government publications - ACS Publications

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818

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T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS B y R. S. MCBRIDE,Bureau of Standards, Washington

NOTICE-Publications for which price is indicated can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. Other publications can usually be supplied from the Bureau or Department from which they originate. Commerce Reports are received by all large libraries and may be consulted there, or single numbers can be secured by application to the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce, Washington. The regular subscription rate for these Commerce Reports mailed daily is $2.50 per year, payable in advance, t o the Superintendent of Documents. BUREAU OF STANDABDS Glasses for Protecting the Eyes from Injurious Radiations. AND W. B. EMERSON. Technologic Paper W. W. COBLENTZ 93. 14 pp. The object of the present paper is to give the general characteristics of certain newly developed glasses sometimes used for protecting the eye from radiant energy, especially from the infra-red or so-called heat rays. Because of the difficulty in reproducing the same color in different melts, no attempt is made t o give specific data on the transmission for a given thickness of glass. The data given are representative of a n extensive group of glasses available for protecting the eye from ( I ) the ultra-violet, ( 2 ) the visible, and (3) the infra-red rays. The Standardization of Bomb Calorimeters. 3rd Edition, issued June 23, 1917.

Circular No. I I ,

Specification of the Transparency of Paper and Tracing Cloth. Circular No. 63, 1st Edition, issued May 17, 1917. “In response to the demands of several Government departments and of dealers in tracing cloth, the Bureau has developed and adopted a standard method for specifying the transparency of paper and tracing cloth. “The purposes of the present circular are to ( I ) state definitely the form of the specification, (2) explain its significance, (3) describe the apparatus and method of test, and (4) give general information and instructions to applicants for tests in terms of this specification.” Properties of the Calcium Silicates and Calcium Aluminate Occurring in Normal Portland Cement. P. H. BATES AND A. A. KLEIN. Technologic Paper 78, 36 pp., issued June 9 . Paper, 25 cents. Temperature Measurements in Bessemer and Open-Hearth Practice. .GEORGEK. BURGESS. Technologic Paper 91, 27 pp., issued May 8. Paper, 5 cents. “It is the object of this paper to demonstrate that in so far as casting temperatures of furnaces, steel ingots, and similar operations involving the temperature of streams of iron and steel are concerned, well-known pyrometric methods may easily be applied with a relatively high degree of accuracy if certain recently determined corrections are made and precautions taken. Greater but not insurmountable difficulties will be encountered in the case of open-hearth furnace temperatures, while for those of the converter type a ready solution does not seem practicable.” Measurement and Specification of the Physical Factors which Determine the Saturation of Certain Tints of Yellow. IRWIN G. PRIESTAND CHAUNCEY G. PETERS.Technologic Paper 92, 1 1 pp., issued June 30. Paper, 5 cents. “Frequent and persistent demands have been made on the Bureau of Standards to draft a form of specification which would be suitable t o define rigorously in law a limiting value of what, in common parlance, may be called the ‘color,’ the ‘depth of color,’ the ‘strength of color,’ or the ‘yellowness’ of butter and oleomar-

Vol. g 1 No. 8

1

garine. More specifically stated, it is desired to define a line of demarcation between the paler tints of yellow and those of a more pronounced color. “The purposes of this paper are: “I-To outline the rational principles which should govern the formulation of such a specification. “2-To present and explain the form of specification recommended by the Bureau, together with the methods and apparatus used to make the necessary measurements for testing in terms of the specification. “An attempt will be made to present the subject in such a way as to make it intelligible t o interested persons who may have little or no previous knowledge of the scientific principles or the technique involved.” Effusion Method of Determining Gas Density. JUNIUS DAVIDEDWARDS. Technologic Paper 94, 2 8 pp. Paper, IO cents. “Although no results of high accuracy can be expected from apparatus of the effusion type, yet it should serve well for approximate results or for work where relative values only are needed, as in control work. “It has been shown that the apparent speciik gravity determined by this method can be varied within rather wide limits by changing the conditions. However, by the observance of certain precautions in the construction and use of the apparatus, it is possible to secure results accurate to about 2 per cent. The greatest precision is obtained where the physical properties of the gas tested show the least differences from those of air. Some further increase in accuracy, and particularly in reliability, can be gained-by standardizing the apparatus as recommended.” An “Average Eye” for Heterochromatic Photometry, and a Comparison of a Flicker and an Equality-of-Brightness PhotomAND F. K. RICHTMYER.Scientific eter. E. C. CRITTENDEN Paper 299, 27 pp., issued May 26. Paper, 5 cents. Emissivity of Straight and Helical Filaments of Tungsten. W. W. COBLENTZ.Scientific Paper 300, 17 pp., issued June 8 . Paper, 5 cents. Wave Lengths of the Stronger Lines in the Helium Spectrum. PAULW. MERRILL. Scientific Paper 302, 8 pp., issued June 1 8 . Paper, 5 cents. “Wave lengths of P I of the stronger helium lines have been accurately measured by interference methods. Nine of them were compared directly with the standard cadmium line. “The possibility of eliminating the effect of apparent variation of interferometer thickness with wave length is noted. “The Kayser and Runge formula for spectral series, based upon three consecutive lines, will not reproduce accurately even the next member in any one of the six helium series.” Calculation of the Constants of Planck’s Radiation Equation: An Extension of the Theory of Least Squares. HARRYM. ROESER. Scientific Paper 304, 17 pp., issued June 29. Paper, 5 cents. Luminous Radiation from a Black Body and the Mechanical AND Pi. B. EMERSON. Equivalent of Light. W. W. COBLENTZ Scientific Paper 305, 1 1 pp. Paper, 5 cents. “This paper gives some applications of the curve of visibility of radiation for the average eye (125 observers) to radiation problems. “The most reliable data now available indicate that the value of the luminous equivalent of radiation of maximum luminous efficiency is of the order of: I watt = 617 lumens = 49.1 candles. I lumen = 0.00162 watt of luminous flux. “Among other data this paper gives the determination of

