News-scripts - Chemical & Engineering News Archive (ACS

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News-scripts Hard on Horror Films

ORTHO-ANISALDEHYDE... which you may also know as O-Methoxy Benzaldehyde... is one of those little-known, little-discussed chemicals which on first look appears to have very limited application. However, its unusually promising physical properties seem to offer exciting possibilities—especially in organic synthesis or as a pharmaceutical intermediate. ANSUL is in a position to supply it in quantities at an extremely reasonable price. We'd like to work with you in developing additional use information. Write us for samples and complete technical information. ANSUL CHEMICAL COMPANY, MARINETTE, WISCONSIN. PHYSICAL

PROPERTIES

ORTHO-ANISALDEHYDE MOLECULAR WEIGHT... 136.14 BOILING POINT (at 760 mm Hg).. MELTING POINTS*...(1) 38-39°C

.238°C

(2) 3°C SPECIFIC GRAVITY (liquid) 25°/25°.. .1.1274 SPECIFIC GRAVITY (solid) 25°/25°.. .1.258 REFRACTIVE INDEX n 20°/D.. .1.5608 ODOR.. .Burned, slightly phenolic SOLUBILITY in H20-Slightly soluble APPEARANCE... White to light tan solid *Exfsts in two crystalline forms

Zoologist George Schaller of the University of Wisconsin has just returned from Africa bearing an enlightened picture of the gorilla's personality. His data could change the public view of this primate from that of a big brute to that of one of man's more gentle forest friends. W h e n gorillas beat their chests, Dr. Schaller says, they are not threatening —just releasing emotional tension. Their action expresses the same sort of feeling that baseball fans get rid of by stamping their feet during an exciting moment in the game. Also contrary to opinion, Dr. Schaller adds, gorillas beat their chests with open palms, not clenched fists. H e believes the males have air sacks in their chests that swell the volume of their cries during the beating. Gorillas communicate among themselves through facial expressions and gestures that resemble man's, but use few sounds, according to Dr. Schaller. W h e n they are peaceful, gorillas have beautiful, soft brown eyes, h e says. W h e n they are nervous, they bite their lips, and when they are sad, they pout. Dr. Schaller, who spent some 400 hours watching the gorillas, came to recognize over 100 of them by their looks and mannerisms. H e found them extremely curious but easily scared away or into attack by safaris with much equipment and weapons. Gradually the gorillas recognized Dr. Schaller and accepted him as part of their environment. Gorilla troops of two to 30 animals live under the benevolent dictatorship of one male, Dr. Schaller says. And, a troop will live in and roam an area of 10 to 15 square miles of forest.

COMING

T h e primates go to bed and get u p early, sleeping about 15 hours. They spend five hours a day eating, hike about half a mile a day, may take an afternoon sunbath, and, in a few minutes, can build their nest for the night, he adds. Dr. Schaller, working alone and without weapons, observed the mountain gorillas of the Belgian Congo on an 18-month expedition for the N e w York Zoological Society and the Institute of National Parks of the Belgian Congo.

Checkered Bats Waste lumber, an idle machine, and Dr. Joseph Fleischer have put Olin Mathieson Chemical Corp. into the baseball bat picture. Except for a few samples, the company may never produce quantities of the bats, but nonetheless, it has just been issued U.S. Patent No. 2,983,512, attesting the inventiveness of one of its research consultants. Dr. Fleischer, physical chemist, patent lawyer, and president of the Connecticut Patent Law Association, designed the new bat which features a checkered (scored) handle. Dr. Fleischer noticed that the checkering machine at O-M's plant in N e w Haven, Conn., generally used to score rifle and shotgun stocks, was sometimes idle. This machine plus some pieces of waste walnut from its operations gave him the idea for the bat. Its scored handle tells a player by grip that his bat is in proper position— the edge of the grain facing the oncoming ball. It also gives the batter a firm grip on the stick, reducing the risk of a flying bat after a hard swat. Even if taped, the pattern can still be felt and seen.

N EXT

WEEK

Thermoplastics Headed Upward Thermoplastics industry enjoys robust growth despite problems with overcapacity, price reductions, and shrinking profit margins. Output should exceed 5 billion pounds annually by 1965. A C&EN Commodity Survey 120

C&EN

MAY

2 2,

1961