Muriate of Potash 33 



size. Bromin is obtaind from the magne- 

 sium bromid in the spent magnesium chlorid 

 brine. 



In former 3^ears one of the salts mined 

 extensively in Germany was carnallit in a high 

 degree of purity. Such deposits are no longer 

 available, and in its place the carnallit brine 

 appears from which the high grade, 96 to 98 

 per cent, muriate of potash is made by con- 

 centration and crystallization. 



The American sources of potash which 

 have been investigated since 1908 and devel- 

 oped since the war are the giant kelps of the 

 Pacific coast, the nativ potash-bearing rocks, 

 the products of blast furnaces and cement 

 kilns and the salts of inland lakes. A brief 

 discussion of each source is given. 



The kelps exert a selective action on the 

 salts in the sea and take up relatively more 

 potassium chlorid than other compounds. 

 When the kelp is dried and incinerated the 

 ash contains 15 to 50 per cent muriate of 

 potash. The cost of production is so high, 

 however, that the procedure is not economi- 

 cal. On the other hand an ingenious fer- 

 mentation process has been devised, pro- 

 ducing acetone and esters as the principal 

 products and potash as a by-product. This 

 is in successful operation on the Pacific coast. 



The amount of potash in such minerals as 



