The Washington herald., 1918-04-24
NITROGEN GAS
WILL Be PIPED
Holland Tells of Wonderful
Results in Chemistry.

~ BOOu IS inc bTcaL plaub ~ @Aes-
Gle Shoals, which the government is
now causing to be constructed at the
expense of millions, Is completed,
there will be sent into ii, careering
on its way from another plant
through appropriately constructed
tubes-continuous streams, SO to call
them-of pure nitrogen gas. This ele-
ment represents new creative and
constructive work carried on by a
new and large corporation, with
which Walter W. Birge Is identified
a. president. Not much has been
heard Of this corporation, but a great
deal 10 likely soon to be known by
the public through the discoveries
some Of them almost welrd-of the
chemists employed and the establish
ment Of q number Of large plants
wherein may be utilized elements OBJ
tanned from an inexhanstible natural
resource. which II the atmosphere
1t was not very long ago that Sir
william Ramsay made one Of the
most notable discoveries Of science
since DR.. Priestey discovered oxygen
or II revealed to the world that the
atmosphere which surrounds the earth
contains other elements OF gases than
nitrogan or oxygen. In association
with Lord Rayleigh Sir William dis
covered argon and later other at
nospheric gases, although these are,
a. compared with the great volume
OF oxygen and nitrogen, Of almost
inhnitesimal quantity.
Liquid Air Appears.
soon after these discoveries another
was made whereby, with proper ap-
- aWarffn0 nraa9Irn.
air was liduifed. Many were the con-
lectures respecting the commercial
and Industrial utilization Of liquiied
air. At ono time II was the chief
topic in the world Of research and
science. The people were so greatly
interested that when lectures or dem
onstrations were given to illustrate
the manufacture by mechanical proc
ess Of liquified air these were attend
ed by throngs. Gradually, however.
IL was feared that liquified air could
be Of no great commercial utility. Its
peculiar qualities, especially the fact
that when liquified it reaches almost
absolute zero. made it seem dangerous
TO employ it, There was also the
peril Of explosion.
Nevertheless. some Of the ablest
men Of science of the time wonder
whether after all the Iiquifcation OF
air might not point the way by
which nitrogen which is in the air
could be fixed, captured, and then by
appropriate apparatus made useful
for commercial purposes.
As Ii Was at Niagara.
Soon after the development of
the stupendous electric energy into
which some part of the power Of
the Niagara River was converted
had been made available for in
dustrial uses. two American men Of
science. Bradley and Lovejoy. de-
tcrmined to take advantage of this
electric energy and heat so that it
might be learned whether it could
be employed for the extraction or
fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. They
established a little plant at Niagara
Falls and in it set up an arc light
capable Of developing tremendous
amount Of electric heat. Then in ac-
cordance with a formula which they
had worked out they applied the air
to this electric arc and thereby Sc
cured nitrogen. This is a rather crude
description of the work these men
did but it is the most available way
Of furnishing layman with some idea
of their achievement.
They did secure by this method the
fixation of nitrogen and it was the
FIRST time in the history of science
that this had been accomplished. 1t
was soon preceived thatt he opera
ton would entail great expense. at
least in the United States. There
were, however, men of science of
Norway who had opportunity to in
spect this work and they made haste
to return to Norway in the belief that
the abundant waterpower which could
be very cheaply developed there would
make it possible to use this process.
Norway Did Ii.
These men were correct in their be-
lief. Norway's waterpower is almost
as cheaply secured as though the
water was dipped out of the rapids by
bucketfuls Therefore, they estab-
Iished various plants. ultimately cap
able of producing the equivalent Of
1000 horsepower of electric energy.
and then it was announced to the
world that Norway was the leader in
the practicable commercial undeTtah-
ing of obtaining nitrogen directly from
the atmosphere.
The corporation with which Mr.. BirEe
Is identified through the researches
and counsel of the men of science
which it employs worked out another
and very much cheaper method of Sc
curing the fiXation of nitrogen from
the atmosphere. But it all goes back
to the wonderful demonstration made
by an English man of science of the
capacity of properly prepared appa-
ratus to liquify the air.
Our atmospheric is made up Of a lit