of a Wax from China. 387 



Distillation of Chinese Wax. 



The Chinese wax is decomposed by heat. When distilled, 

 the distillate consists of two portions ; a wax acid which forms 

 the earlier portions of the distillate, and a portion which is 

 not acted on by potash, and from which the acid portion may 

 be separated by saponification. The soap requires to be drawn 

 off by a siphon. I will first give the analysis of the acid, 

 which is undoubtedly the same acid as that procured by sa- 

 ponification of the wax itself. The melting-point of the acid 

 may, by the methods pursued in other cases of separation 

 from the soap, purification and crystallization out of aether, 

 be raised to 80°, 81° C, which is probably the true melting- 

 point of the cerotic acid. 



0-2613 grm. of the acid gave 0*7555 C0 2 and 0*3075 HO, 

 which corresponds in parts per cent, to — 



Carbon .... 78*85 

 Hydrogen . . . 13*08 

 Oxygen .... 8*07 



100-00 



I give here again, for the sake of comparison, the numbers 

 of the formula. 



Calculated. 

 Cja . . . . 79-02 

 H M . . . . 13-17 

 4 . . . . 7-81 



100-00 



The siver salt of the acid, prepared as in other cases, gave 

 to analvsis the following results :— 



0-36*25 grm. of the salt gave 0-827 C0 2 and 0-332 HO, 

 giving in 100 parts, — 



Carbon 62*21 



Hydrogen 10*18 



Oxygen and silver . . 27*61 



100-00 



I. 0*649 grm. of the salt gave 0*139 grm. of silver. 



II. 0*626 grm. of the same gave 0*13375 grm. of silver. 

 These determinations correspond in parts per cent, to — 



I. II. 



Silver . . 21*42 21*19 



. The formula C^H^Og + AgO requires — 



