RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
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The Chemical World This Week NOVEMBER 15, 19 β 5 £ CONCENTRATES • Commercialization of a new process (Alston 70) for plating aluminum has been started by M&T Chemicals, a subsidiary of American Can Co. Tin-plated aluminum electrical bus bars, for instance, are being made by Square D Co., Lex- ington, Ky., by the process. A proprietary, two- solution dip of the part to be plated, preceded by cleaning of the part and an acid dip, is critical to the process. The first dip is in Alstan 75, an activating solution containing tin. Immediately after the activating dip, the aluminum part is immersed in Alstan 71 for an electrolytic strike (in which a thin layer of bronze is plated on the aluminum to form a base for subsequent plating). The firm feels that the method offers many advantages over the widely used zinc plating process, including better adhesion, corrosion resistance, and thermal stability. The process can be used to plate almost any aluminum alloy, M&T says. > The manner in which lysozyme binds to a substrate is becoming clearer. Dr. David Phillips and his group at the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory of London's Royal Institu- tion find that N-acetylglucosamine attaches itself to a specific site on the enzyme molecule, simul- taneously causing a very slight relative displace- ment of different parts of the enzyme. Lysozyme is ellipsoidal, with a cleft or trough extending down one side of it [Nature, 206, 757 (1965)]. Measurements of the changes in its electron den- sity distribution, obtained by detailed x-ray crys- tallography, indicate that N-acetylglucosamine becomes attached to amino side chains extending into this cleft. Lysozyme, commonly found in body fluids, catalyzes the hydrolysis of polysac- charides containing N-acetylglucosamine units. These polysaccharides are an essential structural element of bacterial cell walls. ^ Nylon carpets treated with an effective anti- static coating are now available, according to Monarch Mills, Chamblee, Ga. The conductive coating, permanently locked into the carpet, was developed in conjunction with Burkart-Schier Chemical Co., Chattanooga, Tenn. Monarch says its process reduces the static level in nylon carpets to the point where electrical charges are almost eliminated, and that the treatment is effective for the life of the carpet. Monarch applies the coating to the carpet backing before the latex binder and the final double back are added. The firm says the process will open applications for nylon carpets in areas such as school rooms, where the static charge of untreated nylon carpets is objectionable enough to make them unsuitable. ^ Construction and inspection standards for heat exchangers were the subject of a floor dis- cussion at last week's annual meeting of the Amer- ican Society of Mechanical Engineers, in Chicago. The technical committee on unfired heat transfer equipment of the society's Heat Transfer division heard some manufacturers and users of such equipment state that such a standard is either not needed or would only confuse matters. Others said a new standard is definitely needed, as cur- rent standards and specifications based on the ASME Unfired Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII are not comprehensive enough. Code committee representatives at the meeting argued that if there is a need for a new standard, it would best be incorporated into existing codes. > Trimetaphosphate ion reacts with fluoride ion to form a new species, monofluorotripolyphos- phate, according to Dr. R. E. Mesmer of Mon- santo Co. The reaction occurs at pH 2 to 11; equilibrium is rapidly established at 80° C. and is followed by hydrolysis of the species, Dr. Mes- mer told the First Midwest Regional ACS Meet- ing, held at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum shows that only one fluorine atom is present and that it's attached to the end phos- phorus. NMR also shows that hydrolytic degra- dation leads to monofluoroorthophosphate and phosphate ions in a 1:2 ratio. According to Dr. Mesmer, the new species may be useful as an intermediate in preparing long-chain phosphates. ^ An official move against performing classified contract research "except in the event of a na- tional emergency" has been taken by the faculty senate group of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. The university senate also adopted a resolution calling for all classified research now being conducted at Penn to be reviewed by a faculty steering committee. The university thus would not be involved in research from which the results could not be freely publishable (although publishing could be delayed for as much as a year). The proposal must still be approved by the university council—a joint committee of fac- ulty and administration, says Penn president Gay- lord P. Harnwell, proponent of the policy. NOV. 15, 1965 C&EN 41 RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
Transcript of RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
The Chemical World This Week NOVEMBER 15, 19 β 5
£ CONCENTRATES • Commercialization of a new process (Alston
70) for plating aluminum has been started by M&T Chemicals, a subsidiary of American Can Co. Tin-plated aluminum electrical bus bars, for instance, are being made by Square D Co., Lexington, Ky., by the process. A proprietary, two-solution dip of the part to be plated, preceded by cleaning of the part and an acid dip, is critical to the process. The first dip is in Alstan 75, an activating solution containing tin. Immediately after the activating dip, the aluminum part is immersed in Alstan 71 for an electrolytic strike (in which a thin layer of bronze is plated on the aluminum to form a base for subsequent plating). The firm feels that the method offers many advantages over the widely used zinc plating process, including better adhesion, corrosion resistance, and thermal stability. The process can be used to plate almost any aluminum alloy, M&T says.
