146 Hugh Taylor, Esq., on the Chemical Constitution 



100-000 



A comparative view of these analyses leads to some interesting 

 results, and appears to indicate a pretty close connection between 

 some of the members of the coal formation. 



Comparing the organic constituents of the different coals and bitu- 

 minous shale, it will be observed that they so far resemble one an- 

 other, as all to contain carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, and 

 a general similarity is apparent in the quantitative relations of these 

 elements. But this relation is to a great extent concealed by the 

 variable proportion of inorganic matter which the substances contain, 

 and becomes much more striking when the ash is subtracted, and the 

 composition of the organic part calculated on 100 parts. When 

 this is done, we obtain the following numbers : — 



100-00 



100-00 



100-00 



100-00 



From these numbers it appears that all these substances present 

 a pretty close resemblance, except the organic matter of the bitu- 

 minous shale, which is very much richer in oxygen than any of the 

 others. This difference, however, is more apparent than real, and 

 I believe it to depend upon the method of analysis employed, by 

 which any water which may exist in combination with the inorganic 

 constituents, comes to be determined along with, and reckoned as part 

 of, the organic matter. I shall have occasion, in discussing the in- 

 organic constituents of these rocks, to shew that the inorganic part 

 of the bituminous shale does in all probability contain water, the 

 exact amount of which cannot, in presence of organic matter, be 

 determined by analysis, but which, from other considerations, would 

 appear to amount to about 6*6 per cent. If we therefore subtract 

 from the organic matter of the shale the quantities of hydrogen and 

 oxygen corresponding to 6-6 per cent, of water, and then calculate 

 the result upon one hundred parts, we obtain the following numbers, 



