CHEMISTRY for the MANY - C&EN Global Enterprise (ACS Publications)

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CHEMISTRY for t h e MANY B y George O· Curiae, Jr. "Willard Gibbs Medalist Charles L. Parsons. Secretary, AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, presents Willard Gibbs Medal to George Oliver Curme, Jr. L. M.Henderson, Chairman, Chicago Section, ACS, at right. Dr. Curme is the 33rd recipient of the award made annually by the Chicago Section. ^ ^ N MANY occasions in the past chemists ^ ^ have gathered together, us we aiv this evening, to discuss matters of common interest. I have attended a representative number of such meetings and have been interested in reading the proceedings of many others. I can say with assurance that by far the principal subject of such discussions has been that of outstanding advances in the science of chemistry : new principles, new classes of compounds, new reactions, new techniques. Such subjects were without question appropriate t o the time and conditions of the meetings. Their discussion by leaders in specialized fields has done much to broaden the outlook of the current and succeeding generations of scientists on that great domain of knowledge called chemistry. Tonight we meet under unusual conditions. We are in the midst of a great war in which chemistry is a principal, if not dominating factor. N e v e r before have so many chemists been working at forced draught on a single assignment—to help to win the war. I feel sure that with the concentration of talent, the long working hours, and the best of technical facilities, some of the finest scientific results in history are being accomplished during this period. However, it is all clothed in secrecy in view of its great military significance. N o one person knows more than a fragment of the entire program and those who do know of some details are honor bound to maintain silence during the period of emergency. T o maintain the traditions of the past and speak of chemical accomplishments would mean, under the present conditions, t o choose as a subject either the old or t h e unimportant.

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This situation gives me an opportunity to discuss another phase of chemistry in which I have long been interested. It is the value of chemistry to the many who are not chemists, b u t who need in their daily lives the benefits that chemistry can bring. I have felt for some time that chemists have been too introspective in their consideration of their work. Such a point of view is understandable as reflecting a desire to perfect their knowledge of the never-ending succession of scientific discoveries which h a s rewarded the efforts of each generation of research workers. However, with success comes responsibility and no longer can chemistry be considered independently of the social value of its past and prospective achievements. I shall disclose no military secrets in such a discussion, b u t I hope I m a y help t o broaden our outlook o n the problems which a vigorous a n d experienced chemical profession will be called upon t o solve, when we can start t o restore the destruction brought about b y war. E v e n more challenging is the role which chemistry must play in t h e world leadership which will be the inheritance of this country. From the vantage point of our present knowledge, we can easily recognize that

from the earliest beginning of t h e hunian race, even as now, mankind has been surrounded by an environment, wholly chemical in nature and capable of being changed by chemical reactions e i t h e r to his advantage or to his disadvant-age. Primitive man, standing unaided i n a hostile world, would have been immensely benefited could he have had for his use some of the results of scientific discovery which have since been of aid t o his descendants. His basic needs m u s t h a v e been similar t o ours; the chemical p o t e n tialities of his world were identical w i t h those of today. However, the riddLe of chemist ry was beyond his comprehension, and until it began to unfold h e h a d no choice but to do without. Through long millennia of chemical ignorance, occasional fortunate accidents did occur. Primitive man -was surrounded by biological forces which initiated t h e m selves, a n d these must h a v e supplied him with the first chemical assistance in improving his w a y of life. Fire, too, c o u l d initiate itself, and with it came o t h e r unsought for, but highly desirable effects, such as the accidental baking of clay and the reduction of certain metal oxides in his c a m p fires. Thus must h a v e oc-

"A* view a£ the fneat du^phéé. Aeétefdta. that accrue, ta the φε**eial fiH&lic, upe wha ax& cUde to comprehend, the. ttfdiie O£ chemidtuf have a ^teat teefxmtfiiiify. We mstdt dee ihat majo* aalueê, cute, not toot thtouph falhute ta apply the earn* fyp* off écietttifa neéecutcU that Aad, mode chemiêi/uf wJtcU it Ur to the dailéf f**o&temê> o£ out people and cotnéfue+Utieé. thtiOéUjhaut the êuUioêt"—Qevtxpe Θ. Cu*me, Ç*., 1944 Wlttand QlUU inedcUiêL CHEMICAL

