Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-17
CHEMICAL ACHIEVEMENT.
Important Matters Before the Inter
national Congress.
From the New York Commercial.

From the New York Commercial
Prof. Charles Baskerville of the College
OF the City of New York has summarized
the more interesting things which the IN
tcrnational Congress of Applied Chemistry
as stamped as either practically accom-
pEshed facts or as discoveries and proc
tsses on their sure and respective way
"a success. Prof. Baskerville has been
&c chairman of the inorganic chemistry
section. which has played the most i'm
portant part in the proceedings. Exclud-
Ing the processes of making artificial
rubber and specialized methods OF manu-
curing il for varied uses. the priority
of all which is disputed by English and
German chemists there two the re-
ports on which have been of supreme
interest to the world. as being the most
revolutionary and widespread in their
results
These are the problems of extracting
nltrateS from the air and tho possibility
OF using the energy of the sun as Il sub
stitute for the failing coal supply With
1his are connected the experiments for
producing artificial coal on a useful COM
1nercial scale, exploited by another chem
lst as destined for an early and certa N
success The immense pertinency of both
these subjects needs ne emphasis The
extraction of nitrogen oxidiZed into nj
trates in a fixed and solid form has occu-
pied the attention of the worlds chemists
Tor at least twenty years. l. has passed
the merely tentative scale, though it has
not yet fully emerged from the laboratory
IN its expected finality. 1t has gone suffi-
GENTLY far TO convince chemists that its
commercial success on a vast scale will
soon be assured.
DR.. Baskerville points out that the stock
of nitrates i'm the earth so far as now
known will be exhausted by the increas-
ing demand of agriculture. well within the
close OF the century. Perhaps a half
century will cover it. certainly will do SO
as Tar as the principal deposit in Chile is
concerned. Nitrates are INDISPENSABLE TO
the growth of all plant life and the
q minution of available supply will be a
heavy injury to the food production of the
race unless new source is found. Dr.
samuel Eyde of Christiaria Norway a
manufacturer of high power explosives
Tor war use. has found a method of oxi-
dlzing atmospheric nitrogen or CONNER
ciai scale. which he contends fully solves
the problem of creating nitrates in any
needed quantity 1t is one of the ben
"t'cient ironies of fate that a process p,lr-
-iled In furthering the destructive powers
o1 man Is likely to end in its larger way
ser the most vital betterment of human
Inc manufacturer has now reached
'te export stage. Thousands of tons of
tie Norger saltpeter' are now being sent
10 California and Hawaii in the fruit and
sugar cane cultures. The resources of
Ire supply are illimitable and thus is re-
moved all possible fear of the diminution
"f effective FERTILIZER. This, too. is pro-
duced in the most available form for
Quick assimilation with the soil Ii is lust
POSSIBLE that no practical realization of
science for the last quarter-century car
RES under IL greater pregnancy for the
future 1t is believed that ii will with
the help of irrigation. make the most arid
Lands Immensely fruitful and redeem
great areas now given over to desoIation.
Dr Giaeomo Cinmician of Roloon,
Itais. projects the possibilities of using
tHe solar energy as a substitute for the
iallinS coal supply Of the world lie
outlined plan for the utilization of the
sun rays by chemical process after
the manner OF plants The racial enthus;-
asin OF this scientist may be- d little ex-
agSerated. but there is notbipr in ~,
OUTLOOK on the subject not familiar To me
specuia'lon OF more cold-blooded students