THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK

Garden Island Bay in the Louisiana marshland where Freeport the Gulf of Mexico and about 100 miles southeast of New Sulphur Co. is building its 500,000-ton-a-year mining plant. Orleans. Construction workers are housed and fed in the Aerial view shows swamp-like character of the site which is quarterboats anchored in slips (upper right). Hurricanes and located on Dennis Pass, four miles from the open waters of highwater add to the difficulties of the marshy site

this supply is contaminated by salt water from the Gulf, provision will be made for collecting the available fresh water in a 600-acre reservoir with capacity for 1 billion gallons, which is approximately a six-months' supply. Construction of the res-

INDUSTRY

Construction Continues Apace On N e w Sulfur Plant

Freeport expects entire Garden Island Bay Plant to be in operation next year

A surveyor helps keep things straight at the Garden Island Bay site. In addition to the problems of building in a swamp, the site is also beset by hurricanes, high winds, and torrential rains at various times during the year. At high>river time, die land is submerged beneath as much as four feet of water

SLIGHTLY over a year ago Freeport Sulfur Co. announced its plan to go

ahead with the biggest single sulfur de­velopment in two decades (C&EN, Sept. 3, 1951, page 3618). Several months earlier, Freeport had obtained the sulfur rights to the Garden Island Bay area in Louisiana after brimstone had been dis­covered there by the Texas Co. in the course of exploring for oil. The project, to cost close to $15 million, would add 500,000 long tons a year to the U. S. pro­duction of native sulfur—production that in 1951 amounted to 5.3 million long tons.

According to Freeport, substantial prog­ress has been made in recent months. Although work was slowed down some­what by an extended rainy season earlier this year, favorable weather during the last few months has stimulated construc­tion activity.

Power Plant. The power plant now under contsruction will provide the steam, hot water, high-pressure air, and elec-

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tricity necessary for the Frasch mining of sulfur at Garden Island Bay. This sulfur is located between 1600 and 1700 feet be­low the surface. Steam will be produced at a pressure of 425 pounds per square inch gage in boilers designed to handle 5.8 million pounds of steam a day. Water will be delivered at 325° F. and at a rate of 2.7 million gallons a day. Air will be supplied at 800 pounds per square inch gage by compressors capable of deliver­ing 2.2 million cubic feet a day. The plant's electrical capacity will be 1400 kilowatts.

Fresh Water Supply, As is typical of the Frasch Process, operations at Garden Island Bay require immense volumes of high-quality water. Because of its appre­ciable salt content, water from the Gulf of Mexico cannot be used directly. At Gar­den Island, use will be made instead of fresh water obtained from an adjacent distributary of the Mississippi. However, because at various times during the year

C H E M I C A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G NEWS

THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK

Center of current activity is the 130 x 230 foot foundation for the power plant. Workmen are seen tapering tops of fir pilings to prevent cracking of the 16-inch concrete mat now being poured on this rough wooden floor. Above the concrete mat will be erected 16-foot-high supports for the plant floor proper

The site of the power plant is marshland where the sub­soil is soft clay to a depth of more than 100 feet. To keep subsidence to a minimum, 2163 fir pilings, each 85 to 90 feet long, from the Pacific Northwest (cost, $185,000) were driven into the earth

At the same time that these preparations are going on at Garden Island Bay, Free-port is almost completing its plant at Bay Ste. Elaine, La. This $2 million "floating plant" recently was anchored to its pilings, after being towed from its assembly point near Port Sulphur, 55 miles below New Orleans

Drilling barge, for marsh drilling, are going ahead with the task of drilling the sulfur wells. Thus far, 27 wells have been dug. with about 13 more to be dr*;led by the end of next year. The floating rigs, costing roughly $250,000 each, drill wells at an average cost of about $40,000 per well, which is equivalent to about $17 a rfoot, or almost twice the cost of similar drilling on land

ervoir levees, 10 feet in height, will cost about $500,000 and will be completed in the next 12 months.

Expectations are that the entire Garden Island Bay plant will be in operation by the end of next year. Initial production rate has not yet been determined, al­though it is estimated at close to full capacity. At least 350 workers will be re­quired for full plant operation.

Because of the marshy soil, the erection of large storage vats for the mined sulfur near the plant site would be impractical. Instead, the molten sulfur will bo shipped 45 miles northwest to Port Sulphur, La., in steel barges. These barges, capable of holding 1000 long tons of liquid sulfur each, will be sufficiently insulated to keep the sulfur molten for at least 48 hours.