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curred the slow progress through the ages of stone, of bronze, and even most of the current age. Our chemically untutored forebears showed the same alacrity to seise upon a beneficial result, however obtained, that characterizes the general public today when a product of scientific research is made available. However, through lack of understanding, progress depended upon the whims of nature and bore no relationship to actual needs. The history of chemistry is too long a subject to recount on this occasion, but in brief it records the long, slow accumulation of isolated facts with many unsuccessful attempts to correlate them. Approximately a century and a half ago, the combination of a group of brilliant men and a still greater mass of accumulated data permitted the establishment of chemistry as a science. Even after the basic conceptions of chemistry, as we now know it, were understood, another century was needed before the broad outlines were comprehended and the universal application to everything that stimulates our five senses was realized. At the turn of this century chemistry had emerged from being but a division of natural philosophy and the principal universities both here and abroad were giving substantial courses in its various branches. Many industries in which chemical reactions were applied were in operation and industrial research laboratories, much as we now know them, had begun to function, although on a small scale. As of that period, fo/ the first time in history, man was in possession of organized knowledge that permitted him to alter his environment by premeditated plan through chemical change. Just as this position was reached gradually by slow evolution, so, when it had been reached, nothing very abrupt was done about it. You must bear in mind that I am still speaking from the point of view of present knowledge. At that time there was no general realization that the relatively minor importance of humanly controlled chemistry in everyday life had changed. My own interest in chemistry began iu 1905 and I cannot recall any particular elation among the chemists of that time. A few years later when I had decided to specialize in chemistry I was urged by friends of our family to reconsider the matter, on the grounds that there was no future in chemistry. This was not illadvised talk, but came from men with better than average knowledge of affairs of that day. Admittedly it was not prophetic, but based on the record preceding that time, it was undoubtedly correct. Also, I have spoken generally of chemistry at the beginning of this century as though it were a unified organization, working toward a common purpose. In effect this was true, but there was no recognition of the situation among chemists with various interests. Indeed, there VOLUME

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Parsons Presents Medal to Curme Members of the Chicago Section of the

A M E R I C A N C H E M I C A L SOCIETY,

Ladies and Gentlemen, and specially, Dr. George O . Curme, Jr.: Dr. Henderson has given you a clear exposition of the Willard Gibbs Medal, why it was founded and what it represents. • «Dr. Davidson, who should be, and is, full of knowledge regarding George O . Curme, Jr., has summarized your history, your personal characteristics, and your life's accomplish· ments. The fact that 12 thoroughly competent judges have chosen your name from all others to add to the list of 32 diftingMished scientists who have heretofore received this medal must and should fill you with pride and the greatest satisfaction that can come to man—the certainty of real accomplishment. Dr. Curme, I am substituting tonight for President Midqley of our great SOCIETY who would be here If he could. He wishes me to bring to you and to this audience his greetings and to express his deep personal gratification that the Willard Gibbs Medal is this year awarded to you. O n his behalf and on behalf of the Chicago Section it is a pleasure and a privilege to hand to thefirstAmerican to visualize the future of aliphatic chemistry; to the father, the grandfather, and the great-grandfather of ethylene and her numerous progeny, this well-deserved tribute. Petroleum was simply a drab child of nature when you began your investigations. To you will always be given the basic credit for having developed from it a wholly new chemistry and many new chemical industries for the benefit of your fellow men.

