262 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



The chief portion of the nitrated oil was shown to be meta xylol, since 

 the nitro-compound distilled at 240°-2G0°, and with fuming nitric acid 

 it was converted into a crystalline powder insoluble in alcohol ; crystal- 

 lized from glacial acetic acid, it melted at 176°, the melting point of 

 trinitrometaxylol. Probably the fifty grams not nitrated was for the 

 most part nononaphtene. 



NONANE. 



Since considerable quantities of distillates collected in the vicinity of 

 150°, after the seventeenth distillation, attempts were made to ascertain 

 whether nonane is a constituent of California petroleum. This seemed of 

 especial importance since nonane forms such an important constituent of 

 Pennsylvania petroleum. Without purification a combustion showed the 

 following proportions of carbon and hydrogen: carbon, 86.14; hydro- 

 gen, 12.67. The specific gravity was 0.8117. After agitating several 

 times with fuming sulphuric acid, the composition was materially 

 changed : — 



0.1719 of the oil gave 0.5372 grm. CO., and 0.2206 grm. HoO. 



Calculated for CnHsn. Found. 



C 85.70 85.20 



H 14.30 14.26 



The principal constituent of this fraction was therefore a naphtene or 

 a mixture of naphtenes. 



Dekanaphtene, CioHoQ. 



At the end of the seventeenth distillation, the quantity of distillates 

 within one degree limits between 159° and 163° amounted to 150 grms. 

 By further distillation these came together for the most part at 160°- 

 161°. The specific gravity of the unpurified distillate at 20° was 

 0.8272. When agitated in the cold with fuming sulphuric acid, this 

 distillate developed great heat ; after treatment several times, until the 

 acid was no longer much colored, the product was washed with sodic 

 hydrate and water and dried for analysis. The original distillate lost 

 75 per cent of its weight by this treatment. The aromatic hydrocarbon 



