306 



" The root, in another experiment, was pulped, and allowed to 

 soak in water with the addition of a little ammonia ; the liquor 

 was then strained off from the pulp and heated with sodium sul- 

 phate and a trace of sulphuric acid in order to coagulate the latex : 

 the coagulated latex or caoutchouc was recovered. The fibrous 

 fleshy residue or pulp was separately extracted with carbon 

 tetrachloride, filtered, and the caoutchouc precipitated from the 

 filtrate with acetone. This treatment yielded a total percentage of 

 caoutchouc amounting to 0*95. 



" A few of the ' mutares ' were sent to a rubber factory, where 

 they were treated as ordinary crude rubber, cleansed and worked 

 into sheet form. Some of this cleansed rubber was vulcanised, 

 and also mixed with surrogates, &c, with very satisfactory results, 

 having regard to the small quantity available." 



I 



Two of the tubers sent to the Royal Botanic Gardens by the 

 bompanhia de Mozambique were handed to Mr. Boodle, who has 

 examined them m the Jodrell laboratory, and reports on the yield 

 of rubber as follows :— r 



"Two tubers of Raphionacme were handed to me for an 

 experimental extraction of rubber, and yielded together 6-67 grm. 

 of caoutchouc. When received, they had lost a certain amount of 

 neir water by slow evaporation, and, a few days before, they had 

 been soaked for an honr nr two i„ -u-i* One tuber (a) was con- 



the 



™. .Ydiw uy biow evaporation, and, a f 

 been soaked for an hour or two in spirit, 

 siderably - 1 *— - - r 



was 



---■»* ™"^ <*uu comparatively dry, while the othei 



LJr ry • ^ S1 1 de .' and consequently much the heavier, 

 pective weights being : (a) 29-69 grm. ; (b) 78'42 grm. 



respecth 



Rolf f Q L wei S, hin S.' ^e tubers were cut up into small pieces, 

 soaked for a day in strong spirit, then dried in the sun, and 



ine rubber was extracted in carbon bisulphide, and 



:ir>it»t.erl in a^„;i .1 , • , . . K ~. 



weighed. 



pithpr T^roniV-V* i • s extracted m carbon bisulphide, and 



of theCvlX 6d + l n Spirit ' 0r obtained by evaporating off most 

 of the solvent and then *«««„. M ^JL F f ve ext ^ ctions of 



nibber we V rp n l a f i th !? ^^ with spirit. Five extractions of 



TXL W ?£ m , he , Case of one tuber > si * in ^e other, and, 

 jndgmg by the vuM «f «^ lagt extracti the unextracted 



remnant must have been very small. 



give^beTo'w }- ° f the dri6d tubers and of the y ield of ™ bber are 



Tuber (a). 



Tuber (b). 



w2&£ °J ia ll T directl y aft <* drying ... 

 W eight of rubber extracted 



Percentage of rubber to dry-weieht* "" 



) 



16*75 grm. 

 3*76 

 22*4 



per cent. 



1732 grm. 

 2-91 

 168 



per cent. 



19*6 per cent. 



in spirit! i^aShe* extaSifc th f e ,T ight of the tuber sun-dried after soaking 

 stances soluble in spirit greater part of the resin and other sub- 



Mr. J. T?Nor^n?ni? 0t Stl ^ Ctly com Parable with those given by 

 centage of rubber J I anal y sis * b «* it will be seen that the per- 



oer t0 dr > r -weight in the two tubers, dealt with 



