472  Contributions  to  Industrial  Chemistry.  {Ao^tober 
Pharm. 
1915. 
discoveries  of  an  American  chemist.  I  refer  to  the  carborundum 
industry  and  the  manufacture  of  artificial  graphite,  both  based  upon 
the  discoveries  of  Dr.  E.  G.  Acheson  and  now  flourishing  lines  of 
manufacture  at  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.  The  carborundum  or  silicon 
carbide  is  formed  in  the  electric  furnace  and  finds  an  extensive  use 
as  an  abrasive  under  a  great  variety  of  forms,  having  a  hardness 
almost  equal  to  that  of  the  diamond.  The  artificial  graphite  is  a 
product  of  a  reaction  similar  to  that  indicated  for  carborundum,  but 
carried  through  at  a  higher  temperature,  whereby  the  silicon  is 
evaporated,  leaving  the  residual  pure  carbon  as  soft  metallic  graphite 
This  latter  is  so  free  from  impurity  that  it  may  serve  as  the  basis 
of  the  finest  lubricating  mixtures.  These  specially-prepared  lubri- 
cants, known  as  aquedag  and  oildag,  according  as  they  are  brought 
in  suspension  in  water  or  oil  admixture,  have  proved  of  special  value. 
One  of  the  great  industries  based  upon  electric  furnace  work 
is  the  manufacture  of  calcium  carbide,  which  in  itself,  as  a  source 
of  acetylene  and  as  the  necessary  material  for  use  in  other  great 
industries,  as  the  cyanamide  manufacture,  is  now  produced  through- 
out the  world  in  large  and  increasing  amount.  While  calcium  car- 
bide as  a  chemical  compound  had  been  discovered  by  Wohler  in  1862, 
and  while  Moissan  had  obtained  it  in  his  electric  furnace  indepen- 
dently about  the  same  date  as  Wilson,  the  production  of  it  by  electric 
furnace  reaction  on  a  working  scale  was  due  to  Wilson  at  Spray, 
N.  C,  in  1892,  who  may  therefore  be  said  to  have  founded  the  cal- 
cium carbide  industry.  This  industry  has  spread  to  all  countries 
where  cheap  water  power  is  available  for  the  generation  of  elec- 
tricity, and  in  this  country  is  strongly  established  at  Niagara  Falls 
and  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  besides  the  use  above  referred  to  in  the 
manufacture  of  calcium  cyanamide,  which  has  also  been  started  in 
this  country. 
The  manufacture  of  electrolytic  caustic  soda  and  chlorine  has 
also  had  a  very  creditable  showing  in  this  country  in  recent  years, 
and  in  this  connection  several  American  types  of  cells  have  been 
successful.  I  refer  to  the  Castner  electrolytic  cell,  which  has  oper- 
ated successfully  for  a  term  of  years,  and  the  Townsend  cell,  of  more 
recent  development.  By  the  aid  of  these  inventions  it  has  been  made 
possible  to  establish  at  Niagara  Falls  several  flourishing  chemical 
industries  and  to  give  an  impetus  to  the  movement  for  the  emanci- 
pation of  the  United  States  from  dependence  on  European  chemical 
manufacture. 
