Evening journal., 1916-08-30
DUPONT chemists
SOLVE DYE PROBLEM
Toll TO Find Many Uses for
New Explosive Plants
After War Ends
CAN MEET AND BEST
GERMAN COMPETITION

of the dupont powder plants, are
ready to give the United States aye
industry.
The chemists. working anonymous
ly as did the German chemists VINO
built up the great dye industry on
the Rhine and made Germany a com
mercial power. have done their part
II an depends now on Whether the
United States wants its own dyes.
Al laboratory problem The dye
situation has been solved by the du-
Pont chemists 1t is one OF the nun
dreds iof things these chemists are
solving daily in an effort to ma
waV ia make the best use 81 the 500,
o00 600 worth Of buildings and ma
chimes now being used by the du-
Points in making munitions lot hu-
rope.
The dive problem is being worked
ouf asionc OF the possible uses those
building aud the explosive making
nrocessesi can have after the war con-
tracts are completed.
The duPonts may make any one or
score of thousands OF dihereht
things in those plants after inc war
p,,t the chemists know now that one
os these things may be and can be
dves-dyes that will be as good, and
In many instances better than. the
600 German colors which Hooded the
world two years ago.
II all depends on lot of things
tariff. patent rights pr ces, the de-
mand. the speed with which Germany
rets back in the markea-an with
those things the chemists are not con.
corned They can make the dyes If
thev arc wanted. and that's all they
arc supposed to do.
Backed by the S240. 0O 900 dupont
corporation and with the equipment
for making dyes that the powder and
hieh-eXplosive processes have gwen
them. these chemists could put IN the
United States market a rival line OF
dyes that would mean q war TO the
knife with the great $500 900 900 dye
industry on the Rhine and the blhe.
Whether the duPonts are going 20
do it-wen. Il depends; that's the
most any one can say Just now. But
among all the possibilities for utiliza-
t,on Of the $50 000 900 war expansion
OF the dupont plants the dye industry
seems to be the present best bet.
For many years the dupont plants
have been turning out the basics and
intermediates from which tho coal-tal
or anillne dyes are made. Those
plants are turning them out today II
enormously expanded quantities.
The reason for this is simple. Th'
processes for making high explosives
such as picric acid, nitroglycerin anS
tinitrotoluol in the early stages arr
identical with the processes In the
dive industry and r score Of other In
dnstries.
When the war broke out Germany
merely had to turn 10 the great chain
of dye plants on the Rhine and ash
for explosives. The dye plants cut
off part OF their process and went
only 20 the point in the operation
whore they had the basics for the
explosives
Reversing the process the duPont'
can "a into the dye-making business
when the demand for their high eX
plosiyes is at an end.
The duPonts are not sitting around
waiting for the war TO end to deter
mine what they will do with thesI
immense plants now used for mu
nitions They have set the chemists
on the trail OF the problem.
DYES are not the only thing thesi
chemists are working out. There ar
now more than 100 commercial prod
nets products that are far from pow
der products. that are in use in home
factories. business houses, product
in everyday use In the "domesu
pursuits OF peace that these chen
lists have shown the powder maker
how to make.
Work ON Paper Problem.
Not content with making a substi
tute for leather and putting a neI
kind Of celluloid on the marke
these chemists are working toda
on the paper problem.
They have already proved aha
they can make a rough wrapIin
pepper from cotton stalks. and al
working on a bleaching that vii
makes a good print paper out OF col
ton stalks
With the pulping machines use
IN making guncotton in the Hope
well, Va. plant OF the DUPONT CON
pany. these chemists have show
they can turn out print paper frol
cotton fibre. But they have not bee
able. yet 20 make a commercially sue
cessfui product.
They know a score OF ways :
make nitric acid from the air. a
though the duPonts now control IN
American rights to the Norwegia
process now used in Germany fC
making nitric acid from the air. ]
peace times the duPonts use so pG
cent OF all nitric acid made in m
United States. They have a reaso
for wanting 10 know how 10 take
out OF the air.
There are Thousand and or
things these chamists are trying
make out of the by-products OF n
process which brings guncotton ini
existence. These products are nitrl
cellulose. and scores Of fiber pr
ducts. in addition 10 chemicals, ha'
been found TO be possible and pr
fitable
The ,only limit on these chemis
is the fact that the things they Z
10 find out must be those that c;
be made in the processes now in u
in the powder and explosive oper
lions. And here the field is lin
less.
a The chemical department OF the
L DUPONT de Nemours and Compa
IS divided into three classes. II
classes OF chemists work in the 70
tine work OF testing and experimel
sng with powder and high explosive
The other Is the research class. A
this IS The largest More chemis
are nov at work IN the research la
~~..A IA