CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 315 



Castor Oil. M. Berris, a French chemist, has recently pointed out 

 several new uses for castor oil, which will undoubtedly increase its cornmer- 



tt 



cial value. He soys : 



" By distilling castor oil upon concentrated potash, the sebacic acid and 

 capnlic alcohol are extracted as separate products, which may be turned to 

 goo:! account. The sebacic acid, having a hi.uh mcLing point, may be cm- 

 ployed, instead of stearic acid, in the manufacture of candles, and if it be 

 mixed with stearic acid, the hardness and quality of the candles arc greatly 

 improved, and in appearance they resemble porcelain. It is possible to use 

 caprylie alcohol in all the purposes to which ordinary alcohol is put, par- 

 ticularly in illumination, and in the composition of varnishes, and from it 

 certain other compounds may be derived, of remarkable odor, similar to 

 those which are at present largely used in commerce." 



The cultivation of the Pal ma-Christ a plant, which produces the sccda 

 from which castor oil is pressed, has been somewhat extensive in this coun- 

 try, particularly in Illinois ; but owing to the limited use of castor oil, tho 

 demand has not been large enough to warrant extensive planting. But its 

 application to other purposes may increase the demand and make its culti- 

 vation profitable ; as it would be at one dollar a bushel for the seeds, in 

 many places south of latitude 40, up to which point the plant matures with- 

 out much danger of frost, and although it grows much larger further south, 

 it docs not afford as great a yield in Mississippi as it does nearer the north- 

 ern limit of its growth. 



Nuisances arising from Tallow and Soap-icorJcs. The question whether it 

 is practicable to prevent the obnoxious smell produced in the melting of tal- 

 low and in soap -boiling, has recently been examined specially by Hrn. 

 Grodhaus and Fink, in consequence of complaints that have been urged 

 against the proprietors of candle and soap-works in Hesse Darmstadt. 

 Professor Stein, Dresden, has made experiments on this subject, and recom- 

 mended the tallow to be covered with a layer of charcoal while melting. 

 This plan was tried, but without satisfactory results. Hrn. Grodhaus and 

 Fink recommend passing the vapor into the furnace a few inches above the 

 bars, so that it may be burnt and carried away by the draught of the chim- 

 ney; or passing it else into the chimney itself. For this purpose the melt- 

 ing vessel is to be covered with a closely-fitting wooden lid, furnished with a 

 tube, passing either into the furnace or the chimney. By this means it was 

 found that, with arrangements of apparatus, otherwise similar to what are 

 generally employed in candle and soap-works, the offensive smell could be 

 prevented, whether the fat was melted dry over the open fire, or by the aid 

 of high pressure steam. An attempt was made to pass the vapor, when 

 melting by steam, through the fire, but it was found to put out the fire, 

 although this was not the case when the vapor was passed into the furnace 

 over the burning fuel. 



ARTIFICIAL PRODUCTION OF GLYCERIXE. 



"Wurtz has succeeded in preparing glycerine artifically from the tribromid 

 of allyl, C b H 5 B r3 , which is obtained by the action of bromine upon the iodide 



