and
the history of chemistry tells Of no
more skillful work than was done In
working up useful and valuable prod
ucts from this black, sticky mass.
over 200 separate substances have
been isolated from tar or the first
importance are anthracene and naph-
thalene Anthracene In a pure state,
Is n beautiful yellow crystal, and is
the starting point for a series Of the
well-known coal tar dyes. Naphtha-
dyes, but is better known In the form
Of moth-balls. Although coal tar is
black the naphthalene comes out OF
# as white as snow
Two other important products oh.
tained from the tar are carbolic and
crysylic acids. The uses of these two
products as dislnfectants and germi-
cides need no description. But there
Is another use for carbolic acid which
Is not so generally known, viz, that
transforming of II into picric acid by
treatment with concentrated nitric
acid. This picric acid is the base for
deadly high explosives" And
strangely enough. after you have shot
man 20 pieces with picric acid, you
can alay his pain with the same
thing. for picric acid has place in
surgery.
Books have been written on the
products obtained from coal tar, but
here we can but touch upon the sub
iect, and we may conclude with the
mere mention of creosote oil for pre-
serving timber. etc. of pitch for roofs
and for roads. of pyridine for dena-
turing alcohol We must leave un
touched the great number OF complex
chemicals which are either used them
selves or are transformed into other
substances in a never-ending cycle.
Besides the tar, every ton of coal
made into coke from hard coal pro
duces about 5ib pounds of pure am.
monia, which is equivalent to about
22 pounds of ammonium sulphate, a
fertilizer of unrivaled merit. This
fertilizer is made from the ammonia
by combining 1t with sulphuric acid,
or oil of vitriol. Or the ammonia may
be converted to the liquid ammonia of
the drug stores, or II may finally APP
pear as real liquid ammonia, which is
pure ammonia gas liquified by pres
sure and cold.
Further uses of ammonia are as
smelling salts and the carbonate OF
the baker, which makes possible all
the modern dainty CONNECTIONS. The
ammonium chloride used in batteries
also is derived from the coal which
goes to make coke.
Olner pTOuuctS OF cOmmerclal I'M
portance derived from the hard coal
coke processes are benzol and toluol
From benzol nitro-benzol is made, and
from that aniline is made, and from
aniline springs series of dye-stuffs
OF such Importance that millions OF
dollars are invested in plants for
their manufacture. Besides making
dyes, benzol and toluol have a multi
tude of uses. Benzol is the best solv.
ent known for organic compounds
and is used for extracting grease from
garbage. in the DECREASING" Of hides,
in varnishes. shellac. varnish remov.
ers; for dissolvlng rubber, wakes and
gums. Toluol in general is used for
similar solvent purposes. One impor-
tant use for benzol is gas enrichment
One per cent of benzol vapor intro,
duced into ordinary coal gas will In.
crease its luminosity by about 12 can.
/ dies.
There are many strange things with
strange names made from benzol and
toluol, and their development during
the last century Is one of the beacon
| lights OF chemical history.