Evening star., 1921-04-03
GREATEST CHEMICAL RESEARCH LABORATORY ON WESTERN
HEMISPHERE LOCATED IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

, which allowed Of the nitrincation.
| through the use of nitric ecid. of va
rious bases; namely. Gotten. glycerin.
mercury, earbeiic scia, toluol, etc:
This WAS ? step ef tFeme endous im-
ability to Use these pitEatsd materials
in warfare has grown raIadly. In
1886. only thirty-four years ago.
smokeless powder was invented and
made applicable to the use of fire.
arms. and it Is since that time that
INT. ammonium nitrate and other
high explosives have been perfected
and been combined with our muni-
tions programs.
ssIT is interesting to trace the guam
4 titles and sources Of fixed nitro-
gen available during this develop
ment. Practically the only natural
depesist Of potassium nitrate in exist
ence occur in British India and from
early history to the present day these
deposits have been in great measure
| the source of nitrogen Ior black pow
! der. During the various wars tha,
| have occurred trpm the invention oi
has apparently always been q short
age OF nitrogen on one side or the
| other. and all sorts OF scnUnes have
| been tried in an effort to overcome this
| shortage 1t so happens that anlmai
| liquid contains considerable nitrogen
| In the tQrm OF ammonia. Wood ashes
| also contain potassium. In the pres
ence OF limestone these two materials
gradually coming and torn potae-
| sium nitrate. In application o. this
principle. nitrate farms have for sew
eral hundred years been relied upon,
| especially in time of war. ta AZ the
| ammonia In animal fuias in satis-
| factory form for munitions purposes.
! with the development Of the nitrf-
acatien Of celiulose, te(4ol, glYcerln
etc, apd their tremendous cYnsump-
demand far suitable hxed nitrogen
compounds for war purposes has very
| materially increased
"Fha demand for fxed nitrogen for
peace pursuits can be divided into
two main classes-lerlilizers and the
| chemical industry.
| Nitrogen for fertilizers: The three
| essential elements Of complete plant
food are Axad nitrogen, phosphoric
acid and potassium. And OF these
three, nitrogen is claimed to be the
most Important, and 1t is the most
! "Fertiliser has. OF course. since the
earliest days of human history. been
used in the growing of plants. Az
| chemical deve1opment has progressed,
study has been made of just what ele-
ments are needed and in what form
they should be used to praperly sus-
tain and deveiap plant life. And as .
result Of this, knewledse has been
gainsd as te the inorganic or mineral
materials that can be used to aug
stances previously used. And one
such substance is fixed nitrogen In
one form or another.
FOOD must. OF course. be raised in
@ war time as well as in peace time.
substantially the same But due to
the decrease In farm hands through
thair enrolment in the Army asd
through their employment in muni-
tions and war plants Of various kinds.
It is manifestly extremely diAieplt to
werk as many acres. In time Of war,
it is, therefore, necessary to raise
] mere crops par acre per man. than al
/ any other time. and the only way this
can be accomplished Is through the
mseffs efs. assrsdsa. su!. . y, use Of fsr.ili.eI:
abont nss OF 1sso snoFssnie
! German research development, and
1t was Twenty-Five or thirty years
later that the use was taken up in
the United States. 1t has. o. course.
ee.S oe1hanaes es.a t.. uns s..a today
wear, having value Of aRpFpxira tely
$40e.0eo.oAa. OF this amapnt, 100 900
tens are Ayed nitregen, With a value
"NitroEAa for the ehemieal Industry.
Hittsesn 10 vital to that part af chem
teal iHdgetEy consisting essentially
81 dsMestie explosives. Fsfrigeratior
the manufacture ~ dves, aYttfeia,
leather. phetpgFaphie films euiluloid
and other preduets Of nitrated cotton,
| = = -
"XNE all know Of the field Of do
mestic explosives-how they are
beiHg used in constantly increasing
AmaNats to mine. metal ores. coal, rock
etc, to displace human labor in the
excavation of bitches and foundations,
the planting and cutting of trees. etc.
and we know hev important it is that
IRIS use be net only maintained, but in
creased In time of war.
LAS general statement Of the rate
Of grevth Of the use af iHsFsanie nitro
gen 1t seems to be the experiences Of the
world that it doubles every ten years
| To meet the demand already outlined
ve have been deDerdent uron domestic
iaaFgsHie nitpeEea in the form Of am
monia and ammonium sulphate from by
product coke ovens and gas works: do
| mestic organic nitrogen in the form Of