ON THE SEBACIC ACID. 35 



A. ProccJTcs for obtaining the Sebacic Acid, and Characlerijlic 

 Properties of this Acid. 



HAVING diflillcd a confulerable quantity of the fat of Pork fat was 

 pork, I treated the produfl, at feveral times, with hot water, fffffi***** 



and poured acctite of lead into the liquor ; a flaky precipitate and acetite of 



was formed, which I colMed and dried, after which I put !« d P° ured . in - 

 ' ■ ■-:' l . The precipitate 



it, together with fulphuric acid, into a retort and heated it. wa s dried and 



The liquid of the receiver had no character of aciditv ; but in th . en di fH llcd 

 i , , /• i n ■ n i i i WJtA Sulphuric 



Hie retort a melted lubJtance floated at the top, analogous to ac i<]. No ac ja 



/at, which I carefully fepara ted, and after having wafhed it came over; but 



well, boiled it with water. By the aid of the action of the blin< , fat fl oat ^ 



heal, the water totally diifolved it, and by refrigeration cry- in the retort. 



ftalliue needles were depofited, having little confiftence: ™ sb ^ r boiIcd 



thefe needles were acid, and pofTefifed properties altogether proved foluble 



peculiar to themfelves. In order to afliire myfelf that they J nd c ^ aHize 1 < [ 



were not the product of the fulphuric acid, I treated diftilled j s a peculiar 



fat with water ; and having filtrated and evaporated the li acid ; and may 



quor, I obtained needles poifefring precifely the fame pro- wa fhing diftilled 



perties. fat with water, 



In order to procure this acid, we may alfo, if we think fit, ff u ) p h ur ; c 



after having treated the diftilled fat with water, faturate the acid. 



filtrated liquor with pot afh, evaporate it, and pour into it a On the aqueous 



folution of lead. A precipitate is formed, which is a febate folution from 



riii • 1 1 ■ • 1 .t c 1 1 «j diftilled fat may 



01 lead, that is to be treated as above with the lulphunc acid, be faturated with 



Thefe are the three methods which may be employed in order potafti, then 



to obtain the febacic acid : its properties are the following : decomposed 3 by 



It is without firiell ; its tafte is nightly acid : it melts like a acetite of lead. 



kind of fat; it confiderably reddens the tinaure of Tournefol; ™^ a | he ° f be 



it is much more foluble in a hot than in a cold temperature, made to yield its 



Boiling water, faturated with the febacic acid, becomes folic! * cld ^ the 



.. . ,.„. . r . ftronger attrac 



by refrigeration ; alcohol diuolves a large quantity of it; it tion of the ful- 



crystallizes in fmall needles; by unng proper precautions, we phuric. 

 may obtain it in the form of long, large, and beautiful lamellae, Sebacic acid has 

 of a very brilliant appearance ; it precipitates the acetite and Jj? {jjj^fou" 

 the nitrate of lead, the nitrate of fiiver, the acetite, and the melts like fat; 

 nitrate of mercury ; it faturates the caufticity of the alkalies, reddens turnfolj 

 with which it forms foluble falts ; with pot afh it produces a j n hot than cold 

 talc which does not attract moifture. from the atmofphere, water, and fo 

 which has but little tafic, and which, if we pour upon it ful- ter 3S t0 become 

 phuric. nitric, or muriatic acid, becomes turbid, and depofits folid by cooling. 



D 2 febacic Alcohol plenti- 



