THR NEW YORK JOURNAL OF PHARMACY 



Naturally, with the increased demand 

 for fuel we must look about for substi- 

 tutes, and we find on close examination 

 of the less powerful explosives that the 

 possible supply may be drawn from three 

 sources : coal products, alcohols, and pe- 

 troleum. Among coal products we find 

 the mild explosives known as coal gas. 

 which is made by distilling bituminous 

 coal and purifying the volatile product 

 The hydrogen in the coal passes off partly 

 as free hydrogen, and partly in combina- 

 tion with carbons as hydrocarbons and 

 with nitrogen. The ammonia, carbon 

 dioxide, and sulphur compounds are re- 

 moved as impurities before the gas is fit 

 for use. 



Alcohol has not yet been developed to 

 any practical extent for fuel purposes 

 but there is no limit to the possible sup 

 ply, and ultimately it must be utilized 

 Chemically speaking, ethyl alcohol is 

 CHgOH, a colorless, volatile liquic 

 having a burning taste and a pleasant 

 odor. It does not freeze until at 130' 

 below 0° centigrade. Commercial alcohol 

 is between fifty and ninety-five per cent 

 pure. 



Pure or absolute alcohol is obtained by 

 removing the remaining water with lime 

 Denatured alcohol would be the most 

 practical for fuel purposes. It is a mix 

 ture of 100 parts ethyl alcohol. 10 parts 

 methyl alcohol, and a small proportion of 

 benzine. It is not taxed, and in its legal 

 ized forms is used as a cheap substitute 

 for pure alcohol. 



The only remaining substitutes are pe 

 troleum distillates, which I shall take up 

 in detail later. It seems to me that th« 

 fuel which is the most practical of tht 

 petroleum compounds is crude oil. Gaso 

 line and kerosene have been used with 

 some success, especially the former. 



Let us now look up kerosene and 

 crude oil in detail. We know that they 

 are petroleum distillates. They are car 

 bon compounds containing hydrogen and 

 in some cases oxygen. They are capable 

 of further combination with the oxygen 

 of the air, the operation being started 

 and accomf inied by considerable heat 

 The value 01 the fuel depends upon the 

 ease w^th w^hich this process is com- 

 pleted and maintained, the amount of 

 heat produced -by it, and the degree of 

 neutrality of its products. The carbon 

 combines with the oxygen and forms 

 carbon dioxide, the hydrogen unites with 

 the oxygen and produces water. If the 

 supply of oxygen is not sufficient, the 

 carbon combination will revert to car- 

 bon monoxide and much less heat will 

 result, a considerable residue will remain 

 in the form of soot, and some of the hy 

 drogen gas may pass off through the ex 

 haust without having combined at all. 

 If the oxygen supply is too great, the 

 process of combination will be slow and 

 feeble, and the gases will pass out of 

 the motor before all the heat of combus- 

 tion can be utilized. A liquid fuel must 

 be transformed into the gaseous state 

 before it can combine in this way with 

 oxygen and secure a complete and rapid 

 combustion. 



Petroleum is found to some extent in 

 almost every country and is extracted 

 from the earth through oil wells similai 

 to those driven for water. In some 

 places it appears on the surface natur- 

 ally, in others, pumping is required from 

 considerable depths. Petroleum varies 

 somewhat in dift'erent localities but 

 roughly speaking, it is seven-eighths 

 carbon and one-eighth hydrogen, with a 

 small part of oxygen. It is a mixture of 

 the above elements, whose proportions 



