Technikatörténeti szemle 19. (1992)

KÖNYVISMERTETÉS - Papers of the First „MINERALKONTOR” International Conference on the History of Chemistry and Chemical Industry (Veszprém, 12-16 August, 1991)

The measurements of the optical rotation was used in the sugar industry by Tollens in 1876 (22) and in the production of alcaloides as well by Rozsnyai in 1878 (23). However the automatisation was made only in the recent decades. The first analytical application of direct potentiometry comes from Luther (24) who was coworker of Ostwald in 1901. The first continuous pH-measurement is dated from 1922, by Keeler (25). The analytical use of light absorption has also a long tradition. In the book of Szabadvary (26) the name Vierordt (27) stands as the first constructor of an analytical photometer. The exact termine of the introduction of automatic photometers into the industrial process control is difficult to determine. The process gas-chromatographs, which serve for control of various organic chemical processes were introduced just after 1951, when Martin and James (28) developed the modern gas chromatographic technique. Table II. Introduction of early process instruments for analysis of liquid streams Type Anal, application Process instr. density meter (areometer) Silbermann 1906 (15) electric conductivity Erdmann, 1897 (16) (BASF) 1930 (17) capillary viscosimeter Ranch 1956 (18) capillary viscosimeter Askania Viskosimat light refraction Zawidzki 1900 Jones, Ashman, light refraction (20) Stanly 1949 (21) optical rotation Tollens 1876 (22) Rozsnyai 1878 (23) potentiometry Luther, 1901 (24) Keller 1922 (25) cont. pH light absorption Vierordt 1870 (27) gas chromatography Martin, James 1952 (28) process-GC Analysis of solids. The realisation of the solide material flow as well as the control of the composition of the solide mass flow has of course much more difficulties, than those of the gas or liquid flow systems. It is no surprising that in the metallurgy the first direct reading atomic emission spectrometer was built by the Baud Co (29) only in the beginning of the forties. Regulation systems One of the oldest and simplest complete control system used for maintain a given temperature in the laboratory (not in industry!) was constructed in the institute of Ostwald by Andreae (30) in 1878. The flow rate of the light-gas, served for feeding the gas burner was regulated by an U-tube containing mercury. The