A substance added to a solu­tion or emulsion to preserve it s t a Ι α η ced con d i t îo h .

Example: GLYCERINE!

Cough syrups, flavorings, color­ing agents, medicines, and many other products rely on the dispers­ing, suspending, or emulsifying action of Glycerine for their sta­bility. In these formulations Glyc­erine is preferred not only because of its stabilizing action, bu t also because of its demulcent and hu­mectant properties, and its pleas­ant taste.

U. S. R Glycerine is nontoxic and easily digested. Its applica­tions are approved by Federal and State food and drug authorit ies.

New Starch Indicator To give one recent example. Glyc­erine's stabilizing action was a key factor in the development of a new starch solution for use as an indi­cator in iodimetry. In tests this Glycerine-stabilized solution gave the same results six months after mixing as it did when fresh.

Balance of Properties GlycerineTs stabilizing action is only par t of the story. You can count on versati le Glycer ine to serve as —

lubricant bacteriostatic penetrant preservative

bodying agent sweetener antifreeze blending agent

Booklets on the application of Glycer­ine in the drug and cosmetic and food fields are available. For your copy, write Glycerine Producers9 Associa­tion, Dept. CEN, 295 Madison Ave­nue, New York 17, Ν. Y

LETTERS Unionization Battle Proceeds D E A R SIR:

R e the controversy (C&EN, Nov. 8, page 4456) entitled "Should Pro­fessional Employees b e Unionized?", may I address the following questions to Fernel ius:

(1 ) Instead of ridiculing "the grim picture. . .of t h e professional man just barely eking out an existence," w h y not quote some reliable statistics on salary distributions among nonunion-ized professionals and unionized un­skilled workers? W h y abandon the quanti tat ive method, so successful in chemistry, and resort to purely quali­tative, and therefore meaningless, ar­guments?

(2 ) Does t he poll taken by Opinion Research Corp . indicate anything more than widespread snobbishness (pardon me—"professional pride") or fear of employers' resentment?

(3 ) Science may be mainly respon­sible for improved living, but are sci­entists get t ing a proper share of its benefits?

(4) W h y need collective bargaining consist of "rigidly specified hours, wages," etc.? W h y not simply specify minimum salaries and minimum pay­ments for overtime work? How would this prevent an able man from earning as much as he does now?

(5 ) F e w persons a re irreplaceable, and few could afford to be unemployed for a length of time. How, then, can a competent man demand t h e salary he deserves without fear of being fired?

(6) I t is common for able and de­serving persons to lose some of their efficiency wi th age. Would i t not b e cruel to refuse to grant salary increases to such persons, after these bad ren­dered conscientious service for years? Is it not c rue l and self-deceiving for younger men to feel indifferent about the rights of their older, somewhat weaker counterparts?

(7) Is i t not naive to tnink that an employer will pay a higher salary than he has to? Even if one be relatively enlightened and generous, how could he afford t o pay much more than his competitors without put t ing himself a t a disadvantage?

(8) Aren't people who complain to their supervisors likely to b e dismissed? Doesn't such dismissal frequently ruin a person's career? Some people may recover a n d even benefit therefrom, bu t what abou t those with less stamina who break down partially or completely after a disappointing and humiliating experience?

(9) Does a person who turns his affairs over to a lawyer lose any of his self respect? Is i t not more shameful

and humiliating b y far to be underpaid than to let duly elected union repre­sentatives and lawyers watch out for one's rights?

(10) How can you reconcile the naive conception of employers' gener­osity with the highly critcial views of union practices? Do you suggest that elected union representatives are less concerned with professional workers* welfare than are the employers?

(11) Meed unionization signify strife? Why not "speak softly" like Teddy Roosevelt "but carry a big stick"?

(12) Finally, what bet ter remedy could there be t o the increasing and potentially disastrous shortage of scien­tists than salaries high enough to attract talent? Isn't bargaining by effective unions trie best means of ensuring this?

SOL ZAROMB Cambridge, Mass.

