﻿334: 
  B. 
  J. 
  Harrington 
  — 
  So-called 
  Amber 
  of 
  

  

  dered 
  resin 
  was 
  mixed 
  with 
  ten 
  grams 
  of 
  pure 
  quartz 
  sand 
  in 
  a 
  

   cylinder 
  of 
  "filter 
  paper 
  and 
  extracted 
  in 
  Soxhlet's 
  apparatus, 
  

   in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  alcohol 
  for 
  three 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  hours 
  (24 
  siphon- 
  

   ings) 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  ether 
  for 
  two 
  hours 
  (24 
  siphonings). 
  

   In 
  each 
  case 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  filter 
  paper 
  were 
  previously 
  ex- 
  

   tracted 
  by 
  the 
  special 
  solvent 
  for 
  several 
  hours. 
  The 
  extract 
  

   from 
  the 
  resin 
  was 
  evaporated 
  in 
  a 
  weighed 
  platinum 
  dish 
  and 
  

   the 
  residue 
  dried 
  at 
  100° 
  C. 
  The 
  results 
  obtained 
  were 
  as 
  

   follows 
  : 
  

  

  Dissolved 
  by 
  absolute 
  alcohol 
  21-01 
  percent. 
  

  

  " 
  " 
  " 
  ether 
  24'84 
  " 
  

  

  The 
  effect 
  of 
  more 
  prolonged 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  solvents 
  has 
  not 
  

   as 
  yet 
  been 
  ascertained. 
  , 
  The 
  alcoholic 
  extract 
  after 
  drying 
  

   was 
  brownish 
  in 
  color, 
  while 
  that 
  obtained 
  with 
  ether 
  was 
  only 
  

   faintly 
  yellow. 
  

  

  When 
  small 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  resin 
  were 
  heated 
  in 
  closed 
  

   tubes 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  they 
  began 
  to 
  soften 
  at 
  about 
  150° 
  C, 
  

   the 
  point 
  of 
  softening 
  being 
  roughly 
  ascertained 
  by 
  pressure 
  

   with 
  a 
  platinum 
  rod. 
  At 
  180-190° 
  C. 
  the 
  fragments 
  were 
  

   sufficiently 
  yielding 
  to 
  be 
  pressed 
  into 
  one 
  mass 
  by 
  the 
  plati- 
  

   num 
  rod. 
  Heated 
  up 
  to 
  300° 
  C. 
  the 
  resin 
  did 
  not 
  melt 
  into 
  

   a 
  flowing 
  liquid, 
  put 
  became 
  soft 
  and 
  elastic, 
  and 
  had 
  darkened 
  

   a 
  good 
  deal 
  from 
  partial 
  decomposition. 
  

  

  Fragments 
  of 
  genuine 
  amber 
  behaved 
  in 
  a 
  similar 
  manner, 
  

   but 
  began 
  to 
  soften 
  at 
  about 
  140° 
  C. 
  At 
  180° 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  

   readily 
  pressed 
  into 
  one 
  mass, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  one 
  experiment 
  tried 
  

   they 
  seemed 
  to 
  darken 
  more 
  readily 
  than 
  the 
  Cedar 
  Lake 
  resin 
  

   when 
  heated 
  up 
  to 
  280°-300° 
  C. 
  The 
  ordinary 
  statement 
  that 
  

   amber 
  fuses 
  at 
  287° 
  C. 
  is 
  certainly 
  misleading, 
  the 
  fact 
  being 
  

   that 
  it 
  begins 
  to 
  soften 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  much 
  lower 
  temperature, 
  

   gradually 
  getting 
  softer 
  and 
  softer 
  as 
  the 
  temperature 
  rises, 
  

   but 
  not 
  becoming 
  a 
  flowing 
  liquid 
  until 
  decomposition 
  takes 
  

   place. 
  

  

  On 
  heating 
  the 
  Cedar 
  Lake 
  resin 
  in 
  a 
  test 
  tube 
  or 
  retort 
  no 
  

   crystals 
  of 
  succinic 
  acid 
  were 
  obtained, 
  although 
  they 
  were 
  

   readily 
  obtained 
  from 
  true 
  amber 
  by 
  similar 
  treatment. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  customary 
  to 
  assign 
  to 
  amber 
  the 
  formula 
  C 
  40 
  H 
  64 
  O 
  4 
  , 
  

   which 
  gives 
  : 
  carbon 
  78*94, 
  hydrogen 
  10*53, 
  oxygen 
  10*53 
  ; 
  but 
  

   this 
  is 
  apparently 
  based 
  upon 
  very 
  insufficient 
  data 
  — 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  

   the 
  writer 
  is 
  aware, 
  upon 
  the 
  single 
  analysis 
  of 
  Schrotter 
  

   (carbon 
  78*82, 
  hydrogen 
  10*23, 
  oxygen 
  10*95), 
  which 
  really 
  

   corresponds 
  much 
  more 
  closely 
  to 
  C 
  39 
  H 
  60 
  O 
  4 
  . 
  Such 
  a 
  substance 
  

   as 
  amber, 
  too, 
  coming 
  from 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  localities 
  and 
  originally 
  

   derived 
  from 
  very 
  different 
  plants 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  expected 
  

   to 
  agree 
  closely 
  in 
  composition 
  with 
  one 
  definite 
  formula. 
  

  

  