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THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK

Perkin-Elmer Purchases Land for Future Expansion

Perkin-Elmer Corp. has purchased 10.3 acres of land adjacent to its present prop­erty on Main Ave., NTonvalk, Conn., from Greer Hydraulics Inc. The purchase was made to provide space for future expansion of the company's manufacturing area. The acquisition brings Perkin-Elmer's total holding to 30.4 acres in Norwalk and Wilton.

Although no expansion into the new property is contemplated at present, con­tinuous infrared analyzers under develop­ment may require considerably increased production facilities. Meanwhile, a 10,000 square foot addition to the present plant will be erected in the near future.

National Drug Takes Over Vaccine Production

A special plant is under construction at Swiftwater, Pa., by National Drug Co., for the production of yellow fever vac­cine.

The Public Health Service has been the nation's sole producer of the vaccine since 1942 when emergency wartime needs made it necessary that the Govern­ment assume production. It has been made at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory at Hamilton, Mont., a division of the Na­tional Institutes of Health. Production was terminated in September.

The manufacture of the vaccine by the National Drug Co. does not alter the regu­lations governing distribution. All eligible consumers now receiving the vaccine may continue to do so.

Industry-A EC Joint Study of Nuclear Reactors for Power

The Atomic Energy Commission will grant security clearances t o the personnel of 11 companies which wil l become as­sociated with the D o w Chemical Co. and the Detroit Edison Co. in their joint study with the AEC for the development of a nuclear reactor to produce power.

The 11 companies arc: Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co.; Cleveland Electric Illumi­nating Co.; Consolidated Edison Co. of N e w York; Consumer Power Co.; General Public Utilities Corp.; New England Elec­tric System; Philadelphia Electric Co.; Public Service Electric and Gas Co. of N e w Jersey; Toledo Edison Co.; Vitro Corp. of America; and Wisconsin Electric Co.

Dow Chemical-Detroit Edison's jointly financed research and development pro­gram was one of four accepted, in sub­stance, last April by AEC. The groups have been studying the feasibility of in­dustrial participation in the reactor pro­gram.

The investigations proposed by Dow-Detroit Edison are in keeping with the AEC's power reactor program and will in­tensify the approach to improved reactors along the lines selected, Most of the work by the two companies, estimated at about

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$275,000 in direct costs, not including overhead, will be carried on in their own laboratories. AEC research will be done at Argonne, Brookhaven, and Oak Ridge. Much of AEC's supporting investigation already is in progress or has been budgeted as a part of its power reactor development program at about $725,000 in direct costs.

Other companies which can make a contribution to development work on the project may become associated with it.

Standard Building Pipeline to Spokane

An eight-inch pipeline to be constructed between Pasco, on the Columbia River, and Spokane, Wash., is being planned b y Standard Oil Co. of California. The line will bring petroleum products to users in Washington's Inland Empire. Sources include products barged to Pasco up the Columbia River and a pipeline from Salt Lake City, where Standard has large new refinery. Capacity of the pipe line is 12,000 barrels a day, and estimated cost of the project is $4.5 million. Salt Lake Pipe Line Co., a subsidiary of Standard, will operate the pipeline and estimates that it will have the line completed and in full operation by mid 1953.

International tp Expand Niagara Falls Plant 2 5 %

International Minerals & Chemicals Corp. plans to spend more than $1 million at its Niagara Falls plant for improve­ments. These will increase production of chemicals and chlorine products by about 2 5 % .

Internationa] purchased Innis, Speiden & Co., in July 1951 in order to acquire this electrolytic plant. This enabled the com­pany to follow its main objective of ex­panding vertically in production of potas­sium chemicals. Utilizing facilities of this plant, International could take chemical products from its mines and put them into finished form for industrial consumers.

The gum and wax, insecticide, and gen­eral resale chemical business of Innis, Speiden did not follow the type of busi­ness conducted by International. During the past several months International has been divesting itself of these unrelated activities (C&EN. Oct. 20, page 4 3 8 5 ) . International is now left with the prime and original part of the business which it wanted. The electrolytic plant has been , made a part of the Potash Division.

National Chlorophyll Breaks Ground for Plant

Construction of a plant for the continu­ous extraction of chlorophyll was begun recently at Lamar, Colo., as ground was broken for the $1 million plant of National Chlorophyll & Chemical Co. The plant will have an annual capacity in excess of 100,000 pounds. In 1051, t h e entire in­dustry in the United States produced ap­proximately 60,000 pounds of chlorophyll

C H E M I C A L

and the 1952 production is estimated at about 95,000 pounds.

Orders for machinery, which embody advanced methods for the extraction of chlorophyll, were placed some time ago and National Chlorophyll has been as­sured that this machinery will b e com­pleted in time to ensure full operation by April of next year.

