and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— December, 1918. 480 



NEW PATENTS. 



ESTIMATION OF WATER IN LATEX. 



Mr. Thos. CoekeriU's Important Invention. 



The following specifications have been accep- 

 ted :— No. 1,237 of February 22, 1912. Thomas 

 Oockerill. — "Improvements in Apparatus for 

 the estimation of water in latex." Abstract. 

 — This invention relates to a means for estimat- 

 ing the amount of water contained in latex. In 

 carrying this invention into effect an instrument 

 of the hydrometer type such as is used for in- 

 dicating the specific gravities of liquids is used. 

 Instead of indicating specific gravities, however, 

 the new instrument will indicate the water con- 

 tents of the latex. This latter indication may 

 be expressed by a scale which will directly indi- 

 cate the parts of water contained in the latex or 

 by a scale which will directly indicate the 

 amount of wet indiarubber present in the latex 

 an amount which varies according to the water 

 contained in the latex, or by both scales. 



The claims are : — (1) An apparatus or instru- 

 ment of the type of a hydrometer for ascertain- 

 ing the water or indiarubber contents of latex 

 and which instrument is so marked or gradu- 

 ated as to give the desired information either 

 directly by figures marked upon it or indirectly 

 as for example, by the aid of a table of reference 

 substantially as described, (2) An apparatus or 

 instrument for ascertaining the water or india- 

 rubber contents of latex, such instrument being 

 of the type of a hydrometer and being so marked 

 or graduated as to give the desired information 

 by figures marked upon it, substantially as here- 

 inbefore described. (3) The combination of the 

 particular scale or scales as described and sub- 

 stantially as illustrated with an apparatus or 

 instrument of the type of a hydrometer substan- 

 tially as described and illustrated. (4) An instru- 

 ment for ascertaining the water or indiarubber 

 contents of latex, such instrument being of the 

 construction hereinbefore described with refer- 

 ence to the drawing. One sheet of drawings. 



PATENT SEPARATION PROCESS. 

 No. 1,308 of November 25, 1912.— Dr. Heinrich 

 Colloseus. — "Improved process for the separa- 

 tion of caoutchouc guttapercha and balata from 

 the milky juices containing these species of 

 rubber." Abstract. — The inventor says :— The 

 processes hitherto proposed may be divided 

 into two groups. According to one group the 

 precipitation of the said species of rubber 

 with their substances from the milky juices 

 62 



is effected by the addition oi acids of any 

 origin, whereas according to the other group 

 this precipitation is effected by the addition 

 of substances having either a precipitating or 

 salting-out action upon the solid particles 

 contained in suspension in the milky juices. 

 All those processes have the drawback that 

 together with the rubber the albuminous sub- 

 stances are precipitated in a form in which they 

 are readily decomposed and consequently cause 

 a gradual disintegration of the caoutchouc. This 

 invention has now for its object to avoid the 

 said drawback by precipitating the albumi- 

 nous substances in a form wherein they will 

 keep permanently. The process according to 

 this invention consists in effecting the separa- 

 tion of the rubber and its accompanying sub- 

 stances by subjecting the salt-forming consti- 

 tuents of the milky juices to a double decom- 

 position. The claims are :— (1) A process for the 

 separation of caoutchouc, gutta-percha, balata, 

 and the like from the milky juices containing 

 these species of rubber, which consists in add- 

 ing to the milky juices first an alkali or other 

 suitable equivalent, for forming water-soluble 

 salts, and then precipitating the solid consti- 

 tuents of the milky juices by the addition of 

 salts of the earthy alkali metals, earth metals, 

 heavy metals, and the like, or their equivalents 

 or mixtures thereof. (2) A process as claimed 

 in claim 1, wherein the hydroxides or oxides of 

 the earthy alkali metals, earth metals, or ^heavy 

 metals are employed instead of the salts'of the 

 earthy alkali metals, earth metals, heavy metals 

 or the like, for the purpose of precipitating the 

 milky juices to which an alkali or the like has 

 been added, or wherein the alkali or the like is 

 added together with the said oxides or hydroxi- 

 des, to the milky juices. (3) A process as 

 claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein for the 

 purpose of effecting or promoting a fine sub- 

 division, the milky juices are intimately mixed 

 with an emulsifier (such as soap albuminous 

 substances and the like) before, during, or after 

 the addition of the alkali or the like, or the 

 precipitants. (4; A process as claimed in any of 

 the preceding claims, wherein a bleaching agent 

 is added to the milky juices at any stage of the 

 process. (5) A process as claimed in any of the 

 preceding claims wherein the precipitation of 

 the rubber is effected in the presence of an 

 antiseptic (ior instance, creosote, phenol, for- 

 maline or the like). (6) The improved process 

 for the separation of caoutchouc, gutta-percha, 

 and balata from the milky juices containing 

 these species of rubber, substantially as herein- 

 before described. 



