Abstract
The authors assert the theory of coal formation from cellulose, against Fischer's theory of lignin origin, by the grounds of “artificial coal” experiments; (1) the oxidized product of the arificial coal from cellulose by permanganate shows the evidence of mellitic acid, (2) the cellulose coal has a lignin-like part by the usual rational analysis and (3) the artificial coalification of the mixture of lignin and cel-lulose suggests the mutual reactions during coal formation process, i.e., the expected importance of the composition in the vegetable debris as the original substance of coal formation.
