The Washington herald., 1918-10-17
new MIRACLES
J OF CHEMISTRY
Electro Processes Playing
Important Part In
the War.

4
or the research work of the men of
seisncs or the men of chemistry. The
war has changed that Not even the
shtpouilding industry commands the
interest and attention which are asso-
eiated with the recent achievements
OF the American chemists.
This may be in part due to some OF
the romantic and fascinating narra-
tives which are associated with the
work Of the chemists IN solving some
Of the mysteries OF nature and by the
solution offering formulas or perfect
ing inventions which are to be Of the
utmost importance after the war Is
Eended In maintaining American indus
trial and financial prestige. One OF
the object Lessons which was sought
at this gathering Informed the peop.e
respecting what was called modern
miracles OF the electric furnace and
Its influence upon the present metal
supply.
1t Is indeed something like a mir
| acle, certainly an unexpected and
I surprising development following
research and investigation which
the electro-chemicaI industry illus
trates. A few years ago electro
chemistry was almost unknown.
There were a few American inven-
tors who had perfected electro
chemical processes and products as.
for Instance. in 1889 Charles NJ Hall
perfected the process by electro
4 chemistry which has made possible
the marvel Of the cheap production
OF aluminium. So also Bradley and
Lovejoy by means of this new sci
\ ence perfected the manufacture OF
saltpeter by electro-chemical proc
4 esses. DR.. f. G. Acheson discov-
| cred and then invented processes
for the production Of carborundum
and he also discovered and then
made commercial use of artificial
graphite, 4 commodity which in its
manufactured form the government
is now purchasing TO the extent nf
/ ten million pounds. Calcium carbide
was discovered and is the result of
electro-chemical methods worked
|out by Thomas Wilson: and silicon.
which has a very important rela-
tion to industry and especially to
the manufacture OF the highly per-
fected steel rails. represents electro
chemical processes devised by H, L.
Tone.
ALI of these and many other cleo
|tro-chemical products would furnish
q story IL the history Of the origin
and the development OF them were
told, which would rival in fascina-
tion and romance any the stories
4 tod by Jules Verne or by the fan
tastic conception Of H. G. Wells.
Came In Good Time.
The perfecting of electro-chemlca
methods came just at the right time.
Without these processes it would
hl ha Tai I'D
States to secure within one year the
amazing efficiency which has sup
piled her with all OF her needed mu-
|lnitiOns and material of war. The
electrO-chemical industry is repre-
sented in the perfecting OF the auto
mobile and especially in the building
i of airplanes. 1t was only twelve
{years ago that the FIRST furnace for
the production OF electric steel was
: set up. Eight years later there were
nineteen furnaces OF that kind in
! Operation, and at the close OF 1917
E233.
1t was said at the meeting of the
American chemists that the intro
jduction OF electric steel is matched
in Importance only by the adoption
! of the Bessemer process. which cleo
tric steel seems now to be supplant-
ing.
aluminium. which is now regard
ed by leaders as the most useful OF
ali the light metals. is absolutely
necessary for the construction of
Sairplanes. II is also used in the
making of electrical condensors. in
IcOmpressed castings which are en-
ployed in time devices for shrapnel
and other war equipment.
A Wonderful Increase.
Before Mr.. Hall. in 1898. made the
first use of electro-chemistry whereby
he converted aluminium from very
Expensive and rarely used product to
kone OF the least expensive and most
important Of metals. there was only
a little aluminium manufactured.
/ In 1917 hundred and eighty million
pounds Of aluminium were manufac-
tured. and this was substantially
two-thirds OF the worlds supply Of
aluminium. When DR. Acheson dis
covered the methods by which artIn-
ciol graphite could be secured by the
i utilization OF thermO electricity from
two Of the cheapest and most easily
| obtained Of our ineNhaustible natural
resources, the world was dependent
upon the graphite deposits in various
mines In 1877. by means Of this proc
ess DR.. Acheson manufactured 81
OCe 90 pounds of artificial graphite
something that would have been i'm
possible had not modern science
/ pointed the way
All the world knows how great the
demand for copper now Is, so great
that in various parts of the world
new copper mines are being exploited
land in a little while others will be
opened. especially in Bolivia BY
utilizing the electro chemical process
copper Is now manufactured so ex-
Itensively that its production in the
limited States since 1914 has been in
kcreased more than 80 per cent. Nearly
- per cent Of this copper which is
ready for Industrial use was treated
Iduring some part Of its refining proc
! less by eleCtro-Chemlcal methods. II
was demonstrated At the electro
3chemical exposition that until within
two years all the copper ore mined
. IN the United states was made mar
ketable by what is called electrolytic
rehning Today enormous amounts of
Ppure copper are produced by hydro
electric methods; then the copper Is
leached from the ore and the metal
preeipitated by eIectrolysis 80 that
in fact pure copper ready for the
Industry is now obtained in the pre-
Iliminary operations.
HOLLAND