The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-04-11
new SOLVENT
IS GREAT find
Removes Paints, varnishes,
Enan1eIs and SheI|acs With
out Injuring Wood.
WAS DREAM OF ALCHEMISTS
oissoIves Rubber, Clues, Hydrocar-
Sons and Many Substances Here
tofore Regarded a. Most Re-
sistant to Chemical Agencies.

Lincoln, Neb--New properties of 4
liquid described before the students Of
the department of chemistry OF the
University OF Nebraska show that it
almost realizes the dream of the al
chemists of old who sought the uni
versal solvent.
AS described by Or. Victor Lenher,
professor of chemistry at the univer-
sity Of Wisconsin, who has come here
to deliver series Of addresses or
the subject, further tests have shown
that selenium oxychl0ride as the solv-
ent is called, is more powerful even
than was indicated in his preliminary
announcement made before the Amer
lean Chemical society.
1t dissOiyes rubber, Clues. enamels,
hydrocarbons and many other sub
stances which hitherto have been re-
gartled as most resistant to all cheM-
fcal agencies except fire.
Other Substances Dissolved
Such products as redmanOl, bakefte
and condensite which are used as
substitutes for amber in the making
of pipe stems and for many other
Industrial purposes. and have been
until now regarded as insoluble in all
known solvents, are readily dissolved
by selenium oxychlotide, according to
the announcement of DR.. Lenher. BY
its use ordinary paints, varnishes and
shelIacs can be removed from furni-
ture and carriages and other objects
without injuring the wood, and enanl-
els can be taken from automobiles
without affecting the steel body.
Its solvent powers are SO vigor-
ous." said DR.. Lenher, that it will
remove the btumen from soft coal,
but will not attack the pure carbon
of anthracite"
DR.. Lenher also sees a military pow
er In this powerful solvent, as it can
be employed in making more porous
charcoals contained in the filter ma
terial Of war gas masks, process
known as activation.
1.-THE coconut charcoal used in the
gas mask continued DR.. Lenher, "can
be activated by this new reagent by
treatment at ordinary temperatures, {,
which is considerable advance over
the older steam activation at white
heat"
The use of activated charcoal in the !
extraction of gasoline from natural I
gas is one which is interesting chem !,
lists today and still leaves the gas
available for household and industrial
purposes AS a laboratory reagent,
Or. Lenher said that the properties OF |
selenium o1ychIcride are so unusual
that it is likely to come into common
use wherever research Is conducted
The solvent, which was formerly |
regarded as merely laboratory curl
,sity, Is finding Its place In many in
lustries The original statements con-
,erning it's exceptional powers have
,een amply verified, the speaker as
Ierted. by him and a group of students
Who have been attracted to the lab
,ratories of the University of Wis
:onsin during the last year.
Once a Waste Product.
The raw material from which 1t Is
|btained was once a waste product
rom the electrolytic refining Of copper,
or until recently the selenium from
hese eIectrolytic shines, while known
O the chemist as rare element, had
'een considered as almost valueless.
The solvent itself is heavy liquid,
nd nearly odorless. II can be readily
Iandled in a commercial way, how
yer, for were it the universal solv-
Mt" Of alchemy 1t could not be trans
orted, as no vessel could withstand
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