The New York herald., 1921-09-09
chemists FORECAST
new WORLD ENERGY
Solar Rays, Earth's Rota-
tion and Disintegration
10 Da Used.
OUTLINE BY DIR. LITTLE
Kinetic Value of Sahara
Desert Equal Daily to Six
Billions Tons of Coal.
POWER HIDING IN MATTER
Prof. w. ID. Bancroft Sees in
Creative Chemistry a Speedy
Return Of Prosperity.
OUTLINE BY DIR. LITTLE
POWER HIDING IN MATTER

A new era of human progress. in
which new energy developed from
hitherto untapped sources. incalculable
In oxtont is 10 be one feature and a
multiplication of production with q
corresponding reduction of cost is TO
be the second, was described yester-
day in papers read before the joint
meeting Of the British and American
Chemical Societies at the College OF
the City of New York.
The first feature is to be achieved
through the scientific utilization of
energy derived from the suns rays,
from the disintegration of the atom.
from the earths rotation, from wind
and water and from growing vegeta-
tion. The second feature is to result
from the scientific application in in
catalysis. This means the introduc-
ton, where chemical reactions are re-
Quired in manufacturing processes, or
new agents which will speed up the
affecting the chemical result.
Papers on these two subjects were
read at yesterday afternoons session OF
the convention and were the topic OF
much scientific discussion by the 500
delegates present. The frist was pre-
sented by Dr. Arthur d. Little. chemical
engineer and technologist OF Boston. who
recently dsproved the adage that 1t
was impossible to make a silk purse
from a sows ear. The second on the
application OF catalysis as means TO
hasten general prosperity and overcome
the handicap of destroyed capital re-
sulting from the war, was presented by
Prof. Wilder ID. Bancroft, of the de-
partment of physical chemistry of Cor
nell University.
Chemistry and Life.
In addition 10 those mentioned Sir
William J. Pope. president OF the Society
OF Chemical Industry of Great Britain.
delivered an address on the relationship
between the science of chemistry and
life, while papers dealing with other
phases OF the same general subject we're
presented by DR.. Charles Baskerville of
the College of the City of New York !.
DIR. Leo III. Baekeland. honorary pro-
fessor OF chemical engineering of
Columbia DR.. Willis r. Whitney. OF
the research department Of the General
Electric Company. and DR.. Ernest Cohen.
professor of chemistry of the University
of Utrecht.
In his paper entitled Energy. Its
Sources and Future Possibilities" DR..
Little began with the statement that
our present day civilization Is based on
coal This he declared to be the fact
In spite OF tendencies seeming to imply
that the burden was being shifted to
petroleum. The supply of natural gas
he also said was dwindling fast, so that
It behooved present day scientists TO
take account OF other possible sources
OF supply because energy Is the econ
omc support CT progress" DIR. Little's
paper continued:
There is in all communities large
class that claims, with a certain super
ficiality of Justice, that all wealth Is
produced by labor. But the amount of
wealth that labor can produce Is deter
mined by the amount OF energy placed
at the disposal of the laborer and by
the efficiency with which. under the
to utilize that energy. The amount of
food consumed daily by the average New
Yorker has about the same energy con-
tent as one-half pound OF coal, and, like
the rest OF us, he Is commonly unwilling
TO convert all that energy into useful
work.
Upon what sources Of energy may
the world draw for the stupendous work
OF reconstruction and the requirement
OF the new social era. at the threshold
of which we seem to stand?"
Sources OF Supply.
Briefly. here are some OF the sources
OF supply to which DR.. Little looks with
varying degrees of confidence in respec,
Of the future supply: Solar energy de-
desert. Or. Little calculates. with its
100000 square lSilometers Of area. re.
ceives daily solar energy equivalent n
that of 5000. 000, 900 tons OF coal. The
world, he adds. awaits the genius who
win convert that radiant energy into
electric current
The energy Of the earths rotation. he
declares. undoubtedly Is OF great magni-
tude--so great that while astronomers
talk of 1t more or less glibly, chemists
no far are confounded BY its eviden,
potcntiality. The energy OF the wind
and waves. Or. Little holds. Is too dilfus.
and uncertain to justify extensive ex-
ploitation, and except In the cases OF q
Few exceptionally favored locations ths
Same may be said Of tidal energy. while
In hts opinion, II seems improbable thai
the vast store OF energy existent as the
earth's internal heat will ever be avail
able In any substantial measure.
But of extraordinary interest TO chem
fats. DR.. Little asserts. are the accumu-
letting evidences Of great amounts ol
kinetic energy possessed not only bs
rad,urn but BY ordinary matter as thu
constitutional energy OF It's atoms. on
this point Or. Little said:
I'VE now recognize that concealed |,