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MISCELLANEOUS U.S. 0,029,598 - Extraction of vanadium values from vanadiferous iron oxide ore. A pelletized mixture of ore, limestone and bentonite is roasted in an oxidizing atmosphere to form calcium vanadates, the calcine ground, the ground material leached with aqueous ammonium carbonate or sodium carbonate to produce a vanadium-rich solution while leaving an insoluble residue of calcium carbonate and/or calcium bicarbonate along with undissolved iron values, and the solution separated and treated for its vanadium content. This patent is a reissue of U.S. Patent No. 3,853,982, dated Dec. 10, 1974. C. B. Bare and J. W. Pasquali, assigned to Bethlehem Steel Corp. Mar. 28, 1978. 7 pp. (423-68). Filed: 3-3 1-77 (783,352).

Jan 1, 1979

By C. F. Quest, T. S. Washburn

The steel industry has a definite need in its tonnage mills for a formula relating expected tensile strength to the analysis of the steel. The McWilliam-Barnes1 and other less comprehensive formulas are used for this purpose, but these formulas were designed for an analysis range that does not include the medium manganese and silicon-bearing steels. This type of steel is being produced to meet the demand for tensile strength slightly higher than that of ordinary structural steel but not high enough to justify expensive alloy steels. The purpose of this paper is to present a somewhat more comprehensive formula based on data accumulated over a number of years by the Inland Steel Co., and to discuss the method followed in obtaining a formula to fit the data. The resultant formula admittedly is still weak in some respects, but for the expanded analysis range appears to be an improvement over the other formulas. It is hoped that with the collection of more data and possible collaboration with other mills studying this problem it will be possible to work out a more nearly perfect formula. Several publications have been issued on this subject. In some, the equation type of relation was evolved while others made a combination of tables and an equation. The latter include work by Campbel12,3 and Webster.4,5 Campbell classified the steels as acid and basic and applied a different formula to each. For basic steels, he used the equation: Teosile etrength = 41500 + 770C + 1000P + yMn [1 y was a variable depending on the carbon and manganese content of the steel and was listed in tables. Webster investigated acid Bessemer steel and developed the equation: Tensile strength = 38000 + 800C + xTP+ yMn [2]

Jan 1, 1940

By C. F. Quest, T. S. Washburn

The steel industry has a definite need in its tonnage mills for a formula relating expected tensile strength to the analysis of the steel. The McWilliam-Barnes1 and other less comprehensive formulas are used for this purpose, but these formulas were designed for an analysis range that does not include the medium manganese and silicon-bearing steels. This type of steel is being produced to meet the demand for tensile strength slightly higher than that of ordinary structural steel but not high enough to justify expensive alloy steels. The purpose of this paper is to present a somewhat more comprehensive formula based on data accumulated over a number of years by the Inland Steel Co., and to discuss the method followed in obtaining a formula to fit the data. The resultant formula admittedly is still weak in some respects, but for the expanded analysis range appears to be an improvement over the other formulas. It is hoped that with the collection of more data and possible collaboration with other mills studying this problem it will be possible to work out a more nearly perfect formula. Several publications have been issued on this subject. In some, the equation type of relation was evolved while others made a combination of tables and an equation. The latter include work by Campbel12,3 and Webster.4,5 Campbell classified the steels as acid and basic and applied a different formula to each. For basic steels, he used the equation: Teosile etrength = 41500 + 770C + 1000P + yMn [1 y was a variable depending on the carbon and manganese content of the steel and was listed in tables. Webster investigated acid Bessemer steel and developed the equation: Tensile strength = 38000 + 800C + xTP+ yMn [2]

