Evening star., 1933-03-27
5000 Scientists From All
Over Nation at Opening
of Session Here.
WORLD FRIENDSHIP
LINKED TO MINERALS
Prof. Taylor of Princeton Points
to Chile's Tax and Disorders as
Cause Of Our Producing Nitrate.

The chemist with his magic test
tube was pictured as a vital factor in
world affairs In addresses before the
American Chemical Society which
opened its eighty-fifth annual meeting
here today with approximately 5000
scientists from all over the United
States in attendance
That the laboratories hold the key to
world power in the future was stressed
by Prof. Hugh S. Taylor, professor OF
chemistry at Princeton, who linked the
problems OF international friendships
and hatreds with the distribution Of
mineral resources Of the earth.
Prof. Taylor cited the present dis
turbed politics and heavy taxation OF
Chile as directly attributable to the
chemists who found ways of deriving
nitrogen from the air and thus cut
down the need for heavy importations
/ Of nitrates. the chief export product Of
the South American republic. The
United States, he pointed out, now con-
trolls II per cent of the worlds petro-
leum, while chemists In Great Britain
and Germany are striving to produce
synthetic fuel oils from coal to Offset
this advantage.
New Gold Deposits.
depressions In the past, said Harry L.
Derby Of New York, president of the
American Cyanamid and Chemical Cor
poration. have been met by discoveries
Of new deposits. Last year, he pointed
out. gold production all over the world
reached a new all time record in It's
effort to beat the depression without
the discovery Of any new source of
supply. but by improved methods OF
deriving the metal from the crude ore,
the so-called "doatation" method.
Chemistry's contribution to the world,
already so vast as to startle chemists
themselves. has barely begun, Mr.. Derby
declared in discussing the relations of
chemistry to the State. During the five
years ending with 1880. he said. the
chemical industries contributed more
than 81, 900 900 900 in taxes to Federal,
State and local governments. This. he
insisted, was dsproportionate share.
Prom heavy importer Of chemicals y
Mr.. Derby said. we have so increased
our production and variety that, except
for a few minor exceptions, We can now
supply our entire requirements and pro-
vide large quantities for export. 1t Is
than $16,000,000 worth of chemicals
that cannot be produced in sufficient
quantities in the United States, and
this figure included a total Of s13,00o,-
900 for potash salts which America
itself soon can supply.
z4s,ooo Employed.
In 1914 the chemical industries en-
ployed 249 900 persons. BY 1929 these
industries had provided employment for
ASS, 200, despite Improvements in pro-
duction methods which reduced labor.
This increase in employment was at
approximately twice the rate Of our
growth Of population. The average
cost OF chemicals to consuming indus
tries IN this country has gone down
tremendously since the Amerian mar
kets began to supply them IN place OF
foreign producers"
Atomic energy threatens to change
the whole structure of modern chemis-
try" Prof. Taylor declared. Trans
mutation Of metals. goal Of the ancient
alchemists, Is IN process Of solution in
the physical laboratories Of the world" "
he continued. "Radio-activity, q chem
lists discovery, has become one of the
most potent instruments Of physical
research. The difficulties which arise
in world politics from distribution of
natural resources may be intensified be-
cause progress in chemical achievement
may profoundly modify the extent Of
power accruing from the possession Of
raw materials"
Announcement of the Langmuir
award Of 81 900 to Prof. Frank H. Sped
ding of the University of California
for researches disclosing fuller knowl-
edge Of the structure of the atom was
announced today by Prof. Arthur b.
Lamb Of Harvard University, president
of the society.
DR.. SPEEDING, Prof. Lamb explained,
had been able to SLOW down" the atom
through sharp lowering of temperatures
and thus determine some of the charac-
teristics Of atomic structure in solids
by use Of the spectroscope. Hitherto
this method has been confined to the
atoms of gasses.
Means of Identification.
Through studies of the light given
of by substances" Prof. Lamb ex-
planned, science has found means Of
identifying them since different sub
stances give OIL different spectra The
light not only Identifies the substance
but tells the chemists a great deal about
its condition. DR.. Speeding has dis
closed methods which, it Is hoped, will
give as full comprehension of the
characteristics Of the atom IN solids as
in gasses."
The award was instituted in 1881 by
DR.. A. c. Langmuir, brother Of DR.. Irv-
ing Langmuir, Nobel prize winner in
chemistry. The award was made by the
following committee: DR.. Charles l..
Reese, president -elect Of the society;
Prof. Arthur E. Hill, New York Univer-
sity; Prof Hobart H. Willard. Univer-
sity of Michigan; Prof James B.
Conant Harvard University; Prof. Har-