138 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



mixed with much sand. Practically all the elasticity is lost 

 during the carbon bisulphide extraction ; it is combustible, burn- 

 ing with a white luminous flame and melting before the flame ; 

 when burning it gives the same odour, like that of a burning fat,, 

 which Coorongite itself gives. Analysis by combustion gave the 

 followins: results for the organic matter : — 



100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 



The amount of ash (principally sand) varied from 30 to 40 per 

 cent. The figures for the organic part agree remarkably well 

 with those calculated for CioH.iqOj, seeing that the material has. 

 undergone no purification other than the treatment with carbon 

 bisulphide. Its dark colour suggests that it contains traces of 

 some more highly carbonaceous material, which would account 

 for the slight discrepancy. 



This constituent, unlike the soluble one, was found to be 

 saponiflable by hot alcoholic caustic potash, a soluble soap being 

 obtained which yielded an insoluble fatty body, on treatment 

 with acid. This action has not yet been further examined. 



Intermediate Oxidation Products. — The similarity of the 

 formulae CmHigO and CioHo„0., suggest that the insoluble ingre- 

 dient is derived from the .soluble one by a natural change involv- 

 ing hydration and oxidation combined. 



Ob.servations made in the course of the examination tended to 

 confirm this and to show that changes of this nature are readily 

 brought about. In the following table are given the results of 

 the combustions of three products obtained from portions of the 

 soluble extract. No. I. was got by blowing air through the 

 carbon bisulphide solution ; No. II. was formed during an 

 attempt to extract .some of the substance with methyl alcohol ; 

 No. III. was obtained when trying to distil it in steam. They 

 were separated as completely as possible from unaltered suljstanee 

 by centrifuging the mixture at a temperature high enough to keep 

 the latter in a molten condition. These three substances had 

 the appearance of the clear first constituent of the Coorongite, 



