230 Mr. B. C. Brodie on Myricine. 



equivalents of hydrogen are removed without replacement by 

 chlorine, while the further action is an action of substitution, 

 the substance being the analogue of chloral. 



The products of the distillation of melissine are analogous 

 to those of the distillation of cerotine. The substance partly 

 distils over unaltered, and is partly, with the loss of water, 

 converted into solid hydrocarbon. Sulphuric acid also com- 

 bines with it under the same conditions as with the other wax- 

 alcohol. 



Palmitic Acid from the Saponification of Myricine. 



Melissine is soluble with such great difficulty, in every sol- 

 vent suitable for washing out the baryta salt from the wax 

 soap, that its separation from the acid cannot in this manner 

 be effected. It may however be separated by simple crystal- 

 lization. The alcoholic solution (p. 24-6) from which the me- 

 lissine has crystallized out, after having been considerably 

 concentrated and again filtered from any precipitate produced 

 on cooling, contains hardly a trace, if any, of that substance. 

 The acids are very soluble in alcohol, and it is only on great 

 concentration that they crystallize from that solvent. The 

 alcohol is to be distilled off to the point of crystallization, and 

 the first portions only of the fat acid selected for the prepara- 

 tion of the pure substance. The acid is to be boiled with 

 potash, combined with baryta, and washed out with aether. 



On decomposing the baryta salt with hydrochloric acid, a 

 fat acid separates, having the appearance of margaric or pal- 

 mitic acid, which latter body is in truth the principal acid of 

 the wax. It is however mixed with another acid of a lower 

 melting-point, for which reason it is desirable, as I have men- 

 tioned, to use in its preparation only the first crystallization 

 of the acid. From this other body it is separable with the 

 greatest difficulty; but by long-continued crystallization from 

 aether, an acid may be obtained of the melting-point of 62° C, 

 beyond which point it cannot be raised. This acid gave to 

 analysis the following results: — 



100-00 loo'oo 190-00 



