We frcquciitly hciir t.hc strttenieiit thiit we ;ire cntcring ii iicw era in coiistriictioiiiil iiiiiteriiil which is tlcscribctl a s the " Age of l'liistics " IIIICI \YO iire colistiiiitl~ liciiriiig of riew plnstic iiintcriiils. Aiiioiigst tlic miiltitudinous t.hcriiioplitst~ic iiiittcrirls i i o w in use or on trinl, t h e Slinwinignn .inyl rcviiiu nre stendily occupying 11 niorc sigiiificnnt plncc. Althoiigli their thdopniciit liris been c o ~i i ~~i i r ~i t . i ~~e l y slow n i i i l is by 110 iiieiiiis it iiiiishrooiii growth, i t is progrcssiiig with : L coiistitiitly iiicrcnsing ;iccelcrntioii. Tlic writer wiis very iiitiriintcly nssociiitctl with t.hework fro111 its 1)giiiiiiiig in 1919 until lie returned to this country in 1930, iiiici i t is liis iiiteiitioii to coiifiiie liiniself Inrgelp to t h t , period wIiit!li rcprcsviits the origiii of the indiist.ry.
Prducfioti of viti!l[ rice~tite.--'l'hc. viiiyl rrsiii iiitlustry ;it Rhnwinignn Fnlls o\vcs its origiii to iiii iiivcst.igntioii o f thc tecliiiionl ~~ossiIditic~s of tlic ctliyliclciie tliricct:tte iiietliotl for tlic prodiictioii of acetic iiiihytlritle. Tii this Iiictliod rt.liylitl(vir i(iiictctittr is prodiicctl by pissing :ic~tyleiie iiito iicetic: w i t 1 iii prcsriice of ii suitiiblc iiicrcriry ccttitlyst,. Tlic vriidc ct.liyliclciie diitcctiitc is subwqueiitly rcct,ifietl itiitl is t.licii tlccoiiiposed to giw ;icetic niiliydritlc r i d i i ~t t i l d ~l i ~t l c .
This iiirestigntioii \vm coiiinicnrec~ in the latter ptirt of.,1917 iind wns trtiiisfcrrcd to n pilot plriiit scale to iii+ 100 11). of Jicctic iriiliydriile pcr chiy ribont the begiiiiiiiig of l!ll!). 011 this sc:iln it, liiitl Iwen observed tlintL oii rcctilictitioii of the crudo ctliylideiic tliucctiitc it very siiinll quniit.ity of iI voliit ilc fraction tlistillcd,whicli, however, wns not furtOic!r c:siiiiiiiirtl i i i i t i l t,lic iiiitiitiiii of 1919, vvlicii it wiis foiiiid to give Iiirgc qiiiiiitit,ies of nldcliydc rcsiii 011 siipoiiificittioii with iilkiili iiiitl w i i u ideiitifietl liy tlic writer ns vinyl acctiitc. A subseqiicnt scnrcli rerenled t l i i i t i t liiid iilso I)ccm obscrred by Klntte US eiirly 1 1 s 1913.(u) Kliittc ol~served tliiit siiiiill nmounts of' vinyl itcctritc were obtriiiiecl when ethylitIcnc diricctatc wiis niiide froiii ucctylciic, whilst, iit Sliiiwiiiignii t,hc ciirly aiii0unt.s obtrtiiictl wr(! of t . 1 ~ order of 20/,-50/, on tlic totnl itcctic iicitl coiivcrtcil. Tlie pro(liict,ioii of vinyl iicetiitc miry be rcgitrdctl iis iiii iiitcriiietlintt: step i n the pdiictioii of ctliylidcnc! tlincctiite, thus : u , ~, + CH,COOH -> CH,:CHOCO.CH,(Q CH,:CHO*CO*CH, + CH$001F -+ CH,CH(O*CO*C1&)3 Thr sccoiitl rciiotioii cnii bc rcndily realized in ~ircsciicc of' i i i d ciitnlysk.(c) (tl) St.iidics wcrc tlicii iiiiidc of tlw vrtrious fiictors coiitralliiig tho production of ctliylidcnc cliiicctittc iriicl viiiyl acctitte, sucli 11s tciiiporntiiro, c.irc:uliition rnta, niid ciitnlyst,, iiiid S ~C ~J S wcro tnkcii wliicli evr~iitunlly giiw yields of viiiyl ucetiito of tliu order of 75Β°&-80%l on t h riect,ic ncid used ~i i i c l totnl