EXAMINATION OF NAPHTHA FROM RANGOON PETROLEUM. 209 
liquid to admit of being poured from the can which contained it, when the temperature 
of the air was 25°C.; but, upon being heated, it flowed readily at 30°-33°, and 
became perfectly fluid at 38°-40°. The color of the mass was yellowish-green. It 
emitted the odor common to the purer varieties of native petroleum ; though its odor 
was but slight and in no wise offensive. The specific gravity of this native petroleum 
was 0.875 at 29°. 
Four separate portions of the crude petroleum, each about 5600 «. ¢., were distilled 
in a common copper retort without the interposition of any hot condenser. A few 
drops of the liquid began to distil over at about 140°-150°, and the process of distilla- 
tion was continued until the temperature had reached 270°-300°. The distillate obtained 
amounted, all told, to a little more than 7000. ¢., or 30.46% of the crude petroleum. 
The volatile product, or naphtha, thus obtained was now subjected to the process of 
distillation and fractional condensation, as described in Vol. IX., p- 180, of the Memoirs 
of this Academy. This naphtha began to pass through the hot condenser at about 125°, 
‘the liquid in the retort then boiling at about 165°. During a dozen or more operations 
the distillation was carried up to 260°; afterwards, as the quantities became smaller, 
only up to about 250°. The naphtha contained only a very small quantity of easily 
volatile products, nothing having been collected, in a second cold receiver surrounded 
with ice, either during the preliminary distillation from the copper retort or during the 
first series of fractional distillations. ‘ 
Fractions of the naphtha were taken off for every ten degrees of temperature at 
first, then for every five degrees, then for every two degrees, and, finally, for each 
single degree,— by far the larger part of the work having, of course, been done in 
fractions of one degree. The greatest care was constantly exercised in order to lessen 
as far as possible the loss by evaporation of the more volatile products. It is, how- 
ever, impossible to avoid a great waste of these matters. With the same regard to 
economy of liquid, the size of the glass retorts and of the worms employed was 
reduced to the lowest practicable limit. 
After the distillatory process had been continued until products of definite boiling 
points had been obtained, or until, in the lack of this, the amount of liquid in each 
fraction had been so far reduced that there was no longer any hope of isolating pure 
substances in that part of the field, a survey of the work indicated that there had been 
obtained seven well-defined heaps' between the temperatures of 170°? and 250°; but 
1 For definition of this term see the preceding Memoir, p. 179 of this volume. 
2 All statements of temperature, when not followed by the word “ corrected,” refer to the indications of ordinary thermometers, 
Corrected temperatures are those taken in the manner described in Vol. IX., p. 143 of the Memoirs of this Academy, and corrected 
for atmospheric pressure, and the upper column of mercury in accordance with H. Kopp’s formula, 
VOL. IX. 
