106 



PROCEEDINGS OP SECTION to. 



then acidified with sulphuric acid, treated with nitrous acid, vigorously 

 boiled, made alkaline, and distilled into standard acid as before. By 

 this treatment a direct estimation of the proportion of tertiary amines 

 and an indirect estimation of the proportions of ammonia and primary 

 and secondary amines (if any) was made. The presence of ammonia 

 and of pyridine was proved ; there was no evidence of the presence of 

 other bases. 



Tar. — The crude tar formed about 1 per cent, of the original 

 green material. It had very little tenacity, and when fractionally dis- 

 tilled yielded only traces of substances other than water at temperatures 

 below 150° C. This would seem to indicate that the proportion of 

 " dead carbon " in it is high. 



CAarcoa^.— The charcoal remaining in the retort was clean and 

 extremely porous; it retained the shape of the original material of which 

 it formed 4 per cenl. on the average. In Table II. are summarized 

 the results of the distillation of 0. inermis var., the quantities of dried 

 material used being equivalent to from 5 to 10 lbs. of the green plant. 



Ash. — A partial analysis of the ash of 0. monacantha was made, 

 and as it may have some interest it is appended. The sample was from 

 a plant grown in the Melbourne University Gardens, and was peculiar 

 in containing a small amount of copper. Inquiry failed to elicit any 

 reason for the presence of the metal, for as far as is known neither 

 the plant itself nor the soil has ever been treated with a copper con- 

 taining spray. The amount of alkali in the ash was not determined, 

 but it is evidently high, as the ash is easily fusible. It had a (distinct 

 green colour, evidently due to the copper, as the absence of manganese 

 was proved. 



Table III. 



Per cent. 



Carbon 



Insoluble inorganic matter . • 



Cupric oxide 



Ferric and aluminium oxides 



Calcium oxide 



Magnesium oxide . . 



Sulphur trioxide 



Phosphorus pentoxide 



