368 Transactions. — Chemistry and Physics. 



Art. XLV. — Investigation into Kauri-resin. 

 By E. B. R. Prideaux. 



[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 3id April, 



1901.] 



Plate XVII. 



A good deal of interest has been taken of late years in the 

 chemical characteristics of kauri-resin, and especially in the 

 products of its destructive distillation. Mr. Trevor, of Auck- 

 land, not long ago conceived the idea of obtaining these pro- 

 ducts, especially from the scrapings and refuse parts of the 

 " kauri-gum," as it is commonly called. 



A syndicate was actually started in this city — Christ- 

 church — to carry out Mr. Trevor's idea, and a good deal of 

 the oil was obtained and purified in the usual way. Investi- 

 gations were also carried out at Canterbury College, under the 

 supervision of Mr. Page. The gum used on this occasion 

 consisted chiefly of such poor - quality material as would 

 naturally be used for commercial distillation. The following 

 are the results obtained : — 



Tpmnarature Specific Gravity 



lemperature. of Fractions 



140° C. ... ... ... ... 905 



140°-160° C. 

 160°-265° C. 

 265°-335° C. 

 335°-400° C. 



0'87 

 0-93 

 0-95 

 001 



It was suggested to me by Mr. Page that a more detailed 

 examination of the chemical properties of the resin would be 

 interesting and useful. 



In this paper I propose to give a sketch of the obvious 

 properties of the resin, tables of bromine-absorptions and free- 

 acid determinations, an account of its distillation, and the oils 

 derived therefrom. While making some random experiments 

 on the oil obtained by the syndicate I noticed a little pecu- 

 liarity, which I will add as a note immediately before the 

 description of the oils. 



Kauri-gum is one of New Zealand's staple exports. It is 

 dug up in large quantities from the clay lands which lie to the 

 north of Auckland, and it is almost confined to that peninsula, 

 for the kauri-tree does not grow in the southern part of the 



