Document bykGDvz1vMxeK9O0K8wKywDo3

Better Things for Better Living through Chemistry In industry, theory leads to application, but it's a strong awareness of the vice versa that causes Du Pont to view basic and applied research as (Chemistry's Inseparable 1nr wins The surrealistic dumbbell at left is a hun dredfold enlargement of sintered bound aries of "Teflon" fluorocarbon resin, strain ing to near-rupture to demonstrate the chemical's fusion into solid form. This po larized photomicrographic technique was developed by Dr. John F. Lontz of Du Pont's Plastics Dept, to show how a seemingly in tractable resin like "Teflon" enters a stage in which it can be translated into tough en gineering materials for mechanical, electri cal and chemical applications. The pictured fusion also symbolizes, in its way, the equally solid link between basic research and its applications. "Teflon", for example, is 25 years old and has found myr iad applications in industry. But Dr. Lontz and his colleagues still conduct basic re search to learn more about the fundamental properties and behavior of the fluorocarbon family of chemicals. Meanwhile and else where, a vast program of applied research and development seeks to pinpoint even more useful products in which the chemical can be used. And so it goes with virtually every Du Pont undertaking: theory and ap plication are inseparable. This was underscored recently when Dr. Samuel Lenher, a Du Pont vice president, accepted on behalf of the company the In dustrial Science Achievement Award of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The AAAS cited Du Pont for its work in the field of fluorocarbon polymers, and Dr. Lenher described the work as a classic case history in which a fundamental research discovery and useful commercial applications have been harnessed in tandem. Said Dr. Lenher: "Over the years Du Pont has been blessed with a certain amount of success both in the laboratory and in the market place. If I were asked to give a single reason for that success, I would say that it lies in this point of view: We regard the pur suit of fundamental research and its appli cation in industry not as antagonistic or essentially separate, but as brothers and col leagues. Accomplishment or discovery in each field reinforces and fortifies the other." Long before "Teflon" was discovered, Du Pont had accumulated a large amount of fundamental knowledge about fluorinated hydrocarbons and condensation polymers. It also had an "advanced understanding of free radical reactions" -- the mechanism which explains the fluorocarbon polymer ization process--and the company "was an enthusiastic student of fluorine chemistry." All this set the stage for the day in 1938 when Dr. Roy Plunkett, a Du Pont research chemist, reported that a new gas, when com pressed in a heavy-walled metal cylinder, changed into a unique white solid. The material resisted exposure to almost every known chemical. Its surface was so slick almost nothing would stick to it. Soldering irons wouldn't melt it; electric arcs wouldn't char it; moisture didn't affect it. This was "Teflon" fluorocarbon resin. Had it not been for the company's prior experience in related fields, Dr. Lenher said, the significance of Dr. Plunkett's observa tion might have been lost on Du Pont, and Dr. Plunkett might not have been working in that field at all. Dr. Lenher said the virtues of the material almost killed it. There was noway to dissolve it. Because of its high melting point, ordinary molding equipment wouldn't handle it. Be cause it was superslippery, it couldn't be laminated or bonded to anything. Nonethe less, Du Pont managed to devise means to turn these peculiarities into workable assets and to make many technological advances: A technique to polymerize TFE to pro duce molecules of predictable, controllable weight; a method to form TFE into a fiber which can be spun and woven into a fabric; molding and sintering techniques to make possible predetermined shapes which can be machined like castings; the development of etching and adhesive techniques for TFE; creation of a group of fluoroelastomcrs; and the discovery of telomer chemistry. These, in turn, have led to a list of prod ucts that today range from no-stick coatings in cookware to artificial blood vessels and valves in the human body; from spaceship components to building materials. All this, as with many scientific advances, could appear to stem from a "lucky break" in the research lab. But Dr. Lenher quickly entered a disclaimer: "There is a lot more at work here than the whim of fate. In sci ence one is always working with probabil ities, hut that does not mean research is as accidental as a dice game." To illustrate his point, Dr. Lenher cited the story of the research man who pointed to a famed colleague and said: "That man really has uncanny luck, and the harder he works the luckier he gets." March-April 1963 Vol. S? No. 2 magazine c o n t ent s 2 Big Wave of Dream Bouts 5 A Strapping Him Stays light, 8 Hanging a 2-Acre I him mock 11 Every Shooter a Big Shot 12 Staging Hollywood's Comeback 10 l Remember the Butcher's Straw Hat 20 Missouri's Limestone Cellar 23 From Miami to Mont Tremblam 26 They Luke It Hot 30 Cornucopia lor Inorganic Chemists 32 Whails New THE COVE If. I lie long road from haste chemical re search to commercial product reality is hy now a familiar I heme to regular Hu 1'i'tu l/osg/r.bte readers, On the l acing page, we look hack over more than 25 years' ex plural ion in (he broad field ol iltioritte chemistry, a classic example of this soil of endeavor. Our cover and a related article look ahead to another large ami largely unknown area that eventually may tank among the mosl exciting and si tin iti- cant e\ er invesiigmcd sv>iemaiicallv hv I Vu Pom scientists. I lie most sxmmetncal chemical structure, lormalK known as dodecaln drododec a borate i 2 >. is one of iuo stable buion-hydiogen compounds that arc get ling a lot ol atten tion flout tile com pain's scientists. See page 3t t for morc aitotil ibis work and a heller look M Ot. Henrv (2 \l tiler, who obiignigh faded into the background is' lei llte model's sentinel r\ liaxc full aesthetic play. EDITOR WILLIAM C. HALLEY ASSOCIATE fOllWNS EMILY HUNt JACK D. liUNlfR HANKY f , DAVIS <1 fjn rji'lil -; 3 `KC, I'. E du Four He Nutieeiv and C-.'mp.ap . online mm IVhrw.ov 1 i n-C-s u-~ wriviwl. i is manaeiik' or pa:t* mm uei ho ropnumoi J in mo ierm wnlumi ju-i m muon m v. imp: ilium tin- pohh.MK'is. 1'rininl in \ S.A. Chan <i tt of Ad tire il* iiiMii e leeching mu u tiot oipo send mr new adorvss |'u ` ipU. 10 : I diloi, I )u iVm Muga/im-. Uilivungnm lC nd. Sond ok! midi ess wu'-i da- ne-,%, vncim.ino ii ih 's mI'U- un addfV-vsi label. IVM VliCi-. \\>l$ tun lenoihi tins. m-h'u, the ihilc-sv sou provide exit a pom Photo Creditii: Ak vomk i Ho ih U'i son. Covet I i aw k r M ,nu:i j C i u : am Co,, page 2: Sinunie Sh-ei JSii appim.-. yes., page?, 5. <, I ,u> Kvo-Eko, gum Vc -u -h I nghteei im: Co., pages i hoonru i. \ P; MCA, Inc., panes Id, IT IT is. James l>.tJi;is, pages In p; Maids if Mpneli Co.. page CiJ: A'.sA f'rnihn is magm-inr, pup 22, i Vod> c.n' .\iicc.Hi t s Ark o-na IT\ .-.ion pam C. A:nwrk`U/m were never so boat-ka-pp-y, and a big reason is the use of Du Pont vimgl fabrics htj vtmmfndurcr.s producing the here fr nothing -- absolutely making Due to litis vigor, changes have been many T--half mo much worth doing as simply and rapid in boat manufacture. Perhaps the messing about in boats ... or with boats most notable is the trend toward more com , ., In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. fort and eye appeal in pleasure craft. Until So wrote British author-philosopher Ken a few years ago, recreational boats more neth Graliame in 1908, anti from statistics often than not arrived at showrooms devoid compiled along teeming U.S. shore lines and waterways, today there are at least 40 mil of all but minimal interior upholstery and styling. Uppermost in the boater's mind was lion Americans who couldn't agree more. boat performance, and it was this area of Pleasure boating, now rated the leading design that predominated in the boat build U.5. participation sport, has increased some er's thinking. So long as basic seat uphol ten per cent annually since 1949 to where stery held up fairly well in use, who cured it now commands consumer spending in ex if it looked somewhat drab? cess of $2.5 billion a year, This formidable As have so many other aspects of U.S, sum goes not only for the purchase of boats life, this began to change in direct propor but also for accessories, care and storage for tion to the growth of feminine Interest to some i million craft--including 4. i million the subject. The greater the distaffs interest outboard motorboats, 842,000 inboard and in boating and allied recreations, the more auxiliary-powered sailboats, 516,000 purely its say in the family's selection of craft; the sailing boats, and 2,5 million rowing craft. more the woman's say, the more the manu With each year's growth in the national facturer sought to curry her favor by en preoccupation with boating comes a spate livening hues and textures he offered her. of markets for new businesses and long- This female influence was not worked in established ones. There are 1,150 U.S. yacht a void, of course. Manufacturers had long and boat clubs with water front facilities known that little more could be done to and more than 4,000 boat yards and mari make dramatic improvements in hull design, nas. Marinas alone are growing at an annual planing characteristics and other engineer rate of 50 or more. Most of these centers ing features. Therefore, the most apparent form brisk outlets for a wide range of mer plus-factor that could capture more sales in chandise related to the boater and his needs; face of heated competition was a colorful gasoline, oil, paint, rope, first-aid kits, ma and well-coordinated luxury-type interior rine hardware, fishing gear, diving equip for even the most modestly priced boat. Like ment, water skis--even groceries, seagoing Detroit's car makers, the boat-building fra clothing and accommodations with the ternity was recognizing that a slick interior uniquely American appellation, "boatcls." could be the decisive element in transform Manufacturers, of course, are not letting ing a family's showroom visit from mere this lively commerce go unnoted, (Du Pont, reconnaissance into a hard cash purchase. for example, markets a score of marine But where auto makers could justify the products in its "7 Seas" line, ranging from high cost of tooling op for varied model bilge cleaners to boat wax, all of which are treatments, most boat producers were com over-the-counter items at water front retail pelled to seek outside help to achieve com outlets.) Moreover, there ate many busi parable distinction among boat models with nesses almost entirely oriented on boating out comparable tooling expense for each whose sales have moved into the multmil design. Therefore, they began to look to lion dollar brackets during the last decade. specialists in the field of interior' design and styling who were already geared to handle the custom-type work required. Back-to-back "Siesta" scats and trim in DuPont vinyl coated marine fabrics wore styled liy Stearns for Traveler's "Centaur'' runabout. Prominent among these specialists Is Stearns Manufacturing Co. of St. Cloud, Minn,, whose character has altered in pace mmirnmil 3 will) changes in 1 tie boat industry itself. When it w;is Formed in 1941. Si earns spe cialized in tenting and other spurting goods. Today ils engineers, stylists, tfes,itii and pni si nei ion sin IF are concent rating nearly ail llieir talents on the coordinated euslom siyh inp of hiiat interiors. So proficient have they become in 111is, Stearns is candidly aspiring to assume an mil lienee akin l< lhal. which Tiileri or stylists have won in (he automotive industry. Many industry observers see Si earns as wcl I on ils way toward