Apr. IS, 1915 



Organic Constituents of Kelps 



55 



on a laboratory scale are open to the objection that they are not com- 

 parable with commercial practice. It was decided, therefore, to make 

 control experiments under identical conditions, with materials of already 

 ascertained value for purposes of destructive distillation. These dis- 

 tillations were made on oak sawdust and Douglas fir shavings. A large 

 number of distillations were conducted under varying conditions, the 

 results of which are recorded in Table VII. 



Table VII. — Comparative distillations of Pacific coast kelp, Douglas fir, and oak 



<*I3 

 ei4 



23 



S2A 



fti8 

 •20 



Material used. 



Macrocysiis pyrifera 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



Douglas fir {Pseudolsuya 

 taxi folia). 



do 



do 



Oak (.Quercus spp.) sawdust 



do 



do 



Kg. 



Gtn. 



116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 116 

 190 



190 

 190 

 366 

 313 

 313 



Gm. 



290 

 26s 

 250 



277 

 275 



265 



268 

 262 

 283 



277 



242 

 217 



277 

 30s 

 414 



424 

 450 



550 

 424 

 412 



Gm. 



174 

 149 

 134 

 139 

 161 

 159 

 149 

 152 

 146 

 167 

 161 

 126 



lOI 



161 

 189 

 224 



III 

 99 



Gm. 



46s 



470 

 480 

 465 

 475 

 510 

 500 

 480 

 485 

 512 

 472 

 487 

 S15 

 485 

 460 

 260 



276 

 300 

 200 

 230 

 215 



Gm.. 



270 

 280 

 248 

 215 

 23 s 

 252 



253 

 20s 

 251 

 271 

 268 

 238 

 23 s 

 326 



300 

 250 

 250 

 346 

 373 



Hrs. 



3 

 3H 



2'A 



4'A 



Percentage of dry 

 weight of material. 



•49 

 •58 

 i-S 



1.6 

 2.9 

 2.6 



2-S 



o a 



. 20 

 .iS 

 ■7 



4.6 



6.8 



6.8 

 6.2 

 7.0 



7.0 

 9.0 

 6.0 



" Retort kept at red heat ij^ hours. 



b Heated rapidly to red heat. 



c Very slow distillation at low heat, occupying 12 hours. ^ ^ 



d Distillation started 1.20 p. m.; 1.4s p. m., pyrometer 120° C; 2 p. _n., 160 C; 2.30 p. m., 200 C; 3.10 

 p. m., 220° C; 4.0s p. m., 240° C. (gases slightly combustible;; 4.30 p. m., 360 C. (gas bums steadily); 

 4.50 p. m., 420° C; 5.10 p. m., 500° C. (no more distillate). ^ 



« Distillation started R.30 a. m.; 9.15 a. m., 160° C. (large watery distillate); 9.30 a. m., 200 C.; 10.35 a.m., 

 220° C; II. IS a. m., 280°' C. (gases slightly combustible); 11.30 a. m., 310 C. (distillate oily; gas bums); 

 12.25 p. m., 500° C. o /-> o f^ 



/ Distillation started 9 a. m.; 9.30 a. m., 140° C.;^9.5o a. m., 170 C.;^ 10.45 a- m-. 190 C; 12 m., 200 (_.; 

 2 p. m., 220° C; 2.15 p. m., 290° C; 3.20 p. m., 390° C; 4.30 p. m., 400 C. ^ „ 



g Distillatii.n started 8.35 a. m.; 9.10 a. m., 160° C; 11 a. m., 230 C; 12.45 P- ni., 250 C; i p. m.. 3°° *-; 

 2.45 P- ni.,44o°C.; 4.45 p. m., 530° C. „ „ .,„ „<> r • 



ft Distillation started 8.35 a. m.; 9^.05 a. m., 170° C. (gases bum); 9-i5 a. m., 200 C; 10.05 a. m., 270 *-., 

 11.50 a. m., 290° C; 12.30 p. m., 530° C. o r^ ^ — 



i Distillation started 1.05 p. m.; 1.40 p. m., 160 C; 2.40 p. m., 200 C; 3-20 p. m., 250 C, 5.25 P- m-. 

 500° C. 



Inspection of this table shows that the distillates from the kelp, judged 

 by their content of acetic acid and alcohol, had a value of only one-fifth 

 to one-tenth that of the oak and fir distillates, a value so slight as to 

 preclude any profitable recovery of the products. The yields for oak 

 and fir approximate those obtained in larger experiments on similar 

 materials, and it is very probable, therefore, that the general compari- 

 sons with kelp would hold even in distillations on a commercial scale. 



