170 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
These results show the remarkable similarity in composition of 
adipocere from different animals and in different stages of maturity. 
1. Adipocere is essentially composed of saturated solid fatty acids, 
glycerides being present in traces only. 
2. The soft and immature adipocere differs from the waxy 
variety in carrying more oleic acid, proteins (soft connective tissue 
and hyaline muscular fibres), and lime soaps. 
3. Adipocere whether mature or immature contains the same two 
monohydroxystearic acids reported by the authorf as present in the 
waxy pig’s adipocere. One prismatic acid, iota hydroxystearic, 
melting at 84-5° and the other theta hydroxystearic acid, in 
rhombic plates melting at 78-4°. 
4. These isomeric hydroxystearic acids are derived from oleic 
acid by the introduction of a molecule of water where the double 
bond occurs in the middle of the molecule. 
5. The hydration of oleic acid to the hard hydroxystearic acids 
and the disappearance of unaltered oleic acid mark the final stages 
in the formation of mature adipocere. 
6. Complete hydrolysis of fat, under the conditions favourable 
for adipocere formation, occurs even in the presence of soft proteins 
(one analysis gave 8-9% protein as muscle fibre and connective 
tissues) and in the bone marrow which was found to be converted 
into calcium soaps and fat acids with traces only of glycerides. In 
no case could ammonia soaps be detected. 
7. Adipocere should be regarded as the product of the hydrolysis 
of fats by water where the time factor and the concentration of the 
reacting water are almost indefinitely great and where the soluble 
product glycerol is rapidly removed. It seems to the author that 
bacterial and enzymic action and the formation of soluble soaps 
play a quite secondary part in the development of adipocere from 
fats. The hard waxy character of the mature substance is largely 
due to the presence of the two hydroxystearic acids. Calcium 
soaps, proteins, etc., are variable incidental components. 
Department of Chemistry, 
McGill University. 
tJournal of Biological Chemistry, March 1917. 
