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November 20,1942 Page Three WOOD, MAN'S EARLIEST WAR WEAPON, IS USED TO MAKE EXPLOSIVES Cellulose from wood is converted by chemistry into many essential war uses A tree was probably man's first shelter, a broken branch one of his first weapons. Wood was the raw material for much of his early fumbling efforts at making things. In the subsequent million years or so since man lived by swinging his wooden club he learned how to take countless other elements of his environment and turn them into clothing, buildings, vehicles. Centring on just one of these elements, we have labelled the present the "age of steel," but it still is the age of wood in more ways than casual thought might suggest, says Dr. I. R. McHaffie, Research Manager of Canadian Industries Limited. Not only is the tree an obvious factor in dwelling construction, but even in our weapons of war may be found the essence of our early ancestor's primitive wooden club. Cellulose, the universal building material of the plant kingdom, taken from the forest or the cotton plantation, is the chief ingredient of smokeless powder. And smokeless powder is one of the important propellants that hurls bullets and shells in modern warfare. In normal times smokeless powder is made from cotton linters, the short fuzz remaining on the cottonseed after the longer, spin-nable fibres are removed in the gin. But today's war demands are so great that the cellulose of wood pulp must help out. Wood cellulose has been used in Canada for a good many years in the manufacture of "Cellophane" and rayon but it is only since the beginning of the war that research and development has been undertaken to adapi wood pulp to the manufacture of nitrocellulose, the base for certain types of high explosives required for military purposes. Use Effects Savings The use of cellulose-bearing wood pulps, quite plentiful in Canada, has not only eliminated the importation of cotton linters from the United States, thus effecting a considerable saving in foreign exchange, but has also considerably reduced the raw material costs without in any way impairing the quality or effectiveness of the resultant product. One Canadian wartime explosives plant has been operating on wood pulp for over a year while two others have been using this domestic type of cellulose exclusively now for six months and two (Column 2) months respectively. Canada, therefore, is one of the first of the United Nations to adopt large scale production of military explosives from her own domestic supplies of chemical wood pulps. Many other things now in the swift stream of war goods are made of cellulose from wood or cotton. A few of these follow: Rayon, the high-strength type of which goes into tough, rubber-saving tire cord fabric for bombers, trucks and combat cars. Also for flare and equipment parachutes, uniform linings and other items. Camera film, for stills and motion pictures, made from cellulose nitrate or cellulose acetate and used in military reconnaissance and troop training. Cellulose acetate safety X-ray film, for examining war wounds and finding hidden flaws in steel castings for guns and other material. Microfilm for reducing and storing important documents, blueprints, etc., also is made of cellulose acetate. "Cellophane," providing the moisture-proof properties of many new non-metal food packages, thus releasing tons of tin and steel for the war effort. "Cellophane" has been used by Navy surgeons as a waterproof wound dressing. And incorporated with(Column 3) other substances it makes a new wrapping material to protect guns, airplane parts, etc., from rust and dirt during assembly or shipment to combat zones. Cellulose lacquers to protect ammunition, planes, tanks, against sea-water, sun and weather. Outside of the strictly chemical use of cellulose is paper, which in ordinary times consumes 90 per cent of the output of wood pulp. Paper is in the war, of course, in the countless letters, orders and printed regulations, as well as in paperboard boxes to ship food, ammunition and equipment. Volume Used Exceeds Steel When all these articles and many more in the purely civilian field are considered, it is seen that the forest and the cotton plantation supply, in cellulose, one of the most important raw materials of modern industry. It has been calculated, in fact, that on the basis of volume of product, though not by weight, more cellulose is used than steel. While thus providing man with an abundant and remarkably adaptable raw material, nature still keeps to herself the secret of its "manufacture." Chemists have found that it is compounded by the leaves of the plant in a process known as photosynthesis, in which the green colouring matter, chlorophyl, helps harness the energy of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide, oxygen and hydrogen the elements of air and water into sugar. The sugar molecules, according to the chemists' theory, are then transformed in part by joining hands into long-chain molecules of cellulose. But thus far no chemist has been able to duplicate the process in his laboratory. There is still no "synthetic cellulose." The use of wood and other forms of cellulose for paper is many centuries old, but the role of cellulose as a true chemical ingredient dates back only to 1845 and the invention of guncotton, for which Christian Frederick Schoenbein, the Swiss chemist, is given major credit. Legend has it