ELECTROCHEMISTRY 157 



been laboriously worked out, and the electric arc is the 

 agent which does it. Air is simply blown into the electric 

 arc, where it for an instant partakes of the enormous tem- 

 perature, and on leaving the arc is cooled as quickly as pos- 

 sible. In the arc, the combination of nitrogen and oxygen 

 is effected to a certain extent, and the mixture is cooled so 

 suddenly that it does not find time to disunite. The nitro- 

 gen oxides thus obtained are drawn through water, and 

 this solution of nitric acid is run upon soda, to produce 

 sodium nitrate, or on lime to produce calcium nitrate, the 

 latter called nitro-lime or "Norwegian saltpeter/' These 

 salts entirely replace the South American natural salt. 



The materials used in this industry are air and lime, and 

 to these is added electrical energy. Air is universal, lime 

 cheap almost everywhere, and electrical energy is cheapest 

 where water powers are most abundant. In Norway, water- 

 power can be developed and electrical energy supplied from 

 it at a total cost of $4.00 to $8.00 per horse-power-year. 

 Some other countries can do nearly as well. Under these 

 conditions, almost every country can afford to make its 

 own nitrates, and so be independent of other countries for 

 the fertilizer needed in peace and the gunpowder used in 

 war. Norway felicitates itself already on being thus in- 

 dependent; nearly 200,000 horse-power is being utilized 

 there by a $15,000,000 syndicate, and the industry is spread- 

 ing rapidly over Europe. The study of this problem, its 

 solution, and the rapid development of this vigorous in- 

 dustry, is one of the most remarkable chapters in the history 

 of recent industrial development. In this accomplishment, 

 electrochemistry has signally aided the agriculturist, and 

 demonstrably multiplied the food-supply resources of all 

 civilized and highly-populated countries. 



Boron is an element which has until recently defied the 

 best efforts of chemists to isolate in a pure state. It is an 

 element which may have important application in the 

 manufacture of a high-class special steel boron steel. Dr. 

 Weintraub, one of our fellow members, has recently solved 



