The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1915-07-15
MAGIC COAL TAR.
Once Despised, It Is Now a Source
of Limitless Products.
SPANS THE WORLD OF COLOR.


dustry--in Medicine and Surgery.
Also, u Has Worked Wonders.
Among the almost limitless number
OF natural products Of this country
coal tar stands well In the lead In the
variety Of uses to which It may be up.
piled. Evil smelling. II is the rough
material from which many valuable
substances have been obtained after
years of persistence by science and In.
dustry.
These substances include a wide
range Of colors. various burning and
lubricating oils, asphalt for pavements,
Photographic developers and great
number OF medicines. Gavors aud per.
fumes. Coal tar IL used In practically
every manufacturing process where
dyes are needed, In making cloths,
silks. dress materials, colored papers
| and even colored articles OF food.
About q century ago coal tar was
considered almost n waste product. and
no one had thought II worth while to
experiment with Il. At that time gas
was being introduced as a new light
and Frederick Accum. who wrote one
OF the frst books on gas lighting. sug-
gcstcd the boiling Of the tar In still
aud the condensation and collection OF
the volatile products. The experiment
was made. and tho process yielded two
oils. One was heavy and the other
light II was soon found that the
heavy could be satisfactorily used rs q
prescrvative for wood that had TO be
| fixed underground or submerged In
water and was used extensively In pre-
serving piers and wharfs.
Further experiments with the lighter
oil were made by Scotch chemist
Macintosh. who used II In waterproof.
Ing the clothing which still bears his
name. IL also IL used as solvent In
varnish making and as coal nnphtha
for lighting. Experiments with naph.
tina disclosed rich treasury Of colors
which for centuries had been locked up
In coal and its refuse-tar. Benzine
was extracted from naphtha and this
In turn produced the different shades
OF violet. green. blue and yellow. Later
another chemist made the commercial
manufacture OF benzine possible. He
was experimenting on the artificial pro-
ductlon OF quiniDe. and. using a base
known as nnlline. obtained the coloring
matter called mauve.
This laid the foundation for the coal
tar color industry which has develop
cd until today almost every color and
shade OF color Is derived from aniline
Aniline had been obtained previously
from the indigo plant anil" The dis
covery OF mauve created iarge de
mand for the artificial aniline base
and gave unexpected value 10 benzine
II yielded aniline by being treated with
nitric ncid aud with the borings of east
iron powdered Into dust. Having done
was used by the gus maker to cleanse
his coal gas from sulphur. ana then II
passed 10 the manufacturing chemist.
who burned the sulphur out OF Il and
produced Sulphuric acid--a cycle OF op
erations whose beginning and end was
the utilization OF waste.
This method OF producing color was
responsible for the desolate madder
fields OF France and Holland and for
the loss TO the Hindus OF their long
cherished indigo cultivation. Anthra,
Gene. one OF the heavier oils OF coal
tar. caused the fall OF the madder
growing industry The madder pro
ln,.at violata rada hluels nurnlaa and
dark browns. Anthracene was sold
very cheaply for lubricating purposes
until certain chemists heated II with
zinc filings aud produced alizarin. and
then the secret Of the madder plant
was discovered
In this way chemistry displaced agri.
culture. one pound OF alizarin having
the coloring power of ninety pounds Of
madder. aud the lubricating oil sold at
Il trihe as waste became valuable
coloring matter worth $500 a ton.
thereby creating a vast Industry.
In medicine and surgery coal tar has
worked wonders. Saccharin. many hun
dred times the sweetening power OF
sugar. Is used by diabetic patients.
CarDollc ACID Is separated from the OIL
Of coal tar by successive Oscillations.
and In surgical operations a spray Of
germ killing carbolic acid is used
Quinoline. antipyrine and other fever
assuagers are made from coal tar. and
various antiseptics and food preserya
tives also are obtained from II
Vanilla navoring for cooking. which
formerly was prepared from a bean.
can now be obtained from the vanillin
Of the gas works. and even this vanil-
lin can be made into heliotrope per
fume by adding oil Of almonds. while
the latter can be produced by treating
benzine with an acid. Huge quanti
tes OF this oil are used In the making
Of scented soaps AS matter OF fact
there Is scarcely a department OF life
into xvhiah ths. npo1saafo Of eoat far In