Aug.,

191j

T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y

the radiant luminous efficiency of a vacuum tungsten lamp, the value being 1.42 per cent when operated a t 1.23 watts per candle.” GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

A Comparison of Paleozoic Section in Southern New Mexico. N . H. DARTON.From Shorter Contributions to General Geology, 1917, pp. 31-35. Published May 29, 1917. Wasatch Fossils in So-called Fort Union Beds of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, and Their Bearing on the Stratigraphy of the Region. CARROLLH. WEGEMANN.From Shorter Contributions to General Geology, 1917, pp. 57-60. Published May 29, 1917. Ground Water in San Simon Valley, Arizona, and New Mexico. A . T. SCHWENNESES. With a Section on Agriculture, R. H . FORBES. From Contributions to the Hydrology of the United States, 1917, pp. 1-35. Published May 7 , 1917. This was prepared in cooperation with the Arizona Agricultmal Experiment Station. Graphite. HENRY G. FERGUSON. Bulletin 666-L. 7 pp. The following table shows the imports and domestic output of crvstalline eraohite for the year 1916: Imports(a): Ceylon.. . . . Other countries.. , . .

...............

Quantity (short tons) 24,972 7.188

$6,013,362 920,369

Value

32,160

6,013,731 914,748

,

............... .

Domestic Production. ............................

--5,466

TOTALAVAILABLE SUPPLY.. .................... 37,626 Per cent represented by Domestic Production.. ..... 14.6 (a) From records of the Department of Commerce.

,

.

7 848,479 11.7

“During 1914 and 191j the imports from Ceylon were less than normal, owing chiefly to the high freight rates and scarcity of ships. The sharp increase in the value of the Ceylon graphite imported in 1916 is due largely t o the fact that because of the conditions mentioned only the higher-grade material was imported. “Domestic flake graphite of a grade suitable for crucible use has increased greatly in price during the last two years. The prices paid a t the mines for the highest-grade product, in cents a pound, have been as follows: 1911 and 1912, 6 to 7 ; 1913, 6 to 8; 1914, 61/2 to 8 ; 1915, 7 t o I O ; 1916, I O to 16. “Average prices of crystalline graphite of all grades, including dust as well as flake, have been as follows: PRICESOF CRYSTALLIKE GRAPHITE, 1911-1916 (IS CENTSA POUND) Ceylon Domestic Ceylon

1911 . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 1912 4.1 1913 4.9

........... ...........

5.3 5.3 5.0

1914.. . . . . . 1915.. . . . . . 1916 . . . . . . .

4.5 6.4 12.0

Domestic 5.5 5.9 8.4

“Amorphous graphite is suitable for all purposes for which graphite is used, except the manufacture of crucibles. As it does not enter to any large degree into the manufacime of munitions, the war has not greatly affected either price or production, Moreover, artificial graphite and crystalline graphite in particles too small for crucible manufacture are adapted to practically all uses to which natural amorphous graphite can be put, and the reserves of amorphous graphite are therefore less important. The uses of amorphous graphite vary greatly with the purity of the substance mined. For paint and foundry facings a high degree of purity is not essential, but for lubricants, pencils, and electric purposes high-grade material is necessary. The better grades of amorphous graphite are imported from Mexico and Chosen, and the imports, like those of crystalline graphite, greatly exceed the domestic output. The sharp decrease in importation in 1915, shown in the following table, was due chiefly to the disturbed conditions in Mexico, but also to decreased imports from Chosen, owing to high freight rates and scarcity of ships.