was a great cleavage between the devotees of pure science, who were in the majority, and the allegedly less fit and unworthy minority who had sold out their precious scientific heritage for the sake of gold. I recall one of my much loved professors, who stated that if it were found that any of his research had commercial importance, he would drop it immediately. Industrial chemists of that time had not entirely lived down the stigma of their relationship to the alchemists of old, and through incomplete knowledge and, no doubt, cases of outright fraud, they had so conducted themselves that the term "chemical" signified a destructive agent in the public mind and the term "synthetic" was one of reproach. I think I can see both sides of this situation, which still persists, although fortunately to a diminishing extent. I have lived to see some of the highest type of pure research conducted in industrial research laboratories and also our universities sufficiently interested in applied science to employ industrial fellowships. These days some of our scientists whose efforts heretofore have been in the fields of

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purest research are designing processes tor a practical scale of operation; industrial chemists are conducting classes io the training of new employees for emergency operations. We need our ivory tower professors to keep our scientific development at its best; wo need our hammer and tongs production men, so that the public may be served with high-grade material at low cost; and we need all gradations in between. Most of all we need a realization of the position of chemistry in our world of today and a strong professional unity that recognizes the value of each specialist in the accomplishment of t he major goal. On several occasions in my experience I have been in the position of having, as a result of research work done in my laboratory, a process for manufacturing a chemical product, never before available in commercial quantities. I considered it a part of our research program to find out what uses could be made of the new product, so that its manufacture could be started on an appropriate scale, and also to indicate what prospective users should be solicited by our sales representatives. We always found some uses and users, but it has invariably turned out that the eventual large uses were other than those we had anticipated. This was a matter of great chagrin to me, especially after it had happened several times. Finally I consulted several friends who were directors of research of other companies and found that they had had the same experience. Now, assuming that we aren't all poor chemists, it seems that there is a generalization involved that is worth considering. It is this: the party with a problem to be solved, if he is chemically informed and therefore familiar with the requirements, is in the best position to evaluate the usefulness of a new product for his purpose; the party who has a new product on hand, but has no specialized knowledge of what uses need to be served, is in a disadvantageous position to find the best application of hie material. I venture to cite this personal experience as an explanation of the desultory progress made in the practical application of chemistry for several decades after it was ready to assume an important role in public affairs. It had not been recognized that the general public is also a major party to the development of chemistry alt hough now, as in primitive times, completely unable to comprehend its abstractions, complexities, and mysteries. The public is always very receptive of scientific novelties, but it cannot ask for them, as it does not realize what possibilities exist. It has been pleased with those which science has offered, but I have reason to question whether, even up to now, there has been more than fortuitous relationship between those scientific products offered for use and those most essentially needed. We are still largely dependent upon fortunate accidents for 901

improvements in our living conditions, but now they occur in our laboratories. Impetus of World War I In 1914 the war came and the whole situation then changed overnight. It provided an insistent demand from the public for very definite and specific chemical products, munitions, with which to win the war and necessary civilian goods previously supplied from enemy sources. Those of you who can remember that period will recall the activity and enthusiasm that pervaded all chemical circles. Many have said that the American chemical industry was created during the years 1914-18. I prefer to believe that the essential parts were all here well ahead of that time, but for the first time, under the stress of war, the three essential partners, pure science, industry, and the public worked together in harmony. In a patriotic urge to preserve our way of life, unimportant differences were forgotten, and more was accomplished in four years than had been done in the previous history of our country. In the period following the first World War the momentum o#the intense chemical activity which it had engendered carried on. Our universities enlarged both teaching and research facilities. New chemical companies were formed and a great increase in the number and size of industrial research laboratories occurred, both among the older companies as well as among the newly formed ones. As I see it, the principal accomplishments of this fruitful period of chemical development were threefold. Of basic importance was the large increase in the number and quality of training of chemists in all branches. This provided the needed manpower for the expansion of chemical activities on an unprecedented scale. As can be measured visually in the growth of our Chemical Abstracts, pure science research in universities, institutions, governmental agencies, and in industry grew enormously to supply additional chemical knowledge, techniques, and instruments, all of which broadened our knowledge of the chemical world in which we live. In industry the outstanding advance was in the application of mass production to chemical manufacture. Most of the large chemical companies, which are well known to you all, are principally engaged in producing a great variety of chemicals and chemical intermediates at prices well below any ever before thought possible. These low prices have tended to expand previous uses to keep up with the enlarged scale of manufacture. But lowered prices cannot expand an undiscovered use, if neither the manufacturer nor the logical user has any knowledge that the possibility exists. Another related tendency has been the synthetic production of materials previously obtained from natural sources. This has been highly successful and has 908