this goal. Says Maurice II. O'Link, president of Stearns: "As early as IW>, it was apparent (o us dial custom treatment of boal interiors could transform a routine craft into a dis tinctive one. We took a Jew personal boats into oiu plant and developed some ideas for `in-fit ting' of plastic-type fabrics... not only for seals hut also for Hooting. decking, side wall paneling aiui headlining. A prominent bout manufacturer, fur whom we had been making convertible float tops, was siillicieiil ly impressed with mu experimental inletiors to ask tis to submit specific proposals fur tlie ulterior lit ling, of some of his models. He wax our lirsl client for coordinated boat in leriois, and remains one of our best today." loom there on, Stearns's "tn-fitlino" con cept caught the lancy of many bout build ers, and business waxed to a volume that recently sent the firm into a plant expansion program so urgent it wax launched in the depths of a Minnesota winter. O'l.ink and Ids colleagues have drawn heavily on Du Pont vinyl coated marine fabrics to piiwide the practicality anti eye appeal needed for boat interiors. The vinyls have been spccilieully designed for nautical installations. Made, of labric-supported vi nyl, they can he applied to wood, metal or liber glass lor decorative, durable protection of exposed surfaces at the same lime elim inating imu.il of I he work, time and ex pense of traditional maintenance.'I hey have high weather resistance, are easily cleaned, and arc impervious to spray, surf, gasoline and oil. Their colors are fade resist aril. Du Font's line of marine coaled fabrics includes plank-type decking material in ma hogany, while, teak wood and bleached teak colors that satisfy the eye of the tradition alist while providing a Jinn ness of footing that exceeds that of other surfaces when wet. there's also a custom vinyl lor decking which l)u Pont makes to order upon receipt ol the nianufncJurcr's spccilicnlions. A com bination of elegant color and laminated while band, the material has been adopted by several leading boat makers for highquality craft. It has the same properties as the other coated fabrics... its vinyl surface is nomibsorbenl, minimizing the mildev problem; it's easily installed, lasts for years Du Pont vinyls adapt readily to Stearns' dielectric seaming process, in which the lab tic is joined in a high-temperature weld tha docs away with sewing. Not only does thi melt-joining provide a high degree of water tightness but also a means by which touche such as company crests can he inserted. Backing up Stearns anil other firms when ever they want special technical guklanci anti styling counsel is J. R. Ellefson, an in dust rial dcsig.net on Du Pout's Fabrics ant Finishes Dept, staff. Says he: "As auto niak erx have discovered, boat builders tire lind ing that vinyl coaled fabrics offer an especin flexibility in design polentlalK, With vinyls they can achieve interiors in which all lex litres, colors and patterns in ship side panels I Inuring and upholstery are coordinated am space-related to bull and deck treatments.' A dlls .Stearns's Ol .ink: "The day is rapid ly disappearing in which a boat builder flick: through a swatch book, picks mil a color hi likes, then asks his upholsterer to make up ; lew seats. Today, if he. has no interior do sign stall' of his own, he comes to pcopli like us to do the job rigid. With I lie kinds o Fabrics Du Pont supplies, our specialists cat give him not only the seats but a stem-to stern dream boat.." way to prided packages (had shrink, settle or telescope (ImdiIg sh ipmeni, Iks 1>|ie salesman's quick demonstration of . "I)ynuix" was so start IniiM hat they took him to the vice president til purchasing, "Oci it for hail," they said. First the salesman put a thick phone book on the shining desk top. Then a mum I both desk iiiitl book he run a length of the new .strapping, which he drew tight and sealed with hand tools. "Now watch," he said. .Suddenly he snatched out the phone hook, and she strapping went "Whack!" on I he desk lop. Instead of being loose, as I rath lional straps would be. the new product had draw (t ilself as tight as though (Ire .salesman had si rapped the desk alone, "Wow!" said the sice president. "When can we stall using it'.'" "Tin not selling just informing," gulped the salesman. "We're still in semiworks." "That's your problem," the olUciul said. The instantaneous welcome lnr "Pvmax" dramatized industry's long-telt need for a strapping (hat will slay tight around pack ages that change dimensions under the stress anil pounding ol" transport. Anil lield tests indicate that with "I ifymax", the Signode Steel Strapping ( o. ul (. Iiicago has expand etl its line wit It a product that performs bet ter than rope, twine, pressure-sensitive tape, reinforced tape, rayon and other nonmetallie materials in a wide variety of strapping and binding applications and hetier titan steel in a number of areas. In I till cum mere in I production by this spring, "Dytiittv" is a joint development ol i-HtliillKClf j\, , : ; i , i i ii" IV >! through pullets <it industrial cartons or twigs. l t-;Ji i I f , I! !-i . " i > * ;> ID . : r .! t l n !-l or disiiiLuumie when wurf itixo resists oils, solvents. ages, can be cut oil with household sciw Signode and Do Pont, based on a versatile Du Pont plasties family called `'Dymetrol" continuous precision forms of nylon. In "Dymax", the material's molecular struc ture Is oriented to combine unusually high strength with resilience. Result is that although tensile strength of "Dyntiax" is 60,000 pat, about twice that of other nonmetallic strapping, Signode's new product stays tight on the package or car ton, If a package crushes, fatigues or com presses under the bunging anil dropping of transport, "Dymax" shrinks corresponding ly, Acting like a powerful spring, it stretches about five per cent when it is tensioned around a package; as a package shrinks, the strapping simply returns to its original length, i.e,, changes dimensions with the package* thus slaying light* Signode, a pioneer strapping firm and an industry leader for 50 years, has field-tested "Dymax" on nearly 100 products that tend to shift in transport, including palletized car tons of die-cast parts, heater elements, hi-fi components, fluorescent fixtures, coils of wire, fiber glass doors, gas meters and gaso line engines, "Dymax" has also performed successfully with a dozen Du Pont products, ranging from cartons of synthetic fibers to sacks of pigments. Success with bagged materials is especially significant; these always settle in shipment, and, before "Dymax", straps therefore loosened, "Dymax" hogged sacks and kept hugging, A nonmetallic strapping, says Signode president J, M. Moon, is a logical expansion for his fast-growing linn, whose sales last 6 year were seven times the 1946 figure. Growth has always come to Signode from engineering, from devising better packaging anti shipping techniques and new ways to use strapping. When the firm was born in 1913, for example, the steel strapping busi ness consisted of modest numbers of strips nailed around the ends of wooden boxes as replacements for split willow wands. Nearly all commodities were packed in bales, bags, baskets, barrels or wooden boxes; corrugat ed boxes were in infancy, disdainfully re ferred to by wooden boxmakers as "substi tute containers," Technology Came Mrs! Signode's initial contribution was techno logical: it introduced the first practical tool to apply steel strap under tension, made pos sible lighter lumber in boxes and opened the way for new kinds of industrial packages. Since then, President Moon estimates, his firm has developed 1,000 different tools, each tailored for specific packaging jobs, and ranging from $15 tensioners to quartermilfion-dollar fully automatic, high-speed packaging complexes. Coupled with n search for new tools and straps, Signode empha sized systematic laboratory and field research on every phase of materials handling, load ing and shipping. In the post World War II period, palletiz ing and the fork lift truck wrought a kind of revolution in materials handling. They swelled the market for strapping, but they also revealed that the traditional material, steel, would not do everything. Steel's great tensile strength--100,000 psi and upward-- is unsurpassed for sharp or heavy metal, hi stuff, bricks or freight car dunnage. But tf metal has little resilience. If a material the type that settles or shrinks in transit, tf steel strapping loosens, "To us," says President Moon, "it beean apparent that the next big jump forwai would be a strapping to do jobs where ste couldn't be used to best advantage." Signode packaging engineer Robert I Kchoe began what turned out to be thri years of evaluation, development and lie, testing of a dozen, nonmetallic material "Not until we came upon `Dymetrol*, hov ever, did we find what we wanted," Kehc recalls, "It had twice the strength, of rayc material; its smoothness allowed 30 to S per cent more tension to be transmitte around package corners; and it had bad hone enough to be fed through pallets." Jn addition to 15 percent ultimate clang: lion, compared to 2 per cent for cold-rolls steel. "Dymax" has the extraordinary pro] erty of 100 per cent recovery--which is wf it follows shrinking package contour "Elongation,** explains lob Kehoe, "alt adds impact resistance--about twice that < other materials. If a package is dropped i banged pretty hard, `Dymax* gives slight! then returns. But it's not likely to break "Dymax" also rang the Signode bell fo cause it shapes itself firmly over irregular' shaped packages and has a smooth surfac that reduces indentation on corners. Thi it can be used directly on painted produc or against delicate hardware parts withot cutting into their surfaces, "Once n package arrives safely at its de Imalion, lhe strapping's handling aiul dis posal characteristics reap I he customer raves." kehoe says. '"Dymax" can he oil oil' a package wi111 ordinary scissors (a market ing phis lor consumer packages, inciden tally ), or with knife or si rap oilier. Ami 1 lie iraditional problem of disposing of used strapping disappears; i)\max' can be burn ed, chopped tip, baled or thrown a wav with paper waste." In storage, too, the product has notable advantages, Because it's a homogeneous, noneonoditig material, it doesn't rust, is thereby nonslnining: it doesn't disintegrate when wet. and it resists oils, greases and most organic solvents. Its light weight saves not only litre weight bin space ax well: one 42-pound coil of "Dymax" strapping con tains nearly its much footage ax three 100pottnd coils of the same size steel strapping. I hits fewer coils must be stored. Initially. Signotle is o tie ring 'i>yma\" in four hrenkload strengths. 475, 630, 700 and 950 pounds. Also available are custom seals and two types of tensioning tools, a raek-atid-pinion and a continuous take-up model that includes an air-powered version. High-speed automatic machines like those oifered for steel me mulct development. Where can the resilience of "l)\ mas." con tribute lo solving packaging problems? SigiHide's Bob kehoe and aides foresee applica tions in palletized boxes and bags; in prod nets subject to stir!ace damage, such as highly polished metals and ntilUiork; food anil corrugated container products: consum er items where ease of strapping disposal is advantageous; miscellaneous department store uses, such as bundling packages; spe cially items like hides lor the tanning indus try; rugs a ltd tolls of carpeting: textiles and elastomers; finished clothing; general use with compressible or shrinkable materials such as rooting rolls or wax slabs. If the past is any guide, though, stteli a catalog is incomplete, says Nignode's Kehoe. "Advances in strapping always bring appli cations y o u can't anticipate. Thus we wel come opportunities to provide data, run tests or consult s>n packaging or shipping problems. 