Jan 1, 1940

By C. Baldwin Sawyer

J. S. Vanick,* Washington, D. C. (written discussion).—To those who have been confronted with the study of the gas-metal reactions, this paper is a most welcome contribution. My personal interest in work bearing upon this general problem, stimulated by an appreciation of the difficulties inherent to problems of this type, prompts a few words of discussion. Table 2 of the paper shows a gradual increase in the nitrogen content with an increase in pressure, and an interpretation follows in which nitrogcn is used as the compressed medium when the conditions admit that cyanogen gas could be active as a contaminating ingredient. Fusions of electrolytic iron made in the induction furnace in an atmosphere of deoxidized nitrogen and out of contact with contaminating materials have shown no microscopic evidence of -a nitrogen increase; using a refractory-lined graphite crucible in the furnace under the same conditions or admitting air often resulted in the occurrence of nitride needles in the solidified melt. These results suggested that a nitrogenous compound served as a vehicle for the introduction of nitrogen and that such compound was not available when the pure gas and carbon-free refractory were used. The fusion of pure iron in pure nitrogen is perhaps a matter of theoretical interest. The author's work serves a more practical purpose when applied to steels rather than iron. Table 2 reports the absence of nitride needles in melts made under pressure of one atmosphere, although the quantity of nitrogen present would seem to exceed microscopically detectable percentages. In some recent work29 on carburized iron, nitride needles have been observed in areas analyzing as low as 0.015 per cent. nitrogen. This low percentage of nitrogen would indicate that the solubility limit is less than 0.030 per cent. for hypoeutectoid steels. There is the possibility that the areas of pearlite which exist in a hypoeutectoid steel restrict the distribution of nitrogen and limit its presence to the ferritie fields. In view of this work and the references quoted by the author, I am led to expect that the value for the solubility of nitrogen in solidified iron may approach

Jan 1, 1924

By J. R. Ross, J. B. Rosenbaum

Bureau of Mines research has resulted in the development of fluid- bed ion-exchange columns for recovering uranium from slime pulps. In pilot plant tests, slime slurries containing up to 6 percent solids were processed at flow rates of 10 gallons per square foot per minute with high uranium recoveries and efficient resin loadings. Uranium was effectively eluted in a laboratory fluid-bed elution column at eluate-to-resin ratios of less than 5:1 and eluate flow rates of 3 gallons per square foot per minute. Construction costs of mills using these improved ion exchange techniques are estimated to be 25 percent less than for mills using solvent extraction of clear solutions. For mills having a capacity of 2,000 to 2,500 tons of ore per day, the saving would be in the range of $2.5 million. In addition, a saving of about $0.80 per ton of ore in total operating costs is indicated.

Jan 1, 1973

By W. A. Young

Polynomial functions of temperature were obtained for the specific heats, thermal diffusivities, and thermal conductivities of zirconium hydrides containing 4 at. pct U. Three hydrides (H/Zr atom ratios of 1.58, 1.65, and 1.70) were studied over the range a" to 900°C and a fourth (H/Zr = 1.81) was studied over the range 0° to 760°C. The specific heats were determined from enthalpy measurements which were obtained using a unique drop calorimeter specifically designed for use with materials in which high temperature phase transitions and/or high dissociation pressures occur. Thermal diffusivities were measured by the flash method using a pulsed laser. The thermal conductiuities were obtained as the product of specific heat, thermal diffusivity, and density. The specific heats agree, within 10 pct, with values derived using a theoretical model in which the hydrogen and zirconium atoms are treated as Einstein and Debye oscillators, respectively. RELIABLE values of the thermophysical properties of the fuel are required to predict the operating temperatures and temperature response of SNAP nuclear reactors. Among the most important of these properties are the thermal conductivity, specific heat, and thermal diffusivity. A considerable number of investigations1-4 have been made of these properties for the Zr-H and Zr-H-U systems.* However, little of the drides, however, this direct method cannot yield meaningful results, since the hydrogen will redistribute under the influence of the thermal gradient, thus forming a concentration gradient; hence, one has a spectrum of compositions, rather than a homogenous alloy. Although the "average" composition of the material may be identical to the initial uniform concentration, the directly measured value of conductivity will be dependent on the thickness of the specimen, due to the highly sensitive dependence of transport properties on hydrogen content. This dependence is strikingly illustrated by the work of Bickel,5 who found that the electrical conduction of zirconium hydrides ranges from primarily hole conduction to primarily electronic conduction, depending upon the hydrogen content. Fortunately, the direct measurement of thermal conductivity is unnecessary, since it can be expressed as the product of the specific heat, thermal diffusivity, and density, all of which can be directly measured with considerable accuracy. EXPERIMENTAL Specimen Preparation. The combined fuel-moderator material used in SNAP reactors is a hydrided zirconium-uranium alloy containing -10 wt pct U. The alloy used in this work was representative of that used in nuclear reactors except that normal uranium was substituted for the enriched uranium required for reactor usage. It was produced by a triple-arc-melt and double-extrusion process. All specimens were prepared from a single cylindrical extrusion which contained 10.30 pet U, 89,35 pct Zr, and 0.35 pct impurities, The specimens for each composition were hydrided simultaneously with ultrapure hydrogen (10 ppm total impurities) using standard fuel production techniques which routinely yield homogeneous, crack-free fuel with negligible increases in the impurity levels. The hydrogen content of each specimen was determined from its weight gain and the density was measured by liquid displacement, Chemical analyses yielded hydrogen concentrations which agreed with the weight gain data within ±0.02 in H/Zr atom ratio) the concentrations of all other elements agreed almost exactly with the initial values after adjustment for the added hydrogen. The specimens used for the determination of specific heat were centerless ground to 2.00 cm diam after hydriding. A thin slice was carefully removed From each end for metallographic examination. In every case, this examination revealed a uniform structure as evidenced by the appearance and distribution of the two phases present in the fuel at the hydrogen concentrations used. TWO specimens (H/Zr = 1.600 and 1.632) appeared to be entirely 6 phase with equi-axed grains; the specimen with H/Zr = 1.756 showed

