Petroleum Administration for War

It was realized during World War 11 that alkylated benzene molecules coirld be used to increase the octane level of aviation gasoline. The Petroleum Administration for War had asked for a high-octane synthetic aromatic component in 1941 and propyl benzene, also known as cumene, and butyl benzene were produced in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively. In 1944, the Hock and Lang process," which produced phenol and acetone from cumene was introduced, and this industrial process became the basis of the major source of phenol throughout the world ... 

During the years I knew him, he was a very busy man. His administrative responsibilities were substantial, not only as Head of the Physics Department but also as an Associate Director of Research with broader concerns. He served the National Research Council as an active member of its Committee on Catalysis and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics as a prominent member of its subcommittee on Lubrication, Friction and Wear. Those were heavy responsibilities during the years of World War II. He was a member of the Advisory Council of the American Institute of Physics and was an Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Physics. He was active also on the Advisory Committee of the American Petroleum Institute s Research Project 44, which was a very active one during the war. Needless to say, he travelled a lot. In his spare time he led an active personal life. He lived on a small ranch in the countryside to the east of San Francisco Bay there he bred and rode horses he was also a skier and had a lively interest in photography and other visual arts. His wife was an accomplished sculptress and they had many friends in the world of the arts. 

---