336 KirKwoop AND GIES: CHEMICAL STUDIES 
these variations by increasing or decreasing the proportion of fats 
melting only at higher temperatures. These facts account for the 
variations in the figures given for melting point. Its specific grav- 
ity is 0.9+. 
On heating to about 170° C., the oil gives off the odor of lactic 
acid ; at a temperature of 300° C. acrolein may be detected. On 
long-continued heating with nitric acid the following dibasic acids 
are formed: succinic, adipic, pimelic, suberic and azelaic. Nitro- 
caproic acid is also formed.* The oil is very soluble in all of the 
well-known fat solvents. It contains some free fatty acid, but con- 
sists chiefly of glycerides of caprylic, lauric, myristic and palmitic 
acids.+ Glycerides of caproic and capric acids are present in ap- 
preciable quantity ; also a trace of stearin and some olein. { The 
fat dissolves readily at a comparatively low temperature in an equal 
quantity of glacial acetic acid. Such a solution becomes turbid at 
40° C.§_ By reason of its content of lower fatty acid radicles 
cocoa-oil has a high saponification value. Cocoa-oil is particularly 
resistent to the hydrating effect of superheated steam. || : 
The following data were obtained for the percentage fat-content 
in the fresh endosperm. The method of determination used was 
Dormeyer’s :§ 
Gen’! 
I 2 3 4 5 6 , 
Fresh endosperm, a. 38.27 40.01 36.71 35.10 34.60 38.90 38.60 
b. 36.14 40.54 35.02 34.90 34.10 40.70 38.40 
Average, 37-20 40.28 35.87 35-00 34.35 39.80 38.50 37-79 
The ether extracts containing the oil were free from lecithin 
eee 
. *Schaedler: Technologie der Fette und Oele des Pflanzen- und Thierrichs, 843- 
1892. 
+ The presence of palmitin (tri) is doubted by Ulzer : Chemisches Centralblatt, 
II: 1143. 1899. i 
{The so-called ‘cocinic acid’? or ‘‘cocostearic acid’? derivable from “ coc! 
or ‘‘ cocinin ”’ is, like the latter, a mixture. The former is a mixture of some of the 
above fatty acids ; the latter of their glycerides. See Oudemans : Chemisches Central- 
blatt, 192. 1861. 
; @Valenta. Quoted by Vaubel : Physikalischen und chemischen Methoden quan- 
titativen Bestimmung organischer Verbindungen, 1: 162. 1902. 
|| Klimont : Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry, 21: 126. 1902+ 6 
{| Dormeyer: Jahresbericht iiber die Fortschritte der Thier-Chemie, 26 : 42- nie 
The fresh tissue was finely divided and weighed, then dried to constant weight a 
100-105° C., and all of it extracted with anhydrous sulphuric ether. ‘The usual amounts 
of tissue were used, 
