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X. On the Bases produced by the Destructive Distillation of Peat. 

 By Arthur H. Church and Edward Owen *. 



THE crude material which furnished the bases described in 

 the present communication was obtained by the destruc- 

 tive distillation of Irish peat. The operation was performed in 

 a blast-furnace, according to the patent of Mr. Rees Reece, the 

 carbonaceous residues of former operations constituting the fuel 

 employed. The distillation was conducted at the lowest possible 

 temperature, avoiding thereby any undue carbonization of the 

 turf prior to the formation and liberation of its volatile products. 

 Close to the nozzle or tuyere of the blast, the heat, it is true, is 

 intense ; but the carbonic acid there produced passing up the 

 furnace through a zone of carbon, is reduced in temperature 

 and converted into carbonic oxide, while this gas ascending higher 

 carries off the tarry products of the turf at a temperature of 

 some 200° C. only. The bases upon which we have been ex- 

 perimenting were contained in the distillate of a tar thus pro- 

 duced in the destructive distillation of peat in an atmosphere of 

 carbonic oxide and marsh-gas at the lowest possible temperature. 

 According to the researches of Kane and Sullivan, the tarry pro- 

 ducts from the various kinds of peat differ but very inconsider- 

 ably in their ultimate composition. 



The process adopted in order to extract the bases from the 

 peat distillate was essentially the 3ame as that employed by 

 Hofmann, and described by him in his papers on the organic 

 bases contained in coal-gas naphtha. The oil, about 400 

 gallons, being the product from the distillation of 100 tons of 

 peat, was shaken with hydrochloric acid, the solution drawn off, 

 and this operation repeated until no more bases were thus ex- 

 tracted. The pyrrol and other impurities in the acid solution 

 were then removed by long-continued ebullition, and evaporation 

 to a small bulk. The liquid was then filtered, introduced into 

 a still, and supersaturated with lime. The bases that came over 

 on distillation were again combined with hydrochloric acid, and 

 separated anew by distillation with excess of potash. They were 

 then thoroughly dried with caustic potash, and submitted to re- 

 peated fractional distillations. The ammonia (the quantity of 

 which yielded by peat is comparatively trifling) and any very 

 volatile bases present had been previously eliminated in the ori- 

 ginal distillation of the peat, and occurred in the watery fluid 

 which accompanied the oils. 



The following sketch, which represents very roughly the 

 amount of base which came over in the 8th rectification at in- 

 tervals of 5° C, or in some cases of 10°, may serve to give some 

 * Communicated by the Authors. 



