lOl.")] 



on Sciencs and Industrial Problems 



31' 



used as catalytic agents, i.e. bodies which are recovered imchani^ed 

 at the end of a chemical reaction, though their presence is necessary 

 for the reaction to take place, are, however, of an extremely sensitive 

 nature, and are easily poisoned, or, in other words, their action is 

 lessened or annihilated by the presence of inlinitesimal quantities of 

 certain other chemical individuals. For instance, if prepared from 

 the sulphate, the nickel might contain traces of sulphur, which, as 

 will be found later, is for this reaction a deadly poison. 



These and many similar points, of so little or of no importance 



Fig. 2. 



to the lay mind, are in reality the essentials of success. Such points 

 could never be detected without much systematic and organized 

 research, and it would be possible to point to many past failures due 

 to the non-recognition of such apparent trivialities. Doubtless 

 ammonia would have been manufactured synthetically from hydro- 

 gen and nitrogen many years previous to 1914, if it had been 

 ascertained that catalysts are susceptible to the action of poisons. 



A very definite answer to the question regarding the prejmration 

 of the nickel is provided by Fig. 2, showing that when the metal is 

 prepared from the oxide, obtained by strongly heating the nitrate, it 

 is practically without action on linseed oil ; prepared from the 

 sulphate through the hvdroxide (probably containing traces of 



Vol. XXI. (Xo. 109) y 



