Roanoke Rapids herald., 1924-01-11
Laboratory Reproductions Equal
Earth'S Finest Work-USe
Natures Processes.

Washington.-What is claimed to be
the latest wonder of modern science is
ilie man-made reproduction of syn
thetic minerals, to be followed In a
few months by synthetic rocks. The
reproductions are said to equal mother
eart1l's finest workmanship and to re-
quire less than u millpnth part of the
estimated time needed by her.
They are the fruits of years Of pa
tient research and labOrious hours in
the laboratory; Of hazardous expert
ments with powerful machines capable
of exerting pressure of 100000 pounds
to the square inch-all carried to their
present stage of success at the geo
physical laboratory of the Carnegie in
stitute of Washington.
To manufacture minerals and rocks
science is simply duplicating natures
processes, but is accomplishing the
same results, on much smaller scnle,.
of course, in u single working day. Ma
ture took bewildering ages and smelt-
ed her wonders in the vast forges of
the earth; science is fabricating its
copies in few highly polished and in
nocent-loOking little steel "bombs."
Same Minerals Used.
Mother earth manufactured her
minerals and rocks science has
learned by means of extreme heat and
extreme pressure. First the minerals
known to be contained in the mineral
under experiment are poured into
tiny tube made of pure platinum, one
end of which is sealed by solid gold.
The opposite end is then sealed and
this container placed in the bomb"
The bomb Is made of the finest steel
obtainable. Its aperture Is small and
its walls extremely thick in compuri-
son. all making it capable of with
standing the terrific test it is about to
undergo. A small electric furnace
made Of the same, although impure,
constituents of rubies, is placed in the
bomb" and the apparatus sealed.
Then 1t Is ready for the ordeal of scar
ing heat and gigantic pressures.
Both are applied gradually, the heat
sometimes being permitted to register
as high as $500 degrees Fahrenheit
and the pressure as much as 10000
b pounds to the square inch Gradually
the gauges creep up, and up and up
Suddenly they relax and the pressure
drops. The watchful attendants know
something" has happened inside the
bomb and the heat and pressure are
cOntainer is cut open mineral particles
or rocks, whichever the case may be,
are found inside
Rocks That Will Bend.
Not only are these minerals the rep
licas Of natures own products but in
many instances purer-completely free
from the discoloring impurities that
are found in the natural originals. For
instance the jadeite made at the geo.
physical laboratory of the Carnegie in
sttute is light yellow in color Nat
ural jade is green. The green color
ing, however, is supplied by an i'm
purity, and the synthetic jade readily
could be made the same shade by in
Guiding the impurity In Its constitu-
ents.
Science has gone nature one better
IN It's experiments. Ii has discovered
that by injecting more water into the
rocks 1t can make them susceptible to
bending-geatin-lik If still more
water is forced into them under heat
and pressure they are quite readily re-
duced to liquid-liquid rock, in fact.
But when the uninitiated visitor to the
laboratory opens his eyes in wonder at
such spectacles, the scientists simply
laugh and quite learnedly say: why.
there's nothing SO remarkable about
that"
Able to Compress Water.
Tests with high pressure have also
disproved some old theories. The first
is that water cannot be compressed.
Science has discovered that water can
not only he compressed, but that under