January 13, 192 1 J 



NATURE 



635 



able, and to the fact that the raw materials cost 

 nothing and are always at hand, nitric acid can 

 be produced there by the arc process at less 

 cost than by any other commercial process. 

 Efforts to introduce this process outside Norway 

 have been unsatisfactory, partly because of its 

 uneconomical use of power, and partly because 

 of the difficulty in the subsequent handling of the 

 end-product, a 30-35 per cent, acid against 

 ^ 5*^55 P^r cent, acid obtained by other 

 processes. 



The Haber process for ammonia synthesis was 

 brought to a successful commercial stage in 

 Germany in 1913, when th? plant capacity was 

 30,000 tons of ammonium sulphate. In 1918 the 

 output by this process was 1,060,000 tons of am- 

 monium sulphate. The process consists of form- 

 ing- ammonia by the direct combination, under 

 the influence of a catalyser, of nitrogen from the 

 air and hydrogen obtained from water. The pro- 

 duction and purification of the hydrogen involve 

 one of the chief items of cost in this process, but 

 in spite of this the Haber is the cheapest process 

 for the production of synthetic ammonia, and has 

 the lowest power requirement of any of the 

 nitrogen fixation methods. 



In 1906 the calcium cyanamide process was suc- 

 cessfully installed in Italy, and before the war it 

 was also installed in Germany, Norway, France, 

 Switzerland, the L'nited States, .Austria, Japan, 

 and Sweden. The method is a complicated one. 



and involves a large number of stages, but it has 

 developed extensively, because it requires only 

 about one-fifth the horse-power per ton of fixed 

 nitrogen per year that is required by the arc pro- 

 cess, though five times that required by the Haber 

 process. 



Several other methods for nitrogen fixation are 

 being experimented with, but they are not yet de- 

 veloped commercially. Mr. Fischer, after a full 

 discussion, concludes that the result is that Ger- 

 many can produce nitrates at one-half the cost 

 in the United States, and, consequently, the 

 German farmer can be supplied with fertilisers 

 at one-half the cost to the American farmer. This 

 is an enormous advantage to Germany, and if 

 Germany succeeds in monopolising this industry 

 — which she is in a position to do, barring in- 

 ternal disorders — she can either export nitrates at 

 a price which will enable her to supply her farmers 

 with fertilisers at a negligible cost, or under- 

 cut the price of nitrogenous products so that 

 it will be unprofitable for the Chilean mines to 

 continue working. Germany would thus in 

 time indirectly control the world's production 

 of explosives. Mr. Fischer therefore urges on the 

 .American people the importance of constructing 

 plants for producing synthetic nitrates, by which 

 means " our security would be vastly increased, 

 the burden of obligation carried by our fleet would 

 be greatly reduced, and its functional, effective 

 value doubled." 



Industrial Research Associations. 

 VIII. — The British Photographic Reskahch .Association. 



By Dr. T. Slater Price 



'l"*!!!-; British Photographic Research .Association 

 *■ was the first research association to be 



formed under the scheme of the Privy Council for 

 the promotion of industrial and scientific research. 

 Ivarly in 1918 the manufacturers of photographic 

 materials and apparatus decided to avail them- 

 selves of the scheme, and the research association 

 was incorporated on May 15, 1918. The president 

 of the association is Sir J. J. Thomson, and the 

 chairman Mr. (ierald M. Bishop, of Messrs. 

 Marion and Co., Ltd. The council of the asso- 

 ciation consists of representatives from the various 

 wctions of the industry, together with .several 

 well-known men of .science, who are also repre- 

 sented on the list of vice-presidents. The first 

 director of research was Dr. R. F,. Slade, and 

 laboratory accommodation was obtained in the 

 chemical department of University College, Gower 

 Street, where work was carried on until the end 

 of September, 1920. Owing to the large influx 

 of students in the present session, however, it was 

 necessary to vacate the laboratories at University 

 College, and at the beginning of October the re- 

 search association was transferred to the Institute 

 of Chemistry, 30 Russell Square, W.C.i, where 

 various rooms have been specially fitted and 

 equipped for research work. In March, 1930, Dr. 

 NO. 2672, VOL. 106] 



Slade resigned his position as director of research, 

 and the present writer was appointed his suc- 

 cessor, taking up his duties in the middle of Sep- 

 tember last. 



As stated in the programme of research which 

 has been issued, the object of the association is 

 to carry out research in photography, photo- 

 chemistry, and other related subjects with a view 

 to the general increase of knowledge of the sub- 

 jects, to improve methods of manufacturing 

 photographic materials, and to discover new 

 photographic processes. It is recogni.sed that 

 manufacturers will always insist on determining 

 for themselves the lines on which their businesses 

 shall develop, and the true aim of the association 

 should be, by the proper application of scientific 

 methods, to obtain knowledge which will be of 

 the widest application to the industry, and which 

 it will be left to each manufacturer to apply in his 

 own way to the development of his business. 



It is recognised not only that applied research 

 should be undertaken in connection with the im- 

 provement of products now being manufactured 

 and of methods of manufacture, but also that pure 

 research on the scientific basis of photography and 

 on related subjects such as colloidal chemistry and 

 photrH-hemistry should be carried out, although 



