144 



NOETLING : PETROLEUM IN BURMA. 



paraffine being obviously identical with those of petroline of the 

 Rangoon petroleum, the latter name appeared unnecessary. 



The appendix just referred to was apparently the result of a paper 

 '• On the composition of the petroleum of Rangoon," by William 

 Gregory, published in December 1834, in which the author 

 demonstrates that the properties of petroline and paraffine are 

 identical, but, except this fact, not much further light is thrown 

 on the composition of the Burmese petroleum 1 . 



About twenty years later Messrs. Warren de la Rue and Hugo 

 Muller 2 published the results of their examination of several tons of 

 Rangoon tar, but it cannot be said that these were particularly satis- 

 factory. According to these authors Burmese petroleum possesses 

 the following qualities : — 



* At the common temperature this substance has the consistence of goose fat ; 

 it is lighter than water, has usually a greenish brown colour, and possesses a 

 slight odour, peculiar, but not disagreeable ". 



The authors found that by submitting it to fractional distillation 



yielded 8 — 



at2i2°F. (100C.) . 

 between 230 and 2G3°F. (no to I45°C) 

 320 to 6i7°F. (160 to 325°C.) 

 at 617° F. 325°C. . 

 above6i7°F. ( = 325°C). 

 Asphalte and coke . . 



11 per cent, volatile oil. 



10 11 11 11 



20 „ heavy oil. 

 3* >» »> >> 



21 11 »» » 



7 I) >! »i 



The authors then analysed the liquid portions of the distillate and 

 found that Burmese petroleum contained at least the following 

 hydrocarbons : — 



Benzol 

 Toluol 

 Xylol 

 Cumol 



C l2 H 6 



C l4 H 8 

 C\6 H l0 



C,« H 



-is 



12 



1 An abstract of the papers quoted above is given in Journ. Asi. Soc. Beng., IV 

 P- 527- 



3 Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 1857, vol. VIII,, page 221 ff. 



8 The authors state that the temperature may be raised to 32o F. (=i6o°C) withoat 

 materially altering this percentage, we may therefore suppose that the next fraction dis- 

 tilled above that temperature. 



( 190 ) 



