Mr. B. C. Brodie on Myricine. 247 



of purity. I afterwards however discovered the use of rectified 

 coal naphtha as a solvent for these substances, and by far the 

 best and simplest method of procuring the body is by crystal- 

 lization out of that solvent, of the precipitate from the alco- 

 holic solution which I have before mentioned, as procured by 

 dissolving in alcohol the wax matter obtained by decomposing 

 by an acid the soap from the myricine By alcohol the basic 

 portion of the saponified myricine is separated from the acids. 

 By naphtha the substance of 85° melting-point is separated 

 from another and probably an analogous body, of which I 

 shall speak hereafter. 



This substance gave to analysis the following numbers. 

 The result is the same in whatever way the substance is pre- 

 pared. 



438 100-00 



This substance I propose to call Melissine. 



Melissic Acid. 



Melissine, heated with lime and potash, as the similar ex- 

 periment was made with cerotinej, is, like that body, con- 



* This substance was procured directly from wax, from which it may be 

 obtained and purified in the same manner as from the purified mjriciue; 

 which is the simplest way of procuring the substance if the other products 

 of saponification are not required. 



f This substance was procured from the Ceylon wax mentioned in a 

 former paper. 



X Phil. Mag. vol. xxxiii. p. 381. 



