Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-11-30
new PROBLEMS IN CHEMISTRY
Boston "Teck" Man Tells Chemi-
cal Society What They Are.
Milking OF Nitrogen, POTASH, Paper. Syn
thctic TanDins. Motor Fuels among
Thcm-Electron Chemistry
Future Science.

Professor w. H. Walker of the Massa-
chnsetts institute of Technology gave the
members of the Vermont section of the
american Chemical societv Il talk at the
Williams Science Hall Friday on some
problems in chemistry which have arisen
or been emphasized since the war began.
ms set subject was signs of the Times"
winch, as he said didn't hold one down
TO anything. The address. which Professor
walker illustrated with the of a
blackboard, included ut it's conclusion
questioning 5v those present
'rofes#o~ g II. Howard OF Norwich
! University, president of the Vermont sec
ton OF the society, in his introduction of
the speaker. told of his own association
with men Of Goettingen University, Ger
many; Professor Harris and Professor
Emerson OF Amherst College among
others. Professor Walker replied testing
~ and, after rcmarking that according
10 tho adaEc the longer the spoke the
Longer the tire" got down TO business.
lie referred briefly to the history Of
chemistry. which h. said really began,
not with the natural philosophy OF the
Greek philosophers. but with the work
ers IN metal VINO were simultaneous The
alchemists, who tried to discover the
elixir Of life and how to make gold. fol-
lowed. Then the monks OF the middle
ages took mp the work. The period Of I'M
applied science followed. until finally
Francis Bacon and the practical science
began
In tn" last ten years, said Professor
Walker, new industries to which chem
iis'ry may be applied have come to the
fore. Even tho aalesmcn OF chemical
companies have begun to be trained pro-
fossional men. Baking powder and flour
companies, even, are employing chemists.
The war has acted n high protective
tariff, said the speaker Not only have
munitions plants arisen, but large num-
Der OF men have been given employment
i'm industrial chemistry establishments.
Politicians have been obtuse in not seeing
that the chemical industries must be
made sclf-supportinE If they arc to sue
coed permanently. The election of Presi
dent wilson was unfortunate in Profess
sor Walkers opinion. If it meant a low
tariff still on certain chemicals. But
Ny. Wilson changes his mind without
great difficulty" and there may yet be
hope.
The country faces several problems,
among them the production or concentra-
ition of nitrogen, of which Chile possesses
tho only large supply, and OF potash of
which Germany has practically mon
iopoly. Before the war. said he, Ger
many had go 900 tons Of sodium nitrate
United States should have 100000 tons
at least. The DUPONT Powder company,
said Professor Walker, used 10000 tons
of nitric acid in one year for the max
ing of explosives of which it was
necessary constituent. In agriculture.
ammonium sulrhate is needed for fertii
iizcr Its manufacture has been delayed
by the cost and by the fact that extern
sive rather than intensive agriculture still
,,r. ..,tI, iva, tI,D ,trIr Thprn
lof land. But the time is coming in the
speak RS view, when intensive Agriculture
will increase, and that will only he pos
Sibl" through ammonium sulphate. Pro-
lfcSsor Walker mentioned five different
methods Of making nitrngcn--a by-prod
uct of the coke oven. with lime and car
bon. the Habcr process. etc. II is
strange anomaly, he said. that SO per
cent. of the atmosphere is nitrogen. but
plants with few exceptions cannot utilize
it, The government has appropriated
$50 600 600 to obtain supply of nitric acid
or ammonia. 1t will be spent probably
for Chile satpotro and to help certain
concerns in one or two southern States
which have plenty of water power ready
to be used
Potash is another substance needed. IT
is locked mp in various rocks, including
certain ones of Vermont, but cannot he
released I'D blNlnl1v 'itHpiF' il'iF''
should aim TO keep the price down so that
after the war Germany cannot charge
any price she pleased for it, 1t is strange
that the carth's crust should contain ca
times as much sodium as potash, which
plant life most needs. Kelp or Seaweed.
on the Pacific coast is yielding quantities
Of il, and another source is the residuun
from the salt beds about Great Salt lake.
Motor fuel was the third necessity men
l,t
mobile require some cheap fuel. Many
Of the oil companies are getting more
gasoline out OF petroleum than ever be-
| fore. BcnZol and alcohol are substitutes.
Tn" former is used to dilute gasoline. and
nobody is the wiser. Bcnzo is used ex
Itonsiyely abroad. Alcohol is now made
from starch. In the tropics bananas are
being used. Wood which consists Of
celluiose and ligneum, indirectly yields it.
The problem of paper stock is press
ing one. straw, fax straw, cornstalks,
cotton stalks and sugar cane all might be
"sed. At present the waste Of such sub
. stances is enormous he said
The problem of bleaching old paper SO
as to rid it of the carbon of the lamp
black i'm the ink is well worth trying 10
solve Substitute for tannins, glycerine,
etc, are also needed.
The chemistry Of tho future, said Pro-
fesFor Walker will he. in his opinion,
electron chemistry The engineering Il
the cie"tron r. still n young subject. The
speaker illustrated what he meant by
the problem of the telephone, solved By
Professor pupin of Columbia, in the
propagation of sound waves by electric
,ity
At the end of the lecture he told of the
way i'm which the Massachusetts "Teck"
IS cooperating with five different facto-
ries' one Of them at Bangor, Me, in
working at problems in commercial chem
iStry.
Previous to the address nj the Science
NAH ahout 20 members Of the society
dined together at the Hote' Vermont,
with Professor Walker as the guest OF
honor.
FINDS FOURTH NEW COMET