Jan 1, 1970

By T. P. Meloy

In a recent paper, Gaudin and Meloy1 derived a size distribution function for single, impact fracture. Mular2 extended the use of this size distribution to describe the output of carefully controlled grinding experiments. As it stands, the function is difficult to compute. Consequently, a series of tables of the function are presented below: where M(x) is the cumulative fraction finer than size x when x is particle size. Weight percents are tabulated for the single parameter, r, in three different size ranges: from 0 to 1, from 1 to 10 and from 10 to 100. Tables I, II and III are cumulative percent finer and Tables IV, V and VI are for weight percent passing screen size x, retained on the screen below. A number of conditions from the table are plotted in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a plot of the cumulative percent finer vs. size, and Fig. 2 is the weight per-

Jan 1, 1963

The co-operation of the. members of the Institute is earnestly sought by the Committee on Nominations, recently appointed by the Board of Directors, in its work of formulating a ticket for officers and places falling vacant in the Board of Directors in February, 1916. The Committee must present the official ticket of nominations to the Board of Directors at its October meeting. Members are, therefore, urged to send promptly their nominations for officers and Directors in order that the Committee may have an opportunity to give, them full consideration. The officers to be elected at the annual meeting in February, 1916, are: One officer, known as Director and President: Two officers, known as Director and Vice-President. Five officers, known as Director. The officers of the Institute whose terms expire are as follows: President, William L. Saunders (not eligible for re-election). Past President, Charles F. Rand. Vice-Presidents, Thomas H. Leggett, District 0; Fred W. Denton, District 4.

