The Republican journal., 1917-04-12
WHAT AMERICAN CHEMISTS HAVE
ACCOMPLISHED.

ACCOMPLISHED.
In chemistry, as in other practical mat
tiers, Americans have had the wi dom to
direct their energies to the special needs
and opportunities of their country. For
instance, they have built up the greatest
sulphuric- acid industry in the world.
And they have given SO much attention
10 sulphuric acid simply because it is a
prime requisite for our superphosphate
fertilizers. our petroleum refining, our
explosives for blasting, and the numer-
GUS other substances of which the United
States is the leading producer. Similarly,
American chemists originated and deve-
loped the largest aluminium industry in
the world, which supplies US with that
lIghtest of all metals in ever-ncreaslng
quantities. They built up. from its very
inception, the largest calcium carbide in
dustry, which furnishes US that new
chemical for producing acetylene light,
and which, mixed with oxygen, permits
Us to weld and cut metals by means of d
burning jet of oXyacetylene-an entirely
new way of cutting steel-melting it like
butter, instead of slowly cutting or saw
ing it by mechanical devices. They built
mp the largest electrolytic soda industry,
in which the powerful electroytic cur
rent decomposes common kitchen salt
and sets free that green gas chlorine, as
well as caustic soda. The public hardly
knew this chlorine gas before its nor
rible use in compressed, liquefied cordi-
ton for trench warfare in the asphyXiat
ing gas bombs; its splendid uses for
peace, as purifier of our drinking water
supplies, as an antiseptic, and as Il
bleaching agent, were hardly ever spoken
of. AS to caustic soda, 1t is the base of
SOAP making, of mercerized cotton goods,
of soda-pulp for our paper supplies, and
it has endless other uses in chemical r-
dustries.
Our chemists were instrumental in pro-
viding us with the largest sulphite- ceiu-
lose industry, whereby wood is changed
into the raw material from which paper
is made, aid with our immense petroleum
refining lndustry-a succession of chemi-
cal processes. Another American chemi-
cal industry is the manufacture of synthe-
tic abrasives, like carborundum and alum
drum-striking improvements over the
grinding materials found in nature. We
owe to an American chemist the produc-
ton of artificial graphite, one of the very
essentials of the electro chemical enter.
prises in which the United States is a
pioneer as well as pace maker; for
graphite Electrodes" and graphite
"eaders' are the very ENTRANCE doors
through which the electric current flows
into electric furnaces or electrolyzers
whenever the use of metals is impossible;
SO that "Acheson artificial graphite"
made in Niagara Falls, has come to be
trade term ln every country in the world
where huge electrochemical works are in
operation.
And as our chemists developed methods
OF utilizing our great natural supply of
petroleum, and our enormous Mag ara
Water-poWer, so they have bulit up sue
cesson of enterprises which group them
selves around the better utilization of
corn and cotton. seed For our che mis- s
are cooperating with our farmers, and
are deriving corn oil and cotton-se oil.
cattle feed, starch, glucose, and many
other things as byproducts of agricul-
ture. They also invented and developed
celIuloid and the Photographic film, the
very base of that new prodigy. the
notion picture industry. They developed
processes for the rapid tanning of leather
which revoutloniz ID the slower and more
expensive older methods, reducing the
process to as many days as it formerly
took weeks or months; in this way they
have built up one of the very largest
leather industries in the world. with an
output amounting to between 5000, 900, 900
and $500 900, 900 a year. 10 the me- al
time, their activities kept on ramifyl G
through the endless network of other / :
duatries, most of which seem far removed
from the field of chemistry. They in
proved and cbeapened the manufacture
of paints and varnishes, introduced sys-
TEN into our rubber industry, and mod
ernized our immense cement INDUSTRY,
which under their stimulation has grown
like giant. Without entering into too
elaborate enumeration OF the processes
which they have either invented or devel-
oped, we can say that the most varied
groups of American industries owe their
origin or modernization to the energy and
genius of American chemists. L. H
Baekeland in Harper's Magazine for
April.