18,6 West and Montes: Lumbang Oil 621 
cerned the Philippine lumbang oils are more suitable for varnish 
making than is tung oil. 
Several investigations 3 of lumbang oil have been made and a 
review of the literature is given by West and Brown. 4 
Investigations have shown that lumbang nuts are composed 
of about 66 per cent of shells and 34 per cent of kernels. 
Analysis of the kernels shows that the principal constituents 
are oil (consisting largely of fat) and protein. The percentage 
of fiber and ash is very low. The kernels when eaten are 
strongly purgative and produce also a very nauseating effect. 
They yield about 50 to 60 per cent of oil. The constants and 
general properties of lumbang oil are very similar to those of 
tung and of linseed oil. These three oils are drying oils and are 
characterized by high iodine and saponification values. Analysis 
of lumbang-oil cake, obtained by expelling the oil from the 
crushed kernels, shows that it is valuable as fertilizer, but it can- 
not be used as cattle food because it has a poisonous effect upon 
stock. 
The object of the present investigation was to ascertain the 
composition of lumbang oil and to study some of its properties. 
SAMPLE 
The nuts of Aleurites moluccana have very hard shells which 
are difficult to crack; and, moreover, it is not easy to separate 
the kernel from the shell. Various practical methods have been 
used for preparing the oil from the nuts. The sample of lum- 
bang oil used in this investigation was obtained from Mr. R. H. 
Aguilar, of the Bureau of Science, who used his own method 5 to 
extract the oil from the nuts. The nuts were heated in an oven 
at 95° C. from three to four hours, thrown quickly into cold 
water, and allowed to remain overnight. The next morning the 
shells had burst and the kernels were easily separated. The 
kernels were then ground into a meal, placed in a small press, and 
the oil separated from the oil cake, after which the oil was 
filtered. The oil was preserved in a large glass-stoppered bottle 
which was paraffined and kept in a dark closet. Owing to pres- 
sure of other duties we were not able to begin our work until 
8 Richmond, G. F., and Rosario, M. V. del, Philip. Journ. Sci. § A 2 (1907) 
439 ; Wilcox, E. V., and Thompson, A. R., Press Bull. Hawaii Agr. Exp. Sta- 
tion 39 (1913) ; Brill, H. C., and Agcaoili, F., Philip. Journ. Sci. § A 1 0 (1915) 
111; Aguilar, R. H., Philip. Journ. Sci. § A 12 (1917) 235 and 14 (1919) 275. 
1 West, A. P., and Brown, W. H., op. cit., 122. 
5 Aguilar, R. H., Philip. Journ. Sci. 14 (1919) 279. 
