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He said alizarine was, until very recently, made only from the root of the madder plant, of which the yearly crop was 70,000 tons, and represented an annual value of L3,150,000, of which the United Kingdom consumed 23,000 tons, representing a value of nearly L1,000,000. Madder is now no longer grown for this purpose.
The German chemists found that alizarine produced from madder in undergoing certain treatment gave a substance identical with anthracine, one of the constituents of coal tar, and in 1869 the same chemists announced to the world that they had accomplished the synthesis of alizarine from anthracine. The effect of this discovery was to throw madder out of cultivation. Mr.
The enormous increase in the production of ammonia, of which the larger portion at present, as sulphate of ammonia, was used as a fertilizer, would no doubt considerably reduce its value. It might even replace soda for many purposes, and thus react on our alizarine industry.
Besides directly attacking the production of raw materials and intermediates, the Germans used an indirect method which has been described as "full line forcing." They were the sole producers of certain specialities, such as alizarine colours, anthracene colours, and synthetic indigo.
Alizarine manufacturers originally found scarcity of anthracine; at present the supply is in excess of the demand, and the price during the last 18 months has fallen from 3s. 6d. to 1s. per unit, and the probabilities are that the supply will increase. The quantity of gas tar now obtained the lecturer estimated at 500,000 tons per annum, and the coal carbonized for gas making, 10,000,000 tons.
He also stated that alizarine, 20 per cent. quality, is sold to-day at 2s 6d. per lb., but that if the price were reduced by one-half there will still be a handsome profit to makers, and that the United Kingdom is the largest consumer, absorbing one-third of the entire production, and that England possesses advantages over all other countries for manufacturing alizarine first, by having a splendid supply of the raw material, anthracine; secondly, cheaper caustic soda in England than in Germany by fully L4 per ton; thirdly, cheaper fuel; fourthly, large consumption at our own doors; and, fifthly, special facilities for exporting.
He then proceeded to consider the manufacture of alizarine purpurine, and divided its manufacture into four stages: 1, the purification of crude anthracine; 2, the conversion of the purified anthracine into anthraquinone; and 3, the production of sulpho acid of anthraquinone and the conversion of this sulpho-acid into alizarine and purpurine.
Pending the appearance of artificial alizarine, which was presently to turn the whole madder industry upside down, these more sophisticated persons were able to benefit at leisure by the ingenious processes discovered by Fabre, so that the practical result of so much assiduity, so much patient research, was absolutely nil, and he found himself as poor as ever.
The lecturer considered that the difficulties attending the manufacture of alizarine were now overcome, and with sufficient capital and competent chemists English manufacturers must be successful.
Upon plates rendered "orthochromatic" by staining with alizarine, or other dye-stuffs, the whole visible spectrum can now be photographed; but those with their maximum of sensitiveness near G are found preferable, except where the results of light-analysis are sought to be completely recorded.
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