Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-05
CHEAPER GASOLINE
DEVISED IN BERLIN
Believed Synthetic Petroleum
May Solve Motor Fuel
Problem.

BERLIN. August IS. new
method of cheaper synthesis of
high-gIade motor fuel i'm Germany
may go far toward the solution of
the motor fuel problem in the future.
The Berlin professor. Franz Fischer,
liquid fuels alphabetically from coal
products. has now simplified his
process SO that he can dispense with
costly high pressure apparatus that
has stood in the way of it's CONNER
cial development.
The new method produces "A pleas
ant smelling gasoline as clear as
water and one which will not harden
or become gummy on exposure. The
gasoline il highly volatile and is
largely made up of unsaturated com
po"nds like clefines. which impart to
the gasoline valuable anti-knock
properties This enables it to be used
in efficient high.compression motors
without objectionable knocking and
with great economy.
A number of valuable by-products
may help to put the process on n
sound commercial basis in the future.
point condensing to heavier oils. by
the use of catalyzing agents, may be
changed to hard paratin. The puri-
fed crystalliZed substance could he
used in the manufacture of candles
and other paratin products. it is
claimed.
Semi-coke. a. new industry by
product for which "A commercial use
has not yet been found. may he used
as the basis of syntheSH of this new
gasoline. Semi-coke is left over in the
low temperature carbOniZati0n of
coal in making tar oils. In the
Fischer process water gas. from
which the new liquid fuel is con
densed. gan I've made from coke or
semi-coke. and the latter. it is claimed.
would he an ideal starting material.
coke and coal are almost complete
lv Easiied when steam is led over
them at a high temperature. and
water gas. q mixture of carbon
monoxide and hydrogen. is formed
If this water gas could be entirely
transformed into liquid motor fuel
the problem of the wasteless trans
formation of solid coal into liquid
fuel, the dream of the modern chem
lists. would he accomplished
The BadiSche Analin und Soda
Fabrik first succeeded in commercial
" synthesizfng liquid fuels from this
gas mixture in Germany by means
of Dr. FiScher's early method, in
which preSsureS of / 800 pounds ner
square inch or more were employed.
BY his new process. however. Prof.
Fischer has succeeded in SynthesiZ-
ing gaseous. liquid and solid carbohy.
drateS from carbon mOnoxide and
hydrogen at ordinary pressure Hith-
erto all reduction of carbon monoXide
without pressure yielded methane.
but Fischer found that by using an
iron-Zinc oxide catalyzer more com
plicated products were formed. Other
metals and their compounds were
studied and n cobalt chromium oxide
formation Of gaseous, liquid and solid
carbohydrates when heated to about
BIS degrees Fahrenheit.
The carbon of the carbon monoXide
is said to he made into carbide by
the metal and the carbide then split
by the hydrogen in the gas mixture.
AS result the metal is regenerated
and carbohydrates are formed.
In the old Fischer method a large
proportion Of the synthetic products
formed were highly oXidized, but in
the new normal pressure process
they are unoXidiZed Prof. Fischer
found that if the temperature was
raised the formation of higher carbo-
hydlates stopped and methane was
again formed.