The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-03-12

found that the electric spark could
be used TO combine the nitrogen
with the oxygen Of the air. The OBJ
servation OF Cayendish lay unused
for nearly n hundred years, until
cheap electric power became avail
able in Norway, and Or. Samuel
Eyde supplied the financial backing
and the enthusiasm OF youth. lie
built five factories from which, as
early as 1919. he was shipping nj
trate around the strait OF Magellan
and selling on the west coast IN
competition with nitrate from the
west coast Of Chile.
Eydo's is called the arc process.
Air IN passed through "A chimney
containing n giant electric arc lamp
which heats the passing air to 1000
degrees centlgrade. One and a half
per cent OF the nitrogen Is COM
bincd with the Oxygen. rho result
ing compound is allowed 20 add
more oxygen and Is then dissolved
IN water to give nitric acid. FROM
the nitric acid can be made. II de.
sired, "a good nitrate fertilizer, such
az lime nitrate.
Eyde at Nottoden Is supposed 10
be using some 100000 horsepower
The possibilities at Muscle Shoals
arc thought to be ten times that
amount OF power.
Dr. Eyde was conspicuous MEM
bcr Of the last International con-
gress OF applied chemistry in New
York city, At n great testimonial
meeting he ascribed his success 60
the employment Of young men, TO
the lack of experience, TO disregard
Ing the doubts and hesitate ons Of the
authorities" He gave thanks ito
the young people, to heir un-
daunted courage, energy. and love
OF action" which made the great
new industry for the Norwegians.
For every pound OF military ex-
plosive there is used, on the aver
age, two pounds of nitrate Of soda
Germany could never have faced a
war. even OF defense, with ;he ocean
closed against her, except that che
had working two good processes for
utilizing atmospheric nitrogen Aft-
or the battle OF the Marus and the
destruction OF her hopes Tor n quick,
triumphal entry in.o Paris and
world peace, tie aalser's govern
ment advanced 30,00O,OO0 marks.
then equivalent 20 $7,500,000. for
the extension OF the Haber process
OF the Badlsche Dye company.
What was the result? Today the
German factories have capacity
twice as large as their total imports
OF nitrogen before the war. Com
pared with former imports OF 750,-
900 tons nitrate yearly, she can now
make as much fixed nitrogen as is
contained In 1900, 900 tons. Her de-
pendence has been changed toward
domination and she Is now I'm posi-
ton to export nitrogen to whom she
pleases.
The Haber process is the combi-
nation OF nitrogen with hydrogen.
The nitrogen comes from the air,
hydrogen from water. Under the
Influence OF heat and pressure and
In the presence of an active form OF
iron. these two gases give ammonia.
Ammonia Is used as such in ice
making machinery; dissolved I'm
water IL Is the drug store article of
characteristic odor. But for the
great uses OF agriculture and manu-
featuring it Is converted by oxygen
OF the air and water to nitric acid.
The American Cyanamid company
has done great work in developing
on this side OF the Atlantic the proc
ess OF combining nitrogen from air
with the electric furnace product
calcium carbide, which results from
the action at very high temperatures
OF coke on lime. During the war
our government spent most of its
millions at Muscle Shoals in building
plants for this process. They were
not fully built at the signing OF the
armistice. Under the terms of the
contract with the cyanamid COM
pany there was to have been sup
from MICn1n
Shoals and from installations OF the
process elsewhere enought OF the
great high explosive, ammonium nj
trate, to correspond TO the fixed
nitrogen in 100000 tons OF nitrate
of Rndn