154 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles, 



of the acid undergo a more complete decomposition, for towards 

 the end, the products are coloured and empyreumatic, and there re- 

 main in the retort a mixture of lime and carbonates and a small 

 quantity of charcoal, which renders them black: 40 parts of mar- 

 garic acid, treated in this manner, yielded 28 parts of a slightly 

 yellowish solid, which soiled paper when pressed, and yielded 22 

 parts of dry matter, which melted at 165° Fahrenheit. It was re- 

 peatedly treated with alcohol of sp. gr. 0*837. After 11 digestions 

 the fusing point of the last portion dissolved was 171°. 



The substance thus obtained is of a pure white, brilliant and 

 pearly when withdrawn from the alcohol from which it is precipi- 

 tated. It fuses, as already mentioned, at 171°; crystallizes irregu- 

 larly on cooling ; and in appearance resembles margaric acid, or 

 spermaceti. It is a nonconductor of electricity, and becomes 

 strongly electrical by friction or pressure : when triturated in an 

 agate mortar it often rises to the edges of the mortar, or to the 

 pestle, and adheres to the paper used in removing it, If it be heated 

 in a retort it boils, and distils without undergoing any notable 

 change, and without leaving any residue. At a Jiigh temperature 

 it burns with a very bright flame, and without smoke : paper or a 

 cotton wick impregnated with it, burn in the same manner. 



It dissolves in boiling alcohol of 837, but rnuch less abundantly 

 than margaric acid, requiring 50 times its weight. On cooling, the 

 greater part of it separates, and water precipitates it. It dissolves 

 in less than seven times its weight of alcohol of 0817 : the solution 

 solidifies on cooling. Hot sulphuric aether dissolves more than -^th 

 of its weight, the greater part of which precipitates on cooling. Hot 

 acetic aether dissolves it in large quantity, and on cooling a pearly 

 mass is obtained : oil of turpentine produces a similar effect. It 

 combines with camphor in all proportions: a strong and boiling so- 

 lution of potash has no effect upon it. By sulphuric acid it is black- 

 ened, and completely decomposed with the disengagement of sul- 

 phurous acid. One part of it slightly heated with two parts of sul- 

 phuric acid, first became of a red colour, afterwards brown, then a 

 deep black, and in a short time a coaly mass was obtained. Hot 

 nitric acid acted but slightly upon it: by the action of dry chlorine 

 gas, and at a low temperature, it was completely converted into a 

 colourless, transparent, viscid liquid. 



This substance, which M. Bussy calls margaron, bears some 

 analogy to the paraffine of M. Reichenbach : it approaches it also in 

 composition, as will presently be seen ; but they differ in their melt- 

 ing point, margaron fusing at 171°, and paraffine at 111° Fahrenheit. 

 Secondly, sulphuric acid does not act upon, but completely decom- 

 poses margaron. By analysis it yielded 



Carbon 83-34 



Hydrogen 13*51 



Oxygen 315 



100-00 

 M. Bussy regards it as equivalent to margaric acid, less an 

 atom of carbonic acid. 



