292 The Philippine Journal of Science 



ratus the mixture of oil and catalyst can be stirred thoroughly, 

 and uncontaminated samples of hydrogenated oil can be taken 

 conveniently when the desired degree of absorption is attained. 



The preparation of a nickel catalyst and the general procedure 

 for laboratory hydrogenation experiments with oils have been 

 described in detail. 



The following Philippine oils were solidified: Lumbang, pili 

 nut, coconut, and palomaria. The data obtained show that 

 the apparatus employed and the experimental procedure fol- 

 lowed gave excellent results under favorable conditions. 



Lumbang oil was reduced to a hard solid which had an iodine 

 value of 1.08 and a melting point of 67.5° to 71.5°. These re- 

 sults are in agreement with the fact that lumbang oil is com- 

 posed almost entirely of linolenic, linolic, and oleic glycerides, 

 all of which when completely reduced should, theoretically, be 

 converted into stearin (melting point, 71.5°). 



Pili-nut oil when hardened had an iodine value of 0.76 and 

 a melting point of 66° to 66.8°. The results indicated that pili- 

 nut oil, like lumbang, has no saturated glycerides of low melting 

 point. 



Coconut oil when completely hydrogenated had a melting 

 point of 32° to 43° and no iodine value. The low melting point 

 of the hardened oil is apparently due to the fact that coconut 

 oil contains saturated glycerides which have low melting points. 



Palomaria oil when hardened was not reduced to a hard solid 

 of high melting point and low iodine value. Probably this was 

 due to the high acidity of the oil. 



Oils hydrogenated with catalysts containing different per- 

 centages of nickel showed that, for a definite period of absorp- 

 tion, an increase in the concentration of nickel gave a decrease 

 in the iodine value and an increase in the melting point. 



This method of catalytic hydrogenation may prove useful, 

 not only for ascertaining readily the comparative absorption of 

 hydrogen by different kinds of oils, but also for making certain 

 reductions in synthetic organic chemistry. 



We wish to express our thanks and appreciation to Mr. Arthur 

 F. Fischer, director of the Philippine Bureau of Forestry, for the 

 material used in this investigation and the assistance he has 

 kindly given. 



