ON MYRTLE WAX, BEES WAX, &C. J35 



Soluble in warm water : potafh feems to exercife upon fperma- 



ceti a more powerful aclion, than upon either the myrtle or 



the bees wax. Ammoniac, at the ufual temperature of the Strongly by hot 



atmofphere, does not appear to exercife any adion upon fper- JjJJJ^JJMJjL 



maceti, but when boiling it unites with it readily, and forms po f. by cooling 



an emulfion, which is not decompofed by the cooling of the or dilution* but 



„ i i r .. . byan acid, 



mixture, or by the addition of water ; but the ipermaceti is 



inftantly precipitated by the addition of an acid. No impor- 

 tant phenomena refult from the aclion of the mineral acids 

 upon fpermaceti. 



Adipocire. 



^ I procured a quantity of this fubftance by digefting diluted Adipocire. De- 

 nitric acid upon the mufcular fibre ; it was afterwards warned cn P t,on * 

 in warm water, in order to feparate any portion of adhering 

 acid. The matter thus purified, was of a light yellow colour, 

 of about the confiftence of tallow, and of a homogeneous tex- 

 ture. Refpeciing the temperature at which it is fufed, we Fufibility. 

 meet with the fame uncertainty as in the former cafes. Four- 

 croy in one of his efTays * fixes its melting point at the 98th 

 degree ; the fame author in another place dates it to be the 

 110th f, while Mr. Nicholfon % fuppofes it to be as high as 

 the 127 th ; in Dr. Rees's Cyclop. § it is Hated, that this fub- 

 ftance melts at 7° below fpermaceti, which according to my * 

 eftimate would be the 105th degree. In my own experience 

 upon this, fubject it became liquid at the 92d degree. Alcohol, Solubility in hot 

 at the ordinary temperature of the atmofphere, diflblves it ^cohoi, con.fi- 

 only in fmall quantity, but by the afliftance of a gentle heat it 

 a6ts upon it with rapidity. Fourcroy || ftates that this fluid 

 when boiling dhTolves about its own weight of adipocire, | or 

 •i of which is retained after the fluid cools* The famechemift 

 in another memoir aflerts, that one ounce of alcohol will dif- 

 folve 12 drams of this fubftance**. There may probably be 

 fome difference in the chemical nature of adipocire, according 



* Ann, de Chimie, torn. vii. 192. 

 •j- Ann de Chimie, torn. viii. 66. 

 J Nicholfon's Journal, ubi fupra. 



§ Rees's Cyclop, new edit. Art. Adipocire, this is probably in- 

 ferted only upon the authority of Fourcroy. 

 || Ann. de Chimie, VII. 191. 

 ** Ann. de Chimie, VIII. 67. 



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