Register - Log In


FunTrivia Homepage



  • New Questions

  • Unanswered


  • Post a Question
  • Goto Qn #





    Archives

    Before he became the first president of a certain country he was responsible for numbers of British schoolchildren collecting horse chestnuts. Who was he and what were the horse chestnuts used for?

    Question #64710. Asked by gmackematix. (Apr 16 06 11:50 PM)


    McGruff

    Chaim Weizmann, first president of Israel.

    Acetone had previously been made from calcium acetate imported from Germany. Since importation of the German calcium acetate was not possible and the United States did not have a large supply, Weizmann was recruited by Winston Churchill and the British government to set up his microbial fermentation for the production of acetone from corn at the Nicholson Distillery in London. The grain supply was unreliable, however, because of the German blockade and it was necessary to look for a different fermentable carbohydrate. Food was being rationed so a substrate that could not be used for human food was needed. In 1916, Weizmann even tried to use horse chestnuts collected by children, but the supply was insufficient for a large-scale fermentation.
    http://www.accessexcellence.org:8080/LC/SS/ferm_background.html

    Apr 17 06, 12:38 AM
    gmackematix

    Yay McG! And as your artiicle also points out, the acetone was required as the solvent for the manufacture of nitrocellulose and hence cordite (an explosive).

    However, I don't think this justifies current British schoolchildren having to wear goggles to play a game of conkers!

    Apr 17 06, 8:34 PM
    gmackematix

    Incidentally, Google currently has 101 entries under "Chaim reaction"!

    Apr 17 06, 8:38 PM


    Find something useful here? Please help us spread the word about FunTrivia. Recommend this page below!


    Sign up to see all responses!

    Create a Free ID instantly to see all recent responses, post your own follow-ups or questions, and access over 1,000,000 trivia questions!

    Choose a User Name:
    Your Email Address:
    Choose a Password:

    I agree by the terms outlined in FunTrivia's Conditions of Use





    Other Similar Questions & Answers


    Are chestnuts still available?

    How are water chestnuts produced?

    In the United States if a horse falls and injures itself so that it is obvious that the horse will suffer a painful death it is still illegal to shoot the horse. Why?

    Suggested Related FunTrivia Quizzes - 90,000 currently online

    1 The Used
    A basic quiz about the brilliant rock band, The Used!
    Used, The Average
    10 Q
    the_nu_born
    Mar 06 06
    1233 plays
    2 The Used!
    This is my first quiz on the amazing rock band The Used! Hope you like it! Here goes...
    Used, The Difficult
    10 Q
    runaway_drive
    Aug 10 08
    378 plays
    3 And Then There Were 99
    Many people do a special quiz when they reach 100. I chose to do something special to celebrate my 99th quiz.
    51-100 Average
    15 Q
    bookworm78
    Aug 13 07
    2013 plays




    "Ask FunTrivia" is for entertainment purposes only, and answers offered are unverified and unchecked by FunTrivia. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or veracity of ANY statement posted. Feel free to post an updated response if you feel that an answer is inadequate or incorrect. Please thoroughly research items where accuracy is important to you using multiple reliable sources. By accessing our website, you agree to be bound by our terms of service.