1 he product is attractive, si tong, etlicicm and its price is competitive with both steel an si non met at lie bindings. Most of all - excuse my fervor I want to be sin e to mention that 'Dymax' is a strapping that stays tight." HANGING A 2-ACR] Du Pont neopmu; spnt.helic rubber forms an elastic, wealherproof seal on a roof that refuses to lie still ChnmiHy, Va. in imaginative, window-seaI air traveler ,/\ approaching Washington. D.C.'s j \ new I>ulies International Airport gels tin: illusion that strung in the clearing below his plane i.s a great hammock of Paul Bunyar> prapt>r ti<ms. The hammock is the graceful concave roof of the jel port's $ 15.5 million leiminitl designed by (lie late Eero Saarinen and ac claimed an nrchiteeliinil masterpiece. Emm a height of same I>5 feet on (he Irani side, the roof dips gently la 28 feet til its lowest point, then arches up again to 40 feet on the field side. Covering a MHI by 150-foal main corn.: in i rsc. I lie roof has neither convent ioiud massive trusses nor internal pillars for sup port. I is tour-million pound dead weight is suspended entirely on steel cables looped be tween sloping eoiicicle "trees" or columns. This design, as any sailor could predict, is prone in considerable movement And here in lay the challenge to ils builders: erect the 2-acre roof with mnierials Ilexihie enough to sway without leal ing or stretching, yel solid enough to keep out the weal her. The answer was dense, elasiic sheds of I)u Ihrnt neoprene synthetic rubber. Unroll el like giant carpets, the sheeting was over lapped the length of i lie mol. forming: a com pleic watertight seal. It was secured with a neoprene-ha sc adhesive, except al critical expansion joints where an adhesive deposit would hamper movement. Thus, the sheet ing lits lii ruly on I he sides of each joint hut rests unattached over it. 11 adeinarked "Gacotle.x", (he sheeting was supplied by C Sales Engineering, C o,. Wil mington, Del., it pioneer it) elastomeric roof ing systems. It was specified lor the Dulles Airport by Saarinen, who had recommend ed I he "Gacoflex" system earlier on a huge ice skating rmk in New Haven, ('imn. Available in 1 HI fool mils, the .sheeling is one sixteenth inch (hick and 42 inches wide. It doesn't, became brittle in tempera tures as low as 40"E.. nor does it soften ami stretch a I readings as high as 200" E. 14 cop re rie is impervious In water, unscathed by sunlight, resists degrading ozone in the almosphcre and won't propagate flame. If hits* n tested tensile strength of 2,000 psi, `'Roofers applied tmr sheeting lo longuennd-groove boards on (he* skating rink, but (he Dulles job was concrete," relates Roland Disney, president of Clatc-s. "So to test: tail, the new conditions, we bail! a mock-up of the terminal roof willi a concrete panel from the job site. Ouiekly we learned that the con crete was pi el rented: thus lo gel a good ad hesive bond we would have to etch all tin: surfaces. To be safe, we lesled a series of ad hesives: in the end we sullied on our stand ard cold bond neoprene adhesive." Consi ruction ol the terminal began with . workers pouring 32 pylon footings, eat coniuining Ml cubic yards of concrete. Fro these sprang up columns made of 16 Urns i reinforcing steel ami 210 tons of eon ere! The columns leaned outward lo eountera the stress of tlie suspended roof. With the concrete "trees" in place, wor men (hen si rung between (hem o tic-itic Z.iru:-coaled bridge cables, each tested lo ( Ions minimum breaking slrength, and c* cased them in concrete ribs for extra resis a nee lo vibration. Spaces between I lie si ram were covered with light weight, precast coi crcle slabs held in place try projecting sle biir.s lining over lhe cables. HAMMOCK After the concrete had set, crews of Warre n-Ehret Co,, Philadelphia roofing contrac tors, moved in to lay down the neoprene sheeting. The steep pitch of the roof pro hibited the use of mechanical adhesive spreaders; the thick liquid had to go on with hand rollers. Several precautions were es sential: concrete slabs had to be free of dust, dirt and moisture, and care had to be taken not to clog expansion joints located every 3 Vi feet. As the crews secyred the neoprene, . , .-... insure a watertight fit. emtfiniwd Terminal's elevated auto ramps were built by sandwield ng slice Is of neoprene between slabs of concrete. Neoprene provides u waterproof layer in the ramps which form a roof over a row of underground offices and storage rooms. Final step on the roof, right, was wiling on colored waling of "Hypalon" synthetic rubber to mutch roof to tenrnzo-like concrete pillars, "The crews hadn't been on the job very long when we got conclusive evidence that the sheets were sticking securely," recalls Disney. "High winds were forecast one eve ning, so the roofers placet! five-gallon pails of sand along the unfinished edges to hold fhoin down. Next morning the pails had been scattered by the gusts, but not a bit of sheet ing had worked loose." In small sections located between the protruding columns and the roofs edge, a fluid waterproofing system was more adapt able, These areas, forming a narrow strip the length of the roof, were constructed of heavy-poured concrete without expansion joints. Here, Gates's "Gucoflcx" liquid neoprene was rolled on to a thickness of 15 mils, The final step was to coat the roof with "Hypalon" synthetic rubber, colored to match the concrete columns and give the terminal the appearance of being constructed of one homogeneous material, "The terminal's color was almost as unusual, as its shape, and spurred our most 10 painstaking color-matching effort to date," recalls Disney, "To get a terrazzo effect, the columns had been bushhaiumered, exposing white dolomite aggregate and light gray concrete. We matched compound after compound before we hit on the right color, However, the experience proved one thing to us: "You can match `Hypalon' to just about any color an architect can dream up." Gates's experience with "Hypalon" also revealed that the colored coating would have to be quick-drying or its solvents woui work into the sheeting, causing it to wrink and pucker, Thus, Gates produced a finis! ing coat with a special blend of rapidly evti| orating solvents. Like the neoprene adhesive, "Hypalor had to be rolled on by h..ntl. It was applic to a thickness of four mils, and in additic to color, provided extra weatherproofing. In any roofing job, it's important to fcet down the weight of materials. It's signifies to note that the neoprene and "Hypalor roofing system at Dulles adds only 55 pourr of dead weight per 100 square feet. IT compares to 500 pounds for a convention built-up system of three or four plies roofing fell crowned with a layer of gravi In all, 2,000 gallons of "Hypalon" at about J 30,000 square feet of neoprene shet ing went on the Dulles roof. On the grout level, an equal amount of neoprene sheet it was used in an unusual waterproofing jt for the automobile approach ramps. Root beneath the built-up ramps were design for office and storage space; water from t overhead roads had to be kepi out. Thus t ramps became a sandwich: a base layer concrete, a middle membrane of neopre: and (he visible, top layer of concrete. In finished form, Dulles Airport offers : impressive first view of the U.S. to ford; dignitaries and tourists. In addition to striking silhouette, the structure is al unique because it is only one-third as lor as terminals at airports handling comptu Me traffic. Reason is the much publicized innewitit of mobile lounges, waiting rooms on whee each transporting 90 to 100 passengers and from a jet aircraft apron a fialf-m away. The lounges eliminate the need f "satellite" terminals for each airline usi the airport and`for "fingers," the sprawl! corridors that lead to distant gate positioi Thus, the lounges protect travelers fre weather and noise, while marking an end the traditional hike from ticket counters waiting planes. Architect Saarinen died before his no famous creation was completed. But 1 spontaneous reaction on a visit during ro construction is echoed daily hy those w' see the finished product, "Boy, we've retk got something here," hi Iraq} ami sheet or in Hit- jii-iii, this new- ixemimjtnu .shotgun aims to make I)|esigrt a shotgun that will shoot like no other shotgun ever produced. Make ;i gun that any showier...novice or expert cun shoot belter with, eau be proud to show his friends, anil can expect to outlast Iris lifetime. You ha\e no limits on the design to use." So went management's iusiructions to en gineers and marketing stall era of Remington .Arms ( 1 tie., lour years ago. I-sir it11 nidustrial toree long accustomed lo producing quality guns (example; since IR53, Retnitiglent automatic shotguns base won more na tional skecl championships than all other brands combined 1. the mission was akin to gilding a lily, bill il was tackled unblinkingly. I a.si month the nation's gun dealers began It' slock lip oil I lie fruit of the title even mg etToit: the Remington Model 1 I IK) a gnsopernled, I .Agangs', i i ve-shoi aiilotnatie which, will) magnum loads, lias up to-fit pet cent less recoil than other automatics and i!tore Ilian 5(1 per eenl less than "fixed ac tion'' models. I'mltii,mee tests, one of which inxolxed lit inn more than a half-million shutshclls of all kinds, established the gun's impact areas, a new, tong barrel extension am) a new receiver. A precision action timing system equal r/es boh velocity automatically for either light or heavy loads, making manual adjust ment unnecessary. < kw for operating (be ac tion is taken olf nearer die chamber, where pressures are higher and more vVU'isierii titan has been ettsiomai y; thits a smaller ori fice can be used. Moreover, the piston is loe.tted outside of the magazine mhe instead ol inside, a lea tin e that permits freer vent ing ol excess gas. Aside from operating itnproxetueitls, this insults in reduced carbon deposits in she oriilee rmd o h the gas cylin der making for (he cleanest operation of am- automatic shotgun. 1 lie Model I I Oil's action spring is located in (he stock, where 11 tore's plenty of room to accommodate a spiing design lhut f.ieiliiutex manual opening.. Loading >s made easier. .shooting life to be as much as seven times longer that) other automatics on (he market. The gun's qualities have inspired Reming ton so claim (hat it w ill help .my shooter be come a belter shot. To devise such a gun. Renting)on engi neers first to viewed their fundamentals, si ail ing w iih the sliooier h tinsel I. 1 here are many human I actors that contribute lo poor marks manship when moving targets arc involved: i.o,. bad pointing, lliitching, failure to swing and foUow-ilmnigli. braining and practice can overcome these, lint the gun itsclt can play it powerful tote in helping the sliooier impiove bis skill. Balance, if properly lo cated. helps hint in his swing ami lollou through; anil recoil, if lessened, eliminates tiis tendency to llineli on (he lit si shot and to he distractedly uncomfortable on subsequent shots. It was in these areas that Keminglon l\icused its attention. Utilizing many features contributing to the tine balance of earlier automatics. (he Model I 1 ()0 began to lake shape. Vilen, to achieve maximum endurance and dramatic recoil reduction. Remington engineers desi ruled further rvtinemeiits. such as hutfered too. with a new ixpe spring lor the maga zine. which holds (our shots t live-shot total capacity when att additional shell is cal lied in the eltambci). A three-shot plug is fur uisited for hunting migratory waieilowI. I ukedcwv n. or disassembly, of the new gun is simple. The band can be removed with the action s>peti or closed, and the fore-cud can be ret new ed sep.nalelv if desired. II arrets of different chokes anil lengths cun be imci - changed w it Inn gauges w ilhoui special (ti lings or tools. 