Outlines of industrial chemistry; a text-book for students

Front matter

CORNELL

UNIVERSITY

LIBRARY in memoiy of

Preface

The object of this book is to furnish an elementary course in Industrial Chemistry, which may serve as the ground work for a more extended course of lectures, if desired. The writer has endeavored to describe briefly, within the limits of one moderate-sized volume, the more important industrial chemical processes, but omitting matters of detail which properly belong in the larger handbooks. Numerous references are made in the text to periodicals and journals, and to the standard hand-books and encyclopaedias and many special works, where details, lacking in this book, may be found. The bibliographical lists following each section are not complete, but only include those works which will usually be found in most chemical libraries; the references to the journal literature are merely those articles to which the author's attention has been drawn in the preparation of class-room exercises. The diagrams illustrating the text have, in most cases, been drawn as simply as possible, purposely showing only the essential features.

In the selection and order of arrangement of the several subjects, the author has necessarily been influenced by his work in this Institute and the requirements of his own class, but it is believed that the book as a whole will be found applicable to the work in most institutions of learning where industrial chemistry is taught. The subject of Metallurgy has been entirely omitted, since there are already several excellent brief text-books dealing with it alone, and instruction in it is generally given independently of that relating to technical chemistry. Likewise the important subject of the coal-tar colors has been condensed into the briefest possible outline, because this is nearly always included in courses in organic chemistry, and there are several small manuals treating of it. Analytical processes have also been omitted as foreign to the intended scope and purpose of the book.

It is assumed that students taking this course are familiar with the elements of general chemistry, both inorganic and organic, and with the elements of physics.

Viii PREFACE

In the compilation of this work, free use has been made of many of the standard English, German, and French hand-books and encyclopaedias, particularly of Professor T. E. Thorpe's Dictionary of Applied Chemistry, the -works of Professor Lunge on Sulphuric Acid and Alkali, a^d Coal-tar and Ammonia, Ost's Technischen Chemie, and Dammer's Handbuch der chemischen Technologic.

The following business firms have courteously loaned cuts and drawings for the illustrations : Curtis Davis & Co., Cambridgeport, Mass., slabbing machine and soap kettle ; William Campbell & Sons, Cambridgeport, Mass., rendering tank ; The De La Vergne Refrigerating Machine Co., New York, refrigerating machine ; H. L. Dixon, Pittsburg, Pa., tank furnace for glass ; United Gas Improvement Co., Philadelphia, water gas plant ; John Johnson & Co., New York, filter press; Semet-Solvay Company, Syracuse, N.Y., coke oven; E. D. Wood & Co., Philadelphia, Pa., Taylor gas producer.

The writer wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to the following friends for assistance and advice in the revision of those portions of the work treating of their specialties: C. D. Jenkins, State Gas Inspector of Massachusetts, Illuminating Gas; A. D. Little, Consulting Chemist, Wood Pulp and Paper ; J. W. Loveland, Superintendent Curtis Davis & Co., Soap Manufacturers, Soap, Candles, and Glycerine; P. G. Stantial, Superintendent Cochrane Chemical Co., Sulphuric, Hydrochloric, and Nitric Acids; the following members of the instructing staff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Professor A. H. Gill, Fuels and Oils; G. W. Eolfe, Starch, Glucose, and Sugar; S. C. Prescott, Fermentation Industries ; J. W. Smith, Textile Industries.

Special thanks are due to Dr. W. K. Whitney, of the Institute of Technology, for much assistance in the proof-reading, and also to Dr. B. L. Eobinson, Curator of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University, for his painstaking revision of the botanical nomenclature.

In the labor of preparation of the book, the author has also had much help from his wife, who copied the entire manuscript and las assisted in the reading of all of the proof.

Boston, Mass., October, 1898. Feank H. Thorp.

In this new edition, such errors as have been brought to the writer's notice have been corrected, but material changes have not been generally attempted, owing to press of other work. The author wishes to express his indebtedness to those who have called attention to weak parts in the book, and heartily invites further criticism.

