1 92 Chemical Examination of Palm Oil atid Cacao Butter. 



In oi'der to determine the atomic weiglit of the acid the aether 

 wasprepared in the usual way, by dissolving a portion of stearic 

 acid m alcohol and saturating it with muriatic acid gas. 



The aether is a semi-transparent crystalline body, very hke 

 stearin. It was repeatedly washed with hot water to free it 

 from muriatic acid. It was tlien carefully dried and sub- 

 jected to analysis; the following are the results. 



I. 0-2715 gave 0-7595 carbonic acid, and 0'31 55 water. 



II. 0-21-0 „ 0-671 „ „ 0-2805 „ 

 or per cent. 



I. II. 



Carbon 77-35 77-30 



Hydrogen 12-91 12-94. 



Oxygen 9-79 9*76 



100-00 100-00 



The formula deducible from these analyses, C72 H144 O7, is 

 equivalent to 1 atom acid, 1 atom aether, and 1 atom water. 



Per cent. 



72 atoms of Carbon... 5503-3 77-49 



144 „ Hydrogen 898-5 12-C2 



7 „ Oxygen... 700-0 9-86 



7101-8 100-00 



When one atom of oether and one of water are subtracted 

 from the above, C^^j ^^ui ^7 



— C4 H;2 O3 



we obtain the numbers Cgg Hjg^ O5 



as the formula of anhydrous stearic acid : Per cent. 



68 atoms of Carbon 5197-7 79*70 



132 „ Hydrogen 823-6 12-58 



5 „ Oxygen 500-0 10-38 



100-00 

 When cacao butter is distilled it yields no appreciable 

 quantity of sebacic acid, but when the uncrystallizable acid 

 which remains in the alcohol out of which the stearic acid 

 lias crystallized is subjected to distillation, traces of sebacic 

 acid are readily obtained. This indicates that the quantity 

 of oleic acid contained in cacao butter is by no means very 

 considerable. 



I have every reason to believe that besides the stearic and 

 oleic acids, cacao butter contains a third acid, which has a 

 melting point of about 140° Fahr., and which may probably 

 be the margaric. ? Its nature, however, must be the subject 

 of some future investigation. 



