199 
1913 - 14 .] The Organic Matter in Oil-Shales. 
the last, derivatives were obtained. In the case of the organic sludge, 
oxidation, even although moderated by careful cooling, was sufficiently 
vigorous to change most of the oxidisable material into oxalic acid and 
carbon dioxide. The finely divided material was evaporated to dryness 
with excess of concentrated nitric acid, the solid residue treated with 
ammonia solution, filtered, and the acid precipitated from the filtrate by the 
addition of dilute hydrochloric acid. This precipitate was filtered, washed 
with water till free from chloride, and dried in a vacuum over sulphuric 
acid. In the experiments with lycopodium and with peat the first action 
had to be moderated by cooling. The substance obtained from lycopodium 
was light brown in colour and gummy. All the other preparations were 
more or less dark brown in colour, hard, and brittle. They all contained 
traces of sulphur and a small amount of ash. In no case was the whole of 
the organic matter converted into acid, there being formed in all the 
preparations a larger or smaller quantity of oxalic acid. A small quantity 
of powdered torbanite, after being repeatedly treated with nitric acid and 
ammonia as above, was examined under the microscope. The residue was 
found to consist of inorganic materials, with here and there particles of 
organic matter which had been prevented from going into solution through 
being enveloped in inorganic materials. These acids form insoluble salts 
with some metallic radicals such as silver, lead, copper, iron, cobalt, and 
barium. They gave the following figures on analysis (neglecting traces of 
sulphur and ash) : — 
Acid from Torbanite. 
(1) -0784 gave *0533 H 2 0 and T765 C0 2 0 = 61*39 
(2) -0964 „ -0632 „ „ *2162 „ 0 = 61*13 
Average . . C = 61*26 per cent. 
(1) *5993 gave *02189 N 2 N = 4*38 
(2) *4993 „ *02181 N 2 N = 4*37 
Average . . N = 4*37 per cent. 
Acid from Broxburn Shale. 
(1) *0937 gave *0576 H 2 0 and *2040 C0 9 0 = 59-38 
(2) -0897 „ -0533 „ 
(3) -0947 *2079 „ 0 = 59*87 
Average . . 0 = 59*62 per cent. 
*5065 gave *02175 N 2 N = 4*29 per cent. 
Acid from Cannel Coal. 
(1) -0991 gave -0474 H 2 0 and *1934 C0 2 0 = 53*22 
(2) *1146 „ *0576 „ „ *2270 „ 0 = 54*01 
Average . . 0 = 53*61 per cent. 
N = 3*92 per cent. 
= 7*55 
= 7*29 
7*42 per cent. 
H = 6*83 
H = 6*60 
H = 6*72 per cent. 
31 
*5008 gave *01963 N 2 
