208 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



and sodium montanate (23'87) from 100, we find for the percentage of 'free 

 acid ' in Montana Wax 41'3'3. 



The Hiibl- Waller Iodine Number of Montanin Wax was found to be 10-5, 

 while that calculated from the Iodine Number (30 '4) and percentage of 

 unsaponifiable matter in the wax is 10'6. 



The direct and indirect determinations agree within the limits of 

 experimental error in fixing the composition of Montanin Wax as — 



100-00 



We next boiled Montanin Wax with water, and set free the acid from 

 the soap solution whicli formed under the wax. The Montanin Wax thus 

 freed from sodium salt melted at 76-78° C, had a higher Acid Number tlian 

 Montana Wax, but was otherwise similar in appearance and properties to 

 Montana Wax. 



Montanin Wax seems, therefore, to be obtained from Montana Wax 

 containing 65 per cent, of ' free ' acid by neutralizing a portion of the ' free ' 

 acid by sodium hydroxide ; its dense, hard structure and its liigh melting- 

 point are due to the presence in it of sodium montanate. 



Tlie unsaponifiable portions of Montana and Montanin Waxes are 

 unsaturated, while the acids belong to the saturated series. 



Ivuh Lignite Wax. — To compare the wax contained in Irish lignite with 

 Montana Wax, we obtained, through the kindness of Mr. H. J. Seymour, 

 a sample of lignite from Straid, Co. Antrim. 



The lignite was of a dark, earthy nature, had a specific gravity of 1-55, 

 contained 9'45 per cent, of water, and 43-7 per cent, of ash (in dried lignite]. 



27'145 grms. of the dry powdered lignite, extracted with petroleum-etlier 

 in a Soxhlet apparatus, gave 0064 grm. of wax, corresponding to 0.24 per 

 cent, wax in dry lignite. 



On drying, powdering, and extracting 1134 grms. of the lignite, we 

 obtained 2-37 grms. of a brownish waxy solid, which had an Acid Number 

 70-28, and contained only a trace of ester. 



The amount of wax at our disposal being too small for a complete 

 examination, we merely determined its specific gravity (0-989), melting- 

 point (72° C), Acid Number (70-28), the melting-point of its free acid (80° 0.) 



