Improved Process of Obtaining and Purifying Gutta Percha.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Process of Obtaining and Purifying Gutta Percha.
We EUGENE SERULLAS and FÉLIX HOURANT Engineers both of 5 Rue
Salomon de Rothschild Suresnes in the Republic of France do hereby declare the
nature of our said invention to be as follows:-
Good gutta percha consists of a particular hydrocarbon associated with two
resins. Poor or bad gutta percha contains, in addition, other resinous matters which
are more or less injurious to its quality and in some cases these noxious resins
supplant in part, or even wholly those that are desirable.
A typical gutta percha is that obtained from the Isonandra percha Hookerii
(Dychopsis or Palaquini gutta) it consists exclusively of gutta (the hydrocarbon
peculiar to this substance) fluaril and alban, in the most favourable proportions.
If these proportions are disturbed the quality of the material is affected.
Now one object of the present invention is to extract this typical gutta percha
from the leaves and other parts of the Isonandra percha and to eliminate
undesirable constituents from gutta percha obtained from other plants say from
Bassia Parkii.
In carrying this invention into practice the raw material, such as leaves,
bark, or wood, is submitted to levigation or malaxation with hot or cold water
which purifies the same and this preliminary purification suffices for obtaining a
gutta percha that is nearly as pure as those ordinarily sold.
This mechanical treatment is preceded or followed by treatment with an
alkali preferably under pressure, after which a solvent such as toluol is employed.
Instead however, of subsequently expelling this solvent by distillation, we pre-
cipitate the filtered solution by means of acetone or a similar reagent, or we
precipitate by low temperature.
The resulting precipitate is washed with acetone or its equivalent preferably
in the filter-press and this leaves nothing undissolved except the fluaril, alban
and the gutta hydrocarbon that is to say the product contains the same constituents
as typical gutta percha.
It must be noted that precipitation by alcohol or the like does not yield the
same result as alcohol acts as a solvent on the desirable constituents also.
If leaves branches or other parts of Isonandra percha are employed as the raw
material in practising this invention the product is identical with that yielded by
the latex of such tree taken direct from the tree-trunk.
When the raw material is of other kinds say Bassia Parkii which contains the
requisite constituents together with other resinous matters the latter are
completely eliminated from the former and may be recovered for separate use.
It is an advantageous feature of this invention that whilst distillation or
complete evaporation of the solvent injures the product separation of the latter
from the solvent by precipitation preserves all its good qualities whilst eliminating
all other resinous matters such as chlorophyl and the like.
Dated 9th January 1806
BERNHARD DUKES,
226 High Holborn, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Improved Process of Obtaining and Purifying Gutta Percha.
We EUGENE SERULLAS and FELIX HOURANT, Engineers both of 5 Rue
Salomon de Rothschild, Suresnes in the Republic of France do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Good guttapercha consists of a particular hydrocarbon associated with two
resins. Poor or bad guttapercha contains, in addition other resinous matters which
are more or less injurious to its quality and in some cases these noxious resins
supplant in part, or even wholly those that are desirable.
The expression "pure guttapercha" is frequently employed but is somewhat
misleading in so much as it designates the hydrocarbon which is the principal
constituent of a whole group of substances but this, if quite pure possesses most, but
not all those qualities which are required in a material to be used for technical
purposes, and especially for submarine cables.
A typical guttapercha is that obtained from the Isonandra percha Hookerii
(Dychopsis or Palaquini gutta) it consists exclusively of gutta (the hydrocarbon
peculiar to this substance) fluaril and alban, in the most favourable proportions.
If these proportions are disturbed the quality of the material and its applicability
for submarine cable work is affected, more particularly as regards electrical
insulation.
Now one object of the present invention is to extract this typical gutta-percha
from the leaves and other parts of the Isonandra percha another to eliminate
undesirable constituents from gutta percha obtained from other plants, say from
Bassia Parkii (G. Don).
In carrying this invention into practice the raw material, such as leaves, bark,
or wood, is submitted to levigation or malaxation with hot or cold water which
purifies the same and this preliminary purification suffices for obtaining a gutta-
percha that is nearly as pure as those ordinarily imported.
This mechanical treatment is preceded or followed by treatment with an alkali
preferably under pressure, after which a solvent such as toluol is employed.
Instead, however, of subsequently expelling this solvent by distillation, we pre-
cipitate the filtered solution by means of acetone or a similar reagent. Or we
precipitate by low temperature. If desired the solution may be concentrated before
precipitation.
The resulting precipitate is washed with acetone or its equivalent preferably in
the filter-press and this leaves nothing undissolved except the fluaril, alban, and
the gutta hydrocarbon that is to say the product contains the same constituents as
typical gutta-percha.
It must be noted that precipitation by alcohol or the like does not yield the same
result, as alcohol acts as a solvent on the desirable constituents also.
If leaves, branches or other parts of Isonandra percha are employed as the raw
material in practising this invention, the product is identical with that yielded by
the latex of such tree taken direct from the tree-trunk.
When the raw material is of other kinds say Bassia Parkii (G. Don) which
contains the requisite constituents together with other resinous matters the latter
are completely eliminated from the former and may be recovered for separate
use. Repeated washing with acetone will make the product as pure as the best
latex.
It is an advantageous feature of this invention that, whilst distillation or
evaporation of the solvent injures the product, separation of the latter from the

page_text: solvent by precipitation preserves all its good qualities whilst eliminating all other
resinous matters such as chlorophyl and the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
(1) In obtaining gutta-percha the extraction by toluol or its equivalent, followed
by precipitation by means of acetone or by low temperature as set forth.
(2) The purification of gutta-percha by washing with acetone as specified.
Dated this 9th day of October 1896.
BERNHARD DUKES,
226, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.