509 Dr. Redtenbacher on a Class of Organic Acids. 



other acid was previously known to exist. When the cry- 

 stallizations of the mixed barytic salts were made, crystals of 

 caprylate of baryta formed on the powder of the caprate. 

 I have already mentioned in my work upon the products of 

 the oxidation of choloidic acid, that a barytic salt in large 

 plates, with a mother-of-pearl lustre, was formed between the 

 caprate and caprylate of baryta, which, from its variable com- 

 position, I considered as a mixture of the two salts. But 

 during my proposed examination I obtained between caprate 

 and caprylate of baryta, in the third and fourth crystalliza- 

 tions, a salt of barytes in large plates, which remained the 

 same after repeated crystallization ; they were purified in the 

 same manner as the other salts, by taking only the middle 

 portions of the crystals. I consider I am not hasty, even 

 with so imperfect a knowledge, to admit the existence of a 

 new acid, and which analysis confirms to contain the factor 

 w=18. I name it, upon grounds which I shall subsequently 

 state, pelargonic acid. 



Pelargonate of baryta crystallizes, as I have already stated, 

 similarly to valerianate and cenanthylate of baryta, but is 

 much less soluble in water and in alcohol ; it is considerably 

 more soluble than caprate of baryta, and, as it crystallizes 

 out before caprylate of baryta, it is therefore less soluble than 

 this latter salt. It has properties between these two salts. 

 In its other properties it naturally corresponds with the ba- 

 rytic salts of all the volatile fatty acids. It gave out at 100° C. 

 a very small quantity of water, so that its crystals are anhy- 

 drous. 



0*3395 grm. gave 0*148 grm. carbonate of baryta; 0*316 

 grm. gave 0*5485 grm. carbonic acid and 0*212 grm. water. 



Calculated. Found. 



18 eqs. Carbon 1350*0 47*88 47*34 



17 ... Hydrogen .... 212*5 7*54 7*46 



3 ... Oxygen 300*0 10*64 11*34 



1 ... Baryta 946*9 33*94 33*86 



1 ... Pelargonate of baryta 2809*4 100*00 100*00 



The mother-liquor from which the above barytic salts were 

 crystallized, and which doubtless still contained caprylic acid, 

 as a trial of it proved, was precipitated by nitrate of silver. 

 A white curdy precipitate fell, which was with difficulty so- 

 luble in hot water. The precipitate was dried at 100° C. 



0*198 grm. pelargonate of silver gave 0*0815 grm. silver; 

 0*3845 grm. of the salt gave 0*5635 grm. carbonic acid and 

 0*219 water. 