National Chlorophyll at present is oper­ating a pilot plant and two small com­mercial facilities for the extraction of chlorophyll. These were originally built and developed by the parent company,. National Alfalfa, which is a producer of alfalfa meal—the principle source of chlorophyll. All of the pioneer research developed by the parent concern w a s turned over to National Chlorophyll when it was organized several months ago-(C&EN, May 5, page 1866) .

C C I Sulfuric Acid Plant fo r Baytown

Ground has been broken on land ad­jacent to Humble Oil and Refining C o / s Baytown Refinery for the construction of a sulfuric acid plant by Consolidated Chemical Industries (C&EN, Aug. 11,. page 3306) . This plant will utilize as feed stock both hydrogen sulfide recovered from processing of crude oil and certain acid sludges resulting from various refining processes. These sludges were formerly burned as fuels in the refinery. The new-plant, expected to begin partial operations in eight months, will represent a major step in the reduction and control of air contamination at Baytown to a practical minimum.

NEWS BRIEFS Vacuum-Electronic Engineering Co..

has moved its offices and manufacturing, facilities to a larger plant located at 8B-Denton Ave., N e w Hyde Park, L. I., N . Y.

Bobcock & Wilcox Co., Tubular Prod­ucts Division, has established a district sales office in Syracuse, N. Y. It is located at 205 Harrison St.

Monsanto Chemical Co., Organic Chemicals Division, has moved to 8 0 0 North 12th Blvd., St. Louis 1, Mo.

S ta te of California, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Chemistry, has moved its office to State Office Bldg. N o . 1, Tenth and L Sts., Sacramento 14, Calif.

Rutley Industries, Inc., is a company recently formed to analyze metal finishing, problems, prescribe the correct chemical formula, and produce it in bulk for the us^r. Rutley also makes a standard line of preparations for welding and brazing. Main offices of the company are at 4 1 5 Greenwich St., N e w York City.

Parke, Davis & Co* is opening branch headquarters on the 79th floor of the E m ­pire State Bldg., New York City. T h e 2360 square foot office will house about 15 persons of the sales personnel and N e w

A N D E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S

THE CHEMICAL WORLD THIS WEEK

York representatives of the company's clinical investigation department and its overseas division.

Wetherbee Chemical Co., 1510 South Park Ave., Buffalo 20, N. Y„ will no longer represent General Latex & Chemical Corp. in the N e w York and Michigan territories. Wetherbee Chemical Company has been the exclusive manufacturer's agent for General Latex since 1945.

G. D. Bavin Co.. 2500 West Sixth St. Bldg., Los Angeles 5, Calif., has just been appointed exclusive representative for the Cataphote Corp., Toledo, Ohio, and Jack­son, Miss. Bavin will handle the Cata­phote line of bulk glass reflector beads. Representation includes areas of southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Aus­tralia, and parts of Central America.

Plax Corp.. West Hartford, Conn., has expanded its facilities for the production of Kel-F fluorocarbon plastic. Equipment, already in production, turns out rods and slugs up to two feet in length. The Kel-F rods manufactured by Plax now range in diameter from Ve inch to 2 inches and the larger pieces, known as "slugs," are avail­able in diameters of 2, 2V2, and 3 inches in sections up to 24 inches long.

JefPeries Engineering Co. of Westfield, N . J., has changed its name to Engineering Corp. of America. The corporation spe­cializes in the designing and building of special mechanical and process equipment for the chemical and petrochemical proc­ess industries.

Fruin-Colnon Contracting C o . of St. Louis, has been awarded the contract for the construction of Monsanto Chemical C o / s headquarters office building in St. Louis County.

Work already has begun on clearing the land at the Lindbergh Blvd.-Olive St. Road site in Creve Coeur, Mo.

Organic Intermediates is a company •which has recently been formed to serve as a clearing house for the sale of dye in­termediates made by the smaller dyestuff •concerns. Organic Intermediates will also act as sales agent for chlorophyll and deriv­atives manufactured by the Chlorophyll Corp. of America. Some of these chloro­phyll derivatives are Chlorin E, Phytol, Pheophytin, and vitamin E.

A list of the intennediates handled is available by writing or wiring organic in­termediates, 120 Central Ave., Clark Township (Rahway) , N. J.

Brown-Allen Chemicals, Inc., New "York, has appointed John H. Calo & Co., 19 Rector St., N e w York, as sales agent for their oil and chemical products in the metropolitan New York area, effective Oct. 10.

