THE ANTIBACHITIC VITAMIXE 219 



melted at 70C., and contained 60 per cent C, 7.3 per cent H, 2.1 

 per cent N and 4 per cent P. A part of this semi-solid mass was 

 used in an experiment on rabbits kept on a normal diet. The leci- 

 thide in olive oil was injected subcutaneously every second day for 

 130 days The result were as follows: 



Gain in weight 

 per cent 



Controls 33 



Cod liver oil 55 



Cod liver oil without lecithide 37 



Olive oil 33 



Olive oil with 0.5 per cent lecithide 56 



It would appear from these results that the total active substance 

 was present in the lecithide, but it is still necessary to corroborate 

 these findings in rats fed on a diet free from vitamine A. 



Other investigators turned their attention to the nitrogenous por- 

 tion of the oil. In 1888, Gautier and Mourgues (573) showed that 

 even a purified oil contains a small amount of organic bases which 

 at that time were thought to be ptomaines or alkaloids. 



One hundred kilos of oil were treated with an equal volume of 33 per cent 

 alcohol, to which 4 grams oxalic acid per liter were added. The watery- 

 alcoholic solution was saturated with calcium hydroxide, filtered and the 

 filtrate evaporated in vacuum at 45C. At the end of the distillation, calcium 

 carbonate and hydrate were added, the mixture evaporated to dryness aud 

 the residue extracted with 90 per cent alcohol. To this extract, after the 

 removal of the alcohol in vacuum, concentrated potassium hydroxide was 

 added and the alkaline solution extracted with ether. An ether solution of 

 oxalic acid was then added, to precipitate the bases present as oxalates. The 

 yield was 52 to 65 grams oxalate from 100 kilos of oil. The oxalates were dis- 

 solved in dilute potassium hydroxide, and the bases set free in the form of an 

 oil, which was dried and fractionated, giving the following fractions: 



Fraction I, 87-90C. butylamine; fraction II, 96-98C. amylamine; fraction 

 III, under 100C. hexylamine; fraction IV, between 198-200C. hydrotoluidine. 

 The distillation was then continued to 215C. whereupon the brownish distil- 

 lation residue was extracted with ether. The ether solution was evaporated, 

 the residue treated with HC1 and precipitated with a solution of platinic 

 chloride, giving a base as a double salt, called "aselin," having the compo- 

 sition C25H 32 N4. From the mother liquor, a second base was isolated, called 

 "morrhuin," having the formula CjgH^Na. It is not impossible that both of 

 these bases were rather condensation or decomposition products, arising 

 secondarily during the distillation. 



This work, which is of little more than historical interest, shows 

 nevertheless that cod liver oil contains nitrogenous substances which 

 are of interest to us because of the vitamine A. 



