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Show Electrochemistry Plays Large Part in War Work Development Has Progressed at Wonderful Rate in Manifold Fields of Industry Since Conflict Began. ! -gr-.'-IE achievements of electrochemistry i are manifold, a.nd its products 1 multiform. This science has grown in usefulness at a phenomenal rate. It forms the basis of innumerable and important industrial enterprises, and it works hand in hand with many other industries which profit by its help. It has increased and enlarged the market for many old standard mining and metallurgical met-allurgical products, and has invaded new-fields, new-fields, and with its magic touch has created cre-ated demands for products that formerly were of limited Interest and usefulness. The importance of electrochemistry in all departments of usefulness may easily appear to be unlimited when we contemplate con-template its nearly vital service in that one most spectacular of ad fields for the moment the battlefield. The electric furnace or the electrolytic coll has played its part in the production of almost every important substancu or contrivance used In modern warfare. Of all the steel produced in the United States, it is estimated that 60 per cent is now applied to war work. In the manufacture or" high -grade steel the electric elec-tric furnace is rapidly supplanting the crucible. The largest manufacturers of axles and hearings tor automobiles are using electric furnaces to make their steel. Electric steel is increasing In production and gaining in popularity. Electric Furnace Vital. One naturally thinks of ferroalloys and tleotrio furnaces at the same time. -Fer-romanganese is row produced in consid- rable quantity in the electric furnace. Its use i:i steel manufacturing is too well known to require comment. Ferro tungsten, tung-sten, ferrovanadium. ferrnmol t -de num. and ferrotitar.lum, are used In the production pro-duction of modern guns, hih-sped cutting cut-ting tools, and in many kinds of machinery. ma-chinery. Ferrochromium in an essential in armor plate and armor-piercing projectiles. pro-jectiles. Ferroslllcon !s used to d&oxidlze steel, and Is an Important constituent in the manufacture of shell steel. All fine machine work requires the use of abrasives. Carborundum and alun-dum alun-dum are machine-shop necessities. Carborundum Car-borundum is essential in ttic manufacture manufac-ture of machine guns, rifles, shells, automobile auto-mobile trucks, airplanes, and all machine work. Alundum. nloxite. and exolon are artificial emeries of wide usefulness. All thes abrasives, and others, are electric-furnace electric-furnace products. In the manufacture of rrhortmlum the raw materials which en ter the furnace are coke and sand Alun-dum. Alun-dum. aloxite and exolon are made from bauxite. AJundum has found considerarjle use as a relractory. It is also used by the chemist for fillers in analytical work. I Electrolytic copper refining has become a vast industry. Copper is a metal of n ide application In war equipment. Its uses in brass and for wire are common. No satisfactory substitute has been found for the copper bands on shells. Electrolytic Electro-lytic zinc has taken rank in the high grade class. Aluminum, made in the electric elec-tric furr.ace from bauxite, is most Urt-portant Urt-portant !n the manufacture of airplanes, i automobiles and auto trucks. Calcium carbide is made in the elec- I trie furnace, the raw materials being coke anj limestone. Calcium carbide ; naturally suggests acetylene and the oxy- ' acetylene torch, and it is the raw mate - ! rial In the manufacture of cyanamid, which in turn suggests ammonia, nitric acid, and acetone, ihe last named important im-portant in the manufacture of certain ex-plosives. ex-plosives. Cyanamid La also a valued intermediate in-termediate agent in the fixation of atmospheric at-mospheric nitrogen. From common salt the electrolytic cell makes caustic alkali and chlorine gas, and bleaching powders, disinfectants, peroxides per-oxides and sodium melaL the latter being be-ing used Is Incendiary bombs, are produced pro-duced as byproducts. The gases used for war purposes include cxygen, hydrogen, chlorine and bromine, all produced elfic-trolytlcally. elfic-trolytlcally. Factor for Explosives. Among the materials used in explosives are caustic potash, caustic soda, sodium chlorate, potassium cnlorate, nitric acid, and other nitrogen compounds. These are commonly products of the electric furnace fur-nace or cell. Other substances of similar method of production are phosphorus, used in matches and Incendiary bombs; magnesium, mag-nesium, employed in making alloys of cre.it strength and light weight, to be used, in turn. In the manufacture of aircraft; air-craft; magnesium, a constituent in devices de-vices to Illuminate battlefields at ntghi; graphite, used as a lubricant; and carbon car-bon bisulphide, a valuable solvent, made from tne raw materirJs charcoal and sulphur. sul-phur. The carbon ard graphite electrodes whh which all electric furnaces are equipped are themselves electric-furnact products. Electrochemistry' Is not Just coming Into its o n it has arrived; and it Is proving itself to lc a. most willing, powerful pow-erful and versatile a?ent in the winning of the war. It has greatly enlarged the field for chemical and metallurgical engineers. |
