Industrial Research 



229 



surplus of lixcd nitrogen. The a%'ailability of low-cost 

 synthetic ammonia has given rise to new chemical 

 processes, and the high-temperature high-pressure 

 technique concurrently developed has become the 

 foundation for new industries and the improvement 

 of many old ones. 



Camphor was the natural national monopoly of 

 Japan until 25 years ago. The high prices during the 

 World War enticed the research chemist to synthesize 

 it, and methods were developed in Europe and the 

 United States. The effort was sufficiently successful 

 to bring the price back to normal. Further improve- 

 ments have led to an abundant supply of both technical 

 and U. S. P. camphor from American turpentine as the 

 raw material, and today even Japan is considering the 

 manufacture of S3'nthetic camphor. 



Another example is iodine, long a monopoly controlled 

 by Chile and a byproduct in the manufacture of nitrate. 

 Now this useful element is separated from the brines 

 and bitterns of California, and Chile has lost the domi- 

 nation of the market. This is an incomplete list, but 

 serves to show how chemical research in industry can 

 effect changes that are international in their implications. 



Improved Products 



From the list of products improved through research, 

 one need only choose examples from the results of the 

 last year or two to emphasize the point sufficiently. 



Shatterproof glass is of comparatively recent origin. 

 The original cellulose nitrate interlayer was superseded 

 by cellulose acetate which was less liable to discolora- 

 tion, did not lose its transparency, and which could be 

 made by a continuous process with less wastage. This 

 was an improvement, but both these laminating sub- 

 stances were brittle at low temperatures and conse- 

 quently did not then afford the protection expected 

 of safety glass. Acrylic resin and vinyl acetate were 

 also used, but in 1939 a polyvinyl acetal resin was 

 perfected. This resin, which is exceedingly elastic and 

 strong, is sandwiched between the sheets of glass with- 

 out other adhesive, requires no edge sealing, retains 

 its elasticity even at low temperatures, so as to absorb 

 much of the energy of a blow, and objects striking such 

 glass are much more likely to rebound from it than to 

 penetrate it. This accomplishment has come about 

 through cooperative research by several companies and 

 is the reward for constant effort to devise a cheaper 

 laminating material which would not suffer loss of 

 transparency, which would resist discoloration, and 

 remain elastic under a wide variety of conditions. 



Varnish and similar coatings have been much im- 

 proved by research on film-forming oils like china-wood 

 or tung oil, the oils of other vegetable and plant sources, 

 the most recent of which is castor oil. ^\^len dehy- 

 drated, castor oil becomes an excellent unsaturated 



drying oil, with properties that permit tiie use with it 

 of optimum quantities of synthetic resins to produce a 

 film of unusual wearing qualities. The story of lacquer 

 is certainly now well known but is an excellent example 

 of improving products through research. Modern 

 lacquers were originally based on cellulose nitrate, and 

 while vast quantities of this material are still used for 

 the purpose, some of the newer alkyd resins are widely 

 employed, and the user now enjoys a wide choice of 

 these coatings to meet special requirements. The 

 increase in the number of lacquers and their improve- 

 ment has been a beneficial, though revolutionaiy, 

 influence in the paint, varnish, and lacquer field. 



In the textile field improved products have icsuUed 

 from chemical methods for finishing j'arns and cloth. 

 The use of moisture-repellent finishes is now standard 

 practice, and this treatment also confers a substantial 

 degree of stain resistance. The use of certain synthetic 

 resins increases resistance to creasing, and velvets are 

 now produced that withstand crushing far better than 

 previously. Textile printing has been improved by the 

 use of synthetic pigmented resins dispersed in a water 

 emulsion and fixed by brief heating following printing. 

 The improvements in the textiles themselves are 

 generally recognized, and while much of this comes 

 from design in weaving, knotting, etc., chemical research 

 has had its part in improving the raw material itself. 



Work With Wastes 



One of the activities of which the research chemist is 

 most proud is the prevention of wastes or their utiliza- 

 tion. While much of this work in the past has been 

 undertaken for economy's sake, it is recognized that 

 industry has some obligations to its community and 

 should refrain from polluting streams, soil, and air. 

 As the density of population increases, satisfactorj' 

 waste disposal becomes a legal requirement in some 

 areas. Cases often arise where the prevention of a 

 nuisance is the sole reward the manufacturer can expect 

 from the treatment of waste, but there have been a few 

 cases where monetary profits have accrued. 



The economics of waste utilization are too frequentl3' 

 disregarded. One of the best examples is to be found 

 in the utilization of waste corn stalks, cotton stalks and 

 the like, frequently proposed as sources of cellulose to 

 be used in the manufacture of rayon or paper pulp. 

 Anyone skilled in the art knows that chemical cellulose 

 can be derived not only from corn and cotton stalks but 

 from many other cellulose-producing plants. What is 

 not so well known is that to produce a satisfactory grade 

 of cellulose from these sources, including the cost of 

 collection and storage of the raw material, costs much 

 more than cellulose produced from wood and cotton 

 linters. The nature of the latter is such that storage 

 problems are minimized and the high concentration 



