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  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  SCIENTIFIC 
  INTELLIGENCE. 
  

   I. 
  Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  

  

  1. 
  Potassium 
  Nitrate 
  from 
  the 
  Chilean 
  Nitrate 
  Industry. 
  — 
  

   P. 
  F. 
  Holstein, 
  of 
  the 
  du 
  Pont 
  Nitrate 
  Co., 
  Tantal, 
  Chile, 
  gives 
  

   an 
  account 
  of 
  an 
  important 
  source 
  of 
  potash 
  in 
  the 
  sodium 
  

   nitrate 
  of 
  Chile, 
  which 
  is 
  beginning 
  to 
  be 
  utilized 
  and 
  promises 
  

   to 
  be 
  of 
  much 
  importance 
  in 
  the 
  future. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  ending 
  June 
  30, 
  1918, 
  over 
  6% 
  billion 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  nitrate 
  were 
  produced 
  in 
  Chile, 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  potassium 
  

   nitrate 
  content 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  sodium 
  nitrate 
  shipped 
  is 
  probably 
  

   2%, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  contained 
  in 
  this 
  nitrate 
  about 
  130,000,- 
  

   000 
  lbs. 
  of 
  potassium 
  nitrate, 
  the 
  potash 
  of 
  which 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  

   utilized 
  in 
  the 
  mixture 
  and 
  was, 
  consequently, 
  of 
  no 
  value. 
  

   This 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  wasted 
  potash 
  corresponds 
  to 
  about 
  21% 
  

   of 
  the 
  total 
  consumption 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  That 
  this 
  potash 
  may 
  be 
  separated 
  successfully 
  at 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   ducing 
  plants 
  and 
  sold 
  as 
  a 
  distinct 
  product 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  

   least 
  doubt, 
  for 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  since 
  1914 
  by 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   the 
  "oficinas," 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  probably 
  100 
  other 
  plants 
  in 
  the 
  

   country 
  where 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  could 
  be 
  done 
  with 
  but 
  slight 
  

   modifications 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  processes 
  and 
  small 
  additional 
  equip- 
  

   ment. 
  Even 
  if 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  potash 
  should 
  drop 
  to 
  the 
  pre-war 
  

   level 
  there 
  would 
  still 
  remain 
  a 
  substantial 
  profit 
  to 
  the 
  manu- 
  

   facturers, 
  a 
  fact 
  of 
  importance 
  in 
  meeting 
  the 
  competition 
  of 
  

   artificial 
  nitrate 
  in 
  the 
  future. 
  For 
  many 
  purposes 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  

   advantage 
  in 
  producing 
  potash 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  nitrate 
  rather 
  

   than 
  as 
  chloride 
  or 
  sulphate, 
  for 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  refined 
  readily 
  to 
  

   produce 
  the 
  pure 
  salt, 
  and 
  the 
  crude 
  product 
  consisting 
  of 
  

   sodium 
  nitrate 
  containing 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  80% 
  of 
  potassium 
  nitrate 
  

   is 
  particularly 
  useful 
  as 
  a 
  fertilizer, 
  since 
  both 
  the 
  nitrogen 
  and 
  

   the 
  potassium 
  are 
  valuable 
  for 
  that 
  purpose. 
  

  

  The 
  methods 
  employed 
  for 
  separating 
  products 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   rich, 
  in 
  potassium 
  nitrate 
  consist 
  in 
  fractional 
  crystallization, 
  

   carried 
  out 
  by 
  drawing 
  off 
  the 
  liquid 
  before 
  crystallization 
  is 
  

   complete 
  and 
  obtaining 
  from 
  it 
  a 
  crop 
  richer 
  in 
  potassium, 
  or 
  in 
  

   evaporating 
  or 
  refrigerating 
  the 
  usual 
  mother 
  liquors. 
  — 
  Jour. 
  

   Ind. 
  Eng. 
  Chem., 
  12, 
  290. 
  h. 
  l. 
  w. 
  

  

  2. 
  A 
  Hydride 
  of 
  Tin. 
  — 
  Although 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  a 
  gaseous 
  

   tin 
  hydride 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  shown 
  nearly 
  100 
  years 
  

   ago 
  by 
  Kastner 
  when 
  the 
  metal 
  was 
  dissolved 
  in 
  hydrochloric 
  

   acid, 
  many 
  subsequent 
  investigations 
  have 
  failed 
  to 
  confirm 
  this 
  

   observation, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  supposed 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  that 
  no 
  

   such 
  compound 
  exists. 
  Recently, 
  however, 
  Peneth 
  and 
  Furth 
  

   of 
  Prag 
  have 
  succeeded 
  in 
  showing 
  that 
  a 
  hydride 
  of 
  tin 
  can 
  be 
  

   prepared. 
  Their 
  method 
  consists 
  in 
  making 
  an 
  alloy 
  usually 
  

  

  