many economic and technical advantages which have remarkably expanded the demand for such synthetic material. A particular advantage for the manufacturer is that it enables him to capitalize on the experience of past generations which had gradually evolved uses of these natural materials to meet their needs. It is true that a tendency did develop during this active score of years for chemists to go into industries which consumed chemicals rather than produced them. However, this was of minor magnitude and it was apparent during the end of this period that mass production was getting out of balance with the existing volume of consumption. Moreover, the emphasis continued to remain on* further research in pure chemistry and on industrial research, both of which provide a basis for further advances in production, while the scientific research for the benefit of the user had not received proportionate attention. Since 1939 we have again been plunged into war and again there has been demonstrated the sape -insistent demand for products to meet definitely specified needs of our armed forces that characterized the 1914-18 period. Again, with the needs clearly defined, our chemists have risen to the occasion and have accomplished results of greatest scientific and practical value. It is considered good practice to repeat an experiment, particularly one that shows important and unanticipated results. It is true that the two wars within a generation which provided the experimental conditions were unwelcome and unsought for. Nevertheless, we now have in excellent agreement, duplicate results which show conclusively that chemistry has been most successful in meeting the needs of nontechnical users of chemical products when scientific research was applied to clearly understood requirements. We all regret the losses and destruction which these wars have brought, but we may be encouraged by the realization that the lesson it has taught us can be applied also for constructive purposes in the years that follow. Outstanding Developments In the evolution of chemical knowledge through the various stages of pure science research, industrial research, and commercial manufacture, it might appear that eventually employment has been given to a certain amount of capital, to a certain number of men, and nothing more. This may be true of certain applications of chemistry to industry and while praiseworthy does not deserve special comment. However, many chemical products of manufacture are key products, which are so effective in modifying in a favorable way the environment in which we live, that the result produces benefits out of all proportion to the moderate sums involved in the purchase and sale of the materials. CHEMICAL

There are many such instances which show such a surplus value to the user or to the community in varying degrees. I cannot hope to enumerate all such cases, but a few can serve as illustrations. These I have chosen from older and definitely proved instances, where the record of surplus benefits is beyond debate. Water Purification. Prior to the last war, when the Middle West was having its rapid development, a serious situation developed in that water supplies were generally taken from lakes and surface streams which became seriously contaminated with organisms causing typhoid and other intestinal diseases. This was a serious tax on the community, causing the loss of many valuable lives and serving as a deterrent to new enterprises and the further growth of this section of the country. By a brilliant piece of scientific research on behalf of users of water, it was found that a minute proportion of chlorine, added at the pumping station, completely eliminated the contamination and that any community which £0%lesired could be completely free of this drVad threat to its safety. Since that time typhoid in this and other parts of the country has ceased to be a significant factor and any cases that do occur are due to personal failure to use available knowledge and techniques. If one adds up the value of lives saved, communities that have prospered, personal happiness and security, and divides by the number of pounds of chlorine used, it will give some interesting arithmetic. I can't tell you what the answer will be in dollars per pound, but I can assure you that it has been a blessing to our country, contributed by the proper coordination of pure science and industry on behalf of the general public. Photography. Another case, chosen at random, is offered by our photographic chemical industry. This is one of our older chemical industries which, though substantial in size, is far from being a large industry in terms of total sales volume. However, as a supplier of a key product, it has been the basis of creating an entertainment industry of world-wide proportions, not only giving entertainment to many millions, but also providing employment for hundreds of thoiisands. It has added greatly to our methods of education in all types of schools, as well as in Army, Navy, and employee training, advertising, and the like. It has aided scientific research through making scientific literature available to workers at remote points. It is the basis of the electron microscope which has extended our vision to fields heretofore unseen and of the x-ray which aids in the diagnosis of ailments of the human body as well as of many industrial structures. It has permitted the mapping of areas never before s\irveyed. Also, photography is of great importance in our war effort, although no discussion of this is in order tonight. Who could measure the values thus contributed by this one AND

