634 ANNUAL REPOETS OF DEPARTAIEXT OF AGRICULTURE. 



iJi-incipally by-product coke-oven ammonia, the War Depart- 

 ment turned to the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen as a means of 

 seciiriiitr an adequate supply of explosives. Unfortunately, the 

 country was unprepared to solve this problem quickl}^, due to the 

 lack of the highly technical information and experience required 

 in nitrogen fixation and in the transformation of nitrogen com- 

 pounds. Although much progress in the relatively new art of nitro- 

 gen fixation was made in this country during the latter period 

 of the war, the imperative necessity for further research on nitrogen 

 fixation had been clearly shown. 



The Fixed Nitrogen Research 1 laboratory was established b}'' the 

 Secretary of War on March 29, 1919, for the purpose of continuing 

 the various researches on nitrogen fixation initiated during the war, 

 to obtain further information necessary for the peace-time utilization 

 of the two nitrate plants constructed b}' the Government at Sheffield 

 and Muscle Shoals, Ala., and to conduct such other iuA-estigations 

 as would further the problem of economically producing nitrogen 

 compounds. Authority for this work is contained in the national 

 defense act of June 3, 1916 (subsection "Nitrate plants"), specifi- 

 callv authorizing the President to " cause to be made such investi- 

 gatioiis as in his judgment are necessary to determine the best, 

 cheapest, and most available means for the production of nitrates 

 and other products for munitions of war, and useful in the manu- 

 facture of fertilizer and otlier products." Funds for the prosecution 

 of the work are obtained from an appropriation made under this act. 



On July 1, 1921, the laboratory was transferred by Executive 

 order from the War Department to the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, in view of the fact that nitrogen fixation is largely an 

 agricultural problem in peace times. The laboratory is located at 

 American University, Washington, D. C, making use of buildings 

 and equipment formerly used by the Research Division, Chemical 

 Warfare Service, United States Army. It has a total personnel of 

 108. exclusive of its consulting staff of chemists and engineers. The 

 authorized expenditure for the fiscal vear ended June 30, 1022, was 

 $250,000; the actual expenditure was $241,011.70. 



PREVIOUS WORK OF THE LABORATORY. 



The early work of the laboratory was carried out with particular 

 reference to the peace-time utilization of the two Government-owned 

 nitrate plants in Alabama. The cyanamide plant at Muscle Shoals 

 (knoAvn as United States nitrate plant No. 2) is the largest cyan- 

 amide plant in the world, having a capacity of 220,000 tons of cyan- 

 amide or 110,000 tons of ammonium nitrate per annum. This plant 

 operated very successfully in the test run which was made shortly 

 after the signing of the armistice. The principal work, therefore, 

 which the laboratory has carried out in connection Avith the peace- 

 time utilization of this plant has been to consider, what products of 

 fertilizer value could be made there, since it is evident that such a 

 large quantity of fixed nitrogen can be utilized only for agricultural 

 purposes. 



The nitrate plant at Sheffield (known as United States nitrate 

 ])lant No. 1) was designed to operate by the direct svnthetic (or 

 Haber) process, with a capacity approximately one-fifth that of 



