unclear

Chapter 806 Prussian Blue
However, bleaching powder is not the ultimate goal of this trip to Yongdinghe Soda Plant. The key is the experiment that has failed several times in the blast furnace for burning soda ash next door.

Ferric ferrocyanide, does this name sound very noble, mysterious, and complicated? In fact, it also has a more literary name, called Prussian blue.

Yes, it is a dye, a blue dye. What color is it? It is very simple, the color of carbon paper. Because it was discovered by Heinrich Diesbach, a painter in Berlin, Germany, it is called Prussian blue or Berlin blue.

Of course, in this time and space, Prussian blue would be called Ming blue or China blue, and no one would care who Heinrich Diesbach was. All they knew was that there was a beautiful blue cloth coming from a distant Eastern country.

The technology currently used by Yongdinghe Soda Factory to produce soda ash is called the Lublanc process, and its byproducts are hydrochloric acid and carbon monoxide. Hydrochloric acid and iron oxide react to produce ferric chloride, which is one of the main raw materials for preparing ferric ferrocyanide.

The preparation of the second raw material is a bit like that of a wizard. Wood ash and cow blood are mixed together and roasted. Then they are soaked in clean water and a transparent solution is obtained after filtering out the insoluble residue.

When the transparent solution is evaporated, yellow crystals will precipitate, commonly known as hemocyanate. Its official ingredient is potassium ferrocyanide, which is obtained by the reaction of potassium carbonate in wood ash and nitrogen and carbon in cow blood.

When potassium ferrocyanide crystals are placed in ferric chloride solution to react, ferric ferrocyanide, also known as Prussian blue, will be obtained.

If there are relatively pure raw materials, precise reagents and instruments, it is easy to make Prussian blue, and the right ratio can be found after just a few trials.

However, the Yongdinghe Soda Plant does not have these two prerequisites. Even if Hong Tao knew the exact ratio of potassium ferrocyanide and ferric chloride, he still had to go through repeated debugging to get the correct product.

Therefore, even if an engineer is proficient in chemistry, has read a lot of information, and has mastered many relatively easy chemical preparation methods after the 19th century, he still cannot develop qualified products immediately if he travels back to the ancient times.

The biggest obstacle is the precise ingredients. You have to try again and again, and then rely on your luck. If you are lucky, you can find it in a few times. If you are unlucky, you may not find it in several years. There are too many variables.

Hong Tao's luck is sometimes good and sometimes bad. This time he took the middle value and fiddled with it for another five days before he saw the familiar blue. It was already the end of September in late autumn.

"Bo Ping Bo, you go talk to Yong Ning Bo, bring the families of the two Zhaoyis, Wang and Liu, and jointly invest in building a dyeing workshop in Songjiang Prefecture, and use this dye to dye cloth. As long as the quality is qualified, the new army will purchase all of it. Let Wang Chengen help arrange the specific matters."

Prussian blue was produced, but Hong Tao was not sure whether the color was correct or not. He tried dyeing a small piece of cotton cloth and the result was OK, so he considered it a success. Whether there would be further improvements in the future was the business of the company. He only cared about producing it, not raising it.

But the dye formula is available, and the production process is being summarized. Who will use it when it is mass-produced in the future? You see, it is so difficult to invent something new. No matter how good it is, it will take time to shine.

Hong Tao did not intend to go through the baptism, nor did he want to invest energy and money in publicity. He chose a very cunning method, which was to let the world know the benefits of the new product without spending money, and even to make money.

At this time, the fathers-in-law who had worked diligently and uncomplainingly in the past few years became the first wave of beneficiaries. The dyes were handed over to them. They didn't need to be very good at management. As long as they were dyed normally, they would be purchased by the General Staff and then made into uniforms for the new army. When this color of fabric was recognized by the society through military uniforms, the fathers-in-law's dyeing workshops should have been straightened out. If they still couldn't compete with others, they should stop working as soon as possible. After all, they would not be poor with the title.

"Thank you for your grace... Your Majesty..." Normally, he should be happy to have received such a great benefit, but the wrinkles on Guo Weicheng's face deepened, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if he was in great difficulty.

"Is there not enough money? Don't bother His Majesty with such a small matter. We will find a way for you!" Before Guo Weicheng could answer, Wang Chengen stopped him and revealed the secret.

"Oh, you are so arrogant. Come, let me hear what you have to say."

Does Wang Chengen have money? Of course not. Although the eunuchs in the palace have salaries, they are not enough to invest in building a factory. Does Wang Chengen have a way to get money? Hong Tao really wants to hear it.

"Your Majesty, I don't have any money, but I can borrow money from the Sun Moon Bank. Prime Minister Oyani said that ordinary people can borrow a large sum of money from her to set up a factory, so Bo Pingbo should be able to borrow as well."

Since Wang Chengen dared to say this in front of the emperor, he would definitely not do anything crooked. He immediately described the source of the silver with a smug look on his face. Others did not know the details, but he could not hide it. The Sun and Moon Bank must belong to the emperor, and it was reasonable for the emperor to lend money to the father-in-law.

"...Hey, you really said it right. It is indeed a good idea. Lord Bo Ping, don't worry about not having enough silver. Just go to Qipan Street and find Sun Moon Bank to borrow it. At worst, I can mortgage this formula to them. It will be enough to build a factory."

After spending more than ten days in the alkali factory, pondering over various chemical formulas all day long, Hong Tao's brain became a little dull. He did not even think of the banking path. He slapped his forehead as a self-deprecating gesture.

"...I will never exchange His Majesty's secret recipe for silver!" Not only was Hong Tao confused, Guo Weicheng was even more confused. He actually talked about etiquette.

"Oh, let's put things one way or the other. If you want to do business, then don't... What's going on here?" Hong Tao was just about to counsel his father-in-law when two rockets suddenly rose up outside the west gate and exploded in the air.

"Your Majesty, please wait a moment. It should be someone from the court. I will go out to take a look!" The voice sounded like an order. Guo Weicheng did not dare to neglect it at all. He immediately bowed and took his leave. He turned around, rode the horse brought by his subordinates, and whipped the horse away.

"Zhang Ran, why are you here?" In just half an incense stick of time, Guo Weicheng came back with a horse behind him. Hong Tao recognized who the man was from a distance of a hundred meters, but he couldn't figure out what important matter was worth the seal of the Imperial Horse Supervisor to come and inform him personally.

"Your Majesty, Lord Ye and Minister Chen have important matters to report..." Zhang Ran didn't even have time to wipe the sweat off his face as he took out a memorial from his arms and handed it over.

"...Yes, it's really important! Gao Bao, you first test it according to my formula, and if there are any problems, send someone to the palace to ask. Wang Chengen, return to the palace!" After taking it and taking a look, Hong Tao's eyebrows turned into one high and one low, and he licked his teeth. After thinking for a moment, he finally decided to go back.

(End of this chapter)