EXPERIMENT STATION EEPORT. 589^ 



order by which reference to the sample and date of manufacture 

 can be made of any individual shipment at any time by simply 

 givino- this number. The greatest care is exercised throughout 

 the whole operation, and finally each barrel is inspected before- 

 shipment is made." 



It may be added that while the product is drawn from -the tanks-- 

 the agitators are working constantly, so that there is no possibility 

 of a separation or of a difference between barrels of the same lot. 

 The final test from barrels is simply drawing a small sample- 

 through the hung hole and dropping into a glass of water. If it 

 dissolves readily and completely into a milky-white emulsion it is- 

 passed; if there is any delay in the mixing, or any unusual ap- 

 pearance is noted, the sample is referred to the chemist. The- 

 capacity of the plant is three carloads per day. 



Concerning the material that goes into the making, Mr. Pratt 

 gives information as folknvs: " 'Scalecide' is not an 'accident/ 

 but the outgrowth of many years of study and experiment on the- 

 solubility of oils. In the course of these experiments every known 

 commercial oil has been treated and rendered soluble, both alone- 

 and in combination, so that when, in the fall of 1904, Professor- 

 Smith suggested the need of a petroleum that was readily and 

 perfectly miscible in water, it was simply a matter of ascertaining; 

 the cheapest and best combination that would do the work. Sam- 

 ples of commercial and specially prepared petroleum were ob- 

 tained from different sources, and finally a partially refined goods- 

 was decided on, the light inflammable and the heavy oils being- 

 removed, at the same time retaining all the sulphur solutions that 

 are present in most crude oils. 



"The next step was to ascertain Avhat other oil or oils m com- 

 bination, when pro])orly treated, would coml)ine with the largest 

 ])ro]wrtion of this petroleum oil, opening up the globule and allow- 

 ing the free action of an alkali. 



"It midit be of interest to those who do not understand the- 

 chemistry of fats and oils to say that the only difference between 

 petroleum oil and the animal and vegetable oils that can be saponi- 

 fied or turned into soap is simply cue atom of oxygen. If this one 

 atom could be added to all the hydro-carbon combina.tions in 

 petroleum, a cheap petroleum soap w^ould be possible. As it is^ 

 petroleum oil is not acted upon either by the strongest acid or- 

 alkali. 



