1897.] DISCUSSION. 139 



ble source — that as much as seven per cent, of sulphur could become 

 a constituent of a bitumen ; and I have found that amount in 

 natural bitumen. 



Prof. Mabery : I am much interested in the results Prof. 

 Sadtler has presented. Although Engler should receive much 

 credit for obtaining petroleum products by the distillation of men- 

 haden oil under pressure, it should be remembered that Warren and 

 Storer demonstrated many years ago that a lime soap formed' from 

 menhaden oil gives by distillation the petroleum hydrocarbons. 

 Now Prof. Sadtler has shown that the same products may be 

 obtained by distillation of vegetable oils under atmospheric pressure. 

 This overthrows the favorite theory of the German authorities based 

 on Engler' s results, that petroleum was formed exclusively from 

 animal remains. The formation of petroleum hydrocarbons from 

 vegetable oils is extremely interesting, and we should congratulate 

 ourselves that it has been done so near the early home of the petro- 

 leum industry. 



In the work of Prof. Peckham, I am especially interested just 

 now, because I have been trying for several years to procure speci- 

 mens of California oil, to ascertain whether it is composed of the 

 series CnHsn or the series CnHan + 2. I was recently informed that 

 ten gallons of this oil is on its way to my laboratory. I examined 

 an oil from Oregon which I was told resembles the California oil, 

 and from comparison with small samples of the California products 

 in my possession, that seems to be the case. The Oregon oil, 

 and another from South America, contain the series CnHan, but 

 none of the series CnHan + 2. Pennsylvania, Ohio and Canadian 

 petroleum give paraffine in abundance. Oils containing the series 

 CnHan secui to givc uo paraffiuc, so far as I have examined 

 them. 



Prof. Peckham has a great field for investigation in the California 

 oil, both on account of the large amount of nitrogen compounds, 

 and the question as to what series of hydrocarbons constitutes the 

 main body of'the crude oil. 



Prof. Peckham : In reference to this matter of paraffine in petro- 

 leum, there have been two classes of petroleum discovered in Cali- 

 fornia ; one produced in the neighborhood of San Jose, the other 

 in the Santa Clara Valley of the South. The great bulk of Califor- 

 nia petroleum comes from that southern valley ; and so far as I 

 know no traces of paraffine have ever been obtained from any of 