Jan 10, 1915

By R. Kerby, T. R. lngraham

The rates of cadmiuln cementation from buffered solutions were studied on both the cylindrical and circular faces of a rotating zinc disk. The activation energies are equivalent on both surfaces, but the rate is more rapid on the cylindrical face. At higher temperatures and at pH values above 6.4, the rate of deposition increases because of an increase in the cathodic area of the deposit. The rate may also be increased by decreasing the thickness of the diffusion layer by rapid stirring. The presence of small amounts of copper, cadmium, lead, iron, or aluminum in the zinc does not affect the cementation rate, but when srnall amounts of copper, cobalt, and arsenic were present in the solution cadmium deposition ceased shortly after it started. Small amounts of copper in solution become cemented with the cadmium to form a coarse deposit of Cd3Cu. When zinc ores containing cadmium are processed for electrolysis, the cadmium appears with the zinc in the leach liquors. Because of the discharge potential of the cadmium ion and the hydrogen overvoltage on metallic cadmium, the cadmium ion must be removed prior to zinc electrolysis to prevent its codeposition. Cadmium is usually removed from acidic zinc sulfate solutions by cementation on zinc. When zinc sheets are used with the appropriate conditions of pH and temperature, a finely divided, high-purity cadmium powder is obtained; it floats to the surface with attached hydrogen bubbles and, after careful washing, may be processed directly to a marketable product.' The reaction on zinc sheets is relatively slow because of the limited amount of exposed cathodic area on the sheets. A much more rapid reaction is obtained when zinc powders are stirred into the solution, but this procedure does have a potential disadvantage: some unreacted zinc may be trapped in the cemented cadmium and thus lower its grade.1 The equilibrium constant at 25°C for the displacement of cadmium by zinc is of the order of lo", which indicates that at equilibrium the displacement would be essentially quantitative and no back reaction need be considered. This indication is not entirely true, however, because in the presence of oxygen any loose cadmium which is out of contact with metallic zinc tends to redissolve after cementation.' The overall effect is much the same as that to be expected if the equilibrium constant were much smaller. Previous experimental work on cementation reac- tions3 is in general agreement that the rates of cementation usually follow first-order kinetics. The metal on which cementation occurs is considered to consist of anodic areas from which metal dissolves and cathodic areas onto which the reactive metal is cemented. For the reaction to continue, the cemented deposit must remain open and porous for the removal of ions. Usually, the deposited metal influences the rate of cementation; when it blocks the pores in the deposit, the rate of cementation will be decreased. Alternatively, when the cemented metal grows as den-drites or as coarse powder the cathodic area is correspondingly increased and the rate of cementation increases,3 Thus, it is only during the initial stages of cementation, prior to the development of deposit effects, that the kinetic behavior of the reaction may be studied without ambiguity. In this paper, experiments will be described for cementation of cadmium from dilute solutions onto the surface of a rapidly spinning zinc cylinder. The effects of ionic concentration, disk rotation speed, temperature, and impurities will be described. APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE The apparatus used for the experiments was described in a previous paper.4 It consisted of a 2-liter vessel in which the contents were protected, against oxidation, by a stream of prepurified nitrogen. The vessel was immersed in a water bath which controlled

Jan 1, 1970

By N. M. Levine, W. M. Fassell

In this laboratory study the problem of aerative conditioning to separate chalcopyrite and pyrite from cobaltite was simply effected with a sulfy-drate collector and pH by proper choice of mixing variables. It was shown that for a given impeller type and geometry, selectivity is governed by a relation between the Froude number and a modified power number multiplied by impeller tank-diameter ratio wherein the power factor is expressed as power intensity or horsepower per unit volume of contained pulp. In applying this approach to other systems, other criteria would be used in place of selectivity. The purpose of this paper is to show how solutions to problems of aerative conditioning of pulps may be enhanced by development of mixing parameters in a given system through application of a fundamental approach to agitation. The term aerative conditioning refers to a combination of processes which include mechanical gas dispersion, gas solution in the liquid phase, transport of dissolved gases and other reactants to the reaction zone, physico-chemico interaction within the liquid phase and/or at the solid surface, and, finally transport of products away from the reaction zone. Important elements of these processes are: 1) Air-Liquid Contact Area: This area limits the rate at which a given gas may dissolve in a given liquid. Thus, an aerative conditioning system should be designed for optimum gas dispersion. 2) Diffusional Factors: Such factors as concentration gradient, diffusion film thickness, and diffusivity may govern the rate at which dissolved constituents are transferred to the zone of interaction at a particle surface and the rate at which reaction products are transported therefrom. Thus, such systems would be designed for maximum turbulence to effect good mixing and to minimize diffusion film thickness. 3) Solids-Turbulent Liquid Contact Time: Sufficient time should be provided for interactions to take place at solid-liquid interfaces. The region of maximum turbulence for mechanical systems being in the impeller zone, it is important that the number of passes through this zone be optimized. This means that a proper balance should be struck be- tween flow and turbulent power to achieve optimum conditioning time. Too high a flow rate and insufficient turbulence may be improper if the reactions are diffusion limited. On the other hand, too much turbulent power and too little time in the reaction zone due to insufficient flow power may also be limiting. 4) Geometry and Impeller Design: The design of the conditioning vessel and the type of impeller employed are important factors in determining the relative distribution between flow and turbulent power and the degree of gas dispersion. Maximization of power input would be to no avail if the distribution between flow and turbulent power were improper or gas dispersion insufficient. 5. Physical Chemistry: The reactions between dissolved gases and solid surfaces may be limiting if gas solubility, activation energies and/or free energies are not favorable. J. H. Rushton, E. W. Costich, and H. J. Everett' have summarized the mechanical elements of the combination of processes listed in a fundamental mixing equation. This equation was derived by dimensional analysis and relates the physical variables for a single impeller, centered in a cylindrical, vertical axis, flat-bottomed tank. It is, where T is tank diameter in feet; H is liquid depth in feet; C is height of impeller off tank bottom in feet; S is pitch of impeller; L is length of impeller blades; W is width of impeller blades; R is number of baffles; D is impeller diameter in feet; Np is the power number, pg/dN3D5; P is power in foot-pounds per second; g is the gravitational constant, feet per second; J is width of baffles; B is number of im-

