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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  194 
  3 
  

  

  with 
  first-class 
  chemical 
  engineering 
  technique 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  produce 
  

   highly 
  purified 
  potassium 
  chloride. 
  

  

  Over 
  40 
  years 
  ago 
  the 
  distinguished 
  Dutch 
  chemist, 
  Van't 
  Hoff, 
  and 
  

   his 
  pupils, 
  made 
  a 
  profound 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  sequence 
  of 
  events 
  on 
  con- 
  

   centrating 
  sea 
  water 
  at 
  25° 
  C. 
  The 
  order 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  various 
  salts 
  

   are 
  deposited 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  very 
  fair 
  agreement 
  with 
  the 
  geologi- 
  

   cal 
  succession 
  as 
  observed 
  at 
  Stassfurt, 
  though 
  there 
  are 
  indications 
  

   that 
  these 
  dried 
  up 
  at 
  a 
  slightly 
  higher 
  temperature. 
  These 
  celebrated 
  

   deposits 
  consist 
  of 
  an 
  immense 
  thickness 
  of 
  rock 
  salt, 
  interspersed 
  at 
  

   fairly 
  regular 
  intervals 
  with 
  narrow 
  bands 
  of 
  anhydrous 
  calcium 
  sulfate 
  

   capped 
  with 
  beds 
  rich 
  in 
  magnesium 
  and 
  potassium 
  salts. 
  The 
  beds 
  

   are 
  obviously 
  of 
  marine 
  origin, 
  but 
  a 
  constant 
  flowing-in 
  of 
  water 
  con- 
  

   taining 
  salts 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  evaporation 
  must 
  be 
  assumed 
  to 
  

   account 
  for 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  deposit. 
  The 
  inland 
  sea 
  ultimately 
  

   dried 
  up 
  completely. 
  

  

  The 
  extensive 
  salt 
  beds 
  in 
  Cheshire 
  have 
  no 
  potassium 
  or 
  magnesium 
  

   salts, 
  and 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  locality 
  the 
  remaining 
  waters 
  

   went 
  elsewhere 
  before 
  final 
  evaporation. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Dead 
  Sea 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  salt 
  accumulation 
  and 
  evaporation 
  

   go 
  on 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  The 
  level 
  is 
  roughly 
  constant, 
  though 
  it 
  

   varies 
  a 
  little 
  from 
  season 
  to 
  season 
  and 
  decade 
  to 
  decade. 
  Evapora- 
  

   tion 
  thus 
  keeps 
  pace 
  with 
  the 
  inflow 
  of 
  fresh 
  water. 
  The 
  Jordan 
  and 
  

   other 
  rivers 
  bring 
  in 
  40,000 
  tons 
  of 
  potassium 
  chloride 
  per 
  annum. 
  

   The 
  ratio 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  salts 
  remains 
  constant. 
  The 
  relative 
  quanti- 
  

   ties 
  differ 
  from 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  in 
  salt 
  deposits 
  ; 
  in 
  particular 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  sulfate. 
  

  

  The 
  magnesium 
  content 
  of 
  the 
  Dead 
  Sea 
  is 
  some 
  eight 
  or 
  nine 
  times 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  oceans, 
  but 
  here 
  again 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  relative 
  costs 
  at 
  the 
  two 
  sites 
  

   and 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  transport 
  to 
  and 
  from 
  them 
  that 
  settle 
  the 
  competitive 
  

   effort. 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  clear 
  that 
  given 
  a 
  demand 
  for 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   magnesium 
  its 
  manufacture 
  from 
  the 
  ocean 
  will 
  continue. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Bergmann 
  and 
  the 
  Palestine 
  Potash 
  Co. 
  draw 
  an 
  attractive 
  

   picture 
  of 
  the 
  potentialities 
  of 
  establishing 
  a 
  large 
  chemical 
  industry 
  

   there 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  markets 
  in 
  the 
  Middle 
  and 
  Far 
  East 
  can 
  be 
  

   supplied. 
  The 
  factors 
  are 
  there 
  — 
  and 
  who 
  knows 
  what 
  the 
  future 
  

   may 
  produce 
  ? 
  

  

  PHOSPHATES 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  well 
  be 
  that 
  the 
  minerals 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  can 
  be 
  considered 
  in 
  two 
  

   classes, 
  namely, 
  (a) 
  those 
  present 
  in 
  constant 
  proportion 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  

   and 
  in 
  relatively 
  large 
  amount, 
  i. 
  e., 
  the 
  salts 
  formed 
  from 
  the 
  elements 
  

   sodium, 
  potassium, 
  magnesium, 
  chlorine, 
  bromine, 
  sulfur 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  

   of 
  sulfates, 
  and 
  (b) 
  those 
  present 
  in 
  traces 
  and 
  though 
  universal 
  are 
  

   possibly 
  in 
  variable 
  amount 
  locally. 
  Fresh 
  supplies 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  being 
  

  

  