TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION B. 



689 



•n-hicli K is any element or firoup of elements, whilst A, 13, C, itc, are elements 

 beloivinir to tlie same suhyvaup of Meudleljcff's classification of the elements. 



Tabli's aocompauy tlie pa))er in illustration of the above. 



Out of 4l'(j cases, in which the third of the ahove rules has been applied, there 

 are but sixteen exceptions, or less than 4 per cent. 



I'umlly, a theoretical explunali :)n is f^iven, which appears to account in a very 

 <^"im])lt' niiuiner for the influence of the above three circumstances, on the colour of 

 chemical compounds. 



7, Preliminary Notes on a Blue-colour iiig matter found in certain wood 

 iiiiderrjovncj decomposition in the forest. By Professor G. P. Giedwood, 

 yi.D., and J. Bkmrose, F.C.S. 



The wood, the origin of these remarlis, was found in numerous pieces in travel- 

 liiiff tliroufrh the forests, but could never be found in sucli large pieces as to be 

 cnpiihlo of identification, the bark being absent in all cases, and the wood moss 

 iTowii ; several knots and fragments of roots leading to the supposition (borne out 

 by the microscopical characters) that it is from the balsam pine (Abies balsamea). 

 All S])eciinens have been found lying on the ground ; never in standing trees. 



Tlio blue-colouring matter luis been observed in the junction between the heart 

 wood luid the sap wood ; it seems to percolate or be absorbed by the sap wood 

 moiv freely than the heart wood. It is frequently developed between the laminoe 

 of the roots to such an extent that it becomes almost submetallic in lustre, like 

 iudijjo. 



in making sections of tlie wood, and examining these under the microscope, the 

 ■wood thus far has been found to ])osse3d the pitted tissue peculiar to coniferous 

 trees, cmiiirming the opinion that the tree is tlie balsam pine. The colour is found 

 in tke material within the cell, and not in the cell wall. 



AVe have acted on the wood with the following reagents and obtained the 

 resuhs mentioned : — • 



Water 

 Alcohol 



a dirty yellow solution . 



a pale coloured green solu- 

 tion in time . . 



7'lther dirty yellow 



Benzol a pale yellow solution 



Petroleum Spirit . . 

 lloiliiigAVhite Vaselin 

 Melted Parallin . . 

 I'arbolic Acid . , . 



leaving on evaporation a 

 brown residue. 



leaves a brown residue 



on evaporation, 

 a dirty brown residue. 



Amylic Alcohol 



Chloroform 



colourless. 



no action. 



no action. 



dissolves out blue colour. 



dark greenish blue solu- 

 tion, being part of co- 

 louring matter. 



deep blue solution, dis- 

 solves out the whole of 

 tlie colourinyr matter 



AVond treated successively with excess of water, II^O, alcohol, CoTI,.0, ether, 

 C,ir,„t), amylic alcohol, C.,11,,,0, ami then exhausted with cliloroform, CIICI3. 



The cliloroform solution evaporated yielded the colour in scales with a slight 

 submetallic lustre. 



Blue colour treated with IIXO,, sp. gr. 1-4:?, dissolved, and evaporated without 



change. 



II.^SO, dissolved, precipitated on dilution. ^ 



1 1 ,S0., X K,,Cr,( \, reduced CrOj.to ( 'r.Oj. 

 II3PO4 no change. 

 A dissolved without apparent change. - 



1881. 



T T 