Jan 1, 1961

By E. N. Cameron, H. M. Bannerman

During the years 1942-1934, about 125 New England deposits were mined for sheet and punch mica, and many others were briefly prospected. During this period the Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior, carried on detailcd studies of the deposits and the pegmatite bodies that contain them. The primary purpose of the studies was to provide geological information that would contribute toward efficient mine development and operation. The studies were aimed directly at practical production problems. Detailed maps showing the structure of the deposits were prepared, and geological findings were closely correlated with data on specific yields and costs of mining and processing. The result is information that permits a reasonably accurate appraisal of the mica deposits of New England and the mining industry that they support. At a time when the future of the industry is in doubt, it seems desirable to submit this appraisal for consideration. Domestic mica deposits supply only a small fraction of the country's needs in normal times? for only the richest domestic deposits can compete with the low-cost mines of India and Brazil. However, the possibility that this country may be cut off from its supplies in time of war gives domestic deposits an importance much greater than their peacetime production would imply. New England supplied about 22 per cent of domestic output in 1943 and 1944, the peak years of wartime production. Its actual contribution to the war effort was greater, for the proportion of sheet mica of high quality in the New England product is higher than the average for domestic mica. The data analyzed below were collected for the Geological Survey by D. M. Larra-bee, A. H. McNair, J. J. Page, V. E. Shai-nin, G. W. Stewart, and the co-authors of this paper. The cooperation of officials of Colonial Mica Corporation and of mine operators and owners in furnishing information is gratefully acknowledged. D. M. Larrabee, A. H. McNair, and V. E. Shainin have made various suggestions based on critical reading of the manuscript. Analysis oF Warrtime Operations In considering the data presented in this report, it must be remembered that the scale of mica operations is very small compared with that of many other mining industries. The typical New England mica mine of 1943 and 1944 was worked by a crew of five or six men. Equipment was varied but on the whole extremely simple. The first stage of operation at a deposit was normally opencut mining. Drilling was done mostly with jackhammers powered by portable compressors driven by gasoline engines. Muck was shoveled by hand into buckets with a capacity of 45 to 35 ton and commonly hoisted by derrick to a dump adjacent to the cut. As operations were carried to greater depth, and the tram sition to underground mining was made, these methods were modified to a degree depending largely on the attitude of the deposit mined. At steeply dipping deposits,

Jan 1, 1948

By H. M. Bannerman, E. N. Cameron

During the years 1942-1934, about 125 New England deposits were mined for sheet and punch mica, and many others were briefly prospected. During this period the Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior, carried on detailcd studies of the deposits and the pegmatite bodies that contain them. The primary purpose of the studies was to provide geological information that would contribute toward efficient mine development and operation. The studies were aimed directly at practical production problems. Detailed maps showing the structure of the deposits were prepared, and geological findings were closely correlated with data on specific yields and costs of mining and processing. The result is information that permits a reasonably accurate appraisal of the mica deposits of New England and the mining industry that they support. At a time when the future of the industry is in doubt, it seems desirable to submit this appraisal for consideration. Domestic mica deposits supply only a small fraction of the country's needs in normal times? for only the richest domestic deposits can compete with the low-cost mines of India and Brazil. However, the possibility that this country may be cut off from its supplies in time of war gives domestic deposits an importance much greater than their peacetime production would imply. New England supplied about 22 per cent of domestic output in 1943 and 1944, the peak years of wartime production. Its actual contribution to the war effort was greater, for the proportion of sheet mica of high quality in the New England product is higher than the average for domestic mica. The data analyzed below were collected for the Geological Survey by D. M. Larra-bee, A. H. McNair, J. J. Page, V. E. Shai-nin, G. W. Stewart, and the co-authors of this paper. The cooperation of officials of Colonial Mica Corporation and of mine operators and owners in furnishing information is gratefully acknowledged. D. M. Larrabee, A. H. McNair, and V. E. Shainin have made various suggestions based on critical reading of the manuscript. Analysis oF Warrtime Operations In considering the data presented in this report, it must be remembered that the scale of mica operations is very small compared with that of many other mining industries. The typical New England mica mine of 1943 and 1944 was worked by a crew of five or six men. Equipment was varied but on the whole extremely simple. The first stage of operation at a deposit was normally opencut mining. Drilling was done mostly with jackhammers powered by portable compressors driven by gasoline engines. Muck was shoveled by hand into buckets with a capacity of 45 to 35 ton and commonly hoisted by derrick to a dump adjacent to the cut. As operations were carried to greater depth, and the tram sition to underground mining was made, these methods were modified to a degree depending largely on the attitude of the deposit mined. At steeply dipping deposits,

