July 21, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



81 



THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL 

 SOCIETY 



(Continued) 

 SECTION OP CELLULOSE CHEMISTRY 



Harold Hibbert, chairman 

 G. J. Esselen, Jr., secretary 



Meport of the Standard Cellulose Committee. 



Report of the Analytical Methods Committee. 



Eeport of the Viscosity Measurement Committee. 



The effect of concentrated hydrochloric acid on 

 different celluloses: E. C. Sherrabd and A. W. 

 Fboehlke. a preliminary report, on an investi- 

 gation to differentiate celluloses from various 

 species of woods by observing the action of con- 

 centrated hydrochloric acid by means of the 

 polariscope. Characteristic curves are given 

 showing changes iu specific rotation. Cotton and 

 spruce cellulose give similar curves, although it 

 has been shown that mannose is present in spruce 

 cellulose and absent in cotton. For such a com- 

 parison a standard cellulose is required. 



The effect of salts upon the acid hydrolysis of 

 wood: B. C. Sherrard and W. H. Gauger. In a 

 search for a material to act as a catalyst in the 

 hydrolysis of wood a number of salts and acids 

 have been tried. The effect of these added mate- 

 rials upon sugar and alcohol yields, as well as the 

 effect produced by varying some of the conditions 

 under w^ich the hydrolysis was carried out, are 

 given in the report. 



Sugar formation in a .sulfite digester: E. C. 

 Sherrard and C. F. Suhm. This paper contains 

 charts showing the rate of formation of sugar 

 during the conversion of white spruce into sulfite 

 pulp by the Mitscherlieh and Ritter-Kellner 

 processes. Time and steam pressure appear to 

 exert the greatest influence on sugar formation. 



Ethyl alcohol from ivestern larch: E. C. Sher- 

 BAKD. This report describes the preparation of 

 ethyl alcohol from the difficultly fermentable 

 galactose obtained from western larch. Yields of 

 sugar and alcohol are given for the hydrolysis of 

 the water-soluble portion, the residue remaining 

 after water extraction and the original larch 

 wood. It is pointed out that western larch is the 

 best source of ethyl alcohol of any wood yet 

 studied. 



Some of the products ohtained in the hydrolysis 

 of white spruce wood with dilute sulphuric acid 

 under steam, pressure: E. C. Sherrard and G. W. 

 Blanco. A study of products formed in the 

 hydrolysis of wood and wood cellulose has fur- 

 nished valuable information concerning tliis reac- 

 tion and the composition of these two substances. 



Approximately 20 per cent, of the wood cellulose 

 is hydrolyzed with the formation of mannose, 

 glucose, galactose, xylose and arabinose. Mannose 

 and glucose represent nearly two thirds of these 

 sugars. Spruce cellulose prepared by the Cross 

 and Bevan method yields mannose, glucose and 

 pentoses on hydrolysis with dilute hydrochloric 

 acid. This indicates a marked difference in the 

 chemical constitution of wood cellulose and of 

 cotton cellulose. The latter does not yield man- 

 nose or pentose sugars on hydrolysis. 



The distrihution of methoxyl in the products of 

 loood distillation: L. F. Hawley and S. S. Aitar. 

 At the last meeting of the society it was reported 

 that the methoxyl had been determined in the 

 charcoal, settled tar, dissolved tar, pyroligneous 

 acid and gas, from the distillation of maple wood 

 both treated and untreated with sodium carbonate. 

 This work has been continued to include oak and 

 one softwood and also one other catalyzer, plios- 

 phoric acid. In the case of oak and the softwood 

 the increase in methyl alcohol due to sodium car- 

 bonate is not balanced by the decrease of methoxyl 

 in the charcoal and the dissolved tar alone (as 

 was the case w'ith maple) but also by a decrease 

 in the methane in the gas. The increase in methyl 

 alcohol due to phosphoric acid was accompanied 

 by decreases in the methoxyl of all the other 

 products. 



The chemistry of wood. V: G. J. Eittee and 

 L. C. Fleck. This article records the analysis of 

 eight more species of wood in continuation of sim- 

 ilar previous work. No very striking variations 

 in composition were noted. In a study of the dis- 

 tribution of the pentosans it was found that both 

 alpha and beta cellulose contained pentosans, the 

 alpha cellulose containing the liigher proportion. 

 The distribution of the methoxyl groups was also 

 studied, and it was found tJiat in general the 

 lignin of softwood contained a greater proportion 

 of the total methoxyl of the wood than the lignin 

 from hardwoods. 



The chemistry of wood. IV. The analysis of 

 western wMte pine and eucalyptus : S. A. Mahood 

 and D. E. Cable. This paper represents a con- 

 tinuation of the investigation of the chemistry of 

 wood carried on by the U. S. Forest Products 

 Laboratory. In addition to those constants deter- 

 mined by Schorger methods are given in this_ 

 paper for the determination of alpha, beta and 

 gamma cellulose and of lignin. The values ob- 

 tained for western white pine are in the main 

 similar to those obtained for other conifers, while 

 the values for eucah'ptus do not vary greatly from 

 the values previously obtained on broad-leafed 



