Polymerization of Gaseous Paraffins and Olefins oK NOWLEDGE of the reactions involved in the pyrolytic decomposition and polymerization of gaseous hydrocarbons isfundamental for an understanding of the means by which these hydrocarbons may be converted to higher boiling liquids.The literature dealing with the thermal decomposition of paraffins (and olefins) is extensive and has been reviewed by Egloff, Schaad, and Lowry (3).The literature dealing with the polymerization of olefins at superatmospheric pressure is meager, but mention should be made of the early work of Ipatieff (4), and the later investigations of Stanley ( 7), Nash, Stanley, and Bowen (5), Pease (6), Waterman and Tulleners (8), and the very informative articles -by Dunstan, Hague, and

This device has been used continuously day and night for several months, interrupting the operation only over week ends, with only a very occasional failure, which has invariably been due to the battery running down. This device may readily be adapted to the control of vacuum distillations and other work in which a constant vacuum is desired.Bureau op Chemistry and Soils Ward E. KuEntzBl Fertilizer and Fixed Nitrogen Investigations Department op Agriculture Washington, D. C.

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Present practice in the Haber-Bosch process utilizes water gas containing nitrogen, which is mixed with three to four volumes of steam and passed in contact with promoted iron oxide catalysts to yield a 3 :1 hydrogen-nitrogen mixture suitable for the synthesis of ammonia after removal of the 1-2% of residual carbon monoxide and the 29-30% of carbon dioxide by scrubbing with cuprous ammonium carbonate or formate solution and water, respectively.

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