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industry or attempt to assess the gain per pound of product manufactured! We can be sure that the gain is great, as well as that much of it was contributed by successful scientific research, outside of the plajit of the manufacturer, directed toward eupplying known needs. "War Products. A similar analysis will ehow similar results in almost every branch of industry which has had the benefit of scientific research in recent years. The greatest illustration of all, of course, is the present war in which we are engaged. At stake is human liberty and how can its value be assessed in cents per pound of materials used! Other countries with large populations and many brave soldiers have been overwhelmed by our enemies who have had the principal advantage of scientifically devised instruments of war. We have become the "Arsenal of Democracy" not because of our great numbers, for our population is not great compared wvth that of other combatant nations. Our success in halting the ruthless attack of oar enemies and in laying the basis for victory has been made possible by supplying our brave sons and those of our allies abundantly with war material of ail types ecpial t o , or superior to that possessed by the enemy. Only the fruitful cooperation of pure research, industry, and our armed forces has permitted this t o be accomplished to the degree needed, in the short space of time which the surprise attack permitted. M u c h praise has been given to chemistry for these and other practical accomplishments. I t is all well deserved and I have, along with many others, felt deep gratification that our science is of service to many. However, there is a danger that in looking backward at the favorable results already achieved, we may fail to realize that, substantial as they may be, these results are but illustrations of what is possible. We cannot say what percentage of the whole is already accomplished, but in view of the proportionately small effort which has been expended on scientific research from the point of view of t h e user, t h e community, and the country, I c a n n o t believe that w e have much more than scratched the surface. In view of t h e great surplus benefits that accrue to t h e general public, we who are able to comprehend the riddle of chemistry have a great responsibility. W e must see that major values are not lost through failure t o apply the same type of scientific research that has made chemistry what it is, t o the daily problems of our people and communities throughout the nation.

morrow is new and that thoughtful men, whether chemists or not, should give i t careful consideration. I wish first of all to remove certain unsound implications which might be drawn from my discussion thus far. 1 have mentioned as a principal application of scientific research for the benefit of the user the efforts devoted to the marshalling of our greatest forces in the present war and the one that preceded it. In view of the emergency conditions prevailing a t these times, due t o unpreparedness, a disproportionate number of our limited supply of chemists was called into the newly created activities of meeting the demands of the armed forces. Under the circumstances this was well justified, but as a normal peacetime condition, it would be unwise to let a study of the users' needs interfere with a parallel continuation of the research in pure science and in the application of science to industry. These three branches of chemistry are all indispensable and should always be in balance. As our constitution provides, during wartime our national government has unusual powers and becomes almost the sole purchaser of manufactured goods. This is justifiable to accomplish the one supreme purpose of winning the war, but causes many losses which would be serious if carried into a postwar period. I believe that the general conduct of scientific research for the benefit of the user should not be under centralized control beyond the emergency. I feel sure that it can thrive and accomplish its purpose only on our traditional basis of private initiative. Its future course will be, of necessity, an extended program of experimentation which always involves trial and failure. Under a democratic system, failure is permitted, and, indeed, serves a valuable purpose as a means of establishing the truth and thus paving the way for success. Under centralized control failure cannot easily be admitted, even though it has occurred. I do not recommend that such a program b e supported by law or b y public funds; it will create ample new wealth to finance itself. Science, of all human activities, has been most individualistic; if this individualism is lost, there would be little left.

