56 REDTENBACHER ON THE COMPOSITION OF STEARIC 
manner as that of the pure stearic acid ; its analyses vigieed @ ee 
following results :— 
1:002 gr. of the salt gave 0°3065 gr. silver = 30°59 per cent. 
1-001 nee 0304 ve = 30°37 wee 
0:999 eee 0°3045 eee = 30°48 eee 
that is to say, 3:002 gr. of the silver-salt yielded 0°915 gr. silver, 
or 30°48 per cent., or 32°74 per cent. of oxide of silver. 
0°2995 gr. of the same salt burnt with oxide of copper yielded 
0°559 gr. carbonic acid, and 0°2285 gr. water; and 0°305 gr. of 
the substance gave 0°5755 gr. carbonic acid, and 0°233 gr. water. 
These numbers indicate, 
Found. 
ere 
a LE Equiv. Per cent. 
Gabon. oa SGO es SRIG 800) BEBE bee 
Hydrogen...) 8:48. !) (849). 29 os | BEQn Nee 
Osygen. 2. IB. GSI SY ee SRE eee 
Oxide of silver. 32°74 . 32974 . 1 . 1452 . 32°95 
4407 10000 
The hydrate of this acid corresponding to C*° H%° O+ would 
have the following composition per cent :— 
Odrbon Sec So hc ies 
Hydrogen: sr, a! vis 129 
Oxygen. uw (vo oie cl dO8 
These results are so discordant, that with the certainty that 
the same acid enters into the silver salt of the distilled acid as 
that submitted to combustion in the state of hydrate, it could 
no longer be doubted that the stearic acid suffers a change in its 
composition by distillation ; it was on this account, and because 
these last analyses led to the discovery of the products of the 
distillation of stearic acid, that they have been given here. 
When the soda salt strongly dried of the distilled acid is treated 
with ether, in which the salt itself is nearly insoluble, there re- 
mains behind, on evaporating the «ther, a white crystalline sub- 
stance, similar to paraffin, and an oil having an empyreumatic 
odour. The soda salt thus treated, however, gave, when decom- 
posed by hydrochloric acid, an acid having a melting point of from 
60° to 61°C. (140° to 142° F.), which could not be raised higher 
by crystallizing from alcohol, and which agreed in its other pro- 
perties with margaric acid. 
