WAR GAS DISCOVERY.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 193, 15 August 1931, Page 26

WAR GAS DISCOVERY.

Would Stop Aeroplane Engines. NEW DEFENCE IN GERMANY. (Special to the “ Star.”) BERLIN. June 29. German chemists have made a sensational neAv war gas discovery. It is a gas which, it is claimed, can bring down aeroplanes by stopping their motors if their engines suck in the smallest portion. The inA*ention sounds as fantastic as the much-talked-of “ death-ray,” and were it not that the claim comes from distinguished experts it would probably be dismissed as a dream. Its discoverer is the German scientist. Professor Karl Hofmann, head of the chemical department of the Berlin Institute of Technology. Chemical experts at the institute maintain that the mysterious chemical may be the most sensational discovery of recent times, with the possibility of having a far-reaching effect on modern warfare. “ We have been working for many years on this problem, and have just completed the first successful trials,” said Professor Hofmann to-day. “ The problem which the new gas has solved is the interception of the explosive reactions created immediately after combustion sets in. Not only can explosions be made impossible by this chemical, but their speed can be slowed down to a mere puff.” Professor Hofmann declined to reveal the exact character of the gas, but stated that its chief constituent was ethylated iodine. By putting up a Avail of this gas, it is believed it will be possible to hold off an enemy air fleet. “ The moment a minute particle of this gas enters an engine it is brought to a standstill, and the aeroplane is forced to descend,” he said. “ Our trials have proved that by mixing this gas with another light gas such as hydrogen the erection of such a barrier wall is possible.” The fact that Germany is forbidden to have military aeroplanes under the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles has resulted in German scientists engaging in tremendous research and experimenting to discover a means of adequately defending the Reich from aerial weapons which other European countries possess.