Evening star., 1942-07-19
Industrial Uses
OF Corn Cover
Wide Range
Leading Crop Gives
Us Many Products
Other Than Food
By Rebecca Woodward.

DJ HcOeCtN ~ OOUUUv Us .f
Nothing is impossible to science
aided by labor" wrote Newton. And
Sir Isaac was right-at least as far
as corn is concerned. A case in
point: Chemical researchers have
developed a process which extracts
from the lowly corn cob a hard,
black, plastic material possessing
great toughness and marked re-
sistance to water and chemicals.
This black-as-night genie" which
science has let out of the yellow
corn cob is no stranger in our
homes. Phonograph records, tele-
phone receivers, handles for elec-
trical appliances, cigarette holders
are but a few Of the many things
that can be made from it.
How long it took the Indians to
develop corn or maize from it's wild
ancestor-thought to be a tropical
grass-nobody knows. But develop
it they did. The Indians were
familiar with all three of the dis
tinctly different types of corn we
grow today-sweet, corn, pop corn
and field corn.
In early Colonial times the set
tiers lived chiefly on corn bread
and hominy grits, supplemented by
whatever wild game was available
Corn still figures prominently in
our national diet. AS a canned
commodity it ranks second to peas
in consumer demand Sweet corn
is grown in home gardens from
Maine to California.
But it is field corn that accounts
for our tremendous corn acreage
total. Although used principally as
feed for livestock, about one-fifth
Of the crop finds its way into various
food and non food commercial chan
nels
Candies, breakfast foods and corn
sirup march alongside shoe polish,
Fourth of July "sparklers" and dry
ice in the parade of corn products.
There are number of patented
processes utilizing cornstalks and
the lowly corncob in the making
OF such things as paper, synthetic
lumber, synthetic perfumes and
f1avoring. Vanillin is derived from
this source.
For years, bakers, candymakers
and other food manufacturers have
been using large quantities Of corn
sugar for sweetening purposes $780,
100000 pounds were consumed. for
example, in 1941. Housewives having
less sugar for cakes, puddings and
ice creams are now turning to corn
sirup and corn sugar.
The medical profession, in par
ticular, is indebted to Americas
golden crop" The isolation of in
sulin by the late DR.. Banting, which
has saved the lives of countless dia-
betics, was accomplished with ace
tone, solvent made from corn.
From acetone comes such other
medical aids as iodoform. chloroform
and ether. Calcium gluconate, pre-
scribed in the treatment of various
diseases, is produced by the action
of mold on corn sugar.
Rubber and Oil are the twin es-
sentials Of modern warfare. Corn,
in some measure, can substitute for
both OF these materials. Butadiene,
a synthetic rubber derived from corn
Is said to be one of the best, if not
the best synthetic rubber available.
An experienced chemist recently
called it "the equal of natural rub
ber."
AS far back as 1880 corn was rec
ognized as a potential source OF
motor fuel. In that year a number
OF experimental road tests were run,
using blend of gasoline and power
alcohol made from corn. Results
were encouraging. The octane rat
Ing was definitely improved; the
mileage per gallon was only slightly
less than that obtained from stand
ard type motor fuels.