116 The Philippine Journal of Science i9n 



The percentages in Table II are calculated on the moisture- 

 free sample and not on the sample as kiln-dried wood. The 

 figures expressing wood alcohol also include slight percentages 

 of acetone present. Klar's 4 method was used in the chemical 

 analyses, together with those used by the United States Bureau 

 of Chemistry 5 and the Philippine Bureau of Science. 



The results expressed in Table II show that a distillation pro- 

 ceeding under controlled temperature condition gives in most 

 cases an increase in yields of methyl alcohol ; that is, the average 

 percentage of alcohol obtained by slow distillation is in all cases 

 higher than that obtained by fast distillation. The mangrove 

 woods bacauan, api-api, and langarai gave the highest yields in 

 alcohol and acetic acid. Of the twelve woods distilled, those 

 highest in resinous content gave the lowest percentages of these 

 two products. The figures obtained for the yields of acetic acid 

 do not show a relationship constant enough to warrant the state- 

 ment that the controlled distillation gives higher percentages 

 of acetic acid, although the greater number of distillations 

 high in acetic acid are those carried out under the controlled 

 distillation. 



In most cases the distillate began passing over at 110° to 

 117° C. and continued at approximately the same rate up to 

 265° to 275° C, when the exothermic action of the decomposition 

 tended to accelerate the flow. The clear liquor passing off below 

 180° considered as moisture gave no qualitative tests for the 

 presence of alcohol, but did show an acid reaction toward litmus. 



Distillation under temperature control on certain hardwoods 

 in the United States shows interesting results. Lowering the 

 temperature of the reaction and decreasing the speed of the dis- 

 tillation in the laboratory at the period of exothermal reaction in- 

 creased the yield of methyl alcohol 45 per cent. The application 

 of this method to a commercial retort indicated possible yields 

 of alcohol 30 per cent higher than by the usual methods of firing 

 and an increase of 15 per cent in yields of acetate of lime. The 

 best results were obtained by first rapidly removing the moisture 

 content of the charge and later decreasing the heat at a period 

 just before the destructive distillation began. This method of 

 temperature control gave promise of being entirely applicable in 

 the commercial plant. 



* Klar, M. Technologie der Holzverkolung. Julius Springer, Berlin 

 (1910). 



6 Circ. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Chem. (1907), No. 63. 

 "Palmer, R. C, Journ. Ind. & Eng. Chem. (1915), 7, 668. 



