NITROGEN PRODUCTS 131 



the development of water-power for that purpose. The Na- 

 tional Academy of Sciences had in April of that year offered 

 its services in scientific matters ; and a little later the Secretary 

 of War requested the Academy to appoint a committee to ad- 

 vise him as to " the best method to be followed in the manu- 

 facture of nitric acid by a process not involving dependence 

 upon a foreign source of supply." A committee was formed 

 consisting of leading chemists and engineers; and this commit- 

 tee rendered on June 2, 1916 a preliminary report urging that 

 in view of the unavoidable delays in the construction of ade- 

 quate fixation-plants, a large supply of Chile saltpeter be im- 

 ported as rapidly as possible and stored against an emergency ; 

 and that efforts be made to stimulate the introduction of by- 

 product coke ovens for the production of ammonia and hydro- 

 carbons. The committee then proceeded to make an exhaus- 

 tive study of the different problems of nitrogen-fixation under 

 American conditions, and in January, 1917, rendered to the 

 Secretary a full report. In this report the previous recom- 

 mendations were renewed ; and in addition the immediate con- 

 struction of a plant for the oxidation of coke-oven ammonia 

 to nitric acid and of a cyanamide-process plant for the fixa- 

 tion of nitrogen was recommended, the latter plant to be oper- 

 ated temporarily with newly developed steam power or with 

 existing power purchased from private companies. The 

 cyanamide process was recommended; for it was evident that 

 sufficient power could not be secured for the operation of a 

 large arc-process plant, and no information was available that 

 would make possible the proper construction and operation of 

 the German synthetic process. In the meantime the Chief 

 Chemist of the Bureau of Mines had been sent abroad by the 

 War Department to study foreign developments of nitrogen- 

 fixation, on which he presented a report in January, 1917. 



This Academy Committee was later replaced by the official 

 Nitrate Commission of the War Department with a personnel 

 that included several members of the original committee and 

 a number of prominent government representatives; and the 



