.1 96 Chemical Inquiries into the Nature of several 



which wais condensed into a liquid, and then into a white concret*! 

 mass. At the same time there was produced a little acid water, 

 which was indebted for this property to vinegar, and perhaps 

 some sebacic acid, and a strong smell, which I aai inclined to 

 attribute to a combination of volatile empyreuiaatic oil and 

 acetic acid. When the matter contained in the retort began to 

 turn black, and tlie product extricated from it was coloured 

 yellow, I changed the recipient, and continued the fire until there 

 was no longer any thing volatilized ; very little gas or liquid 

 was formed, and almost the whole of the product was solid. Four 

 grammes (61| grains) of margarine yielded 0'045 gr. (about 

 •3432 grain) of charcoal, containing an atom of lime, iron and 

 potash, a first product, which was very wfiite, weighing 2-19 gr, 

 (33 grains), a second product, coloured yellow, weighing 1*45 gr, 

 (22 grains). 



S. The first product boiled with half its weight of potash dis- 

 solved in water coiubined with the alkali. The combination 

 diluted in water deposited a good deal of pearly matter. Hence 

 it follows that this })roduct was formed in a great measure of 

 non-decomposed margarine. ♦ 



9. The second product treated in the same way gave out an 

 atom of ammonia, which I thought accidental ; instead of being 

 combined with potash, it melted into a yellow oily liquid, which 

 was again boiled with double its weight of alkali, and which re- 

 fused to unite with it. After these two operations it weighed 



' one gramme, and there was of course a loss : it had given little 

 or nothing to the potash. When it was heated in alcohol it 

 iiquefied : a great quantity of this liquid is necessary to dissolve 

 it : upon cooling, small crystals were precipitated of a pearly 

 citrine white, which became of a slight yellow by fusion : the 

 alcohol from which the latter were precipitated, when evaporated, 

 left an oil of a deep yellow, which was liquid at 18" centigrade. 

 If the second product contained margarine, it must be concluded 

 that it was there in a particular state of combination, since the 

 concrete crystallized substance and the liquid substance differ 

 from it in every respect. 



10. The alkahne liquors which had been boiled with the two 

 foreo-oing products were united, concentrated, and filtered several 



' times. They cwitained very little fatty matter in solution : 

 when distilled with sulphuric acid, they gave an atom of vine- 

 gar, and a residue containing some small crystals which had the 

 appearance of sebacic acid. 



1 1 . Margarine is insoluble in water. 



12. It is extremely soluble in alcohol ; for 100 parts of the 

 latter of the cravitv of 0-S16 dissolved at 75' 18079 parts. 



This 



