198d University Geological Survey of Kansas. 
terin, are sufficient to account for the activity of petroleum. On account 
of the stable character of cholesterin and phytosterin derivatives a 
natural process of concentration of the optically active substances takes 
place, or has taken place, during the phases of transformation. Arti- 
ficial mixtures of inactive components, Kaiser oil, lubricating oil or vas- 
eline oil, and mineral wax (inactive artificial crude oil) made active by 
the addition of the dextro-rotatory fraction from slowly distilled choles- 
terin (active artificial crude oil), when subjected to fractional distillation 
first under one atmosphere pressure and then in vacuum like the optical 
activity of natural petroleums show optical maxima in the fraction 240° 
to 290° under 14 mm. pressure. Further, the maxima of the dextro- 
rotatory high-boiling fractions from Javanese petroleums agree with 
those of cholesterin distillates, and the leavo-rotatory portions of that 
oil are obtained within the same limits as the leavo-rotatory portions of 
cholesterin distillates. The speaker, together with Lederer, succeeded in 
transforming leavo-rotatory fractions from Javanese petroleum into 
dextro-rotatory and also optically inactive fractions into dextro-rotatory 
products in the same manner as was possible with cholesterin distillates. 
“The speaker believes that no petroleum is entirely inactive, and rec- 
ommends that apparently inactive fractions be tested as to whether, when 
heated 350° to 360° in sealed tubes they will not become dextro-rotatory. 
“So far as the origin of the principal petroleum deposits are concerned, 
the inorganic hypothesis is therefore no longer tenable.” 