Boston, Mass., October, 1899. F. H. T.

Preface To The Second Edition

The important advances made in the chemical industries since the appearance of the first edition, and the establishment of several successful manufactures which at that time were not beyond the experimental stage, have necessitated giving the text considerable revision, with material additions and corrections. Such errors of statement or of proof-reading as have been noted have been corrected, and further criticisms by instructors and others interested in the subject is invited.

It appeared desirable that a short outline of elementary metallurgy should be included, in order that the book might better meet the requirements of the courses of study of certain colleges and technical schools. With the exception of the paragraphs upon bismuth, cadmium, and magnesium, this has been prepared by ]Mr. Chas. D. Demond, and is now included as Part III of the new edition.

In connection with the material introduced, the writer wishes to express here his obligations to the following firms for permission to make abstracts and copy illustrations from their publications and catalogues: The Allis-Chalmers Co., Chicago; The Engineering and Mining Journal, New York ; The Sugar Apparatus ]\Ianufac-

turing Co., Philadelphia.

F. H. T.

Boston, April, 1905,

Introduction

Objects of Industrial Chemistry

Lixivialioii

Levigation

Evaporation

Spontaneous

By direct lieat

By steam heat

In vacuum

Vacuum pans ....

Multiple effect systems .

Yaryan evaporator . .

Lillie evaporator . . .

Distillation

Fractional condensation . .

Coupler's still

French column apparatus . .

Coffey still

Sublimation

Filtration

Bag filters

Suction filtration

Pressure filtration, by use of

the filter press

Centrifugal filtration . . .

Sand filters

Crystallization

Calcination

Muffle furnace

Reverberatory furnace . . .

Revolving furnace ....

Shaft furnace Or kiln . . .

Refrigeration

Compression machines . . .

Absorption machines . . .

Chilling by compressed air

Specific Gravity 22

Hydrometers 22

I'yknometer 24

Westplial's balance .... 24

Fi-ici.s.

Solid fuuls

Wood, peat, lignite or brovfn coal, bituminous coal, anthracite, charcoal, coke 25 Beehive coke oven . . .

By-product coke ovens . .

Liquid fuels

Crude petroleum and oil residues

Gaseous fuels

Natural gas

Producer gas

Siemens gas producer . .

Taylor's gas producer . .

Mond"s gas process . . .

Water gas

Coal gas

.31 31 31 31

?^■2

32 34

.■54 ;!4

Water.

Hard, soft, saline, alkaline . . 36 Purification by chemical precipitation ... .... 37

Clark's process .17

Other processes .... 37-38

Boiler scale 38

Water for special industries . . 39 Sulphur.

Extraction, from ore .... 41

Recovered sulphur 43

Purification 43

Dejardin's apparatus ... 43 xu

Sulphur derivatives . .

Sulpliur dioxide . .

Sodium bisulphite Calcium bisulphite .

Hyposulphurous acid Sodium hyposulphite Sodium thiosulphate .

SULPHnEIC AoiD.

Theories of the formation of acid ....

Sulphur burners .

Pyrites burners .

Lump ore burner " Fines" burners

Glover tower

Lead chambers

Gay-Lussac tower

Acid egg ....

Kestner's elevator

Air-lift pump for acid

Glass and platinum stills

Kessler's apparatus .

Cast-iron stills . .

Lunge's plate tower .

Barbier's tower system

Catalytic processes .

Fuming sulphuric acid .

PAGE

Salt.

Sources of salt 65

Preparation of salt 66

Hydrochloric Acid and Somnni Sulphate.

Salt-cake furnaces 71

Open roaster 71

Close roaster 72

Mactear's roaster 73

Coke tower for absorption . . 74

Hargreaves-Robinson process . 75

Sodium sulphate 76

Soda Industry.