I have spoken of a principle which cann o t be said t o be new, for there are already many examples of its successful application. However, I believe the emphasis which it deserves as our guide to a n even better and more successful application of chemistry t o the world of to-

As for positive suggestions, I am sorry to say I cannot lay down a definite program. It seems to m e to be a manner of thinking and will require the best efforts of our best minds for generations. Fifty years or more ago a movement was started to encourage t h e application of science to industry. I was fortunate enough t o become associated with it at the Mellon Institute after it had begun to make definite progress. Today one seldom hears of this movement, because it has become the accepted manner of thinking and no one questions the principle involved. Even so, after fifty years of great success, the best w e can say for the application of science to industry is that some science has

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been applied "to some industries. The results amply justify the continuation of t h e effort, but such a movement can never be considered to be completed. In the parallel c a s e of the application of science to t h e needs of t h e public, I can anticipate slow progress a t the start and then many years of accelerated success. I a m sure that there will be involved in such a prograzn a greater interest of chemists in public affairs and a greater interest and understanding of chemistry among people in public life. In the sense that chemistry is the key to the many activities b y which our people have been raised to their present position of high living standards a n d leadership in world affairs, it h a s become one of the most important factors in our national life. T o have m e n in public activities who are familiar with the intricacies of chemistry would accelerate the m e a n s of applying it t o the many problems of improving our environment. B y popular tradition chemists are supposed to b e secretive, unsociable, and unable to cope with the world of practical affairs. I don't believe a word of it. I h a v e always contended that a person with enough intellectual ability to c o m prehend chemistry could master almost any other subject, if he were sufficiently interested i n s o doing. After working with such treacherous and temperamental things as p u m p s that won't pump, instruments that register falsely· until corrected, and catalysts that insist on being perverse, none of the frailties of human nature or disappointments of public life would seem like serious obstacles. I concede that there h a v e been very few successful chemists who have left their laboratories for other callings. However, t o those who have seen the fascinating development of chemistry during the p a s t years, theory and practice unfolding in one new field after another, it i s easy t o understand t h e chemist's reluctance t o leave his chosen field. T h o s e w h o are privileged t o enjoy this thrilling performance are not sufficiently interested in o t h e r things to leave it, while so m u c h is still left to be don*:. However, with increasing enrollments in our chemistry departments, the time will come when m o r e graduates with chemical education will have to> seek careers in fields where chemistry will be of assistance as a background, rather than a s a principal activity. I look to such men to provide more and more mutual understanding among science, industry, and the public. Sales departments of manufacturing companies are already assisting in finding new uses for existing products and are using well prepared chemists a s sales representatives more and more. Their assistance is helpful, but cannot constitute the whole program. T h e small manufacturer w h o uses chemicals has been an important factor in t h e past through taking the excellent, low-cost products of mass producCONTINUED ON PA OB 0 2 8

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Willard Gibbs M e d a l Address (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 903)

TWO PROCESSING MILLS

I N ONE 1. An Eppenbacb High Speed Wet Grandhtg and Colloid Mill w i l l reduce the size of solid particles so microscopic d i m e n sions and effect their instantaneous d i s persion i n fluid o r plastic materials as consecutive operations i n the same cycle 2. Operation of the EPPENBACH C O L L O I D M I L L requires neither training nor special skill —merely attention to simple directions. Λ calibrated dial registers adjustment of clearance between milling surfaces thus assuring higher uniformity of treatment. E P P E N B A C H C O L L O I D MILLS are avail able in laboratory and production sizes. Opacities range from x/i to 3600 gallons per hour or higher T h e principle of o p eration is the same for a l l sizes; therefore performance and capacity can be accurately predetermined by experiment with a lab­ oratory size unit. E P P E N B A C H C O L L O I D MILLS can be adapted for pressure feed of viscous and semi-plastic materials. They are easy to dismantle for cleaning and sterilizing. W r i t e for Catalog No. 401 describing our equipment in detail. EPPENBACH, Inc. 4 4 - 0 4 11th Street Long Island City 1 . M. Y.

