﻿THE 
  SEA 
  AS 
  A 
  STOREHOUSE 
  — 
  ARMSTRONG 
  145 
  

  

  achieves 
  actual 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  acids 
  just 
  mentioned. 
  The 
  mechanism 
  

   is 
  obscure, 
  but 
  it 
  may 
  include 
  both 
  surface 
  absorption 
  and 
  reaction 
  of 
  

   the 
  acids 
  with 
  the 
  amine 
  group. 
  Kesin 
  treatment 
  may 
  convert 
  an 
  

   ordinary 
  hard 
  "water 
  into 
  something 
  approaching 
  distilled 
  water. 
  

  

  Naturally 
  experiments 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  along 
  these 
  lines 
  with 
  sea 
  

   water 
  with 
  the 
  hope 
  of 
  being 
  able 
  to 
  convert 
  it 
  into 
  drinking 
  water 
  

   for 
  shipwrecked 
  mariners 
  in 
  apparatus 
  small 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  carried 
  in 
  

   lifeboats. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  salt 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  makes 
  this 
  problem 
  a 
  very 
  

   difficult 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  solution 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  in 
  sight. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  clear 
  that 
  in 
  these 
  base 
  exchangers 
  the 
  chemist 
  has 
  useful 
  

   tools 
  to 
  effect 
  the 
  concentration 
  of 
  small 
  quantities 
  of 
  dissolved 
  sub- 
  

   stances. 
  Some 
  technical 
  applications 
  are 
  already 
  known, 
  but 
  we 
  

   would 
  illustrate 
  what 
  it 
  is 
  hoped 
  to 
  achieve 
  by 
  citing 
  some 
  results; 
  

   obtained 
  with 
  copper 
  by 
  Professor 
  Furnas 
  and 
  K. 
  H. 
  Beaton 
  working 
  

   at 
  Yale. 
  

  

  COPPER 
  

  

  The 
  ideal 
  conditions 
  using 
  carbonaceous 
  zeolites 
  have 
  been 
  deter- 
  

   mined. 
  The 
  absorption 
  for 
  copper 
  is 
  a 
  function 
  of 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  cop- 
  

   per 
  ions 
  to 
  hydrogen 
  ion 
  concentrations, 
  or 
  in 
  more 
  simple 
  language 
  

   there 
  are 
  ideal 
  conditions 
  of 
  acidity 
  favoring 
  the 
  transfer 
  of 
  copper 
  

   from 
  solution 
  to 
  zeolite. 
  The 
  collection 
  of 
  copper 
  is 
  complete 
  and 
  

   takes 
  place 
  at 
  a 
  rapid 
  rate 
  of 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  dilute 
  solution 
  over 
  

   the 
  columns 
  of 
  the 
  exchanger. 
  The 
  recovery 
  of 
  the 
  copper 
  when 
  the 
  

   zeolite 
  is 
  saturated 
  is 
  effected 
  by 
  fairly 
  strong 
  solutions 
  of 
  sulfuric 
  

   acid. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  zeolite 
  is 
  regenerated 
  for 
  another 
  cycle. 
  

   There 
  remains 
  as 
  final 
  product 
  a 
  strong 
  solution 
  of 
  copper 
  sulfate. 
  

  

  Putting 
  the 
  results 
  in 
  plain 
  figures 
  rather 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  favored 
  

   by 
  the 
  chemist, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  a 
  solution 
  which 
  contained 
  1 
  pound 
  of 
  

   copper 
  in 
  6,300 
  pounds 
  of 
  water 
  is 
  turned 
  into 
  one 
  of 
  copper 
  sulfate 
  

   containing 
  1 
  pound 
  of 
  copper 
  in 
  6.87 
  pounds 
  of 
  water. 
  To 
  do 
  this 
  

   1.54 
  pounds 
  of 
  sulfuric 
  acid 
  (100 
  percent 
  strength) 
  are 
  necessary, 
  and 
  

   simple 
  arithmetic 
  indicates 
  that 
  1 
  pound 
  of 
  acid 
  performs 
  the 
  same 
  

   duty 
  as 
  the 
  evaporation 
  of 
  4,200 
  pounds 
  of 
  water. 
  This 
  illustrates 
  

   the 
  tremendous 
  difference 
  in 
  energy 
  requirements 
  between 
  the 
  base 
  

   exchange 
  process 
  and 
  evaporation 
  for 
  the 
  concentration 
  of 
  very 
  dilute 
  

   solutions 
  and 
  is 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  unique 
  possibilities 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   zeolites. 
  

  

  The 
  Yale 
  achievement 
  of 
  increasing 
  the 
  concentration 
  of 
  copper 
  

   in 
  dilute 
  solutions 
  is 
  rivaled 
  by 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  which 
  we 
  must 
  be 
  

   prepared 
  to 
  treat 
  with 
  greater 
  respect 
  after 
  learning 
  that 
  it 
  gargles 
  

   a 
  barrel 
  of 
  water 
  per 
  day. 
  Around 
  the 
  British 
  Isles 
  and 
  in 
  certain 
  

   sections 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  oysters 
  become 
  green 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  forma- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  pigment 
  containing 
  copper. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  copper 
  which 
  

   an 
  oyster 
  can 
  accumulate 
  is 
  variable 
  ; 
  it 
  varies 
  in 
  the 
  Cape 
  Cod 
  variety 
  

  

  