Leblanc process 77

Black-ash or balling furnace . 78

Lixiviation of black-ash . . 80 Carbonation and evaporation

of tank liquor .... 81

PAGE

Thelen's pan ..... 83

Soda crystals or sal-soda . . 83

Caustic soda 84

Loewig's process ... 85

Tank waste 86

Methods of treating tank

waste 87-90

Ammonia soda process ... 90 Parnell-Simpson modification

of this process 94

Frasch process .... 95

Cryolite soda process .... 96

Chlorine Industry.

Processes using manganese . 98-101

Dunlop's 100

Weldon's 100

Schlossing's 101

Deacon's copper chloride process 102

Nitric acid processes for chlorine 105 Dunlop's process . . . . 105

Donald's process ... . 105

Sadler- Wilson process . . . 105

Magnesia processes for chlorine . 106 Weldon-Pechiney process , 106

Processes for recovering chlorine from ammonia-soda waste liquors 107

Electrolytic processes for chlorine and caustic soda . . . 108 LeSueur's process . . . 109 Carmichael's process . . . 110 Greenwood's process . . . Ill Holland-Richardson process . Ill Hargreaves-Bird process . .111

Hermite process 112

Castner's process 112

Bell's process 112

Rhodin's apparatus .... 113

Gravity process 113

Acker's process 114

Hypochlorites 116

Bleaching materials .... 116

Chlorates 119

Liebig's process 119

Pechiney's process .... 120 Gall-Montlaur process . . .12]

Xlll

PAGE

Nitric Acid.

Method of manufacture . . . 123

Guttmann's apparatus . . . 124

Hart's apparatus 125

Valentiiier's process .... 126

Darling's process 12fi

Bradley and Love joy process . 120

Fuming nitric acid 127

Commercial nitrates . . 128-13'J

Ammonia.

Sources of ammonia .... 133

Gas liquor l;!4

Feldmaun's apparatus .... 134 GrUneberg-Blum apparatus . . l.'v') Ammonium salts .... 137-138

Potash Indiistuy.

Sources of potash salts .... 130

Wool washings 14(1

Stassfurt deposit of potash

salts 141

Potassium compounds . . 144-1 4i;

Fektimzkrs.

Requisites of a fertilizer . . . 14(i Waste products as source of fertilizer 147

Bones, blood, garbage, etc. 147 Peruvian and fossil guanos . . 149 Phosphate rocks 140

Apatite 140

Phosphorites 150

Superphosphates 152

Reverted phosphate . . . 153

Phosphatio slag 154

Sewage as fertilizer 156

Land plaster 156

Lime, Cement, and Plaster of Paris.

Lime 157

Properties of lime .... 157

Limekilns 157

Hydraulic lime 159

Mortar 160

Cements 161

Manufacture of cements 163-166 Cement kilns . . . 166-168 rAOn

Tube-mill 169

Griffin mill 169

Constitution of Portland

cement 169

Hardening of cements . . . 170

Testing of cement . . . .171

Plaster of Paris 174

Glass.

Properties and composition of

Lime and lead glass 177

Gla.ss furnaces .... 170-181 Glass pots, open and closed 181

Plate gla-ss 184

Window g!a.ss and glass blowing 186

Crown ulass lK(i

I'ressed and cut glass .... 186 Tempered glass . . ... 186

CoiiqiDund glass .... Ih"

(^olored gla.ss 187

Enamel 189

Iridescent glass . . . . IH!) Mirrors 180

Ceramic Industries.

Kaolin or china clay .... 191

Fire-clay Ifll

Pipe or ball clay 192

Empirical and rational analyses

of clays 192

Ceramics 103

Non-porous ware 193

Porcelain and stoneware 193

Kilns 105

Porous ware .... .196 Faience and common pottery 196

Majolica 196

Tiles 196

Vitrified, encaustic, and glazed tiles . . . .196

Glazes 197

Engobe, enamel, and

transparent glazes . .197 Crazing of glaze .... 198

Terra cotta 198

Bricks 198

XIV

PAGE

Pigments.

