ANALYSIS OF LIQUEFIED AMMONIA, ETC, Oy' 



acid, and estimating its purity by titration of the unneutralised 

 sulphuric acid. The original sulphuric acid was standardised by 

 carrying out a similar experiment with carefully purified and dried 

 ammonia. 



The third kind of impurity can be readily detected by the 

 cloudiness or otherwise of the liquefied ammonia, and was absent 

 in the samples examined. 



Using the methods above indicated, an examination was made 

 of the "anhydrous liquefied ammonia" used at the various re- 

 frigerating works in Melbourne, complaints having been made as 

 to its inefficiency as a refrigerating agent. Analysis of the dissolved 

 permanent gases showed these to be present in quantities com- 

 paring well with the best liquefied ammonia used in America, and 

 to consist ess^iitially of atmospheric air, the space above the 

 liquid in the bottle examined being occupied by almost pure 

 nitrogen, and the gas dissolved in the liquid itself contained about 

 27 per cent, of oxygen. No hydrogen was present. 



Including these dissolved gases the ammonia in several bottles 

 contained at least 99'97 per cent, of pure anhydrous ammonia, 

 whereas the ammonia drawn off from one refrigerating plant 

 contained from 10 to TS per cent, of impurities. 



The authors commented on the purity of the material supplied, 

 and indicated how the ammonia in a working plant could be kept 

 up to a reasonable standard as required for efficient working, with- 

 out unnecessary loss. 



4.— KETONES OF THE HIGHER F.\TTY ACIDS. 

 By PROFESSOR T. H. EASTERFIELD and MISS C. M. TAYLOR, M.A., Wellington, X.Z. 



Abstract. 



The usual method for the preparation of ketones of fatty acids 

 consists in the heating of the barium salt of the corresponding acid, 

 or in the case of acids of high molecular weight, in the action of 

 phosphoric anhydride on the acid. A new method, which gives a 

 greatly increased yield, and which is particularly applicable to 

 acids of high molecular weight, consists in the heating of the acid 

 with metallic iron. During the reaction carbon dioxide and water 

 are evolved, and from the residue the ketone may be extracted 

 by a suitable solvent. By this method the ketones of palmitic, 

 stearic, cerotic, montanic and melissic acids have been prepared. 

 From stearic acid as high a yield as 80 per cent, of stearone has 

 been obtained. The oximes, secondary alcohols and their acetates 

 derived from cerotone, mantanone and melissone have been 

 prepared. The method of heating iron with acids has also been 

 appUed to the preparation of the ketones of unsaturated acids of 

 high molecular weight, a class of compounds hitherto undescribed. 

 Oleone, elaidons and brassidon and their derivatives have been 

 thus prepared and their properties described. 



