22 E. DIVERS A^'D M. KAWAKITA 



decanted from the cuoutchouc, is poured into dilute spirit, by wliich a 

 voluminous, gelatinous precipitate is produced, consisting of the 

 alcohols with some of the resinoïd body and potassium palmitate. 

 The precipitate is well broken up by stirring, collected on a cloth 

 filter, pressed, and washed with dilute spirit. The washing can only 

 ])e very imperfectly etfected. Three ways of proceeding from this 

 point have been practised by us. 



In one the precipitate is diifused through dilute spirit, and 

 stirred well and warmed witli calcium-chloride solution. The now 

 much less voluminous precipitate is repeatedly washed with water, 

 dried, and extracted with ether, which leaves the calcium palmitate 

 undissolved. Spirit of 95% may be used in place of ether, but as 

 it dissolves out a little calcium salt its use is less satisfactory. On 

 evaporating the ether (or spirit) the alcohols and resinoïd body are 

 obtained. A second way of proceeding is to warm the precipitate 

 with water and hydrochloric acid, until it has shrunken to a small 

 volume, wash repeatedly with water, press, dry, and extract with 

 light petroleum, which dissolves out the palmitic acid and some 

 of the resinoïd body, and leaves behind all the alcohols and the rest 

 of the resinoïd body. After proceeding in either way, the resinoïd 

 body is separated by repeated extractions with warm 80 % spirit. 

 A small quantity of the alcohols at the same time dissolves, and may 

 be partly recovered by precipitation with a very little water and 

 extracting the precipitate with 80% spirit. The third way of 

 proceeding, which is simpler in execution than the others, but much 

 less effective, is to use 70-80 % spirit in place of the light petroleum, 

 in the second way of work. This dissolves out the resinoïd body as 

 well as the palmitic acid. 



Personne's method of procedure is to pour the product of saponi- 

 fication into water, to wash the precipitate with much water, treat it 