White pigments .... 201-210

White lead 201

Dutch process ..... 201 Chamber process .... 203 Th^nard's process .... 204 Milner's process .... 205 Kremnitz process .... 205 Carter's process .... 206 Electrolytic processes . . 206 White lead substitutes . . . 208 Sublimed white lead . . . 208

Lead sulphite 208

Pattinson's white lead . . 208

White zinc 208

Barytes 209

Lithophone 209

Gypsum, terra alba .... 209

Whiting 210

China clay 210

Blue pigments .... 210-214

Ultramarine 210

Prussian or Berlin blue . . . 212 Smalt and cobalt blues . . . 213

Copper blues 214

Indigo 214

Green pigments 214

Ultramarine green .... 214

Brunswick green 214

Chrome and Guignet's greens . 215

Copper greens 216

Malachite, verdigris . . . 216

Copper-arsenic greens . . .216

Scheele's and Paris greens . 217

Terra verde 217

Yellow pigments 217

Chrome yellows 217

Yellow ochre and Sienna . . 219

Cadmium yellow 219

jOrpiment 219

Litharge 219

Gamboge 220

Indian yellow or purree . . 220

Orange pigments 220

Orange mineral 220

Chrome orange 220

Antimony orange 220

PAGE

Red pigments 221-224

Ked lead, chrome red . . . 221 Red ochre, vermilion . . . 222 Iron reds, Venetian red, etc. . 222

Vermilion 222

Realgar, antimony red . . . 224 Carmine and " lakes " . . . 224

Brown pigments 225

Umber, Vandyke brown, and

sepia 225

Black pigments 225

Lampblack, ivory-black, bone-black, charcoal, graphite, manganese blacks, etc.

Bromine.

Methods of extraction .... 228 " Solidified bromine " . . . .229 Bromides 229

Iodine.

Extraction from kelp and varec . 230 Extraction from the mother-liquors of sodium nitrate . 231 Potassium iodide 232

Phosphorus.

Preparation from bone-ash . . 233 Preparation from mineral phosphates 234

Readman's electrical process . 234 Yellow and amorphous phosphorus 235

Matches 236

BoKic Acid.

Sources and preparation . . . 237 Borax 238

Electric Furnace Products.

Carborundum 241

Artificial graphite 242

Calcium carbide 242

Barium hydroxide 243

Arsenic Compounds.

Arsenious acid, white arsenic . 244

Arsenic acid 244

Sodium arsenate 245

Sodium arsenlte 245

TABLE OF CONTKKTS

XV

Watek-Glass

PAOK

. 246

Peboxides.

Barium, sodium, and hydrogen peroxides 246

OxYfiKN.

From potassium chlorate . . . 248

Deville's process 249

Boussingault's process .... 249

Brin's modification .... 249

Tessl6 Du Mutay's process . . 250

Linde refrigeration process . . 251

Sulphates.

Ferrous sulphate, green vitriol . 262 Copper sulphate, blue vitriol . . 254 Zinc sulpliate, white vitriol . . 25.'j

Aluminum sulphate 255

From clay and bauxite . . . 2)6 Bayer's method for pure alumina 267

Aluminum sulphate from cryolite 258

Alum 259

Preparation from alunite . . 259 Preparation from clay, cryolite, or bauxite 260

"Neutral alum" 261

Potassium, ammonium.

PAOS

sodium, iron, and chrome alums 261

Cyanidbs.

Langlois's process

Cyanide recovery in coal gas

manufacture ....

Bunsen and Playfair process Kaschen's process . . .

Ammonium sulphocyanide

Gelis' process ....

Recovery from the spent oxides of the illuminating gas purification . . .

Potassium ferrocyanide Potassium ferricyanide Barium sulphocyanide Pota.ssium cyanide .

Beilby's process .

Castner's process .

Carbon Disulpiiide .

Carbon Tetrachloride

262 263 263

204 204

Manoanates and Permanganates.

Sodium and potassium manganates 271

Sodium and potassium permanganates 272