Jan 1, 1948

By H. M. Bannerman, E. N. Cameron

INTRODUCTION DURING the years 1942-1944, about 125 New England deposits were mined for sheet and punch mica, and many others were briefly prospected. During this period the Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior, carried on detailed studies of the deposits and the pegmatite bodies that contain them. The primary purpose of the studies was to provide geological information that would contribute toward efficient mine development and operation. The studies were aimed directly at practical production problems. Detailed maps showing the structure of the deposits were prepared, and geological findings were closely correlated with data on specific yields and costs of mining and processing. The result is information that permits a reasonably accurate appraisal of the mica deposits of New England and the mining industry that they support. At a time when the future of the industry is in doubt, it seems desirable to submit this appraisal for consideration. Domestic mica deposits supply only a small fraction of the country's needs in normal times, for only the richest domestic deposits can compete with the low-cost mines of India and Brazil. However, the possibility that this country may be cut off from its supplies in time of war gives domestic deposits an importance much greater than their peacetime production would imply. New England supplied about 22 per cent of domestic output in 1943 and 1944, the peak years of wartime production. Its actual contribution to the war effort was greater, for the proportion of sheet mica of high quality in the New England product is higher than the average for domestic mica. The data analyzed below were collected for the Geological Survey by D. M. Larrabee, A. H. McNair, J. J. Page, V. E. Shainin, G. W. Stewart, and the co-authors of this paper. The cooperation of officials of Colonial Mica Corporation and of mine operators and owners in furnishing information is gratefully acknowledged. D. M. Larrabee, A. H. McNair, and V. E. Shainin have made various suggestions based on critical reading of the manuscript. ANALYSIS OF WARTIME OPERATIONS In considering the data presented in this report, it must be remembered that the scale of mica operations is very small compared with that of many other mining industries. The typical New England mica mine of 1943 and 1944 was worked by a crew of five or six men. Equipment was varied but on the whole extremely simple. The first stage of operation at a deposit was normally opencut mining. Drilling was done mostly with jackhammers powered by portable compressors driven by gasoline engines. Muck was shoveled by hand into buckets with a capacity of 1/3 to 2/3 ton and commonly hoisted by derrick to a dump adjacent to the cut. As operations were carried to greater depth, and the transition to underground mining was made, these methods were modified to a degree depending largely on the attitude of the deposit mined. At steeply dipping deposits,