AMORPHOUS GRAPHITEIMPORTED A N D PRODUCED I N THE UNITEDSTATESIN 1916 Quantity (short tons) Value Imports, ..................... 10,837 $345,732 2,622 20,723 Domestic Production.

.........................

TOTAL AVAILABLE SUPPLY...................... Per cent represented by Domestic Production..

.....

_ _ 13.458 19.5

366,455 5.7

“Graphite in large quantities is manufactured a t Niagara Falls, N.Y., by the International Acheson Graphite Company, which utilizes electric power generated a t the Falls. The bulk graphite produced by this company in 1915 was reported as 2,542 short tons, and in 1916 as 4,199 tons. This represents only the graphite that would come into competition with natural graphite and does not include graphitized products that do not compete with natural graphite. The material, most of which is made either from anthracite or from petroleum coke, comes from the furnace in an earthy, incoherent condition and is utilized mainly in lubricants and paints and for foundry facings, boiler-scale preventives, and battery fillers. “Besides the graphite products that enter into competition with natural graphite, there are a large number of graphite products for which only artificial graphite is adapted. Chief among these are graphite electrodes, the demand for which has greatly increased during the last two years on account of the remarkable growth in certain electrochemical industries. The extent of this growth is indicated by the statement that during 1915 the number of electric steel furnaces in operation in this country increased 78 per cent.” Geology and Water Resources of Big Smoky, Clayton, and Alkali Spring Valleys, Nevada. OSCARE. MEINZER. Water Supply Paper 423, 153 pp. This contains a report on numerous water and soil analyses. Barium and Strontium. JAMES M. HILL. Bulletin 666-W, 3 pp. “Since the beginning of the war a barium chemical industry has been established in the United States to supply barium carbonate, nitrate, chloride, chlorate, hydrate, and binoxide, which were formerly imported from Germany. In 1915 this industry consumed I O per cent of the output of domestic barite, but the consumption in 1916 was apparently somewhat larger. The barium chemicals have a wide variety of applications, perhaps the most important of which are the use of barium binoxide in the preparation of hydrogen peroxide, that of barium chloride as a water softener, and that of various salts in the manufacture of optical glass. “The production of 108,547 short tons in 1915 was over twice aslarge as that of 1914,and in 1916 the output was again doubled. The value of the 1916 output was over $I,ooo,ooo-a figure never attained before. “Strontium salts, chiefly the nitrate, are employed to make ‘red fire,’ which is of wide use a t this time not only for signal lights on battle fronts but for railway signals to promote the safe handling of trains a t night. It is estimated that prior t o 1914 about 2,000 tons of strontium nitrate were used annually in the manufacture of such ‘flares’ or ‘Costen’ and ‘Bengal’ lights and fireworks. Since 1915 the demand has increased considerably. “Before the war celestite (strontium sulfate) and strontianite (strontium carbonate) were imported from Germany, England and Sicily. During 1914 and 1915 English celestite was obtained by manufacturers, but late in 1915 the exportation of strontium ores was embargoed by England. “Apparently United States manufacturers are now using domestic ores containing only 85 per cent of strontium sulfate though they prefer not to use materials of lower grade than 92 per cent.” Clay and Clay Products. 666-T. 3 pp.

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Bulletin

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T H E JOURNAL OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

Notes on the Geology and Iron Ores of the Cuyuna District, Minnesota. E. C. HARDERAND A. W. JOHNSTON. Bulletin 660-A, from Contributions to Economic Geology, 1917,Part I, pp. 1-26. Published June 7 . “The preliminary report, of which the present paper is an abstract, is being published by the Minnesota Geological Survey; the more complete report will be published by the United States Geological Survey.” The Rarer Metals. FRANKL. HESS. Bulletin 666-U, 13 pp. This separate covers a discussion of antimony, arsenic, bismuth, nickel, tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium and tin. “The fact that a large production of some mineral has been made in one year does not necessarily imply that it can be repeated under the impetus of great need. I n estimating the possible production of any mineral for any period, a proper weighing of the attending circumstances, the statistics of production of preceding years, and a knowledge of the deposits themselves are all necessary, and these statements probably apply more forcibly to the metals used in alloy steels than to others, for these metals occur in vastly less quantities than coal, iron, copper, or the other common metals, and the individual deposits are smaller and much less widely distributed and, unlike those of copper or iron, are in very few places concentrated from lean into richer deposits. “Comparatively restricted markets and lack of knowledge concerning these metals themselves and of the minerals in which they occur have prevented prospecting for them until within the last few years, so that as a rule developments of such deposits are small. “The subjects briefly discussed here with reference to their availability as war supplies are treated more fully in Mineral Resources and other publications of the United States Geological Survey, especially those for recent years.” COMMEBCE BEPOBTS-JUNE,