1 o build the shooler's pride of on nerslttp. Remington has provided a number ol etis lent ! Otic lies lit the gtlif.s over-oil appearance. Lite receiver and bolt are inscribed with scrolls and the stock and lore- end ate check ered with a lieu r-vie-1 is pal lent. 1 he stock has a full grip with custom stxle cap, and both grip cup and butt plale are provided with decorative white spacers, 'the grip cap has an inlaid white diamond pattern. A nevv. more datable wood (Irtish as tough as thal used on bowling pi its was developed espe cially lor the gun, ami it nevv, high-gloss, nist-resisi:mt finish is used on metal pans. (nail I !\ alts. Remington's director of sales, says: "In UH>3, the Model I H Hi will be avail able in 12 gauge, chambered tor cither 2 fl inch or 3-inch shells, in a full variety of b ti re! lengths and chokes with plain or \emiItiled rib barrets. It will be olt'ercd in 1 (> and 20 eaitees in l'H>4.'' Is the "world's movie capital" finished? Not at all, say these producers who, with quality film and sound business methods, are O O j 11 o Holb (j QTil 00 8j Ca By Ja c k D, Hu n t e r Hath'wood, Calif, As the assembly on the Hollywood set at J- V. right hushes for the director's signal to begin action, it symbolizes an omnipresent irony that attends the motion picture indus try; i.e., it can cost $2 million to run about $9,000 worth of film through a camera. In this instance, for example, nearly 200 men and women and their supporting forces were engaged for eight hours while cameras recorded some three minutes* usable foot age in the courtroom sequence of Univer sal* "To Kill a Mockingbird," now in its opening run in New York's Radio City Mu sic Hail, Cost of the day's work: 112,000, Cost of the day's total exposed film: $200, Rest aging this one scene, had it been lost due to faulty performance of the 4,000 feet of film consumed to capture it, could have cost more than all the film used for the en tire picture. Thus for producers, although cost reductions are today becoming a ma jor preoccupation in the industry, film is one item which permits no compromise. They're willing now, as always, to pay top dollar for film of maximum integrity and reliability. And irt film, top dollar is cheap. Hollywood lavishness, of course, has be come legend, due mainly to the fact that in the old days the industry seemed to regard waste as away of life. For example, pictures often would be launched with only halffinished scripts, causing delays in produc tion while directors waited for new pages of script to come through; there'd be frequent junking of expensive sequences when sce narios look whimsical turns along more promising avenues; costly reshooting result ed when trial-and-eiTor techniques proved to be mostly error. Rationalization in those days was easy: the market was hungry enough to assure a return that would make such costs negligible by comparison. Today it's still routine to marshal a stag gering array of talent, technology and money to record a slice of human experience--be it pathos or hilarity or a shade between--on a 10,000-foot strip of cellulose acetate. But with soaring costs, the competition of other modes of entertainment and myriad other pressures, producers are considering every .13 i!/,i i'l 11 > 11 likely In till p?'nfll-L'S'uclii'ig W;isk' !11Hii (lidi \endues. Sailing 1 asl villi (he I)risk winds of econ<inly' hlmviii!1 tin oilgh Mullvwuiid these days ire Universal I1 id tires, pi oduecrx tit fen ; tire movies. and Revue Productions, muk..uis til I \* films, Both ere iillilietes il .VIC A, Inc.. and hnih eie winning wide rocogiiitnm lor 1 iirirsuccess!til defiance ol long-standing predict ions I lull etisl heie bored I Itillvu nod is linis'ietl us the v, odd \ movie capital. I )cilieutctl to (lie diesis I hut I here's mil h itiif wrung with I liilfvivoml (hat linnlheadcd biisi nes.s methods won't cure, I Jn ivcr.xal and Revue tjpcialc what i.s generally conceded hi 1 'c the industry's Imsiesi and most ellieieiti 'itlliin*. I Jilivei sal City*. I lie -H) 1 aet'e plot ill Hollyw-oi nl 11 ml serves as ihetr base, has as many a.s I 5 tiiiils constantly engaged ill shoot itit; lealures and TV films. Revue now has 13 separate TV seiies in " to ibe 0-iiiinutc "The Virginian:' These fill 12 hours of TV network time shows run a foil 52 weeks. In terms of run ning time, this exceeds all of the theatrical itHiSHlUt-ll edited version. The ralio is somewhat holler in die filming of an average hall-lumi TV show ( running lime; 24 minutes, m>l count iag commercials ). with roughly I s,()()() feet ol negative ex posed and 2,1 (40 I eel retained in ihe fi11;ii. polished version. The appreciable difference fret ween the amounts of film used to make theatrical fea tures and TV shows stents primarily from the severe liming res!riel ions dial govern television. TV shows must he of it precise length to meet station or network program ing. Alsu, if a producer is lo make a profit, budgets and schedules must be light, since l he ref urn from TV films is limited. A fea ture picture, tin tire other hand, can am any reasonable length tile producer deems nec essary to tell Ihe stoiy adequately: shooting schedules and budgets can he more flexible. Albeit Dorskind, MCA vice president, points out that Universal City's full schedule is typical of the business methods being ap plied by the studio. Says he; "Just as in any other business, a movie plant operates effi ciently only when it works at capacity," To implement this philosophy, Dorskind .. i i, - n/si ,, ,,u.................. i.____ r.- .i .. industry's cmt-be-fimigerl years. Among them: advance planning in everything--narv a camera w hits h imil (lie script fscnmptele to the 'Ttisl" signature; not a .set is occupied uni il all lighting has been rigged bel'orehand. mil a scene is shot on location il one ol I lie studio's exterior sets i western slrcels, small town business urea, luiropcun '.(reel, three lakes, a 3U loot waterfall are l\picul of Ihese) can lie used; expensive action scenes are eliminated from 'I V films if adroit handling ol'dialogue will achieve I lie same I call Its. '1 he t iglt ten ing-tip seeps in toe very currier of Uni versal t'itv's opera!ions, so witli this saluereccivcd f11r di11iar-speiiI alliltide lu guide t tie,n. I Ini vers a I and Revue cinematogra phers find il not only logical bin also cunsi stem iei demand lire highest qiiulili lilms. io make a lea line picture, from 150,001) to 175,00(1 feel of neitaliveure exposed, with a hew! Hi, i if K J feet being retainer! In the final 14 because if lire picture is a hit the refit ms can lx' very large. In Revue's TV shows the director must O.K. any scene played reasonably well ami then go on to the next so that the rigid scheduling can be met. At l hiivci sal. how ever, it lea I ure di reelin' can icslioot several times and front Vaiious camera angles il Ik : feels that by doing so the scene will lie improved. In arty event, the assembling and editing ol'a picture is a considerable task. (it dinar ily die film editor makes a "rough cttl" as shoot ing progresses, final editing Is dune after shooting lias been completed, witli ifie pro ducer and direeloi making the final decision on what remains in the finished picture. There are. of course, many types of film, each designed for a particular tvpe of pho- f'ifin edit nr Terry Morse uses moviola to select: scenes that will survive the "rough cut"iff llif),<101! leet o! film used In make Universal I eat lire. lography. For instance, William Wade, head of the Revue camera department, always specifies Du Pont Superior II Mack and white negative when ordering Du Pont film for Revue's TV shows, "This film stock is low in grain and high in the qualities de manded for professional motion picture work," he says, "It gives good reproduction of flesh tones and shadow detail and has a linear gray scale--highly important qualities in our business. It also gives exceptional tontil separation and photographs light colors and specular highlights with a minimum of halation, or flare," Wade says he's looking forward to using DuPont's new Superior III fast emulsion negative. "We've tested this film and it's ex cellent," he says, "Its principal advantage is that less light is necessary to achieve com parable exposure. Thus with the same amount of illumination on a set, we have the advant age of being able to use an F stop with a resulting increase in depth of field. And if we shoot a close-up where added depth isn't needed, we can use considerably less light-- a break for actors who find working under a battery of hot lights to be tough going." Wade points out that todays film is far superior to that of a couple of decades ago, "Today's film has better resolution and is vastly improved in speed, reproduction and grain structure. It's also less susceptible to scratching and static, two things that caused us great trouble in the old days. And it has far more stability in the face of temperature changes. This is very importunt, particularly when a picture is being shot on location where we may run into high or low temper ature extremes," Technical advantages such as this help them minimize the risk of catastrophic re takes, MCA officials point out, and conse quently help form the bedrock on which Univeran1 and Revue are shaping their answers io the prophets of doom, Says Albert Dorxkind; "We firmly believe the future is extremely bright for both the motion picture and TV industries." For proof he points to the $ 10 million spent over the past three years to expand and improve facilities at Universal City, including the building of nine new sound stages (the only such construction undertaken in Hollywood in the past decade), and to the additional $10 million to be invested in other improvemerits now on MCA's drafting board. As Dorskind sees it, "This expansion not only is conclusive evidence of our faith in the industry's future, but also demons!rates our conviction that Hollywood will continue to be the movie capital of the world," p l: in |i | ... fr y ." '' ' '' ' Vi\ .... "'"I"c`' '' ';1'1 l,n ^ ' rr\"" :" !:, ::F'; " I,':!, v.7', ``T.\ " .................. ........ . star Jason livers pauses ut stuc u 'm, cull hoard which reveals busyness Di i he Universal City lot on that day. 15 Cellophane began to make visual nowes |0 years ago, but it was a quarter century before meat markets heard As though it were yesterday I Remember the fi 7 7 // hot* 3 4? . f J M-1,-1 f fc,- 7 o The hiring# of the old-time 1:> i tidier is lading Into i i*1 tldore ns films with incredibly varied propcrtie* wive been tailored to package nearly every kind oi meat for self-service. By Wil l ia m Ha l it v If you are old enough to remember Joe Louis's two-minute conquest of Mm Schmcling, you remember that the butcher wore a hat, most frequently a straw slim mer, The hat prevented colds and, some said, twain damage its, dodging the dangling meathooks, the meat carver trundled back and forth into the cooler. There was sawdust, too, and the agony of wailing behind the indecisive lady who tried on every meal in the store; a bystander threatening to turn vegetarian; a little boycrying '`lingo!" when his number finally came up. You may even recall a Saturday Evening Post cover in which the thumb of an elderly, sweet-faced lady ardently pushed the scale upward while the butcher's, with equal ded ication. pushed it down. The death bid! to ibis slice of Americana sounded 40 years ago when Du Pont built a plant at Buffalo, N.Y., to make cellophane. Bui the tolling bell didn't carry to butcher shops and meat departments for a quarter century, and there were reasons. Cellophane, invented by a Swiss who sought to keep wine stains off tablecloths, had little but a name when Du Pont set out to make it, A Du Pont Magazine writer of 1923 admitted that his readers hud prob ably never heard of this `'Remarkable New Wood Product," but assured them it was beautiful and useful for candy, "good ci gars" and "fancy packages,'' Le,, expensive ones. He seemed equally pleased that mil liners could make hats of it. A promoter of the time, afraid the public might not get the point, beat the drum with n sledge by