Jan 1, 1946

By D. H. Baldwin, R. E. Reed-Hill

DURING the course of experiments involving oxygen equilibrations with a high-purity Pd-5 at. pct Rh alloy, the appearance of a subscale was noted. Most of the heat treatments in a pure oxygen atmosphere were performed at 900°C. The presence of the subscale was noted when the oxygen partial pressure was in excess of approximately 95 mm, up to 1 atm, the highest pressure used. According to available thermodynamic information' on the free energy of formation of Rh2O3 (the only reliably reported solid oxide of rhodium), this oxide should not be stable under these conditions, nor, of course, any oxide of palladium. Extraction of the subscale from the matrix was affected by treatment with aqua regia, and the resulting X-ray diffraction powder pattern is shown in Table I. This pattern is not that of Rh2O3, nor that of any known rhodium or palladium oxide. It can be indexed on a hexagonal lattice with a. = 5.22Å and co = 6.0Å. In addition to this unknown material, there was a weak Rh2O3 pattern. An X-ray fluorescence analysis of the powder gave 3214 palladium counts per sec and 5381 rhodium counts per sec, thus indicating the likelihood of a double oxide of palladium and rhodium. In view of the fact that the above result was obtained on a single sample, it is perhaps best not to insist upon the above ratio of about 0.6, but possibly to tentatively assume 0.5 or 1/1. The small amount of Rh2O3 in the X-ray pattern might have occurred on cooling, and it seems possible that the double oxide, below some temperature level, is not as stable as Rh2O3. To examine this point, some of the extracted double oxide was heated on a sheet of pure palladium in air at 900°C, and allowed to furnace-cool over a period of several hours. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the powder showed approximately the same intensity of Rh2O3 and the "hexagonal" oxide as before, but, in addition, a rather faint pattern of another crystalline species made its appearance. This finding again suggests partial transformation of the major (double) oxide to other oxides on cooling from 900°C. Application of the phase rule shows that only one equilibrium oxide (subscale) could have been present at temperature. Vacuum-fusion, oxygen analysis of the extracted subscale showed 7.7 ± 0.7 pct O. Combining this information with that of the X-ray fluorescence analysis suggests the formula PdRhO. This compound should have an oxygen content of 7.07 pct, which is within the range of error of the oxygen analysis. However, until a more careful stoichiometric study is made, it is suggested that the formula be written

Jan 1, 1965

By R. E. Crockett

MAGNETITE mining and milling in the Eastern States was at capacity during 1940, owing to the heavy industrial, defense, and war demand, coupled temporarily with the almost total stoppage of imports of foreign ores other than those under American ownership. In New York State the active mines were those operated by the Republic Steel Corp. at Mineville and Lyon Mountain. Republic's new concentrating mill at Port Henry, handling the Mineville ores, went into production about the first of April. Other large magnetite deposits in New York are currently being prospected and studied and may be under development in the near future. In New Jersey the Mt. Hope and

Jan 1, 1941

By A. L. Engel

STRICTLY speaking, ore-dressing does not commence until after the ore is in the mill bins, but where complex ores are treated and their minerals separated to make the best commercial concentrate with the lowest economical tailing, ore-dressing problems begin and often center in the mine itself. This does not refer to the grade of the ore, but rather to the frequent condition in which metallurgical results radically different from customary are obtained because of changes in the character of the ore treated. Different varieties of ore can usually be identified as coming from well-defined depths or zones in the mine, or from known sections of the orebody. Varying degrees of alteration of the ore, inclusions of harmful gangue material, or variations in the quantities of component metallic minerals are often causes of temporarily bad metallurgical results in otherwise successfully operated plants, especially those employing differential flotation to. recover several valuable minerals contained in the ore.

Jan 1, 1931

By David White

IN these days, when detailed investigations of stratigraphy, structure, and sand conditions so frequently result in the discovery of new oil fields, and applause from oil companies and the public, geologists do well to walk humbly, and punctiliously to admit that the geologic principles controlling the distribution of oil and gas have as yet been discovered only in part, and that what remains yet to be learned is probably vastly more than what is already known. The few experiments already at-tempted have been fragmentary, and somewhat desultory, and however positive each of us may be with respect to certain theoretical conclusions, many of the fundamental questions as to the origin and mode of occurrence of petroleum are subject to radical disagreement. Of the chemical changes attending the generation of petroleum from organic matter, little is actually known. Most of the postulated formulas are liable to be misleading, through ignorance of essential factors. Open-mindedness is therefore a prime essential at the present stage of our science. Nevertheless, adopting the hypothesis that oil originates in some manner fundamentally connected with the organic theory, and in possible departure from such open-mindedness, the writer will pay no attention to the so-called inorganic theory, since every attempt to apply this theory to the study of old oil fields, or to the discovery of new ones, affords cumulative evidence of its inadequacy. In this paper, some of the factors affecting the occurrence of petroleum that the writer believes worthy of consideration by the prospector for oil in any new region will be discussed. Some of these, which are less generally understood, will be considered somewhat in detail. Other points, the significance of which cannot now be determined, require more field study, and for that reason are here brought to the attention of the field geologist. On the other hand, certain theoretical points which do not bear especially on the oil possibilities of a new region will be given little

