86 CORDAGE FIBRES 



cent, of unsaponifiable waxy matter and nearly 19 per cent, 

 of saponifiable oil. Of the latter, 54^ per cent, is free fatty 

 acid. The principal constituent of this waxy matter resembles 

 caresin, and there are also present ceryl, alcohol, and phylo- 

 sterin. The saponifiable matter appears to contain small 

 quantities of soluble fatty acids, like caproic, stearic, palmitic, 

 linolic, linolenic, and isolinolenic. 



In its chemical composition jute seems to be quite different 

 from linen and cotton, being composed of a modified form of 

 cellulose known as ligno-cellulose or bastose. Bastose is a 

 compound of cellulose with lignin. It behaves quite differently 

 from cellulose towards various reagents, its chief distinction 

 being that it is coloured yellow by iodine and sulphuric acid, 

 whereas pure cellulose is coloured blue. According to Miiller, 

 pure cellulose may be isolated from jute by the following 

 method : Take 2 grammes of the material and dry it at 1 12 C. 

 Next treat it with a mixture of alcohol and benzol, and then 

 boil it with dilute ammoniacal water in order to remove wax. 

 The softened mass is then pulverized in a mortar, and placed 

 in a large glass-stoppered flask with 100 cc. of water. From 

 5 to 10 cc. of a solution of 2 cc. of bromin in 500 cc. of water 

 are added, until a permanent yellow colour is obtained, after 

 standing twelve to twenty-four hours. The substance is then 

 filtered, washed with water, and heated to boiling point with 

 water containing a little ammonia. After this it is filtered, 

 washed, and again treated with the bromin solution as above 

 indicated, until a permanent yellow colour is obtained. The 

 fibre is then boiled with dilute ammonia, and on filtering and 

 washing leaves a residue of pure white cellulose. 



Cross and Bevan consider that jute fibre may be regarded 

 as an anhydrous aggregate of three separate compounds, 

 i.e. (i) a dextrocellulose allied to cotton ; (2) a pentacellulose, 

 yielding furfural and acetic acid on hydrolysis ; (3) lignone, a 

 quinone which is converted by chlorination and reduction into 

 derivatives of the trihydric phenols. 