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r ion of chemical industries and combining them to meet local or special uses with which he is familiar. Since most chemical manufacturing concerns either have their o w n research departments or may soon do fc-o, there would seem t o b e the possibility o f valuable service for research institutions, the industrial research facilities of universities, and chemical consultants in assisting the consuming industries as t h e y have in the past assisted primary chemical manufacturers. Eventually other new groups will have to be formed, b u t I am inclined to think that they will b e many small ones, close to the points o f consumption and widely scattered throughout the country. At some time the questions are going t o arise " W h y do all this? Isn't the problem t o level off our scale of living so that all will have the best now available?" I can't answer those questions specifically, a s I d o not know what further discoveries are within the range of possibilities. I c a n call attention to the Commissioner of P a t e n t s who, in his report for the year 1844, s t a t e d , "The advancement in t h e arts from year to year taxes our credulity and s e e m s to presage the arrival of that period w h e n human improvement must end." I t is easy to see now how calamitous it w o u l d have been a century ago t o have been satisfied with conditions a s they then existed. We m a y feel superior t o our primitive ancestor who did not know that t h e mud a t his feet would some d a y be converted t o aluminum and permit his descendants t o fly, but w e cannot b e sure t h a t future advances will not m a k e us s e e m equally backward. T o stop now or even to fail t o progress scientifically as rapidly a s possible would s e e m to m e a most ruinous policy. We face the threat that scientific advance contributes to economic strength and t h u s , as current events show, can pro­ vide the aggressor with the sinews of war. If we are complacent and fail to turn the hidden treasures of nature into useful forms, others may not be so negligent. T h e n , should we again have to suffer the grave dangers and losses of war, we would lack much that we would need. I would like t o believe that after the, present crisis h a s passed, all evil will have been banished from the world. Past history, however, lends no hope for such an abrupt change in human behavior and along with an army, navy, and air force, our nation must have a vigorous industrial economy a s a basic protection in a troubled world. W e face also a n opportunity. T h u s far never h a v e science, industry, and con­ sumer grasped t h e opportunity t o work together constructively for t h e benefit of mankind. We h a v e seen their tremendous effectiveness when harnessed together

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to destroy our enemies. W e have had a few pioneer experiments which have been outstandingly successful. N o w we face a period when the full effect of this power­ ful team can be put into action. T h e preliminary tests have been completed; the essential knowledge a n d techniques have been established. If we will only do voluntarily, under favorable condi­ tions, what we have done at great dis­ advantage under duress, we m a y enter the golden age of chemistry. Through the scientific study of their needs, the few whose privilege and responsibility it is to be chemists shall provide chemistry for the many. WILLARD Gibbs Medal Address, presented May 25, 1044, before the Chicago Section, AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY.

General Meeting of the A S E C The general meeting of the American So­ ciety of European Chemists and Pharmacists was held March 28, 1944.

Henry Goldschmledt The officers active in 1943 (Henry Goldschmiedt, president, Benno Baecker, secretary, and Paul Rollin, treasurer) reported on their activities during the past year. Ulrich Weiss and Ernst Kuehns discussed the aims of the monthly Bulletin published by the society. The counselor of the ASEC, Adolf Hamburger, expressed the thanks of the assembly to the resigning officers. Subsequently, the new board was elected: Henry Goldschmiedt, re-elected president; Benno Baecker, re-elected secretary; S. Herman, vice president; C. Simson, treasurer; F. Stynler, vice secretary; F. Lamy, vice treasurer; U. Weiss and E. Kuehns, editors of the Bulletin; P . Rollin and Pharmacist Rosenzweig, Propaganda Department. A general discussion followed the elections. The assembly pledged further allegiance to the society's fundamental aims, which con­ sist in uniting the chemists, pharmacists, pharmacologists, and physicists graduated in Europe, and in creating a permanent contact and full collaboration between this group and American industry and science. A con­ tinuous exchange of ideas and experiences in the scientific field and intense work on the problems of postwar planning were unani­ mously accepted as the program for 1944.

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