call ing cellophane "the transparent paper you can see through." "For us. beauty ft ml to he utility," a Du Pont veteran recalls. "Cellophane wasn't easy to make, il provided little protection and it cost $2,65 a pound. Outside of that, we had no problems," The laboratories worked feverishly on a functional flint. But not until 1927 did Dr. mb H, Charch develop the moistureproof cellophane that, coupled with salesman- i Hememher the Butcher's Straw Hal continued primers, sparked an explosion in groceries, A few inns like Swift & Co. had begun to wrap bacon in cellophane as early as 1926. And If. C. Bohack, a Long Island food chain, had nursed a brilliant idea for cen tralized packaging of chops, steaks and roasts. Such evidence convinced a 1930 Du Pom Magazine writer that self-service meats were here. He was dead wrong. For example: Any one in Iris right mind knew that the relation ship between butcher unci housewife was as delicate as that between physician and pa tient. Do not disturb. Besides, there was too much else doing. An Adjective is Born Not only could you fly across the country in tin awe-inspiring 48 hours, but such pio neers as Piggly Wiggly and King Kullen had followed the lead of Hollywood press agents and invented the "super-market." In de serted garages, rough, ready and dirt-floored, food stores bloomed with a two-point sell ing philosophy: "Pile It High and Sell It Cheap," The trend was as clear as cello phane: there were about 94 "supers" in 1932, 1,200 in 1934. People carried and (after a technological breakthrough) wheel ed baskets along grocery shelves and bought in fantastic quantities. Recalls Dr. Nelson Allen, who now heads Film Dept.'s packaging market development and customer service, "We like to think that packaging Urns put over self-service mer chandising, Maybe self-service merchandis ing put over packaging films. At any rate, the two came clown the road together at just flic right time.** The right time for all save meat, that is. Elsewhere, moist ureproof cellophnne was on candy, cookies and tobacco; what's more, it was a national craze to boot. Even exotic dancers took dubious cover tinder it. In the writer's urea of the boondocks, a traveling revue called "Girls In Cellophane" resus citated the old Bison Theatre with a special "Family Night," which Father said was a misnomer. Fontaine Fox and other cartoonists made cellophane jokes. In a smash Broadway show, a boy indicated his girl was the ulti mate with a refrain, "You're the top, You're cellophane!" And belts proliferated, woven of cigar tubes. Into Du Pont Sales offices on the 10th floor of a New York building strode a proud father who flung open a window to display his son's handiwork: a cellophane belt that stretched nil the way to the street. But although the nation had plenty of good cellophane-wrapped smokes, there wasn't much doing in the meat business. In 1935, Du Pont put the finger on im pulse buying with its first national survey of consumers. Some 24 per cent of all grocery purchases, it found, were not planned when the housewife entered the store. This power ful medicine, obsoleting the shopping list, led to new emphasis on visual packages to capture unplanned purchases. Work pro ceeded on printable films, printing tech niques, machines for automatic processing and sealing. Cellophane, ii seemed, was everywhere. But not in meat departments, lohuek's original idea, to butcher centrally, then send to brunch stores only the cuts fancied by their individual trades, showed why: What were you going to wrap the stuff in? Each meat had its own properties, to maintain which a film would have to be tailored. What's more, there weren't, even any refrig erated cases suitable for self-service. Most experts felt the economics of self-service meats would be great if possible. They didn't look possible. But World War II and its personnel short ages fed the growing industry doubts that the meat department was permanently im mune to self-service. When, of necessity, some West Coast supers tried prepackaged meats, sales volume jumped as much as 50 per cent in a few months. The moral seemed to be that the housewife could be won over; that an ancient bottleneck could be elimi nated; that self-service could make available a much broader selection of meats, One president of a large food chain has recalled other forces behind self-service meats, among them "the pent-up indignation carried over from the war period, the watt ing, the favoritism, the indifference and sometimes rudeness of wartime meat per sonnel, In addition, labeled, full-vision packages were appealing to postwar brides; unlike the lampooned mess sergeant, they were sensitive about their limited knowledge of cuts and cookery and the fact that they didn't know short ribs from pork chops," Du Font's Nelson Allen vividly recalls his 1945 order: full speed ahead on films for meats. The problems were intricate. When the shopper looks at fresh meats, she wants to see the rich, reel color called "bloom," Actually, beef has a purplish cast when first cut; the color we associate with it is due to the reaction of oxygen in the air with myo globin in the meat cells. So: Oxygen had lo pass through the film. But beef is 80 to 85 per cent water; this couldn't escape or meat would dry out. Thus the task was to produce a film with low per meability to water but high permeability to oxygen. With processed or cured meats--frank furters, bologna or ham--the ease was dif ferent, Ham's pink color fades if both light and oxygen are present. You can't do with out light; so a film, that admitted light but kept out oxygen was developed. By 1946, with several basic film types available, Filin men set out to chart a work able in-store technique for prepackaging meats. Papermukers were asked to find molded trays that were neither nonnbsorbent nor too absorbent, but just right, A new, so-called virgin pulp tray emerged. With precision weighing now crucial, manufacturers were asked to develop scales tar more accurate than existing models. Labeling devices, sealing irons and plates, and wrapping machines hud to be perfected. Refrigeration companies produced open display eases, hitherto unknown. Because existing fluorescent light washed the color out of meat, the so-called "softwhile" lights were born. All told, Nelson Allen estimates, a dozen industries besides the food chains anil Du Pont Film men labored on the technol ogy. Then, after Held testing, an extensive Du Pont survey probed what first consumers did and didn't like about prepackaged meat. They liked "You see what you're getting,'' "You can walk away without buying" and "Cleanliness," "No flies," said some. What consumers didn't like: "Grade isn't marked'' or "Fat nod bone underneath," A Book is lorn Out of some two years' work emerged a Du Pont book, "How to Prepackage Meats for Self-Service," that became a kind of faible. It defined, step-by-step, every self service meat procedure from buying equip ment and training employees to labeling and cost control. The response was fantastic; in a few weeks thou sands were distributed. Underlying all was the zeal of pioneer cellophane salesmen, many of whom had championed meat self-service for years. Now, sensing victory, they worked like men possessed, Robert R, Smith, Film Dept, di rector of marketing, recalls accompanying one large chain's officers to a new store opening. "Our salesman had spent a solid month helping to set up the meat depart ment. Now, on opening clay, lady shoppers were tapping on the window and calling foi the premiere to start. But `Don't open those doors yet, I'm not ready!' called our sales man. Finally, after watching him fussing endlessly to get the meal display perfect, the chain vice president turned to me, shook his head sadly and said, Heaven help the first woman who lays a hand on that display,' " The die was east. How would the shopper react? A Du Pont veteran recalls an early visit to Boston for a self-service meat opening. In walked a bejeweled, exquisitely garbed woman. "Watch this one's reactions," the store manager urged, The woman strolled along the ease, her expression aloof. Then suddenly, she picked up a steak the size of a door mat and flapped it over her minted arm. "Self-service is in" cried the gleeful manager. New Mims Arc Born The principle was in, but Film men quickly found that no cellophane, procedure or fond idea remained sacrosanct for long. The field, quite simply, grew and changed too rapidly. In 1946, only 28 supermarkets featured complete meat self-service; today the store fert doesn't is the exception. Along with baked goods, meat became a major market for cellophane, hut experience showed there was no such thing ns an all-purpose film, Thus film types multiplied, changed and iniproved in a steady trend toward lighter, more durable, higher yield products. Most recent example: M5AD-8S cellophane, an improved, extra-strong film for wrapping heavy, sharp, bony cuts of meat weighing over two pounds. The lough film reduces wrinkling, puckering or limpness, yet has the high luster of its cousin, MSAD-80,usccl on cuts of meat under two pounds, Even the traditional mode of marketing cellophane for meats has changed with the times. As the housewife accepted sclf-scrvice, and stores and film uses multiplied, so did the problems of serving individual meat departments. Accordingly, Du Pont has turned to a network of strategically located authorized distributors who sell DuPont films to this vital segment of the market. As local sources of supply, these independent merchants give almost daily attention to servicing cellophane users; provide warehousing anti maintain the extensive Inventory of films that stores need on short notice; keep customers abreast of new cellophane developments and help them use the film more profitably. In the supermarkets of tomorrow, pre diets H. D. Chietering, sales manager for Du Pont packaging films, oilier changes, new films and different cellophanes will undoubtcdly he seen. In fact, you may even begin to see more of the butcher: in some new stores, windows are replacing mirrors over the meat displays, One memento will probably be missing, There won't be a straw hat in the place. -a-: blasting m>p,4em helps lower cosh; and impnmi the safely of men axlmctimy rock from tjimrmms rooms inside Bellamy Falls ledge. By I I a tut v IL Da vis ne day in the late 1920's, employees ho 11 owing out the countryside for 15 years O| of Stewart Sami & Materials Co, blasted a chink into a hillside of The riel) deposit is in the heart of Mis Komi's Bethany halls (edge, a layer of high limestone near Independence. Mo, To (racequality limestone lor tiling a not ill souil the progress n! Ihal fissure today, a visitor semicircle around Kansas City. Because o to the mine must wind tiis way through a its si/e, quality and proximity to etui users honeycomb of subterranean rooms covering the ledge curly attracted some 20 operation: more than three-quarters of a square mile. similar to Stewart's, each tine eonlrilnitinj And by the end of this year, the already to the state's cavernous limestone cellar. vast underground quarry will be 12 tie res ily lhe same token, the cluster of quarries roomier. The Kansas City mining linn esti litis contributed to still a mu her local comlt mates it wilt burrow til least Ilia! far to ex lion, this one more frustrating than fasci tract over 600.000 tons of stone. The slcnie naling namely, a history of limestone sell will find uses ranging front coarse aggregate ing prices almost, as rigid as rock itself lor concrete mads to finely puiveri/.etl pow Brices were further frozen by the fact Ilia der for agricultural spreading. So tre almost all the ledge's outpouring is director mendous ate the mine's reserves dial the at, die same geographical market. company can continue its current pace of "When l came to work here .10 years ago Si melons rooms of solid rook ure i > i; isted open fill feet underground ns Stewart Snnd & Material* Co, iriiaus rich limestone buried in 11 m hills near Independence, Mo, JBBEO* Preparing to rip loose some4m> tons of stone, workmen pom1 "NJMitIiItVo" *103 mIntitot *i jlLl#itil IPUr(wHi Airioader,which feeds the Mas t lug agent into rock pneummieally, below, `'Pfflite" has cm Stewart's costs a nickel a ton. \ ... " t z. jiMiyM MttjMB --iiMiiyiiMMiiji-- in a (on of crushed stone sold for only 1 5 cents less than ii does today/' recalls Ismesl L. Childs, Stewart mine superintendent. "By comparison, nialeriul costs have gone up roughly 50 per cent in the past ten years. Wages have increased nearly 75 percent in the same period, and as much as 45 cents an hour just since I W0." Thus, with outgo creeping, dangerously elose to its income. Stewart set out to lake sev end notches in its corporate money licit. A major step was beefing up its mining equipment to turn out mote rock in less time. This included introducing seven selfpropelled ilrilling rigs built to Stewart's spe cifications and twin rubber tired loaders. The twin loaders, equipped with 41-.'