24 Analysis of Fat Animal Substances. 
not faity, whereon acids have no 
power, and to which M. C., gives the 
name of glicerine. 
It should be observed, that, in these 
different changes, there is no absorp- 
tion of oxygen; and that, as to what 
enters into the constitution of these 
acids, compared with the hydrogen, 
that also enters them ; it is in propor- 
tions smaller than those which consti- 
tute the elements of water. This cir- 
cumstance is at total variance with 
the notions hitherto established re- 
specting organic acids. 
Cetine exhibits the same pheno- 
mena, though it appears to be an im- 
niediate specific principle; it gives, 
with its acids, a substance that will not 
unite with alkalies, but which is fatty, 
and here designated by the name of 
ethal, These acids, and these. sub- 
stances, formed in mixtures of different 
immediate principles, constitute, of 
themselves, mixtures more or less 
complex. By marking the difference 
of solubility of their salts in certain 
dissolvents, and by decomposing those 
salts, they may be pretty nearly se- 
parated from each other without 
transforming their nature. The neu- 
tral dissolvents in use by this author, as 
his agents, are water, alcohol, ether, 
cold, heat, acids, or very copious alka- 
lies of water. 
The acids which are thus obtained 
from the saponifiable fatty substances 
already mentioned, are stearic, mar- 
garic, oleic, phocenic, butiric, caproic, 
capric, and hiriec. The three. first 
which are fixed, compared with the 
others, are procured from all the fat 
substances; the fourth is taken from 
dolphins and cachalots, the three next 
from butter, and the last from the fat of 
goats and sheep. Glicerine is ex- 
tracted from all the fat. substances, 
cetine excepted. Cholesterine appears 
to be a sort of immediate principle ; it 
yields no acid, and acts with alkalies, 
like glicerine and ethal. Adipocire 
gives soapy substances, like those 
produced from the saponification of 
human fat; that is, margaraies, 
oleates, and glicerine. 
These singular and unexpected re- 
sults naturally lead to enquiries, whe- 
ther the different acids, produced by 
one and the same natural fat, were not 
in a state neutral to those substances, 
and whether they did not enter, as 
immediate principles, into their com- 
position; or, whether they had for 
origin, bodies of a different nature, and 
7 
fAug. 15 
whether the clements of those bedies, 
combined in a new manner by the in- 
fluence of alkalies, were not their con- 
stituent parts. 
The application of neutral dis- 
solvents to these fat substances, did, 
in fact, isolate some fat non-acid 
substances, that had particular pro- 
perties, and all the characters of im- 
mediate principles. But these new 
substances, designated by the names 
of stearine, margarine, of oleine, 
phocerine, butirine, and bireine, when 
exposed to the action of alkalies, like 
the natural fatty parts from which 
they proceed, yield acids pretty nearly 
of the same. nature as those. But 
each substance produces much more 
of that species of acid which bears a 
name analogous to its own, than of 
any other, and glicerine ever acts in 
concert with them. 
The problem then remains as yet 
without solution; for, it may be con- 
ceived, that, in the saponification of 
stearine, oleine, &c. some neutralized 
acids, by glicerine, or ethal, may 
separate, like acids, by alcohol im 
ethers. It may also be admitted, that 
the action of alkalies on these sub- 
stances, changes the combinations of 
their elements ; and, in some measure, 
forms these acids. In facet, their ana- 
lysis shows that the same elements 
ever recur, that the natural fat sub- 
stances, when prepared, the acids and 
other substances which they yield, the 
fat non-acid bodies drawn from them, 
and whatever is obtainable from the 
last, that all these are constitnted of 
elements of the same nature, and in the 
same quantity, so that their arrange- 
ment alone. might make all the differ- 
ences of these various bodies. ~ 
M. GC. presents these two hypothe- 
ses, with the reasons adducible on both 
sides, not pronouncing, decisively, for 
either. The merit of his work is. en- 
haneed by the mayner which he has 
adopted, so that science will derive 
scarcely less advantage from the rami- 
fications of his plan, than: from tbe 
discoveries he has made. 
The application of the scienccs to 
‘the different wants of society, is, in a 
sense, but a secondary object. > 'Pheir 
points of view are essentially distinct. 
Nevertheless, the uses to which scien- 
tific discoveries may lead, as applied to 
the arts and industry, may appear inet- 
dentally, and such indications are 
faithfully noticed in this work. a 
The soap-manulacturer will derive 
his 
