212 Organic Constituents of Solls [Jan. 



0.780; rcadily soluble in petroleum ether, ether; difficultly soluble in 

 hot alcohol ; almost insoluble in cold alcohol ; unaffected by f uming 

 nitric acid; does not absorb bromine. 



Agrostcrol: C0CH44O; m.p., 237° C. ; member of the cholesterol 

 family; soluble in ether, Chloroform; readily soluble in hot alcohol; 

 difficultly soluble in cold alcohol; almost insoluble in water; gives 

 Liebermann's cholesterol reaction, but does not give the violet 

 colored residue that cholesterol yields when evaporated with conc. 

 hydrochloric acid and ferric chloride, nor the red cholesterol reac- 

 tion with Chloroform and sulfuric acid. 



Phytosterol: C2CH44O + H2O; m.p., 135° C. ; gives the Lieber- 

 mann reaction and also the cholesterol reaction with Chloroform 

 and sulfuric acid; soluble in ether, Chloroform and in alcohol, hot 

 and cold. 



(10) The portion (7) insoluble in petroleum ether is taken up 

 in water, acidified to liberate the fatty acids and shaken with ether. 

 The ether extract may contain cc-mono-hydroxy stearic acid and 

 lignoceric acid. 



a-M ono-hydroxy stearic acid:^ CisHagOg; m.p., 84-85° C. ; very 

 soluble in petroleum ether, ether, hot alcohol; difficultly soluble in 

 cold alcohol; insoluble in water; crystallizes in small irregulär leaf- 

 lets; by very slow cooling of the alcoholic solvent six sided plates 

 may be obtained. 



Lignoceric acid:^ C24H48O2; m.p., 80-81° C. ; soluble in petro- 

 leum ether, ether and hot alcohol; slightly soluble in cold alcohol; 

 insoluble in water. 



Both these acids dissolve in alkalies and may be reprecipitated 

 by acidification of the aqueous Solution. 



(8) The cold alcoholic filtrate from (6) is precipitated with 

 alcoholic lead acetate, filtered, and the precipitate (11), after being 

 freed from lead salts by washing with alcohol, is suspended in 

 alcohol and decomposed with hydrogen sulfide. The alcoholic sol., 

 after being freed from hydrogen sulfide by boiling, contains paraf- 

 finic acid,^ which may, upon slow evaporation of the solvent, be 



8 Schreiner and Shorey : Some acid constituents of soil humus, Journ. Amer. 

 Chem. Soc, 1910, xxxii, p. 1674. 



^Pouchet: Action of nitric acid on paraffin, Bidl. Soc. Chim., 1875 (2), 

 xxiii, p. III. 



