Rubber From Sugar
p. 39 · Read in the full issue
From Our Own Correspondent
Honolulu, May 10.
IF you have investments in sugar pro duction, you must be interested in patent No. 2,150,068 which has been granted by the U.S. office to Ernst Kleiber, of Lugano, Switzerland.
Mr. Kleiber has succeeded in produc ing artificial rubber from ordinary sugar and turpentine.
Beet or sugar cane will do. According to the patent, the sugar first is treated with a mixture of nitric and hydro chloric acid, while stirring for about 18 hours.
Then turpentine is added and the mass is stirred until fully thickened. In the reaction that takes place, the molecules of saccharose and turpentine “polymerise” or inter join to form complex rubber-like compounds.
The acids then are neutralised with caustic soda and the mass is washed and dried. The yield is said to be 78 to 83 per cent, of the starting material. The arti ficial rubber can be vulcanised.