. cubic yard buckets, replaces) a pair of 1 -cubic yard electric shovels, the new toaders' greater prod net is'ity. speed and mobil ity have cut loading ami hauling costs 31 It cents a ton. says Childs. Now an even greater savings is being real ized with the mine's newest ally against dwindling profits a more ciltcicnt method oi blastiag called the Du Pom AS/4 System. 1 lie system's economical ammonium nitrate blasting agent saves Stewart nearly a nickel a ton over an earlier system using dynamite, reports ('hikls. At. the current rate of pro dilution, this is about $50,0(4! annually. Moreover, as the ".AS" (antistatic > in its name implies, die system provides employ ees maximum safety against static electricity hazards associated with pneumatic loading and bottom priming boreholes with electric blasting caps. t he system is a complete explosives pack - age, ottering sialic-rests! at it electric caps, two antistatic loaders, conductive loading hoses, a variety of primers ami "Ntlite" 5oi blast mg agent. Based on results oi 1 )ti Pont tests for static electricity in 23 different mines, the system's cotnponcui.s provide a conductive path through winch state,* charges, generated In rapid nioveineisi of blasting agent .solids, pass into the took I ace ails! dissipate. Phils, charges do riot build up tin the operator, blasting agent com a met* or in the boichoic, I he result is a signdieaiit redactimi of (he possibility tor sudden dis v*barge of static voltages sufficient to pre maturely dolomite the Caps during loading. This means that under virtually ail min -a ! J-f ing conditions, operators can bottom prime (caps inserted before blasting agent) for maximum performance, as long as nonconcluctive borehole liners aren't used. As an extra margin of safety, however. Do Pont offers an easy-to-use slide rule for calculat ing safe levels of conductivity in a loading area by using readily available temperature and relative humidity readings, Stewart's choice of components offered by the system consists of MS Delay electric 22 cups, Hi-Cap #2 primer, the Du Pont Airloader and factory-mixed `Nilite" 303. To prepare for a shot, the special drilling rigs sink 44 strategically placed holes with 1-14irteh diameters. The holes form a V pattern in the rock face and vary in depth from 12 to 14 feet. They extend from about 6 inches below the mine roof to practically even with the floor. Each hole is quickly filled with 8 to 10 pounds of "Nilite" 303 with the A Wonder, which has the capacity to move SO pounds of blasting agent a minute. Detonation be gins at the center of the V pattern, where the triggers are instantaneous electric caps. The shot moves out toward the sides at from 25- to 50-in ill!second delay intervals; the maximum delay is 300 milliseconds. How does the system perform? Says Childs; "The combination of `Nilite' 303 and electric caps gives us slightly better breakage than we got with dynamite, and there is less bootlegging, the part of the rock face that doesn't fall after the round." fiadi ton mi or detonation brings down 4(10 lo 450 tons of rock. The mek face is sliol lo carve out 3f>- to -10-fool-wide rooms with 1714-Iotst ceilings. Twenty-four loot square rod; pillars arc tell standing to sup port the M> led ol overburden between the mine ami the surface. Bel ween five and Icn rooms arc slug every day. Picking tip alter the blasting crews, hui working safely several morns in arrears, arc the loaders and a licet of 14-ton trucks, t he cm rent loading area is so deep in flic hills that the ponderous trucks must churn more than a mile I let ore crawling out of the hilt to dump their stone at the crushing and screening laeililies outside. According to Childs, the nest move to streamline costs will he replacing the trucks' 14-1011 side dumpers with 20-toil capacity bodies. "We also have a lew other ideas under our bals for whittling costs." he says. "Ami the way it looks, we may even heat our nk:kul-a-ltm savings with the new blast ing system, once our people become more familiar with using j(." I--Mll V.ilfi:.' he beaches of Miami and the ski slopes Tof Mont Trcmblant, highest of Can- atla's Laurentin ns, are separated both by bers, "One result is that department stores are stepping up their fashion mcrchandisEng programs. The attitude toward special 1,800 miles and, in the winter, about 50F. promotions. I've observed, is changing Marketing activities as varied ns the resorts from apathy to interest," themselves recently drew representatives of As such things go, the Burdine's pronu> Du Pout's Textile Fibers Dept, to them, tion was fairly elaborate, The store sent a In Florida, the Du Pont people helped flock of pretty girts to model swimwear at Burdine's department stores present the first the opening day of Hialeah Park, It floated '; extensive collection of swimwear made with balloons advertising "Lycra" above crowded "Lycra" spandex fiber. At Mont Tremblant, beaches. Some 30 windows and a series of w they played host to 26 college students, who newspaper ads called attention to the feu- F gathered to discuss what well-dressed young tured merchandise. There was additional pL.._ men will wear next fall. modeling in the stores' tearooms. Such activities point up a new Du Pom Dorothy Lund, a member of The Mer- emphnsis on retail store programs ami, in chandising Group, which represents Du Pont turn, distinct changes in these stores, to retailers in some 50 cities across the coun- ''Television and jet-age travel help make try. helped Burdime's lay the groundwork. Americans aware of new fashions much Janet Crawford, sales iraioinf coordinator Iaster than tormcriv.'' siy; T. Robert 1 ickt for ihe 1 voile Fibers Dept.. \ isiiod aeh ot lei, vice president and general mei chair- ILttdme's six si ores to tell clerks alvui die disc manager ol Frederick Atkins t'o.. New lilvi's strong points. . n. Pi. York (. iiv, a merchandising and research............. B\ the end o' She week, a waggish oh .... ' ! oigaiii/ation v ilb 40 leading stores as mein- seiner could repost slut "i \er,i'' had made From Miami, to Mont Trent continued a big splash. Sordine's had stocked--and sold--substantial quantities of the featured swimwear. Coming several months before the Florida experience could serve as a ba rometer for other retailers. Retail store promotions, of course, are by net means new. But thoroughness and co promotion, have increased markedly in the last few years. So has the participation of liber producers like Du Font in activities of this sort, 'Retail stores are an essential link in llie | chain that carries fiber from our plants to consumers," explains William C. Skilling manager of Du Pout's recently formed Re tail Marketing Section, "Our customers, of course, are yam spinners and fabric pro ducers, acid we have worked closely with them since the 1920's, and finish fabrics--amt with garment manu facturers. At each level, our general goal lias been the same; wise use of our libers to and something extra in performance. Profusion,.. Confusion "`The proliferation of filters and fiber blends m the last 15 years has been enough to eon fuse textile experts, lei alone cotistinicis. keali/.iug the need lor basic liber education, we began sending sales training representatives to stores. Our participation in store buying ami selling programs is a nuloral extension ol this ellorl. 'flu: new speed a I which fashion moves makes it essentia! to improve communica tion at all levels of tire i ex file industry," .SkiMing, (Hunts otti. "One approach is illn.s bated by out conference a I Vlonl ' I rein lilatti. We view this meeting of campus style; leaders as tin irn pot tail! step in reaching the youiig men's market'. "A nut tier wav is through our field men ;n id 1 M < r representatives, who wa (ell rcfail 1 rends across 1 he country and tell us what new or improved libers and fabrics store buyers want. This information exchange works in bulb directions. Hack in Scplem ber. for instance, our people called on 215 stores in 51? major cilies to present style and fabric itdormnlion related to lire spring/ summer lW>3suif, slack and sport coal mar- 24 i.ii-.:d I.i lit', "ttii.i.i" :Tr.. iiiu-n j-.i--; jdc.i'.antly iina dry if-I In Trawl Unit1. I Premier. Washable, as arc all of the garments |>k-titred, these knit separates need no hlneUii kel. When t lie buyers came to the New York market a few weeks Utter. I bey knew what was available in Du Pont libers anti where to look for il.f `Nates I raining is another essential facet of improved communication. For instance, we discovered retailers needed help in ex plaining 1 he unique lenltires of sweaters of 'Orion Suyelle' hi component acrylic liber. It looks and (cuts so much like wool !hnl, at lit.si. some women didn't believe such sweat ers would actually thrive on machine wash ing and drying. We developed a I raining program to clarify litis point and gave it to more than 10,1)00 stiles people, and buyers in some Ml elites." What's ahead? Skilling looks beyond spe cific retail programs, sales training sessions itnd fabric-!ashion presentations lit what he calls "creative retail marketing." flu describes one slep in this di reef ion: "A store buyer tells us what sort, of sfylit he'd like to see in, say, swealer shirts 'Orion' acrylic mid "Ant ton' nylon, lie at flic Du Font rcprescnlnlive then go to knitter lo translate ideas into gartnen There are pitfalls, sure.The knitter may lit llie styling leads impractical. The buyer m not like his own idea when he secs it. Bt in tin; main, we believe this approach is sound one. `To pul our function quite simply, we' trying to find ways to help the retail ecu ntunity do a better job of buying and selli merchandise in Du Pont fibers.The respon from our activities so tar has convinced th;tl stores and their customers are bung for straight forward inform:]lion on fibe fabrics and merchandise. Our aim is to he them get it." MS'mm' ttl :.pnir.;\s ntfn't m'W fuht ic-jushhm ideas \ahiitv (hi Font fibres arc iUusiraietf on these jHt}` : iii'- 1.1111 lil.til.I ; l v h lvsu .!. :..i !.};<: liu' ; >=' j >:!. i\ k i: !.''% > }!-, >11* 1 ; l : ;; liiii'.'W kci';. lit iibvr .aid _LxiLiu*;" ii. Imi, More plentiful supplies of "Lycra" spnndcx fiber menu it will be more generally available in 1983 swimwear. This suit, by Hose Marie Held, is an open-weave fabric of "Dacron'', "Lycra", nylon. 'These new DuPont polymers behave, usefully at, temperatures of 500 to HOtf'F., well heymul the normal range of organic watermls THEY LIKE By Emu y Hu n k \e meial bur glows cherry red and the | recorder connected la il shows tem pera t lire of 1025" F. A piece of alum ilium loil metis a few seconds after il touches the bar. The sti ip of timber-colored film next to il, however, firings on lor more than ten minutes before, dial red, it drops apart. 