> The manner in which lysozyme binds to a substrate is becoming clearer. Dr. David Phillips and his group at the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory of London's Royal Institution find that N-acetylglucosamine attaches itself to a specific site on the enzyme molecule, simultaneously causing a very slight relative displacement of different parts of the enzyme. Lysozyme is ellipsoidal, with a cleft or trough extending down one side of it [Nature, 206, 757 (1965)]. Measurements of the changes in its electron density distribution, obtained by detailed x-ray crystallography, indicate that N-acetylglucosamine becomes attached to amino side chains extending into this cleft. Lysozyme, commonly found in body fluids, catalyzes the hydrolysis of polysaccharides containing N-acetylglucosamine units. These polysaccharides are an essential structural element of bacterial cell walls.
^ Nylon carpets treated with an effective antistatic coating are now available, according to Monarch Mills, Chamblee, Ga. The conductive coating, permanently locked into the carpet, was developed in conjunction with Burkart-Schier Chemical Co., Chattanooga, Tenn. Monarch says its process reduces the static level in nylon carpets to the point where electrical charges are almost eliminated, and that the treatment is effective for the life of the carpet. Monarch applies the coating to the carpet backing before the latex binder and the final double back are added. The firm says the process will open
applications for nylon carpets in areas such as school rooms, where the static charge of untreated nylon carpets is objectionable enough to make them unsuitable.
^ Construction and inspection standards for heat exchangers were the subject of a floor discussion at last week's annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, in Chicago. The technical committee on unfired heat transfer equipment of the society's Heat Transfer division heard some manufacturers and users of such equipment state that such a standard is either not needed or would only confuse matters. Others said a new standard is definitely needed, as current standards and specifications based on the ASME Unfired Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII are not comprehensive enough. Code committee representatives at the meeting argued that if there is a need for a new standard, it would best be incorporated into existing codes.
> Trimetaphosphate ion reacts with fluoride ion to form a new species, monofluorotripolyphos-phate, according to Dr. R. E. Mesmer of Monsanto Co. The reaction occurs at pH 2 to 11; equilibrium is rapidly established at 80° C. and is followed by hydrolysis of the species, Dr. Mesmer told the First Midwest Regional ACS Meeting, held at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum shows that only one fluorine atom is present and that it's attached to the end phosphorus. NMR also shows that hydrolytic degradation leads to monofluoroorthophosphate and phosphate ions in a 1:2 ratio. According to Dr. Mesmer, the new species may be useful as an intermediate in preparing long-chain phosphates.
^ An official move against performing classified contract research "except in the event of a national emergency" has been taken by the faculty senate group of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. The university senate also adopted a resolution calling for all classified research now being conducted at Penn to be reviewed by a faculty steering committee. The university thus would not be involved in research from which the results could not be freely publishable (although publishing could be delayed for as much as a year). The proposal must still be approved by the university council—a joint committee of faculty and administration, says Penn president Gay-lord P. Harnwell, proponent of the policy.
NOV. 15, 1965 C&EN 41
RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
