( 478 ) 



That the border liquid, obtained by cooling the isotropous fusion L, 

 differed from L itself, could be demonstrated in more way than one. 

 By heating and cooling we may get so far that, apparently, nothing- 

 more of A is visible, but that we have only the border liquid, which 

 on cooling, crystallises immediately to S. Occasionally, the doubly- 

 refracting individuals of A turn up in the mass for a moment to 

 disappear again immediately. However, that isotropous liquid thus 

 obtained is nothing else but A itself, when owing to the temperature 

 variations, all individuals have, like magnets, placed themselves 

 parallel with their (optical) axes and the whole has, consequently, 

 become pseudo-isotropous. This same phenomenon also occurs with 

 the other esters, for instance very beautifully with the nonylate and 

 the myristate. The difference between these pseudo-isotropous phases 

 and the isotropous fused masses L of these substances, is shown by 

 the fact that the pseudo-isomorphous mass of A, and also the doubly- 

 refracting portion of the same has a very thick-fluid consistency ; the 

 isotropous fusion L of the laurate has a consistency more like 

 that of glycerol. 



As regards the solid phase ami its transformation into the liquid condi- 

 tion, it cannot be proved in this case that there exists a continuous 

 transformation between the last solid partic lesand the first anisotropous 

 ones. From the velocity, with which the diverse phases usually 

 make room for each other in the microscopic examination, one would 

 feel inclined to believe just the opposite. The thermic observation 

 of the transformation, which generally exhibit only insignificant 

 caloric effects, would, however, make the observer feel more inclined 

 to look upon the matter as an uninterrupted concatenation of more 

 or less stable intermediate conditions, which I have observed pre- 

 viously with cholesterol-cinnamylate. A somewhat considerable heat 

 effect occurs in some cases iu the crystallisation of the solid phase 

 only: in all other phases the exact transition temperature cannot be 

 determined accurately by the thermic method. 



§ \). Cholesterol- NonylaU exhibits microscopically the following 

 phenomena : 



Starting from the crystallised substance this was fused first on an 

 object ?lass to an isotropous liquid L. On cooling a greyish doubly- 

 refracting liquid phase B appears, which, at a lower temperature, 

 makes room for a very tenaceous. strongly doubly-refracting, mostly 

 vello wish-white phase, A. This phase A is often surrounded by an 

 isotropous border; if pressure is applied to the covering glass or if 

 the mass is stirred with a very thin platinum wire, this isotropous 



