Aru.  Jour.  Pharin.\ 
January,  1898.  j 
Gum  from  the  Oil  Tree. 
17 
Considering  the  fact  that  it  was  quite  impossible  to  completely 
remove  the  water  from  the  fraction  and  the  fact  that  some  volatile 
gases  were  produced  in  the  distillation  of  the  liquids,  the  results 
of  combustion  might  be  looked  upon  as  indicating  a  hydrocarbon. 
This  view  is  strengthened  by  those  combustion  results  whose  carbon 
and  hydrogen  figures  amounted  to  over  99  per  cent. 
Attention  was  then  directed  to  the  original  material  in  order  to 
determine  its  ultimate  composition.  As  the  gum  could  not  be  dis- 
tilled without  decomposition,  it  was  necessary  to  dry  it  for  several 
days  at  iio:  C,  in  order  to  completely  expel  all  adhering  moisture. 
During  this  drying  the  physical  properties  remained  unaffected. 
Combustions  were  then  made  of  the  thoroughly  dried  material,  with 
the  following  results  : 
I.             II.  in.  IV.  Average. 
Carbon                                79-51  7977  79'9r  797  3  79  73 
Hydrogen  .  .  .*  12-04  I277  11*29  IX*53  11*91 
Oxygen  8-45  7-46  S'So  8*74  8  36 
These  results  indicate  a  substance  with  the  following  empirical 
formula:  C.^H^Oo:  the  percentage  composition  of  this  sub- 
stance is : 
C  •  •  •  ■  -   79'97 
H  .....  .   11*14 
O   8-S9 
I0O"0O 
On  account  of  the  decomposition  of  the  gum  when  heated,  but 
little  was  learned,  and  it  would  be  mere  speculation  to  attempt  to 
classify  the  gum  by  the  foregoing  formula. 
Some  of  the  gum  upon  which  these  results  were  obtained  was 
distilled  under  ordinary  pressure  in  the  same  manner  that  some  of 
the  undried  gum  had  been  treated. 
The  distillates  contained  water  along  with  the  hydrocarbon-like 
substance  which  distilled  over. 
The  white  vapors  again  filled  the  distilling  apparatus,  and  the 
acrolein-like  odors  were  again  observed. 
Combustion  of  the  supernatant  layers  after  drying  with  potassium 
carbonate  showed  increased  amounts  of  carbon  and  hydrogen  over 
those  obtained  from  the  original  gum.  In  fact,  the  results  at 
this  point  were  practically  the  same  as  those  obtained  from  the  com- 
bustion made  on  the  distillate  obtained  from  the  undried  oil. 
