Evening star., 1941-05-06
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
Bu Thomas r. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
Petroleum has been broken into IS
pieces by group of chemists at the
United States Bureau of Standards.
These may be the building stones OF
new explosives, perfumes, dyes and
Notwithstanding in Importance the
coal tar derivatives which have been
one of the greatest boons of the human
race during the past half century.
Fifty-four of the oil fragments are
basic constituents which cannot be
broken down any further. The other is
a jumbFe of chemicals which may be
broken up in the future into scores of
different parts. Petroleum. says DR..
Frederick D. Rossini, director of the
project, has many more things in 1t than
coal. The latter is the wood of ancient
swamps turned to stone Oil, the
chemists now believe, is the end pro-
duct of animal life of a few hundred
million years ago. 1t is more complex,
as an animal Is more complex than a
tree
AL uiC dillCiCliC OliIlsS "lllCll al c
mixed almost inextricably together in
fuel oil, gasoline, kerosene and the like,
DR.. Rossini points out, are hydrocar-
bons-combinations of hydrogen and
carbon. At the bottom are lot of sub
stances built up around the benzene
ring which was one of the most signifi-
cant discoveries of modern chemistry.
af
arranged in a closed ring To each is
attached single hydrogen atom. One
of these hydrogen atoms can be knocked
of and something else hooked on it in
Its place. Thus an almost infinite
variety OF new things can be built up
perfumes which duplicate almost any
odor and dyes which duplicate almost
any color in nature. 1t is chiefly these
benezene ring molecules which are
cotton out of coal tar. Thus it is pos
sible to get the fragrance of spring
violets or of new mown hay out of the
depths of the earth
Petroleum offers all this and more
Above the benzene ring molecules are
the heavier, more complicated naptha-
lene rings. Two atoms of hydrogen are
hooked on each atom of carbon. The
napthalene ring is a more cumbersome
thlng With which to work and its
potentialities have hardly been scratched.
Still heavier and more cumbersome are
the various waxlike parafines which
DR.. Rossini and his staff have been get
ting out of petroleum. They may form
very massive building stones.
The method of splitting up the petro-
leum Is superflcially very simple, but
requires complicated apparatus and de-
hcate manipulation. The different sub
stances boil at different temperatures,
but often there is only fraction of a
degree OF difference between two boiling
points. AS the oil is broken up into
finer and finer fragments the differences
become smaller. Until few months ago
the research group had separated As
different products and the differences
had become SO slight that it seemed i'm
possible to proceed much further. Then,
with refined procedures. nine more were
obtained and DR.. Rossini believes it will
be possible to find many others in the
unoroken residue which remains
Thirty-two pure hydrocarbons, he saws,
constitute approximately rs per cent of
petroleum. Only two make up % per
cent Two others added to these make
up 33 per cent. Another four bring up
the total to one half. In the next 25
per cent "a separate substances have
been isolated. 1t is the remaining one
fourth which the chemists are trying
to crack as finely as possible
Gasoline, DR.. Rossini explained, is
roughly that part OF petroleum which
boils between 55 and 145 degrees cent?
grade. 1t is an almost inextricable mix
ture OF different things and, taken in
its natural form, would make a very
poor motor fuel. 1t has yielded more
than 40 different constituents. Work
now is concentrated on kerosene, boiling
at another temperature range, which
already has yielded four new products
The object, Dr. Rossini stressed, Is not
to make q better gasoline or kerosene
These can be achieved by quicker and
cheaper process. The essential aim i.
to find some uses for the new useless
residue Of petroleum and to get the
things out Of 1t which do not add to its
value as fuel but which may be of
unlimited value as building stones for
other products.
The splitting Of coal tars, DR.. Rossini
points out, started about the middle OF
the last century and the possible prod
ducts to be derived from them still are
far from exhausted. Petroleum offers
an untouched quarry of building stones
Of all shapes and sizes with which all
sorts Of structures can be erected. BY
themselves, few Of the new hydrocar-
bons are of any value. Some of them
resemble very closely those found ir
coal tars. Nobody can predict the pos
sibilities Of them. DR.. Rossini says, for
they probably will keep organic chem.
lists busy for century to come.
"Spokesman for the People"