Jan 2, 1920

By David Reger

LITTLE new oil was found in West Virginia, during 1923, but there were important discoveries of gas. Most of the large oil producers have contented themselves with pumping old wells or in drilling only enough new wells in defined territory to maintain a fairly constant production, the attitude being that no, profit is made in producing high-grade oil at a low price and that an eventual loss is sustained by draining the reserves of a limited commodity that, at some more favorable time, will be of much value. The representative of one large company said: "We have done nothing but pump old wells during 1923 and we have made no plans for 1924." Careful attention to producing wells has been the rule, there having been few abandonments; the belief is prevalent that small wells will eventually become profitable under more favorable marketing conditions. In natural gas, the opposite point of view prevails. Because of the vast capabilities of the state for producing gas, its output being ahead of all others, great systems of transportation and distribution into the markets of four adjoining states have been built and a demand has been created that no present, or apparently potential, production can satisfy. This demand has become so great that large distributing companies not only discourage new applications for service but advise old customers to install coal furnaces for auxiliary fuel; some have requested public-service commissions to grant higher 'rates against large industrial consumers than those allowed for domestic heating. The response to this known market has been a rapid increase in price, both at the well mouth and at the door of the ultimate consumer, and the industry has become so stable that the only uncertainty, or hazard, appears to be the question of the presence of gas in fair quantity in a given territory under consideration. Several oil companies have now forsaken their policy of selling gas, wells outright when drilled and ;have organized gas departments to drill for gas and to dispose of the daily output by meter to distributing corporations. With such companies and with other producers whose interest is chiefly gas, the year has been busy and profitable. Some new territory of apparently large value has been proved and deeper producing sands in old fields have been tapped.

Jan 3, 1924

By C. H. Mathewson, A. U. Seybolt

As is well known, many questions affecting the properties and uses of a metal cannot be answered without careful consideration of the state of purity realized in the various operations of preparation, refining, or special treatment that have brought the product to its final state. The occurrellce of an impurity in minute quantity offers no guarantee that its effect will be inconsiderable because dissolved substances often modify the properties of a metal quite out of proportion to their concentration. In such cases the determination of solid solubility must be accepted as a problem of considerable difficulty, requiring the use of especially purified materials and methods not ordinarily used in the metallurgical laboratory. This aspect of the equilibrium between metals and their oxides is especially important and a search for fundamental data reveals little except conflicting opinion even concerning the systems of common occurrence and interest. Rhines and Mathewson1 in 1934 studied the solubility of oxygen in solid copper by annealing to equilibrium in air and gave reasons for the failure of other methods, notably the ordinary procedure of heat-treatment followed by microscopic examination, to yield reliable results. In this paper, a similar study has been made of the solubility of oxygen in cobalt. The simple theory of this method is outlined below. Conditions of Equilibrium between a Metal and Dissolved Oxide at Different Temperatures and Pressures The general conditions of equilibrium in any system are conveniently summarized in a projection of the triple curves of the P, T, X space

Jan 1, 1935

By A. U. Seybolt, C. H. Mathewson

As is well known, many questions affecting the properties and uses of a metal cannot be answered without careful consideration of the state of purity realized in the various operations of preparation, refining, or special treatment that have brought the product to its final state. The occurrellce of an impurity in minute quantity offers no guarantee that its effect will be inconsiderable because dissolved substances often modify the properties of a metal quite out of proportion to their concentration. In such cases the determination of solid solubility must be accepted as a problem of considerable difficulty, requiring the use of especially purified materials and methods not ordinarily used in the metallurgical laboratory. This aspect of the equilibrium between metals and their oxides is especially important and a search for fundamental data reveals little except conflicting opinion even concerning the systems of common occurrence and interest. Rhines and Mathewson1 in 1934 studied the solubility of oxygen in solid copper by annealing to equilibrium in air and gave reasons for the failure of other methods, notably the ordinary procedure of heat-treatment followed by microscopic examination, to yield reliable results. In this paper, a similar study has been made of the solubility of oxygen in cobalt. The simple theory of this method is outlined below. Conditions of Equilibrium between a Metal and Dissolved Oxide at Different Temperatures and Pressures The general conditions of equilibrium in any system are conveniently summarized in a projection of the triple curves of the P, T, X space

Jan 1, 1935