386 Proceedings of Societies. [May, 
off when this organic matter is calcined, but the practical realisa- 
tion of the project has only quite recently been accomplished, 
through the persevering and sagacious labours of M. Camille 
Vincent, of Paris. The following is an outline of the process as 
carried out at the large distillery of Messrs Tilloy, Delaune, and 
Co., at Courrieres. The spent wash having been evaporated 
until it has attained a specific gravity of 1-31, is allowed to run 
into cast-iron retorts, in which it is submitted to dry distillation. 
This process lasts four hours ; the volatile produdls pass over, 
whilst a residue of porous charcoal and alkaline salts remains 
behind in the retort. The gaseous products given off during 
the distillation are passed through coolers, in order to condense 
all the portions which are liquid or solid at the ordinary tem- 
perature, and the combustible gases pass on uncondensed and 
serve as fuel for heating the retorts. The liquid distillate from 
the spent wash may be divided into — 
1. The ammonia water. 
2. The tar. 
The ammonia water of the vinasse resembles that of the coal- 
gas manufacture in so far as it contains carbonate, sulphydrate, 
and hydrocyanide of ammonia ; but it differs from this (and 
approximates to the products of the dry distillation of wood) by 
containing in addition methyl alcohol, methyl sulphide, methyl 
cyanide, many of the members of the fatty acid series, and, 
most remarkable of all, large quantities of the salts of trimethyl- 
amin. The tar, on re-distillation, yields more ammonia water, 
a large number of oils, the alkaloids of the pyriden series, solid 
hydrocarbons, carbolic acid, and, lastly, a pitch of fine quality. 
The crude alkaline aqueous distillate is first neutralised by sul- 
phuric acid, and the saline solution evaporated, when crystals of 
sulphate of ammonia are deposited ; and these, after separating 
and draining off, leave a mother-liquor, which contains the more 
soluble sulphate of trimethylamin. During the process of con- 
centration, vapours of methyl alcohol, methyl cyanide, and other 
nitriles are given off, these being condensed, and the cyanide 
used for the preparation of ammonia and acetic acid by decom- 
posing it with an alkali. Trimethylamin itself is at present of 
no commercial value, but M. Vincent finds that the hydrochlorate 
of trimethylamin, when heated to a temperature of 260°, decom- 
poses into (1) ammonia, (2) free trimethylamin, and (3) chloride 
of methyl, and both ammonia and chloride of methyl are sub- 
stances possessing a considerable commercial value. The latter 
compound can be employed as a means of producing artificial 
cold, and for preparing methylated dyes, which are at present 
costly, inasmuch as they have hitherto been obtained by the use 
of methyl iodide, an expensive substance. As a means of pro- 
ducing low temperatures chloride of methyl will prove of great 
service both in the laboratory and on a larger industrial scale, 