that Professor Schoenbein spilled nitric acid on(Column 4) the kitchen floor, wiped it up with his wife's cotton apron, which he dutifully rinsed out, but which, nevertheless, blew up in a puff of flame when hung too near the stove. The apron story has been termed more fanciful than factual, but Schoenbein did make cellulose nitrate, found it a good explosive for guns and, therefore, named it guncotton. The following year, 1846, Alfred du Pont, following Schoenbein's formula, made one of the first samples of guncotton produced in America. Guncotton is, of course, the foundation of smokeless powder. It is made today by treating cellulose with a mixture of nitric acid and sulphuric acid, the latter acid acting as a chemical "sponge" to soak up and remove the last traces of water from the cellulose and thus permit more complete nitration. The nitrated cellulose, now guncotton or "pyro-cotton," is mixed with alcohol and ether, kneaded into a dough and squeezed out through "macaroni" machines into ropes, which are then cut up into short lengths or "grains." From the chemical union of cellulose and nitric acid came the seeds of the two other great chemical industries "whose contributions to the war were summarized above. They are plastics and rayon. Back in the 1860's, John Wesley Hyatt kneaded nitrocellulose with camphor and got what was later called "Celluloid," the first synthetic plastic. In the 1880's, Count Hilaire de Chardon-net took some nitrocellulose derived from mulberry leaves, forced it through fine holes and produced the first "artificial silk." However, more suitable cellulose compounds soon replaced cellulose nitrate for rayon. Thus the raw material of man's first industrial efforts, back in the cradle of humanity is still giving him valiant and amazingly versatile help in the greatest war of the ages. This is the first time we have published an "educational" article. Would you like to read more? Drop us a line and let us know if you are interested. Ed.(Column 5) Powder Puffs by Midge MINUTE MEMORIES . . . when there were more men than girls in town and we ate at the Men's Mess Hall, where there was butter, cake and real ice cream on the tables. . . . when there wasn't any Post Office, but we did get our mail delivered by some miracle right to our door . . . when we read the Book of Rules and wondered what in the world was meant by "Clean Area" and "Change House". . . when we got our first glimpse of Cordite and knew that we could never eat spaghetti again . . . when we could use our payroll number to buy anything at the Commissary and our pay cheque was nil ... when there was too much snow to go down to work one Graveyard Shift, and there were just a few street lights and no board walks and we slid around in the slush and mud and loved it ... when we learned that our roommate came from the same County in Ireland as we did . . . when we felt a little like a pioneer as this miniature city acquired its name . . . when even though we've boosted a little and knocked a lot, we've secretly enjoyed every minute of the months we've lived here, for after being here a year, Ajax really is "home." Casualty . . . Private William Smith. To the casual reader, just another Private with a commonplace name "gone west." But to Evelyn Russell, this news was a last crushing blow. Nineteen years ago Bill and his sister Eve were homeless orphans, their parents having died tragically. They had no one to care what happened to them except their aunt, Evelyn Russell, a dancer of exceptional ability. That her sister's children might have the love and comfort afforded by a proper home, Evelyn sacrificed a promising career. With her aunt before her as an example. Eve became a very successful model and at the outbreak of war Bill joined the army. Evelyn was justly proud of Bill when she saw him for the first time in uniform and prouder still when she knew that he was overseas. To help fill the shells which would finally help Bill was Evelyn's desire. So ten months ago, she came to live in residence and to work on Line Three. Later she transferred to Line Four, and throughout the Plant she found there were many who knew her, recalling the days when she danced. Evelyn is quite a striking figure, retaining still the regal carriage she acquired from her stage work. But her hair is white permanently and prematurely white like coils of polished platinum. To-day Evelyn Russell lies in Toronto General Hospital, sick and exhausted, awaiting a serious opera-lion, her condition aggravated by the word that Private William Smith was a Dieppe casualty. Bill Smith's name may appear on a giant granite shaft, maybe on polished platinum. They will say that he was a hero, that he did not die in vain. But could it have been lack of shells that put Bill where he is to-day? Were you or you or YOU away the other night? Did a room have to close down because you weren't there? Did you really weigh as much N.C.T. as you might have? Did you tie as much Cordite or pour as much T.N.T, or fill as many Detonators as you really were able to? Bill Smith lost his life. To-morrow the man who means more to you than anyone else in the world, may lose his. Is this going to happen because he won't have the shells with which to hold off the enemy? Private Bill Smith and hundreds like him gave their all. Let us make sure that during the eight hours that we daily work, we give our very best. Casualty . . . Private William Smith, requiescat in pace.