118 
per cent free acid, and there is no very great increase in acidity even 
on prolonged standing. Mr. Richmond, of this laboratory, in some 
experiments on a commercial oil, showed that it was not affected by 
passing a current either of dry or of moist air through the liquid for five 
days. An oil prepared by drying fresh coconut meat at 80° to 90° C., 
and then extracting with petroleum ether, was sterilized and sealed in a 
glass tube on August 16, 1904. At that time it contained 0.13 per cent 
free acid (calculated as oleic). This sample was allowed to stand until 
February 21, 1905, and it was then again tested, with the result that it 
was in as good condition as at the time of the previous examination ; there 
had been absolutely no increase in free acid. A sample of the same oil, 
kept in a sealed tin tube, on February 21, 1905, contained 0.34 per cent 
of free acid, an increase of only 0.21 per cent in six months. This same 
oil was allowed to remain in tin, unsealed, until April 11, 1905; the 
acidity had then increased to 0.46 per cent. On further standing in a 
glass-stoppered bottle until August 16, 1905, the figure was 0.50 per cent. 
An expressed oil from the same preparation of copra, kept under similar 
conditions, showed : 
Per cent. 
February 21--.---. - 5 eA a Ee ape Aiba igs nciine. umn dligey plaid 0.77 
REE A dike cccctent Smee ibertiey a+ teh went wees us migles Parceg Seis 0.78 
ROME 16 q.. .2., onccaper anes ocecse Race sane cen apeaee semen 0.96 
This oil, from the start, had a slightly burnt odor and taste and in 
time it deposited a dark-brown sediment. However, neither of the two 
oils showed any signs of “rancidity” and even after a year had elapsed 
they were almost as pleasant to the taste as when first prepared. 
In order more fully to study the effect of age and method of prepara- 
tion on the keeping qualities of coconut oil, the following samples were 
prepared, their condition noted, and -their exact titer determined. ‘These 
oils will be allowed to stand for several years if necessary, until final 
results are obtained as to their respective rates of deterioration, but in 
the meanwhile the change up to the present time is given in the table 
which follows: 
' DESCRIPTION OF OILS USED AND DESCRIBED IN TABLE I. 
(A) Expressed oil from vacuum-dried copra. Has been heated for two hours 
at 100° and filtered twice through paper. A light-colored, clear oil with the 
characteristic coconut taste and odor. 
(B) An oil similar in every respect to “A” except that it was prepared from 
copra dried at 80° to 90°, without vacuum, 
(1) Fresh coconut meat grated and dried at 80° to 90° on August 16, 1904; 
was allowed to stand in a covered specimen jar until March 11, 1905. At that 
time it was still of a pleasant odor and taste, although both odor and taste were 
not quite as good as when the specimen was freshly prepared. No mold growth 
was present. A sample of oil was expressed from a portion of. this copra by 
using a hydraulic press with a final pressure of 450 kilograms per square cen- 