'I his "hot-rod" demonstration -- more properly known as the Du Pont Zero Slrenglli Temperature Test....is especially helpful to scientists in studying materials that don't meif, even al unusually high lempentlures. Specifically. il determines the de gree of heal that causes a polymer lilin to fail in exactly five seconds tinder a tensile load of 20 poinnfs ptrr square inch. 'I lie par ticular film in qucslion eventually exhibited a zero strength 1 cm petal lire of FOOT. Nearby, in another Du Pool laboratory, a leclmician blasts a dark-brown disc with a plasma jet. All hough (he (hi me reaches a temperature of HUM(lie disc retains its shape. 1 lie jet cuts through a sled disc of similar 1 liiekness in less (him hall' the time it takes to hum through this one. H film and SP polymer, as these new Du Pont materials ate designated ex peri menially, present an array of properties 26 V,' it lieI, .'iii.nl. |iii,',,'.l i it-. ulii'i:. i,nl !.' 1C line i I l i UiiiiN ;:i<'i li.-wii: :il . 11 c i: v.: i: and ,'\<si!in: vic<-tni:il in . aai i i-.-` . never before encountered in 8 single organic polymer. Chemically, they are aromatic polyimides, derived from the reaction of pyromellitic dianhydride with aromatic di amines. Physically, they are exceptionally tough and resistant to abrasion, radiation and many chemicals; they also have excel lent electrical properties. But their principal distinction is that they keep these proper ties at temperatures that other organic ma terials can't tolerate. Thus they boost the ceiling for plastics to the 800* F, range from a previous top of about 550"F, "Just about the only thing wrong with H film is that there isn't enough of it to match the interest it has generated," says Dr, C, E, Sroog, development manager of the Film Dept.'s research and development division. "Right now, the supply is limited to what an experimental facility can turn out. This situation will be cased, however, when a pilot plant is completed in IP64, Despite the present limitation, we are actively ex ploring H film's potentialities in a number of applications." "This product appears unique in meeting stringent market demands," says Dr, A, B. Ness, new product manager of Film's sales division, "By moving directly from a lab oratory operation to prototype manufactur ing facilities, we are trying to shorten the time required for commercialization." The Plastics Dept, lias no such supply problem. Polymer SP for lest market in is made in a small-lot manufacturing opera tion at the Du Pont Experimental Station, "We are eager to know more about how SP performs in extreme environments be fore we decide on the final product form and build a full-scale plant," explains Ruy Campbell, marketing manager. Three other Du Pont polyamide products are already available commercially. Offered by the Fabrics and Finishes Dept, for Class H insulation of electrical equipment, they are "Pyre-M, L." wire enamel for magnet wire; "Pyre-M. L." coated glass fabric for slot liners; and "Pyre-M. L." insulating var nish for entire assemblies. This system was described more fully in the September-Oetoiler 1962 Du Pom Magazine* Since then, F&F has begun plans for a full-scale plant, to meet rapidly growing demand. Du Pont scientists have been investigat ing the field of polyamide chemistry for many years. Research men in the Plastics Dept, (then called Polychemicals) early found polymers that offered a real advance in high-temperature properties. But, not surprisingly, the aromatic polyimides, which were the most resistant to heat, also were most resistant to melting. This meant that they couldn't he molded, extruded or cast by conventional plastic techniques. When efforts to get these "intractable" poly mers into a useful shape proved fruitless, the scientists turned to the aliphatic branch of the family. The Film Dept,, loo, was interested in thermally stable materials, specifically in a flint that would be useful at temperatures beyond the limit of "Mylar" polyester film. "Theoretical considerations and the ear lier work in the Polychemicais Dept, pointed to aromatic polyimides, despite their intract ability," recalls Dr, Hugh W. Gray, director of the Film Dept.'s research laboratory at the Experimental Station. "Our first break through was a test-tube method for milking bits of film about an inch square. They re sisted high temperatures pretty well, but flexing, unless it was very gentle, made them fall apart. `intensified effort finally resulted in a couple of key discoveries that allowed us lo produce bigger pieces id" film that were very tough. These put us o\ ei the hump, si' far as product properties were, concerned." "The success with a film encouraged us to take another look at the aromatic poly imides in the light of our own interests,'* says Dr, William Calkins, now the Plastics Dept.'s new ventures research manager, "We called our material SP --short for `super polymer'--because of its outstanding properties. "We found, for instance, that samples maintained over half of their tensile strength after J,000 hours of exposure to air at temperatures of 572"F. In another test, the material stood up for a short period under 932`F. heat. It was more resistant to creep, or cold-flow, than any thermoplastic we knew of. Our main problem, and it was a considerable one, was to find a way to fabricate solid shapes from the raw poly mer. The development progressed gradually from pieces the size of a poker chip to large billets and bare, which could be machined. "Now, were able to manufacture spe cific parts in their final shape. But we're still refining our methods and expect to continue doing so for quite some time, Because the technology is of such ti critical nature, we plan to make the finished parts in our own shops. This, of course, represents it distinct departure from the Do Pont pattern of mar keting plasties in powder or pellet form." lay Campbell, marketing manager, sees SP as a specialized material that can be ex- Emilmmrl MJIII THEY Xj IKZE IT HOT commut'd imrtdy lidpiul in a number of difficult applicuticnih. Potential uses. lie says, include mechanical pails in rotating or sliding corn lacl wilh metals, whcio elimination of lubri cants in,ay lie advantageous; mechanical or electrical parts for service where radiation levels are liii.ili; and mechanical or elect i ieal parts to In.: used continuously at up to 4K2 T. or iiilerinittettlly up to 022 T. Campbell entpliasiy.es the dillieully of as signing precise temporal ure limits to a ma terial like ,SI\ "Continuous high-temperature s c j vice in air is far more severe Ilian intermittent hightemperature service in an inert, atmosphere. We would far rather have it designer tell its our product is belter than we say it is than hear that, it didn't meet expectations. For this reason, we slay on the conservative side in setting performance standards. "As a beginning,'' Campbell says, "we are concentrating oit two quite different a tarns - lir.st, mechanical pans for service under extreme conditions and, second, dia mond grinding wheels with SIJ as the binder. We're offering flat wheels in diameters from six to leu inches and in varying thicknesses and diamond concent rat tons. We're devel oping cup wheels and Hared ones, too." Using one of the new Hal wheels, main tenance men at a textile liber plant are able for the first lime to rcgriml the cutting sur face of the short staple cutter without re moving the blades. Fheviously, they wen unable to grind in one step the three* dif ferent materials carbide, brass and steelthat make up the cutter because the vvhee filled til with brass particles; this "loading* p mil need a poor cutting surface that cook create excessive heat and ruin Iftc carbide By making it unnecessary to remove tin blades, the SP wheel also eliminated another operation rebalancing the cutler alter lh< blades were reattached. "The grinding wheels we're making toila; are considerably better titan the ones wi introduced some months ago," Campbcl points out. "Our liist evaluations shower some weak points as well as strong ones am we went back to the laboratory for improve ments. We had fabricating problems, too Making a wheel with an SP binder is quits different from making other types of dia monel wheels, in fact, we even ran into trou Me when we tried to scale-up from expert mental to product ion-type wheels. "Our current program calls for piadnj the wheels in as many different types o grinding operations as we can. The most re cent evaluations suggest that our wheel: have some outstanding characteristics whet compared to even the host competitive ones The pattern still isn't clear, though, becausi . I - : i? . : * . I: : : I. . i i i : It It; '1 ' ;i:. r! .. ;. i 4 ,i i-.fi i; I (! I 1 !.,i i -. i . I , 1 : !;, t i ;i - ; if - Du Pout resin are superior in heat resistance to any onlilled organic material known. our wheels seem to perform better under some conditions than others. More tests are essential," Considerable progress has been tinttie in mechanical goods, Campbell believes. "We have sold a number of different types of parts and have had some encouraging re orders," he reports, "For instance, we are making vanes for a new type of high output compressor, SP was chosen, after evaluation of a number of materials, because of its out standing resistance to wear under tough op erating conditions--high temperature, high load, high speed. We also have sold valve seats for gaseous service and are evaluating SP for such finished products as seats, gas kets, piston rings and fasteners, "SP looks especially promising as a mate rial for the retainers used in ball bearings to keep the balls from running into each other. Tests on high-speed equipment at the Naval Air Material Center in Philadelphia suggest that the new bearings are capable of operat ing in the 600 to 70Q`F. range, "This represents quite a radical advance in bearings, and designers will have to de cide how to use them best. Logical spots, of course, are aircraft and rocket engines that now have to be cooled around the bearings. Ultimately, use of SP would permit weight savings by making such cooling equipment unnecessary. The radiation resistance of SP also is of interest in aerospace applications." !>, . i I):-. 0 M ......... R. S. Mullouk, group manager, is opti mistic about applications for H Him in the electrical industry. As armature insulation on heavy-duty, form-wound motors, thin H film tapes have consistently outperformed the mica Hake tapes currently used. Since much thinner insulation is possible because of H film's toughness and dielectric strength, the way is open to the const ruction of mo 1`iia.'