August 30, 19 17] 



NATURE 



533 



use of gas in such operations as metal melting, anneal- 

 ing, hardening, etc., indicated the rapid progress made 

 in recent years in the chemistry and the mechanics of 

 this industry. 



Perhaps no development of chemistry is fraught with 

 gieater consequences to mankind than the "'Fixation 

 of the Nitrogen of the Air." The success of rival pro- 

 cesses designed to accomplish this result must in times 

 of peace be determined mainly by practical considera- 

 tions e.g. cost, etc. The rival methods at the present 

 time are the direct method of oxidation of the nitrogen 

 to nitric acid, and the production of ammonia by the 

 combination of nitrogen and hydrogen. Various means 

 of bringing about direct oxidation of nitrogen were 

 shown by Mr. Kilburn Scott, including the Kilburn 

 Scott furnace. Mr. Scott's furnace is intended to in- 

 crease the efficiency of the process by bringing the 

 whole of the air under the action of the electric spark. 

 Dr. Edward B. Maxted, in describing the s\nthesis 

 of ammonia, showed how enormously important the 

 very latest refinements of chemistry and physics are, 

 in this very complicated process, for practical success. 

 The nitrogen is actually separated from the air in the 

 first case by passing through a column cooled by liquid 

 nitrogen, the oxygen being liquefied and the nitrogen 

 passing forward, whilst the residual mixture of oxygen 

 and nitrogen undergoes fractionation in the lower part 

 ot the apparatus The hydrogen is produced by the 

 interaction of carbon monoxide from water-gas with 

 steam, and many refinements and devices are needed to 

 get pure hydrogen free from carbon monoxide at a 

 workable cost. 



The actual combination of the nitrogen and the 

 hydrogen is brought about by catalysts consisting of 

 various metals or combinations of metals. Here, 

 again, a whole series of complications ensue from which 

 the chemist has to make his choice, and iron contain- 

 ing traces of other bodies as promoters is preferred as 

 catalyst. The reaction is carried out at pressures of 

 150-200 atmospheres and at temperatures approach- 

 ing a red-heat, followed by cooling out of the combined 

 product from the residual nitrogen and hydrogen. 



Under such conditions the ammonia vapour is ex- 

 ceedingly corrosive, and presents a problem of consider- 

 able difficulty to the chemist and to the manufacturer; 

 and, indeed, at every stage of this long process the 

 problems to be solved by the joint ingenuity of the 

 chemist and the engineer, and the manner in w^hich 

 they have been successfully solved, are astonishing. 

 Finally, the ammonia is fixed as ammonium nitrate, 

 or more usually as ammonium sulphate, as this can 

 be more easily handled. 



The sewage problem is of world-wide importance, 

 and the stereotyped methods in vogue amongst en- 

 gineers during the latter half of last century proved 

 quite unequal to its proper solution. Since the chemist 

 came to the rescue conditions have greatly improved, 

 and great progress has been made towards a satisfac- 

 tory solution. The activated sludge process described 

 by Mr. Ardern illustrates very forcibly that a proper 

 understanding of biological chemistry is essential to 

 the correct solution of this problem, and that the 

 engineer must accommodate his plant and his opera- 

 tions to the conditions established for him by the 

 chemist and biologist. 



The alleged value possessed by sewage sludge has 

 long been a lure to engineers and others, and Mr. 

 Ardern and his colleagues have demonstrated that 

 activated sludge possesses considerable manurial pro- 

 perties. This question is a relative one, however, and 

 the activities of the chemist in producing cheap fixed 

 nitrogen will profoundly influence the engineering and 

 commercial aspects of the sludge problem. 



The overwhelming need in industry for research, and 

 yet more research, was emphasised by almost ever\' 

 NO. 2496, VOL. 99] 



speaker, and in a notable speech dealing with this 

 question Dr. C. A. Keane indicated that not in one 

 way, but in many various ways, could science best be 

 made to serve the needs of industry by means of 

 research. 



Twentv-five papers were read during the congress. 

 F. R. O'Shaughnessv. 



TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN SOUTH 

 WALES.' 

 PRINCIPAL E. H. GRIFFITHS has published 

 A three lectures which important representatives 

 of commerce and education in South Wales were in- 

 vited to attend. The first two set out ver>- clearly and 

 at considerable length views in regard to the depend- 

 ence of industry on science and with reference to science 

 as an essential element in education ; with these views 

 the readers of N.^ture are well acquainted and, for 

 the most part, in cordial accord. In the third lecture 

 the author deals with the existing provision for 

 scientific and technological education in his district 

 and with the lack of proper co-ordination. 



In regard to the relations between the Universit>' 

 of Wales and its constituent colleges. Principal 

 Griffiths appeals for wider discretion for the colleges, 

 either as parts of the existing federal University, or, 

 if this be found impossible, as separate entities. He 

 refers favourably to the inclusion of the Swansea 

 Technical College in the reformed University, and 

 there can be little doubt that this is desirable. Effec- 

 tive co-ordination of technological work between 

 Cardiff and Swansea would be for the good of both; 

 the former city should be willing to give up some 

 branch of technology to Swansea, so that for 

 advanced study in that branch Cardiff should send 

 its students to Swansea, while the rest of the ad- 

 vanced work should be concentrated at Cardiff. Work 

 up to the standard of the intermediate examinations 

 for the B.Sc. degree might, of course, be taken in 

 both towns. 



In England, also, we have suffered from lack of 

 co-ordination of this kind. Really advanced work 

 needs ver}- large expenditure on teachers, apparatus, 

 and material ; to duplicate it unnecessarily means a 

 number of weak departments instead of one strong 

 one. It would be well if the English provincial uni- 

 versities should come to some concordat such as is 

 advocated for Cardiff and Swansea. 



Allusion is made to the young and thriving School of 

 Mines already attached to the Cardiff University Col- 

 lege. The coalowners of the Principality have readily 

 taxed themselves to provide this institution ; it is for- 

 tunately free from excessive academic control, and can, 

 therefore, render more readily useful service to the 

 greatest industry of South Wales. 



There are in the district flourishing technical in- 

 stitutions at Cardiff and Newport, and Principal 

 Griffiths would like to see these take their proper 

 places in a general scheme. One difficulty in carrying 

 into effect all such proposals is that local education 

 authorities are not always willing to take a broad 

 view of what thev can most effectively do. Many of 

 them want to provide every kind of technical educa- 

 tion within the walls of the institution which they 

 control ; but some of them are by no means equally 

 ready to provide the ver}' large funds needed to do 

 this with real efficiency. So we find too often quan- 

 tit>' preferred to quality; for only the wiser authorities 

 seem to realise that ten highly trained technologists 

 will be of far more value to an industry and to the 

 State than a hundred persons with but a smattering 

 of knowledge. J. Wertheimer. 



1 " Industry, Science, and Education." By Principal E. H. Griffiths. 

 Pp. 70. (CardiflT: Roberts and Co., 1917.) Price is. 



