458 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [DeC. 



yielded a tliick white vapour and slowly blackened. Ether 

 dissolved ^ per cent, of a substance of the same nature but less 

 coloured. Chloroform, like alcohol, was coloured deep yellow, and 

 left a similar residuum, the quantity of which was however not 

 determined. Oil of turpentine had no more dissolving effect than 

 alcohol or ether. N.B : The experiments with alcohol, ether 

 and oil of turpentine were performed by boiling the substance in 

 the solvents for several hours. 



A warm solution of one part caustic potash in twenty parts 

 water, dissolved 5 per cent, and became black-brown. From this 

 solution, by the action of acids, was obtained a very voluminous 

 brown precipitate soluble in pure water. After the extraction of 

 this 5 per cent, the remainder was unalterable in a heated solution 

 of caustic potash, though exposed for several hours to its action. 



The following are the results of some experiments made with 

 reference to the products of dry distillation, performed on a small 

 scale, the presence of air being as much as possible avoided, and 

 in an apparatus that permitted a bright red-heat. When rapidly 

 heated the substance * gave carbon 74 p.c. and volatile products 

 26 p. c. When slowly heated it gave 11 p.c. fluid products, of 

 which about three-fourths consisted of a yellow neutral oil, lighter 

 than water ; the gases developed were first acid, afterwards 

 alkaline, and the water after distillation was strongly alkaline. 



One gramme of the substance gave, rapidly heated, 258 cubic 

 centimentres of gas of 23° Centig. temp., collected and measured 

 over water. In the gas when fully purified with carbonic acid I 

 found 2.7 vol. p. c. of hydi-ocarbons absorbable by bromine. In 

 another experiment, where the oils were for the most part 

 decomposed during the distillation, 313 cubic centimeters of gas 

 were obtained from one gramme of the substance. 



In the analysis of the organic substance no attention has been 

 paid to the amount of sulphur contained. Even in the original 

 rock, when melted with carbonate of soda, this element plainly 

 shows itself, and in the carbonaceous substance, containing 3.17 

 p.c. ash, I found no less than 0.81 p.c. Whether the iron re- 

 marked in the ash be there in sufficient quantity to unite with 

 the sulphur and compose pyrites, or whether, as is possible, there 

 be an overplus contained in the organic substance is as yet 

 undecided. 



* The substance always considered as free from ash. 