.U'Jv.i iJj'ocUivIs iiiaUc ui i:i;k W 1 ;iuvv v-vl iiiaiiWWU Uj them nre seals, gaskets, piston rings, fasteners, valve seats, and vanes for a new compressor- : a \\ i t tors with greater output and lower running temperatures. In aircraft motors and gen erators, temperatures above STIFF. are reached during temporary overloads. H flint insulation -- slot, phase and motor --has stood up well in such service, he reports. H film seems uniquely suited for aero space service because it cun withstand high closes of radial ion as well as extreme tem peratures--both the cold of outer space and high heat from air friction during super sonic tight. The greatest excitement so far has stemmed from a wire wrap that's a com posite of hent-sealiiblc II film and Du Pont `Teflon" FEP-fiuorocarbon film. Tills com bination is half the thickness and weight of currently used insulations. Mallouk notes, too, that it's possible to lay down printed circuits on H film and then dip the entire circuit in molten solder to form the connections. The new film also may make possible magnetic tapes that will preserve stored information oven if the re corder goes through a lire or is sunk deep underground for geological surveying. In the early research stage, Srocig says, are such applications ns these; fire-resistant surfaces for wood and other materials; flat healers that could be attached like wallpa per inside living room baseboard units; and heaters that provide more even temperatures in ovens and make them easier to clean. These will take some time to develop. H film and polymer SI* a re"'exciting in themselves and for their promising applica tions. But they are of broader significance, loo, as a clear example of how a diverse group of materials emerges from common research beginnings. a new area of mor<jan-i<` ehe r 11*1C <-'h<-:m*cal model lliiil Dr. Henry < I Miller holds, leit. is uniquely upper 1. ing from both a .scientific and a aesthetic standpoint. In fact, il is a sort < bridge between these often lar-aparl wn ol look ing at the world of matter. It represents a new group ol 12 atoms i boron and 12 of hydrogen, which is to maIIV known as dodeeahydrododeenboi a t -.2). (The double minus indicates lltal has two extra electrons, making it a neg live ion, or anion.) Structurally, it's an ie snhedron, with a boron atom at each verb of the 20 equilateral triangles that are I faces. No other chemical compound is symmetrical. To an artist, symmetry means excclleir of proportion. Most people find .somethit satisfying about this model's classic balam, A chemist, however, attaches more speeil meanings to the word. He speaks of poire planes and axes of symmetry. (A rnolecu has a plane of symmetry if it can be divtd; into halves that are the mirror images each other.) Spectroscopisls ami crystallo raphers, in particular, are interested in svt metry as il relates to the structure of a mol cttle anil hence to its behavior. B|L,H lias 15 planes of symmetry, also is loaded with axes of symmetry- s fivefold axes, ten threefold ones and at Ie; 15 that are twofold. (Suppose you have model before you ami find you can rotate to lour different positions from (he .slarl.ii point without a change in the appearance, has a fivefold axis.) Alt told, 11,,_H,r= h 120 symmetry operations. Its structure w established at Harvard University bv ail I ray diffraction study. This xymmelly lias practical significaii because it indicates resonance or slahiliz lion of the structure, a highly desirable tn that is conspicuously lacking in most boro hydrogen compounils, Many of these i flame spontaneously in air and react readi with water. In contrast, li t - If, is vt* stable in air ami in the presence of strut liases, si mug acids and oxidizing agents. The reactive nature of boron-hyilmgi compounds was, until recently, one of ti main reasons scientists were interested them. During the I'fid's, they were exte sively investigated because of their pote lialilies as high-energy aircraft fuels. B by about 195S, the boron 'super-fuels" h  at, in scope ami diternihj, is comparable la the enormous jidd of organic chemistry fieriml from benzene gall to look less speclacularl v promising and much of the Ciovcrtuucut-spoiisoretJ re search was dropped. Chemists in Du Font's Central Research Dept, long had had a general interest in boron chemistry because they saw fairly broad opportunities in it. Reasoning--and hoping--that stable boron hydrides could be found, they kept on searching. One day. Dr. Waller H. Knoth tried a reaction that gave him a product with un expected properties. Infrared analysis show ed it to be a boron hydride, but it certainly didn't behave like one. True, it reacted rather violently with concentrated nitric acid, as boranes will, but a strange, bloodred color appeared. Moreover, the material failed completely to do what any normal boron hydride did--reduce silver nitrate to metallic silver, a blackish precipitate. In stead, it formed insoluble silver salts. What Knoth hud found was Ij j Hk 3, or decuhydrodecahorate (-2), He tried sub stitution reactions--replacing one or more hydrogen atoms with a halogen such as chlo rine--anti got derivatives. This success was unique. Most boron-halogen bonds won't hold up In water. Halogen derivatives of Ktroth's material could be made In it. While Knoth was studying Hie first deriv atives, Miller and Dr. Hurl 1 . Mucttenies wen* Irving to find new boron cage si inc lines. They discovered If,11,.... . It was Knoth who first recognized that tlie stable honme anions could become the parenis of an almost imending stream of slahle oil spring. What has emerged since lhen is a major new fiekl of inorganic chem istry that, in scope anil diversity, is compa rable lo the enormous organic ehemisire de rived from benzene. The fact that the spatial relationship of the atoms is three-dimen sional instead of two-dimensional, as it is in benzene derivatives, adds to the appeal. "Much of tltc die mis fry of these species approximately parallels that of benzene." knolh says. "We have found many differ ences, however. Reactions frequently don't give analogous products when applied to ihese boron hydrides and to benzene. Also, we have made some derivatives that haw no counterpart in benzene chemistry. Noneihele.ss, the prior knowledge of organic substiiulion chemistry has been invaluable." 'The derivative chemistry first explored by Knolh, Miller and .Mucitenies. with Die 1). C. imgland. Dr, .1. C. Sauer and Dr. Ci, W. Parshall, was described in a communication published in tlte Journal <>/ the Americaft ('heniical Sm'iety, March 2th il>62, Mine detailed articles will follow. 1'he chemists repot led that all of the halogens react smoothly with aqueous or alcoholic solutions ol the anions to giw a series of products in which some or all ol flic hydrogen atoms arc replaced with halo gens. Smiie of these derivatives are isolated in the lorm of salts, others as crystalline Inal ruled acids that are comparable to sul furic in strength. B| ,11,,. has been nitrated with nitric add under conn oiled conditions. B | ,,l 11,, . like I! | .111.. . lias a eagelike structure a dosed polyhedron with dectrims inside, lint will) ontv one fourfold axis, if doesn'i approach B, JI.j in sym metry. As a result, its sit list Mutton products (lave a more complex stereochemistry, "We know of no other inorganic chem ist r\ dial approaches this in versatility and stability,'* says Mile!(Cities, "We ate con tinuing to study both anions ami their do fix a lives ml tier extensively and also looking for additional stable boranes. Withe still so much in the early research stage lhal it's premature to I.tils about commercial apple cations for these materials, although they liH'k promising." Muettei lies points out that much also re mains to be learned of the bonding the manner in which electrons a tv arranged and of fhe mechanisms In wliich derivatives are formed. "These new .stable unions present a guut challenge to both theorists and experimentists." fte concludes. "* *.* * ~ is 1 N-Jtlw iirf <1 j -L? kf.j. iV JgfkJ kJi,lVl (when foam rigidfaed), full-scale model limit by Goodyear Aircraft Corporation's Arizona Divi sion. Trucking the sail, the mirrors could con verge enough solar ray* on an energy converter to produce 15 kilowatts of power, adequate to supply three modern homes. Aluminized gores of "Mylar" polyester film form a reflective surface tough enough to withstand inflation in space. Transistorized blasting machine Du Font SS-1000 Blasting Machine with solid state circuitry and six stand aril "D" (1.5 volt) flashlight batteries reduces costly replacement of batter packs and electrolytic capacitors. Math by Scintilla Division of lfcndix Corp. Ilia machines are lighter and small or (linn earlier (inuteiiser tlisihniKi models and liave a capacity id l,CKK Heellie blasting raps in parallel series NEW 0 New industrial reinforcing materials: A new concept in nonwoven structures of Du Pont nylon yarn now offers unusual strength-to-weight ratios in reinforced vinyl laminates and for coated, packaging, lami nated and construction products. The nylon scrim provides the vinyl materials with four times more tear resistance and 10 to 20 per cent greater tensile strength than conven tional 18x18 woven nylon fabric of equal weight, says manufacturer, Toscony, Inc., Passaic, N.J. 0 More rapid industrial radiography: Examining circumferential weldments of pressure vessels, pipes and tubing, using short lengths of film, is eliminated with a new Du Pont "Screen Day Pack," a dispos able dispenser loaded with 100-foot lengths of "Cronar" Type 506 and Type 510 Indus trial X-ray Film. The dispenser-film assem bly permits a quick and complete 360-dcgrec exposure at one time. It also provides the advantage of film sandwiched between lay ers of lead intensifying screens. The dispens er is available from the Photo Products Dept, in 35 mm, 70 mm, 3'/2- and 5-inch film widths. Improves car engine performance: Newcomer to the Du Pont Automotive Spe cialties line of car-care products is Golden "7" engine conditioner, which prevents mo tor oil from thinning at high operating temperatures. Golden "7" eliminates oil burning and excessive smoking, helps re duce engine wear, quiets noisy valves and increases oil pressure. Keeps grounds out of coffee: Re-usable filters for percolator or dripolator coffee pots are being marketed by American Ma chine & Foundry Co., Springdale, Conn. Made of glass fabric coated with "Teflon" TFE-lluorocarbon resin, the filters fit all strainer baskets up to four inches, resist stains and are odorless and tasteless. Faster fastening with nails: The first magazine-loaded pneumatic nailer to drive 8d and 6d nails, the Paslode Gun-Nailer, has been developed by Paslode Co., division of Signode Steel Strapping Co., Skokie, 111. Tough strips of "Mylar" polyester film hold the nails in clips for magazine loading. Avail able in both hand-held and long-handled walking models, Gun-Nailer offers practical on-the-job speed of 3,600 nails per hour. Palm-size power drill: Compact Electric Drill by Thor Power Tool Co., Aurora, III., is half the size and weight of standard one-quarter inch drills, because of a "capsule" DC motor and a transistorlike diode that converts 115Y AC to DC inside the handle. The handle and trigger are made of "Zytel" 105 nylon resin for strength, electrical and heat insulation, color, dimensional stability and production economy. Tougher tires for two-wheelers: U.S. Rubber Co., New York, has expanded its use of Du Pont nylon tire cord from automotive tires to its popular U.S. Royal line of bicycle tires. As it does for passenger cars and trucks, nylon will offer bicycle owners tires with improved over all strength, better resistance to fatigue and moisture, and the ability to take heavy impact. Economical mar-free metal drawing: Need for chrome-plated tools is mini mized and die machining time cut in half with a new metal-forming system featuring draw dies and pressure pads of "Adiprene" urethane rubber. Devel oped by Kaufmann Tool and Engineering Corp., Chicago, the system forms polished, coated or photoprinted metal without blemishes. Kaufmann offers "Adiprene" as finished tooling or in various hardnesses for custom forming. Flat, corrugated or sandwich-type reinforced panels made with 100% LUCITE* B ACRYLIC SIRUP are attractive, functional, practical Transparent, translucent and opaque panels made with 100% LUCITE ture and sunlight is unsurpassed. For example, outdoor signs made from acrylic sirup are now available in a wide variety of patterns and colors. LUCITE have endured exposure to moisture and sunlight for more than These panels make effective use of natural and fluorescent lighting to 20 years--and they're still in service. I n other words, panels made from illuminate the interiorsof factories,commercial buildings, schools, motels LUCITE retain theircolor,gloss and light-transmission qualities far longer and churches.Their installed cost is less than glass and sash, than any otherremforced plastic panel, t For more informa and they also reduce daytime illumination costs, c Panels PLASTICS DEPARTMENT tion about reinforced panels made with 100% LUCITE acrylic made with 100% LUCITE are the most weather-resistant re sirup, write: Du Pont Company, Department AR-O, Room inforced plastic panels available.. .their resistance to mois 2507L, Wilmington 98, Delaware. BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING.. .THROUGH CHEMISTRY