An Account of a vegetable Wax from Brazil. 431 



4. Sulphuric etlier, S|.iec. grav. •75fi3, cli?solves a very 

 niimue portion of the wax, at the lemperature of 60°. 



Two fluid ounces of boiling sulphuric ether dissolve 

 thirty grains of the wax, of which twenty-six grains are de- 

 posited by cooling the sohition, and the remaining four 

 grains may be obtained b) allowing the ether to evaporate 

 spontaneously. 



5. The fixed oils very rcadilv dissolve the wax at the tem- 

 perature of boiling water, and form with it compounds of 

 an intermediate consistence, very anaUigous to those which 

 are obtained with common bees wax. 



In examining some combinations which I had made of 

 the vegetable wax with olive oil, I was surprised to find 

 them perfecllv soluble in ether, and sparingly soluble in 

 boiling alcohol. 



As It is commonly stated that the fixed oils are insoluble 

 in ether and in alcohol, I was led to attribute the solution 

 of the oil, in these instances, to its being combined with the 

 wax; but subsequent experiments, of which I shall state 

 tlie general results, have shown me that these opinions are 

 erroneous. 



Four fluid ounces of sulphuric ether, spec. grav. '7563, 

 dissolve a fluid ounce and a quarter of the expressed oil of 

 almonds; of olive oil, the same quantity of the eiher dis- 

 solves a fluid otmce and a half: of linseed oil, two fluid 

 ,ouncts and a half; and castor oil is soluble in any propor- 

 tion in' sulphuric el her of the above specific gravity. 



The expressed oils of almonds and of olives are very 

 sparingly soluble in alcohol, spec. grav. -SiJO. 



Linseed oil is more soluble than the two jornier. Four 

 fluid ounces oi' alcohol, spec. grav. 'Si'O, dissolve nearly one 

 fluid drachm. 



Castor oil is perfectly soluble in every proportion in al- 

 cohol, spec. grav. •8'20. In alcohol of a higher specific 

 gravity, as 'SdO, it is very sparingly soluble*. 



As some of the dilficulily soluble resins are more easily 

 dissolved in alcoliol to which a small proportion of cam- 

 phor l\as been added, 1 endeavoured to ascertain whether 

 the fixed f)ils were rendered more soluble by the same means, 

 Init founil that this was not the case, exceptnig with regard 

 to castor oil, whi h, although very sparingly dissolved by 

 alcohol of a spec. grav. abo\e -840^, becomes abundantly 



• The 8oluI)iliiy of castor oil in alcoliol was nicnlioued to me some montits 

 aj^o by J)i- \yolla>t<ii) wiio also jutormcti iiie, that it had on ihut account 

 been cm|;loyeU io uJullcrate certain easeatial oils of high valu.', especially 

 rtie oil of clovet. 



.soluble 



