December 31, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



945 



(1) Douglas fir common run mill Tvaste, (2) 

 Douglas fir selected mill waste, (3) Douglas fir 

 common run stump wood, (4) western yellow pine 

 common run mill waste, (5) western yellow pine 

 common run stump wood, (6) western hemlock 

 common run mill waste. The highest yield of 

 wood alcohol was 5.00 gallons per cord from the 

 hemlock; the lowest 1.83 gallons per cord from 

 the pine stumps; the average yield from Douglas 

 fir common run mill waste was 3.90 per cord 

 against 2.60 from the stumps. The highest yield 

 of acetate of lime was likewise in the case of the 

 hemlock, being 94.0 pounds per cord; the lowest 

 was 55.8 for the fir stumps. This figure was close 

 to that for the pine stumps at 60.8. The yield for 

 the fir common run mill waste was 75.0 pounds per 

 eord, against 74.3 pounds for the selected. The 

 selected Douglas fir mill waste had by far the 

 greatest yields of oils of a turpentine character, 

 being 10.86 gallons per cord. The lowest yield 

 was 2.76 for hemlock. The yield for the fir com- 

 mon run mill waste was 3.40 gallons against 5.59 

 for the stumps; 4.91 for the pine mill waste, and 

 6.06 for the pine stumps. Likewise, the selected 

 fir mill waste had the greatest yield of tar, being 

 46.37 gallons per cord; the lowest yield was 19.88 

 for the Douglas fir stump wood. The other yields 

 ranged close to the last figure, the largest being 

 27.80 for the Douglas fir mill waste. The highest 

 yield of charcoal was 977 pounds for the Douglas 

 fir common run mill waste. This figure was fol- 

 lowed by those for hemlock and the selected 

 Douglas fir at 938 and 900, respectively. The low- 

 est yield was for pine, being 478 and 520 pounds 

 for the mill waste and the stumps respectively. 



From this data the authors find that the most 

 suitable wood for distillation is the Douglas fir 

 selected mill waste, followed by the Douglas fir 

 common run mOl waste. 



The Use of Ammonium Hydroxide for Extraction 

 of Bosin from Wood: H. K. Benson and Her- 

 bert N. Crites. 

 A five per cent, solution of ammonium hydrox- 

 ide was used to extract resinous fir wood. Prac- 

 tically complete extraction was obtained when the 

 chips were covered in pressure bottles with a 

 quantity of the ammonia solution equal to eight 

 times the weight of the wood at a temperature of 

 70° C. for five hours. The chips were washed with 

 a quantity of five per cent, ammonia solution 

 equal to twice the weight of the wood to recover 

 the one per cent, rosin adhering to the chips. 

 Eosin dissolves in ammonium hydroxide to form 

 ammonium resinate, which upon heating to 100° 



C. decomposes, forming ammonia and leaving a 

 residue of rosin and ' ' humus. ' ' The ammonia is 

 recovered by the method used in gas works and 

 again used in the process. The mixture of rosin 

 and ' ' humus ' ' is then agitated with gasoline, 

 whereby the rosin goes into solution from which 

 the ' ' humus ' ' is removed by filtration. The rosin 

 solution is evaporated, the gasoline being con- 

 densed and recovered and the molten rosin run 

 from the still into containers, where it solidifies 

 upon cooling. The ' ' humus " is in the form of a 

 brown powder and other investigations show its 

 suitability for the manufacture of dyes. From 

 resinous fir wood 700 pounds rosin and 500 pounds 

 ' ' humus ' ' per cord were obtained. 



Discoloration of Maple in the Kiln: Eoy C. Judo. 



The Chemical Composition of the Light Oil from 



the Destructive Distillation of Resinous Woods: 



E. E. Eose and a. G. Bissell. 



The Manufacture of Ethyl Alcohol from Wood 

 Waste. II. The Hydrolysis of White Spruce: 



F. W. Kressmann. 



A continuation of the work previously prepared 

 has shown first that the ratio of water to dry wood 

 is without appreciable influence as long as sufli- 

 eient water is used to dilute the acid so as to 

 give an intimate mixture of acid with wood. In 

 the former work, the ratio of water to dry wood 

 was 400 to 100, which has been reduced to 100 

 to 100, although the ratio of 125 parts of water to 

 100 parts of dry wood is recommended, since this 

 will give a digested sawdust free from drip. The 

 ratio of the catalyzing agent (sulphuric acid) to 

 dry wood has been varied from 5 parts per thou- 

 sand (0.5 per cent.) to 40 parts per thousand (4 

 per cent.). Two and one half per cent, of acid 

 was found to give the best results, considered both 

 from a total sugar and from fermentable sugar 

 standpoint. The variation of the concentration of 

 catalyzing agent in the water added was found to 

 be without effect so long as the actual amount of 

 catalyzing agent as compared to the dry wood was 

 not varied. With instantaneous cooks and with 

 increasing concentration with sulphuric acid, the 

 yield of alcohol increased from 4.17 per cent, with 

 .5 per cent, sulphuric acid up to 7 per cent, with 4 

 per cent, sulphuric acid. It was found, as reported 

 previously, that the sugar yields did not vary with 

 the time of cooking, but more careful fermentation 

 work has shown that although the total sugar yield 

 does not vary appreciably, the percentage of that 

 sugar which is fermentable increases with increased 

 time of cooking. A 20-minute cook at 7-J at- 

 mospheres pressures with 2J per cent, sulphuric 



