The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-16

ment of electricity of a high degree of
 heat, could be artificially obtained
 through an enforced union of the ele-
 mental substances which are the base of
 natural eamphor. Science discovered that | turpentine and hydrochloride could be
 forced into a union by the employment
 of a high degree of electricity so that
 this union would be represented by
 substance having all the qualities of natural camphor, and the additional ad- vantage of being perfectly pure
 AGAIN SCIENCE TRIUMPHS | The report thaa at iast a satisfactory camphor had been produced by the syn
 thetic process was followed within a few days by another authoritative state
 ment, which told of a new triumph of science. Artificial camphor of the lat est synthetic production will probably give to the United States a feeling of 1 independence. so that no longer can the cultivators of natural camphor do as they please with the American market. Now comes the report that one of the ablest men of science in Italy has after several years of experimenting. perfected { a process whereby ammonia can be se- cured without the employment of any I raw material except air and water. Of course, af furnishes one of the sle-
 ments that is needed through the use of high degree electricity
 Water furnishes by hydrogen to com bine These elemental substances both
 of them being so plentiful as to make the initial cost trifling, as to produce artificial ammonia
 Science is already experimenting with intent to produce other products by the synthetic method Perhaps some day it will show the way fer the synthetic production of rubber. It was the syn thetic method wherein high degree of electricity plays so important a part, that gave us commercial aluminium, car
 borundum, artificial graphite and Egyp- | tianized clay. All of these artificial products were secured through the com bination of elemental substances, and these substances were almost as free as air itself.
 ! Today men of science are understood to be following suggestion recently made by Dr. E. G. Acheson in an ad-
 dress delivered at Washington. and in earlier publications He is looked upon as high authority on synthetic chemjs- try It was by the employment of it that he discovered carborundum, the arti- ficial graphite, and some other commod- itles He is convinced that by the sym thetic process scienece can at last dis cover how nature through combina- tion of two clements. carbon and hydro gen, caused petroleum to be produced. These elemtnts are everywhere; the hydrogen in water. and the carbon one of the most common elemental substances to be found in nature. If science by the synthetic process can do artificially what nature does in obedience to her immu- table laws tin there no longer will be fear that the worlds supply of petro- leum will be exhausted. For if the sym thetic process can by the enforced union of hydrogen and carbon in the proper proportionate be so employed AS to yield petroleum, then plants for the artificial manufacture of petroleum can be es- l tablished anywhere. but would probably seek a location in the aluminium, carbo- rurdum and artificial graphite con- panies did at Niagara Falls where every
 hydroelectric energy can be the mosl economically and satisfactorily obtained