Insul-Mastic Corp, of America is now represented in the Territory of Hawaii by the firm of Craig & Pullen. This company, located at 338 Ward Ave., Honolulu, will contract for and make applications of the heavy duty protective coatings manufac­tured by Insul-Mastic.

Craig & Pullen is the first Insul-Mastic

Licensee to be located outside the conti­nental bounds of the United States.

Monsanto Chemical Co. has licensed some eight companies to sell soil condi­tioners under patents issued to Monsanto. The companies already licensed include A* ^an Chemical Paint Co., Ambler,

ssociated Sales and Supply Co., St. J U ^ , Du Pont Co., Grasselli Chemicals

Dept., Wilmington, Del.; Quinn Drug and Chemical Co., Greenwood, Miss.; Shelby Agricultural Chemical Co., Shelbyville, Ky.; Tennessee Corp., N e w York City; Thompson-Haywaxd Chemical Co., Kansas City, Mo.; and Wyandotte Chemical Co., Wyandotte, Mich.

G O V E R N M E N T

Most Sanitary Engineers Have Civil Engineering Background

The civil engineering curriculum has served as a base for undergraduate educa­tion of more than 75% of the sanitary en­gineering profession, according to a re­port of the Office of Education. The next largest group of sanitary engineers took a degree in chemical engineering—11.7%— and 1.8% had degrees in chemistry.

Most sanitary engineers with a master's degree hold their degrees in sanitary en­gineering or one of the following ( in de­scending order): chemical engineering, sanitary or public health engineering, me­chanical engineering, and electrical en­gineering.

This report also discusses experience, employment, and supply of sanitary engi­neers.

It is the second in the National Scientific Register's "Scientific Manpower Series." First in the series, issued in May 1951, is entitled "Research and Development Per­sonnel in Industrial Laboratories—1950." It was prepared for the Scientific Register by the National Besearch Council. Copies of each are available from the Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. for 15 cents each.

S C I E N C E

Regitine Aids Diagnosis of Tumor-Caused Hypertension

A drug said to enable the physician to determine whether a patient's hyper­tension is caused b y an adrenal tumor called pheochromocytoma has been de­veloped b y Ciba Pharmaceutical Products, Inc. It is thought that some 1000 persons die each year from hypertension resulting from such tumors and that about 50,000 hypertensive patients suffer from this type of disease.

In most instances the tumor arises from the adrenal medulla and discharges ex­cessive amounts of epinephrine and nor­epinephrine into the blood stream causing hypertension. The diagnostic drug (trade-named Regitine ) blocks this action. After injection with Regitine, the patient suffer­

ing from pheochromocytoma experiences a drop in blood pressure. Patients with other forms of hypertension exhibit a negative response.

V e i l , - / I

HO/ 2-[ (m-Hydroxy-iV-p-tolylanilino) -methyl]-

2-imidazoline (Regitine)

Since the drug is easily administered and side effects are said to be of a minor nature, Regitine has been recommended as a routine screening procedure for hyper­tensive patients. It is said to produce quite accurate results and few false responses occur.

Polyphenyllinctane Mixture Is More Effective as Insecticide

By mixing lindane with a chlorinated polyphenyls, a chemist-entomologist team of the Department of • Agriculture has produced an insecticide said to retain its killing power at least twice as long as normal lindane sprays. In addition, the lindane mixture does not cause the whitish powder deposits characteristic of ordinary lindane spray and remains practically in­visible.

The USDA chemists point out that ad­dition of chlorinated polyphenols to lin­dane prevents the crystallization of lin­dane from solution (which causes the white residue). Furthermore, slower evaporation results from the lowered vapor pressure and the lindane remains on the sprayed surface for a longer time thus in­creasing its killing power.

Resistance t o Isoniazid Hampers I ts Effectiveness

Isoniazid (isonicotinic acid hydrazide) has been found effective against pulmo­nary tuberculosis to a degree comparable with that of a combination of strepto­mycin and p-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) , according to a report b y the Medical Re­search Council of Great Britain published in the British Medical Journal, Oct. 4. However, development of resistant strains of bacilli during isoniazid treatment is a serious problem. The report dealt with 331 patients under treatment from June 1 to Aug. 31, 1952 and is only an interim re­port. The trial is still in progress with more than 750 patients. Isoniazid is being tested in combination with streptomycin and with PAS to yield interesting results in a number of cases still too small to be conclusive.

Treatment was randomly allocated among the patients and at the time of selection of a patient the method to be used was not known to the physician. Isoniazid was given in doses of 100 mg. twice a day by mouth to 173 patients, while daily 1-gram intramuscular doses of streptomycin were combined with four

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