196 
Some allowance must be made in the time factor, slight saponification 
taking place before placing in the steam bath, also during the time of cool- 
ing after removing the flasks. But it will be observed that this factor was 
uniform for the 10 determinaticns. 
From the figures in Table I. no such variations are indicated as re 
ported. 
Some of the factors which influence the Reichert-Meissl No. 
Rate of distillation. 
Failure to remove alcohol (when used). 
Size of distilling flask. 
Absorption of carbonic acid and quantity of fat taken. 
All those factors are under the centrol of the operator and constant 
results are obtained by observing uniform conditions. 
The rate of distillation of the volatile acid by the Reichert-Meissl process, 
also the rate of distillation of the volatile acids by distillation with 
steam. 
In determining the rate of distillation of the volatile acids by the 
Reichert-Meissl process, the distillate was collected in fractions of 10 c.c. 
and titrated with =! NaOH. 
10 
The number of cubic centimeters of alkali required to neutralize 
10 
each fraction are tabulated in Table II, also the per cent. acid calculated 
as butyric acid based on five grams of butter fat taken. 
TABLE II. 
Showing Rate of Distillation by the R. M. Process. 
| 
g.| 9. | 10. | 11. | Total 
NO eee eesseseneseneeees ) 1. 2.8. heb ee LN 
q | 
CC ——NaOH:.... 6D | BiB) 8.4.18. 1°26 (2.2 | 1.9/1.5 | 1.3| 1.0 | 29.50 
10 | | | | 
Per cent. vol. acid as butyric 81 74 .67| .60, .53) .45) 38 
35) .2f et 17] 5.19 
From Table II it will be seen that the first fraction of 10 c.c. of the 
distillate contains 15.6 per cent. of the total volatile acid, uniformly de- 
creasing to the 11th fraction, which contains only three per cent. of the total 
volatile acid. 
