Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles, 589 



produced ; the potash and the oil had nearly retained their original 

 properties. 



Circumstances were quite different in the third experiment. The 

 mixture had hardly been made when it became of the consistence of 

 honey, and of a red colour of considerable intensity : perfect saponi- 

 fication might be suspected. M. Bonastre had previously remarked 

 this action of the caustic alkalies on some essential oils, and had 

 proposed it as a means of distinguishing mixtures of them ; and he 

 noticed the partial combination of the oil of valerian with soda. This 

 fact might induce the belief that this oil was a substance of a com- 

 plex nature ; M. Therault is, however, of opinion that this is not 

 the case, but that the observation of M. Bonastre was derived from 

 the circumstance of the oil which he employed containing valerianic 

 acid, which would explain in this case the partial combination with 

 soda. The author attentively examined the nature of this mixture : 

 it was perfectly homogeneous, and comparable to crotonic soap. 

 Treated with water and suffered to remain undisturbed, the oil soon 

 collected on the surface ; it was separated, and the filtered liquor was 

 saturated with acetic acid. No sensible trace of oil was reproduced, 

 nor w«s the formation of valerianic acid detected ; it was therefore 

 certain that no chemical action had occurred ; and the name of com- 

 bination given to this mixture appears to the author to be improper 

 under these circumstances. 



M. Therault relies upon this last fact as corroborating the result 

 of the third experiment. The portion of the mixture kept from the 

 contact of the air, underwent no change of properties after one 

 month ; no combination had occurred between the oil and the pot- 

 ash ; no valerianic acid was formed, or at any rate no appreciable 

 quantity. 



On the contrary, that portion which had been exposed to the action 

 of the air contained valerianic acid, in minute quantity certainly, 

 but it was very appreciable : the matter was slightly decolorized. 

 The action of the air was allowed to continue, and after six months' 

 exposure nearly the whole of the oil had disappeared, and the mix- 

 ture was almost entirely decolorized, a slight amber tint only re- 

 maining. 



The decoloration occurred nearly in direct proportion to the quan- 

 tity of acid formed : the action of the air was however continued, to 

 ascertain whether the whole of the oil could be acidified ; the opera- 

 tion required nearly six months, but it was then complete ; the 

 mixture had assumed the aspect of white, slightly grumoua honey ; 

 well-defined crystals of valerianate of potash had formed, and were 

 dispersed throughout the mass. It was covered with a solution of 

 this salt and of potash, without any trace of oil. 



It may be concluded from the experiments detailed, that valerianic 

 acid does not pre-exist in valerian root ; that it is entirely the pro- 

 duct of the oxidizement of its oil ; that this oxidizement is due to 

 the oxygen of the air ; and that water and the caustic alkalies greatly 

 facilitate this oxidizement. The author also concludes that the 

 caustic alkalies exert no direct action on the elements of the oil ; 

 that they act only by the property which they po§ses^ pf forming an 



