Show procrustean act doubles oil supply research Is credited for big increase most boys and girls have read in the old greek myths about who welcomed travelers at his home in a lonely spot beside the road had only one bed but he always made his wayfarers wayfare rs fit the bed if they were too long he chopped off their feet if they were too short he stretched them on a rack finally he was slain by theseus saucer eyed as are youngsters reading the exploits of even 9 grownups grown rown ups blink in amazement at the achievements of chemists in the peti petroleum oleum industry in stretching shrinking and reshaping petroleum molecules nature has given this country a bountiful supply of crude oil but some of the oil molecules are too large and some too small to fit the requirements for gasoline in modern high compres sion motors petroleum chemists have discovered effective methods method s to break down the fat molecules into smaller ones chemists also are able by other methods to rebuild molecules to a desired size and composition what this juggling means to the average person is just this if the petroleum chemists we were re unable to perform a procrustean act an addi add dional barrels of oil would have to be brought to the surface every year to meet the gasoline demand of the motorists in the united states chemical research in the oil industry has had the practical effect by reducing the amount of crude oil needed of doubling the oil reserves of the united states without these chemical achievements of the petroleum scientists entis ts the price of gasoline would be beyond the means of milli millions ons of families |