Art. LXXVIII.–Preliminary Note on the Presence of one or more Hydrocarbons of the Benzol Series in the American Petroleum, also in our Petroleums.

By William Skey, Analyst to the Geological Survey Department.

[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 17th August, 1878.]

It is generally supposed that the benzol series of hydro-carbons is not represented by any constituent of American petroleum, nor even as far as I know in any true petroleum at all. Any way, so far as the American oil is concerned, we have it reported in the special report on the Petroleum of Pennsylvania by the Geological Survey there that Dr. Genth “believes that the series of hydro-carbons characteristic of those which furnish aniline, etc., do not. exist in our American oils.” And, again, Dana informs us in his latest edition of System of Mineralogy that “none of this series were detected by Pelonze and Cahours in the Pennsylvania petroleum.”

However, some time ago I had, on behalf of the Customs authorities here, to examine some of our so-termed benzine for what is chemically known as benzol–hydro-carbon; and for this I employed the test recommended by Prof. Hoffman–a test which is based upon the fact that benzol loses a portion of its hydrogen when warmed with nitric acid; the remainder combines with a portion of decomposed acid to form intro-benzol, and this product, when placed in contact with nascent hydrogen, is by the loss of oxygen transformed into the alkaloid anline–a substance which is by certain easy oxidizing processes converted to others which are remarkable for their intensity and variety of colour, forming the well-known coal-tar colours.

The results of his test were, that I entirely failed to get any colour reaction; but I obtained a quantity of nitro-oils, from which I succeeded in separating one which by deoxidation yielded a substance which exhibited all the general properties of an alkaloid; thus it is soluble in water, combines with acids, and, when dissolved in either, gives precipitates with tannic acid, mercuro-iodide of potassium, and sulpho-cyanide of zinc. It is an oil, at common temperatures, possessing a dark brown colour, and, like aniline, it gives an intense yellow colour to pine-wood.