﻿470 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Chemistry, 
  

  

  As 
  this 
  substance, 
  though 
  clearly 
  an 
  alkaloid, 
  does 
  not 
  yield 
  any 
  colour 
  

   reaction 
  with 
  oxidizing 
  agents 
  (such 
  as 
  chloride 
  of 
  lime), 
  it 
  is 
  neither 
  aniline 
  

   nor 
  naphtha-aniline, 
  and 
  therefore 
  is 
  not 
  derived 
  from 
  either 
  benzol 
  or 
  

   naphthahne, 
  and 
  so 
  does 
  not 
  indicate 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  these 
  hydro-carbons 
  in. 
  

   the 
  oil 
  tested. 
  The 
  alternative 
  is, 
  then, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  derived 
  from 
  a 
  hydro- 
  

   carbon 
  or 
  some 
  hydro-carbons 
  of 
  the 
  series 
  which 
  benzol 
  heads 
  and 
  typifies, 
  

   and 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  either 
  touluole 
  or 
  xylole, 
  or 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  

   the 
  two. 
  

  

  Having 
  obtained 
  this 
  result 
  I 
  extended 
  my 
  researches, 
  and 
  so 
  have 
  

   ascertained 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  brands 
  of 
  American 
  kerosenes 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  here, 
  

   together 
  with 
  the 
  so-termed 
  benzols, 
  also 
  contain 
  hydro-carbons, 
  which 
  are 
  

   capable 
  of 
  yielding 
  alkaloids 
  to 
  the 
  process 
  I 
  have 
  described 
  (the 
  aniline 
  

   process), 
  but 
  still 
  give 
  no 
  colour 
  reaction 
  to 
  oxidizing 
  agents. 
  

  

  Our 
  own 
  petroleums, 
  both 
  the 
  heavy 
  (Taranaki), 
  and 
  the 
  light 
  one 
  

   (Poverty 
  Bay), 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  their 
  distillates 
  Hght 
  and 
  heavy, 
  also 
  behave 
  in 
  

   this 
  respect 
  like 
  the 
  American 
  oils. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Taranaki 
  crude 
  petroleum 
  in 
  particular, 
  this 
  series 
  of 
  

   hydro-carbons 
  is 
  well 
  represented 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  quantitatively. 
  

  

  The 
  nitro-oil 
  of 
  this 
  petroleum 
  (the 
  first 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  process 
  employed), 
  

   when 
  cleansed 
  from 
  the 
  unaltered 
  oil 
  by 
  repeated 
  solutions 
  in 
  alcohol 
  and 
  

   precipitations 
  by 
  water, 
  has 
  a 
  sweet 
  and 
  powerful 
  odour 
  much 
  resembling 
  

   that 
  of 
  nitro 
  -benzol. 
  

  

  The 
  facts 
  detailed 
  above 
  lead 
  me 
  to 
  suspect 
  that 
  every 
  petroleum 
  contains 
  

   one 
  or 
  more 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  benzol 
  series 
  of 
  hydro- 
  carbons. 
  Which 
  

   particular 
  member 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  (or 
  which 
  members, 
  if 
  more 
  than 
  one) 
  

   is 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  several 
  oils 
  I 
  have 
  cited, 
  I 
  cannot 
  inform 
  you 
  until 
  I 
  have 
  

   ascertained 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  their 
  respective 
  alkaloids, 
  a 
  labour 
  of 
  so 
  

   tedious 
  a 
  kind, 
  that 
  I 
  cannot 
  promise 
  to 
  perform 
  it 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  to 
  come. 
  

  

  Art. 
  LXXIX. 
  — 
  On 
  a 
  Property 
  possessed 
  by 
  Essential 
  Oils 
  of 
  whitening 
  the 
  

   Precipitate 
  produced 
  by 
  ^nixing 
  a 
  Solution 
  of 
  Mercuro-iodide 
  with 
  one 
  of 
  

   Mercuric-chloride. 
  By 
  William 
  Skey, 
  Analyst 
  to 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  

   of 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  

  

  {Read 
  before 
  the 
  Wellington 
  Philosophical 
  Society, 
  llth 
  August, 
  1878.] 
  

  

  In 
  article 
  83 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  volume 
  of 
  our 
  Transactions,* 
  I 
  showed 
  that 
  

   solutions 
  of 
  certain 
  alkaloids 
  and 
  albumeuoids, 
  made 
  so 
  weak 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  

   not 
  give 
  any 
  precipitates 
  with 
  mercuro-iodide 
  of 
  potassium, 
  will 
  give 
  them 
  

   immediately 
  that 
  a 
  little 
  mercuric-chloride 
  is 
  mixed 
  therewith, 
  in 
  addition 
  

  

  ' 
  * 
  Trans. 
  N.Z.I., 
  IX., 
  p. 
  553. 
  ~~~~ 
  

  

  