D E A R SIR: In stating the case against unioniza­

tion of chemists and engineers, W. C. Fernelius argues that t h e true profes­sional man abhors working b y the clock, his creative activity does not be­gin when he enters the plant nor cease when he leaves, and that his hours can­not be recorded b y a t ime clock. The majority of scientists will agree with him, but unfortunately management, including those who have graduated from the laboratory, does not share this broad viewpoint- Definite hours for arrival and leaving are stipulated in in­dustrial laboratories, and a very defi­nite number of hours of work per week are required. Work means being at work and in one's place, either at his bench, in die library preparing for future experiments, or a t a desk writ­ing a report.

Fernelius further states that while there have been injustices in t h e past, most companies now are keenly aware of the needs and desires of employees. But a recent D u Pont survey showed that employees lack faith in manage­ment's concern for the economic wel­fare of its employees and an over­whelming majority doub t that manage­ment would advance o r promote the most deserving. The article (C&EN, Nov. 8) extends the D u Pont findings to include the majority of American workers. Obviously, i n some large companies, at least, management must be most ineffectual in showing their paternalistic feelings toward their em­ployees and in assuring them that no further injustices will b e done.

Finally, Fernelius believes tha t the professional man would rather speak

5 0 1 8 C H E M I C A L AND E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S

FISHER Jztifame-eaéifjMîe&^^Aétwâfag,

FISHER «SCOOP'1

This new stainless steel spatula is specially designed for the semi-micro chemist. It is non-corrosive and as smoothly functional in appearance as a surgeon's scalpel.

This is an important addition to the complete line of Spatulas offered by Fisher. Together with the large 442-millimeter pilot-plant "c lub" and all the sizes and shapes in-between, all are designed to answer a specific need, best.

This school of spatulas is typical of the vast variety of job-designed tools found on almost every page of the Fisher Catalog.

FISHER fflPB SCPNTIFIC PITTSBURGH (1 9) 7 1 7 Forbes Sr.

MONTREAt (3) 904 St. James S».

NEW YORK ( U ) 635 Greenwich St. WASHINGTON 7722 Woodbury Or. Silver Spring Md.

ST.IOUIS0 8) 2850 S. Jefferson Ave.

TORONTO (8) 245 Corlaw Ave».

Rely on the Fisher Cata­log for all your labora­tory requirements.

Arnold's largest Mtaiifieferef Dfctribitw ef laboratory Aseliaaets aie Rtagent Shtafeih

V O L U M E 3 2, N O . 51 · D E C E M B E R 2 0, 1964 5019

ANOTHER

PUT UP TO 6 TIMES

MORE SOLIDS INTO

AQUEOUS SUSPENSION

WITHOUT INCREASING VISCOSITY

WITH THE ADDITION OF ONLY .05% TO 3.0% OF

M A R A S P E R S E LOW COST,

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE DISPERSANTS Marasperses deflocculate insoluble par­ticles in water suspension and prevent agglomeration. 1. Viscous pasty masses become thin

free-flowing fluids. 2. Settling of suspended solids is pre­

vented or greatly retarded. 3 . Slurries are kept fluid even with

greatly increased concentration of solids.

Marasperses are used in making dis­persions of organic and inorganic pig­ments, insoluble dye-stuffs, sulfur, clay, gypsum, carbon black, zinc oxide, rub­ber antioxidants; as grinding aids; in the formulation of wettable powder insecticides, industrial cleaners, boiler feedwater t reatment compounds; to sta­bilize emulsions of asphalt, waxes, and resins; for conditioning oil well drilling muds.

M a r a s p e r s e d i s p e r s a n t s a r e non-hygroscopic, free-flowing powders — completely soluble in water.

Send coupon below for additional in­formation on Marasperse products.

M A R A T H O N υ>ον/ιοναάΌη CHEMICAL DIVISION

ROTHSCHILD WISCONSIN £S I Send information on Marasperse Dispersants,

File No. C-131, t o : NAME. .

