The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-05-31

are not aware that her simple act sus
tains and saves their very lives. Had
Nine. Lefebre made her discovery 81
years after she did this is what the
chemist would have said. Nitrogen
is so rare an article that she
who discovered a process for obtain
ing II from the atmosphere not
only is a great benefactor and inven
tor. but has changed the economy OF
living on this earth" Then he might
have added. And the modern need
being everlastingly for the greater
cheapening of processes. and the cost
of water power, high or low. the one
who will make the latter still cheaper
or Invent substitute Independent Of
the natural supply of water power. will
make her blessing to mankind practic
/ ally free"
What is this process that produces
such marvellous results? 1t is as ele
mental in its simplicity as the great
primal drama / spoke OF in beginning
to tell this story. II is in this that fire
and water are called in to aid the
woman. Fire? The leading feature
of the process is an electric arc be
tween the poles of which the tempera
ture is 4,200 degrees centigrade, or
1852 degrees Fahrenheit. 1t reminds
us Of that "fervent heat in which
"the earth also shall melt" and when
afr is passed over that arc one natur.
ally expects a result apocalyptic in its
nature. What does happen is that the
oxygen in the air is burnt up. utterly
consumed. That which remains is a
colorless gas. as invisible as the air
itself, which is known as nitric oxide.
This, driven out into the air. recon-
bines with it, the result being, OF
course, twice as much nitrogen as
there was before to the same amount
of oxygen; in other words, nitrogen
dioxide (NO2). The next step is just
as childishly simple. There is added
one more ingredient. no rare and
mystic compound to transform the air
by magic into chemicals before our
eyes-just water. The result of this is
nitric acid, poisonous and powerful
made of air plus a part of the air
plus water! And this chemical stands
second in commercial Importance.
only one. sulphuric acid. having q
vaster area of usefulness.
But nitric acid. you say, is not fer
tilizer. 1t practically is in the chem
lists mind, for with it he is as near to
having fertilizer as he is to having
money when he pushes an indorsed
check through the paying teller's win
dow. Limestone is cheap exhaust
less, easy to get and easy to work
He treats it with his air made nitric
acid, and the result is nitrate of lime
Cor nitrate of calcium), for fertilizing
purposes the practical equivalent Of
the famous Chilian nitrate of soda.
That is about all of the process. but,
simple as it is, it is spectacular
enough to fulfill all expectations. For
the electric spark between the poles
of that arc is. nine feet long Nine
feet Of that inconceivable fervor of
heat! a nine foot core of light so in
tense as to be colorless, a thing al
most beyond the concept of both eye
and imagination. Surrounding this is
a zone of wonderful greenish blue.
fascinating and repelling at the same
time, like an evil beauty. Here the
is 1,400 degrees cent?.
grade, or 1852 degrees Fahrenheit
Wrapped about this (the beauty's veil,
10 make more alluring by partial con
cealment) is zone of pale greenish
brown, and here the temperature is
out paltry 900 or 1000 centigrade. 1t
6 mystical, terrible, and to behold as
is result that humble, whitish. crum.
1ly stuff that is only fertilizer dust,
md to return to dust, is as If we were
o behold witches casting, with spells
ind mutterings, all sorts of magic into
heir cauldron to take therefrom-a
oaf of bread
That is just what is it, though
)read for us and the generations to
,ome. For, in spite Of the fact that
water power costs four times as much
n this country as 1t does in Norway
md twice as much as in Austria or
its development has al
eady so cheapened the use of elec.
ricity that the production Of atmos.
'heric nitrogen is at last coming into
IS own as thing of such limitless
ommercial value that its discovereI
indeed deserves the name of "a great
for she has, in truth, ac-
omplished that which will change
he economy of living on this earth"