Hodges— Oy^ the Fibre of the Flax Plant. 467 



Treatment of Flax Yarn in the Cold. 



69*402 grms. flax were covered with 750 cc. water, and left stand- 

 ing for seven days. Loss of weight, -14 per cent. 



Treatment of Flax toith Water at a Boiling Seat. 



22 grms. flax were boiled for six hours with a-quarter litre 

 water. The light-brown liquor gave a faintly acid reaction with lit- 

 mus paper ; with hydrochloric acid it was decolourised with the 

 production of a faint white opalescence ; with ammonium hydrate it 

 turned strongly brown ; with neutral lead acetate it yielded a brown 

 flocculent precipitate ; with basic lead acetate a rnuch more abundant 

 yellowish precipitate. 



Treatmeyit of Flax Fibre ivith Sot Solution of Sodium Carbonate. 



10 grms. fibre were boiled with 50 cc. of a 1 per cent, solution of 

 sodium carbonate for sixteen hours, with addition of about 150 cc. 

 water. The liquor was poured off, the fibre was washed with water, 

 and the total bulk of the liquid made up to 350 cc. A sample treated 

 with hydrochloric acid showed no more effervescence, but gave a brown 

 gelatinous precipitate, the liquid being decolourised. 



Treatment of Flax Fibre with Sot Sodium Sulphide Solution. 



13 grms. flax fibre were boiled for twelve hours, with a reflex 

 cooler, with 1 cc. of a strong sodium sulphide solution and a great deal 

 of water; sulphuretted hydrogen was given off in considerable quan- 

 tity. After twelve hours a lead soh:tion did not produce in the brown 

 liquor a black, but a brown precipitate. 



Imperfect and incomplete as is the above work, yet it will, I trust, 

 be found to add some little to the knowledge hitherto possessed of the 

 action of several chemicals on the flax fibre, and of the character and 

 constitution of some of the constituents of the plant ; and though all 

 the results which were obtained in the series of investigations under- 

 taken are not given in this Paper, as it has been considered advisable 

 to hold them over, owing to the want of time for their completion, and 

 the great difficulty experienced in preparing sufficient quantities of 

 the materials to be examined, yet I venture to hope that those already 

 given will be found to possess considerable scientific interest. 



In conclusion, I take this opportunity of thanking my friend Pro- 

 fessor Dr. Lunge, of the Technischchemisches Laboratorium Eidgenos- 

 sesches Polytechnikum, Zurich, through whose kindness I was per- 

 mitted to pursue these investigations in that laboratory, and for whose 

 valuable suggestions I am greatly indebted. I have also to acknow- 

 ledge the valuable assistance which was afforded me by my private 

 assistant, Dr. Zimmermann, now assistant in the laboratory of the Uni- 

 versity of Ziii'ich. 



R. I. A. rROC, SER. II. VOL. III. — SCIEXCK. 2 Q 