1 C O M P A N Y . I ADDRESS — I CITY S T A T E .

LETTERS

for himself and has done very well in this line so far. I believe the average American nonprofessional worker would also prefer to speak for himself to management, but that he long ago found that, individually, management paid scant attention to his pleas for more humane working conditions and more equitable distribution of profits. It has been a long time since the 60-hour work week and the fabulous Age of the Moguls, but many old-timers can recall that much of the advancement of the professional worker in industry, gradual reduction in work week, and advancement in pay level followed in the wake of and was the direct result of the battles waged by his nonprofes­sional brothers.

There is, perhaps, a certain sense of dignity lost to the professions by unioni­zation. However, dignity may suffer to an even greater degree, it would seem, by consistently refusing to take a stand with fellow workers and by permitting these other workers, often at considerable cost and personal sacri­fice, to solve his problems.

R A L P H W. KERR Riverside, III

DEAR SIR: W. Conard Fernelius should read

"How to Fire an Executive" in the October 1954 issue of Fortune, and "How to Attract and Hold Engineer­ing Talent'* issued by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1954.

He will find: that 34% are in favor of collective bargaining units compared with 6% in 1946, that all large cor­porations are ruthless.

CHESTER E. ROSE Metuchen, N. J.

DEAR SIR: I note that the question of unioniza­

tion for chemists comes to life again after a long period of hibernation. I suggest that both the pros and the cons exert themselves to the slight extent of obtaining a copy of the Readers Digest, December 1954, and read page 89.

Ε. Τ. SAXER Cleveland, Ohio

Great Future for Coal

DEAR SIR: Along with Reich (C&EN, Oct. 11,

page 4046) , other investigators have noted the source of power to which Frisch first had reference. Rapid oxi­dation of the natural material, coal, has already been exploited to some extent, and it holds considerable prom­ise for the future.

The hexagonal lattice proposed by Reich is indeed an improvement over the close-packed sphere lattice of Frisch. However, it has been shown that reaction can be maintained under conditions of random sizing and pack­ing w;?h suitable reactor design. An enormous economic advantage is at­tendant to this innovation, as individual machining is eliminated. To attain reliable operation under these condi­tions, it is necessary to ensure a con­trolled composition of reacting mate­rial. This end has been reached through partially decomposing the raw reactant in auxiliary equipment having a nearly neutral atmosphere. Waste gases from this operation are admittedly hazardous, and disposal is best made by condensation at low temperatures (circa 80° K.). The resulting solid product contains many compounds, most of which have not yet been iden­tified. Their poisonous nature dictates extreme care in handling, and no prac­tical use is foreseen. Standard burial techniques seem most applicable.

An alternate method of start-ταρ in new plants, other than by passage of electric current, utilizes an additional chemical fuel. In some experimental designs, nitrotoluene has been used. The chief difficulty has been found in maintaining the trigger reaction for a period sufficient to allow the principal reaction to become self-sustaining.

One of the principal advantages of a coal-powered reactor is the lack of size limitation. Several miniature units weighing less than one pound have been operated successfully. These were limited in application by the small total energy output. Mobile units are not attractive because of the large trigger energy needed when direct elec­trical activation is employed.

H. W. HOLLAND Fremont, Ohio

Future for Z i rcon ium

DEAR SIR: C&EN for Nov. 15, page 4562, car­

ried a report on zirconium far less optimistic than the view held by Car­borundum Metals Co. I t states " . . .it is thought that the metal will not be used in extensive quantities in the fore­seeable future, according to a Zirco­nium Metals spokesman . . . "

I guess it's a case of "speak for your­self, John." Carborundum Metals Co., the world's largest commercial producer of zirconium metal, is betting the price of a sizable plant expansion program that zirconium metal of the quality we produce will b e used in extensive quantities in the foreseeable future.

E. D E N T LACKEY Niagara Falls, Ν. Υ.

5 0 2 0 C H E M I C A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S