Evening star., 1933-03-28
FALSE MORPHINE
bEL|EVEDFOUND|N
WASTE MATERIAL
Chemical Society Told of
Synthetic Material Which
Is Not Habit Forming.
DR.. CHARLES E. MUNROE
, HONORED AT BANQUET
Substitute for Musk Also Reported
Discovered in Series of
Experiments.

now goes 10 waste In bodybuilding. was
reported to the American Chemical So
ciety today.
The substance is phepanthrene, one of
the hydrocarbons in coal tar. 1t is
sometimes seen, shining with a slight
DlulSh nuOreScence, on roadside pud-
dies. This research was reported by
DR.. Lyndon F. Small and Nathan B.
Eddy of the University of Virginia, who
! have been engaged for several years in
cooperative project with the division
Of medicine of the National Research
Council with the object of securing a
| non-habit-f forming morphine product
with all the medicinal properties of the
natural product.
The nucleus of the morphine mole
cule is essentially the phenanthrene
molecule. The drug. however is much
more complex structure with attached
rings of atoms. First the University of
Virginia investigators attacked the prob
lem by tearing down the morphine
molecule itself. detachlng various atoms
and thus producing scores of substances
the physiological effects of which have
been tested on animals. Some highly
encouraging results were secured in this
way. but the substances have not yet
proved practical for medicinal use.
Reversed Process.
They then approached the problem
from the other end-building up from
phenanthrene. They have added vari-
Gus atoms to the phenanthrene mole
cule, approaching from different di-
rections a synthetic morphine The
product obtained at each step has been
tested for its physiological actions-its
habit-forming capacity. its efficiency as
| a pain-killer and its effects on respira-
ton and gastro-intestinal action. Some
very encouraging products have been
obtained, Drs. Small and Eddy re-
ported.
But" the report continued. 'the
difficulties of synthesis in the phenan-
threne series are very great and We
still are far from the product which
might show the physiological action We
seek. Nevertheless, the simple phe-
nanthrene compounds so far available
show degree and kind of physiological
activity which appears to offer great
promise"
approximately 1oo.ooo,ooo tons of
pure cellulose, 100000 tons of sugars
and large quantities of gums and
lignins are contained in the 0000, 900
tons Of corn stalks. cotton stalks and
straw annually discarded as waste by
port by Bureau of Standards scientists
before the division of cellulose chem
lstry. The report was made by DR..
S. F. Acree and his co-Workers, H. A.
Mann and Mary T. kanagy. Recovery
Of these products, it was stressed, is not
yet commercially feasible. but the re-
search is only at its beginning.
May Be Important.
Cellulose, DR.. Acree explained, is the
chief constituent of paper and rayon
and Is used in the manufacture of ex-
plosives, cellophane, Photographic films
lacQuers and adheSives. The process
devised by the bureau for extracting the
pressure successfully with water, dilute
sulphuric acid and lye The pulp is
then shaken in chlorine gas. cooked
again with lye and bleached with So
luton of bleaching powder. In this
process several gums are obtained
which, DR.. Acree believes, may find
future use as binding materials. Fur
ther cooking under pressure makes pos
sible the extraction of certain sugars
the most abundant of which is xylose
II is not as sweet as cane sugar and
questions as to its food value remain
unanswered. There are indications that
it may find important uses in medi-
cine.
Production of synthetic musk, hitherto
secured only from the male musk deer
of Tibet, was reported by Drs. j. w.
Hill and w. H. Carothers of the E. l.
du Pont de Nemours Co. This is one
of the most expensive of all perfumes.
Natural musk" the scientists eX-
planned, comes from pod on the belly
OF wild and solitary animal, difficult
to shoot or capture and likely soon to BE-
cXterminated because of the systematic
hunting. The odorous musk. principle
makes up only about 2 per cent of the
weight of the pod and genuine natural
musk therefore is very costly, although
considered an indispensable ingredient
OF many perfumes.
Great Variety Possible.
Chemically the odorous principle of
musk belongs to a very rare class of
compounds. The new method makes
it possible to make great variety of
them, including types that in the past
have been unknown. Nearly all the
some virtually identical with musk and
some with different qualities which may
prove of value in making perfumes"
These synthetic perfumes, they
pointed out, are derived from substances
called polyesters, obtained from vege-
table oils. 1t is possible they added, to
draw the polyesters into fibers resem-
bling natural silk.
Two servings of oysters a week will
combat goiter and supply deficiencies o.
iodine in the diet, according to joint
survey of the United States Bureau of
Fisheries and the South Carolina Food
Research Commission. The grand aver
age for all fresh samples, they reported,
was 531 parts of iodine per billion. Ac-
cording to this the average serving of
oysters would furnish more than half
the requirement for an adult man for
day. The remainder would be certainly
derived from other constituents of the
diet.
The 2Ooth anniversary of the death Of
Joseph Priestley, discoverer CT oxygen,
was observed by the society this morn
ing. The commemorative address was
delivered by Dr. Charles A. Browne of
the United States Bureau of Chemistry
and Soils. Prie5tley's best friend, said
DR.. Browne, was Benjamin Franklin,
who exercised a great influence on his
work. The observance was held in con-
nection with the Priestley exhibit at
the Library of Congress, which opened
yesterday Other speakers were Prof.
Lyman c. Newell of Boston University
and Prof. Tenny L. Davis Of the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology.
DR.. Munroe Hon6red.
DR.. Charles Edward Munroe, chief
explosives chemist of the Bureau Of
Mines and professor emeritus of chem
istry at George Washington University,
was presented with a diamond men,
bership pin and gift Of gold coin at a
dinner in his honor at the Willard last