Abstract
THE insect that produces the resinous material which is called shellac takes little heed of the notoriety with which its product is now invested. Financial crises of considerable magnitude have attended the failure of speculative attempts to corner the market in it, and the word has been in the mouths of thousands who have little, if any, knowledge about the material, its manufacture or its uses. It is permissible to comment on the fact that most raw materials, the production of which is limited, are liable to have the supplies cornered by vested interests and their price to the user raised accordingly. Once, however, a chemical synthesis of such materials or of a substitute for them has been achieved, the danger of a monopoly is at an end and the product can be produced in quantity without restraint, except such as arises from patent laws, and sold at a cost which bears close relation to the cost of manufacture. The urge to make synthetic products is thus a proper one economically, though, alas, the competitive struggle between natural and synthetic has often resulted in the ruin of an industry and much unemployment.
Shellac: its Production, Manufacture, Chemistry, Analysis, Commerce and Uses
By Ernest J. Parry. Pp. xi + 240. (London: Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, Ltd., 1935.) 12s. 6d. net.
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A., E. Shell ac. Nature 136, 589 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/136589a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/136589a0