1917

A detailed survey of the petroleum prospects of Argentine has shown four well defined oil fields besides numerous doubtful localities. Efforts are being made to increase the oil production sufficiently to meet the present critical fuel situation there. (P. 841) Graphite has been discovered in Mysore Province, India, in what is believed to be a paying deposit. (P. 843) Use of saccharine and other artificial sweetening products has been permitted in France for the period of the war. Since 1902,its use in France has been prohibited. (P. 847) There has been a great increase in the demand for Japanese bleaching powder, both in Japan and abroad. (P. 854) Estimates by the Geological Survey place the quantity of platinum in the United States as I,OOO,OOO troy ounces, and the annual requirements as 165,000 ounces. With the expected increase in the production of Colombia, Russia and the United States, and a decreased consumption in the dental and jewelry business, it is believed that the requirements of the chemical industries can be met. (P. 866) There has been a great increase in the output of iron ore from the mines in Manchuria, which contain principally lowgrade ore (30-40 per cent iron) with occasional masses of highgrade ore (60-70 per cent iron). An ore separation plant is to be installed for concentrating the poor ore. (P. 871) Deposits of wolframite are reported from several points in Brazil. (P. 878) A cement factory is being erected in Buenos Aires, with a capacity of 3000 barrels per day. (P. 882) Imports of camphor crude, refined and synthetic, into the United States have far exceeded those of previous years. (P. 886) By a rapid tanning process recently discovered in Australia it is claimed that sole leather can be tanned in seven days, and other skins in much less time, yielding products much stronger than normal. (P. 890)

Vol. 9 , No. 8

Production of plantation rubber in French Indo-China has greatly increased and that of wild rubber has decreased. (P. 891) A detailed description of the sisal industry in East Africa is given. (Pp. 917-25) Grease, valued a t nearly $400,000, was recovered from the sewage of Bradford, England; this was derived from the wool scouring establishments. It is useful for leather dressing, etc. (P, 1014) The ‘‘British Engineering Standards Committee,” formed in 1901and originally consisting of seven members, has grown to an organization with a main committee of 2 2 members, with 64 sectional committees and subcommittees including a total membership of over 500. It contains representatives of all technical and trade organizations possibly interested in engineering standardization. (P. 1040) In a process for treating empty tin cans in Hornsey, England, the tin is simply burned off by waste flue gases, with no attempt a t recovery of the tin. The steel scrap is then ready for delivery to the steel works. (p. 1045) I n the United States there were in 1916,756 plants making cottonseed oil, and 1 1 2 plants engaged in manufacturing other edible vegetable oils, from peanuts, mustard seed, kapok, rape, sunflower seed, soya beans, walnuts, corn, copra, palm kernels, and olives. A great increase in the domestic cultivation of soya beans and peanuts is expected. (P. 1060) I n Sweden the consumption of gas and electricity a t the usual rate, for both private and commercial use, has been restricted to 60 per cent of the normal with 30 per cent additional permitted a t greatly increased rates. (P. 1073) Efforts are being made in Trinidad, British West Indies, t o increase the use of banana flour as a substitute for wheat. Flour equal to about 25 per cent of the weight of the bananas is obtained. (P. 1106) Production of glycerine in Japan has greatly increased as a result of Government subsidy. (P. 1123) I n order to increase the consumption in France of vegetable fats and oils, it is proposed that the Academy of Medicine issue statements regarding their high nutritive value and the desirability of using them to conserve the supplies of animal fats. (P. 1x39) The most important new industry developed in Venice the past year is that of spinning glass for commercial uses. The spun glass is marketed in three forms-hanks of straight spun glass fibers, known as “glass cotton;” masses of curled fiber called “glass wool;” and sheets or pods of felted material. Its principal use a t present is for electrical insulation. It is made of soda glass, free from lead, etc. (P. 1156) A large modern tannery, with a weekly capacity of 3000 cowhides and IOO,OOO sheep skins, is being erected in Hongkong. Chinese tan bark will be used. (P.I 170) The American demand for Abyssinian civet (used as a basis of perfumes) has greatly increased. The civet cats are raised in large numbers in Abyssinia. (P. 1181) DURING THE MONTE Cuba-250 STATISTICS OF EXPORTS TO THE UNITEDSTATES SWANSEA, WALES-P. 1134 AMSTERDAM-SUP. 9a Nickel sulfate Cinchona bark Cocoa butter Nickel ammonia sulfate Copal gum Copper, regulus and scale Diamonds Hides, sheep, salted Drugs Tin plate Chemicals Hides Leather Kapok CUBA-SUP. 2 5 0

SPECIAL SUPP1,EMENTS Netherlands-9o

Asphalt Beeswax Hides Mo1asses Copper Ore Iron Ore Manganese Ore Sugar

ISSUED

Linoleum Magnesite Essential Oils Paint PotFh Quinine Rags Rubber Tin