BIOCHEMISTRY OF COD-LIVER OIL. 



(Preliminary note) 

 CASIMIR FUNK 



Introduction. It is very surprising that the chemistry and 

 physiology of cod-liver oil have been neglected to such a degree that 

 the author was able to find only a few papers deaUng with the 

 subject. 



In 1888, Gautier and Mourgues (i) showed that even the refined 

 yellow oil contains a small quantity of organic bases (which were 

 then considered to be ptomaines or alkaloids). Their technic was 

 as f ollows : 100 k. of yellow cod-liver oil were extracted with the 

 same volume of 33 percent alcohol, to which 4 gm. of oxalic acid 

 per 1. were added. The aqueous-alcoholic extracts were saturated 

 with calcium hydroxid, filtered and evaporated in vacuo, at 45° C. 

 Toward the end of the distillation, precipitated calcium carbonate 

 and calcium hydroxid were added, the mixture evaporated to dry- 

 ness, and the residue extracted with 90 percent alcohol. From this 

 alcoholic extract the alcohol was removed in vacuo, water and 

 strong caustic potash were added to the residue, and the alkaline 

 mixture was extracted with ether. To the ethereal extract, a sol. 

 of oxalic acid in ether was added; this precipitated the bases as 

 Oxalates. The yield was 52-65 gm. of Oxalates from 100 k. of 

 cod-liver oil. The Oxalates were dissolved in dil. caustic potash sol., 

 and the free bases separated, as an oil, on the surface of the liquid 

 The oil was removed and dried over freshly calcinated potash. In 

 this way 0.35-0.5 gm. of dry substance was obtained. 



Subjected to fractional distillation, products were obtained as 

 f ollows : 



(a) Between 87-90° : Butylamin 



(6) Between 96-98° : Amylamin 



{c) Under 100° : Hexylamin 



{d) Between 198-200° : Hydrotoluidin 

 365 



