468 DR ANDERSON ON THE PRODUCTS OF THE 



The product of this operation was found to be extremely complex, and to con- 

 sist of a mixture of four or five different bases, exclusive of ammonia. For the 

 purpose of obtaining these in a separate state a great variety of processes was 

 attempted, but none Avere found to answer so well as fractionated distillation, 

 although it is an extremely tedious method of separation, and occasions a consi- 

 derable loss of substance, which is very annoying when the quantities obtained 

 are so small. When the mixed bases were distilled with a thermometer, ammo- 

 nia began to escajje at a very low temperature ; but at IGO' Fahr. the fluid entered 

 into steady ebullition, and a perfectly transparent and limpid oil began to distil. 

 A small quantity of oil passed over between this temperature and 212°, which was 

 received by itself, and the after products collected in a succession of receivers, 

 which were changed at every ten degrees which the thermometer rose. The fluid 

 continued in steady and rapid ebullition, and the thennometer ascended rapidly 

 to 240' ; and between that and 250° a considerable quantity was collected. It 

 then again went up pretty rapidly, and another large quantity was obtained be- 

 tween 270" and 280 ; after which the distillation proceeded more slowly until 

 the temperature rose to 305°, at which point the characters of the products under- 

 went a complete change. All the substances obtained at lower temperatures dis- 

 solved instantaneously in water ; but that which now distilled floated on the sur- 

 face, and only dissolved on agitation with a considerable quantity of water. Dis- 

 tillation now continued with somewhat greater rapidity, till the thermometer rose 

 to about 355", when a drop of the product allowed to fall into a solution of chlo- 

 ride of lime immediately gave the reaction of aniline. When this was observed, 

 the whole remaining products, which formed only a small fraction of the whole, 

 were collected together. They consisted chiefly of aniline. 



The products of these different distillations were repeatedly rectified, and by 

 this means bases were obtained, corresponding to the points at which the ther- 

 mometer was found to remain longest in the first distillation. Of these I have 

 as yet examined only the most volatile, and that which boiled at about 270°. 



Petinine. 



The most volatile portion of the bases obtained by the fractionated distillation, 

 was mixed with the small portion which was separated with difficulty from the 

 potash solution, and had been kept separate from the large quantity. The mixed 

 fluid still contained a large quantity of ammonia, for the separation of which it 

 was again rectified several times in succession, and fractionated in a small retort, 

 the receiver being kept carefully cool. After this process has been repeated until 

 it is properly purified, it constitutes the base to which I give the name of Petin- 

 ine (from verimf, volatiUs), in allusion to its volatility, which is greater than that of 

 any base yet known, with the exception, of course, of ammonia. The quantity of 

 this substance contained in the bone-oil is excessively small, as I obtained from 



