THE NITROGEN QUESTION—MUNROE. 2oL 
which is a mixture of carnallite and magnesium chloride, and these 
refuse salts are to-day the chief source of the world’s supply of 
potashes and potassium salts. Numerous uses have been found for 
them, not the least interesting of which is the production of salt- 
peter from the metathesis of the Chile nitrate with the Stassfurt 
sylvite or carnallite. In the United States alone there were pro- 
duced 14,468,000 pounds of potassium nitrate by this means during the 
census year 1905, and this operation has been conducted here for many 
years. It is by such means that the Chile deposits have been made to 
render the saltpeter essential for use in sporting and military powders. 
It has already been shown that the manufacture of dynamite 
consumes large quantities of nitrate of soda, and it has been also 
shown that the modern explosives, pyroxylin, guncotton, picric 
acid, and nitroglycerol, require for their maunfacture a larger 
quantity of sodium nitrate, or of any other nitrate, as a source of 
the required nitrogen, than gunpowder does, while mercuric ful- 
minate requires nearly as much. It may, therefore, be safely asserted 
that but for the discovery and exploitation of the nitrate fields of 
Chile the explosives industry, as it is known to-day, would have been 
impossible, and the developments in mining and transportation which 
have characterized the last half century could not have been made. 
That is, the condition of civilization amid which we now live could 
not have been attained. 
Yet the explosives industry is but one of several in which nitrate 
of soda is used. ‘The relative quantities used in various countries 
differ. Unfortunately no detailed and accurate statistics can be had 
except for the United States. Omitting the minor industries of 
enameling, fluxing in metallurgy, pickling of meats and fish, and 
the manufacture of subordinate chemicals in which approximately 
23,926 short tons were used during the census year 1900, and 67,937 
short tons in 1905, the quantities consumed in various industries were 
as follows: ¢ 
TABLE 6.—WNitrate of soda consumed in the United States by establishments 
classed as follows: 
Class. | 1900. 1905. 
Short tons. | Short tons. 
Hentilizerina us tiyers se eee Nee ae ee ae eee ee ee eee ree ere reas | 19, 518 42,213 
IDVWESLIbbiSH tO WIS a was Se naeaeeroasnces aoe ane ode cabo cera act Gees tasoecresGert aaasae 223 261 
Generalichemicals mn dusttye. 22s sce Saco cee ste =a cs yee eee soe cise ie se ec an | 35, 990 38, 048 
Glass industry..... OIG TOS STE ee ESI NEUE teat Abe a ant ally SS on Sata eae EE 10,770 11,915 
EERO LOSIVES HM GUISE yee see nee tes ik eyes cle onset eae a ae nt ee ERC a= Mineo aye 88, 524 133, 034 
Sulphuricsmitric and anixed acids imdustry-seoe sence eee a eee ene ees ce ace tener 27, 406 29, 301 
SEO EE eon ame Robe Co re DOO OGRE RICE te once CnC ero: Ce Cee ane aaa rae | 182, 431 254, 772 
| 
* Journal of Industrial and Chemical Engineering, 1, 298, 1909, by Charles E. 
Munroe. 
45745°— sm 1909 16 
