Palmitic Acid — Cascarilla and Caraiioay Oils. 281 



tion of iodine and nitric acid seems to be very interesting, but 

 has been as yet so superficially examined, that it is of no use 

 making any extract. In a note to the above treatise, Prof. 

 Erdmann states it to be very probable that anilin is nothing 

 more than Unverdorben's krystallin.* 



Palmitic Acid from Palm Oil. 



By saponifying palm-oil with potassa, Fremy obtained two 

 acids, one of which he calls palmitic acid; it is volatile: by 

 the distillation a very small quantity of oil is produced, 

 from which it may be IVeed by means of alcohol. 



The composition of the free hydrated acid is O^^ H'=*0'', 

 H' 0-; in the salts, however, it is O ' H'-^ O^ The distilled 

 acid has the same composition. The ammonia salt is insolu- 

 ble in water, and has the formula C'^^ H''-*0\ N'^HsO+ H^O. 



The ffilher is obtained by acting on alcohol with sulphuric 

 and palmitic acids; it is solid, melts at 21° C, crystallizes in 

 prisms. Formula C" H'--* 0« + 2 (C+ H'" O) ; the acid is 

 therefore bibasic. By the action of chlorine on palmitic acid 

 a mixture of several products is obtained, which it is al- 

 most impossible to separate : one of them has the formula 

 Q:4 Wv<» CI"^ O®, H-* O'. {Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacies 

 xxxvi. p. 44. )f 



Oih of Cascarilla and Caratsoay. 



M. Voelckel has examined cascarilla and cumin or caraway 

 oils. The impure cascarilla oil is deep yellow ; specific gra- 

 vity 0'909 ; boils at 180° C. By distillation with water seemed 

 to be separated into two oils, which, hov/ever, could not be 

 perfectly isolated. Tlie oil which first passed over was co- 

 lourless, highly refractive, specific gravity 0'862; boiled at 

 173° C: composed of carbon 86'926, hydrogen 10'487, oxygen 

 2"587. The portions which passed over afterwards were a 

 little thicker, somewhat yellowish, and of a less agreeable 

 odour. Composition, carbon 82-021, hydrogen 10*267, oxy- 

 gen 7'712. [An7ialen dcr PJiarmacie, xxxv.) 



Oil of caraway may be separated by distillation into se- 

 veral different oils;'the first two portions boil at 193° to 195° C, 

 the third at 213'-, the fourth at 228°. The smell was almost 

 the same in all. 



C. 86-099 ... 85-204 ... 82-126 ... 78-603 



H. 11-090 ... 10-517 ... 9-827 ... 9-217 



O. 2-811 ... 4-279 ... 8-047 ... 12-180 



Caraway oil absorbs hydrochloric acid gas, but is separated 



again by distillation with water. 



* Some fiirtlicr particulars relating to Anilin will be found in our Intcl- 

 Itgcnce and JMitcclltincotcs Arliclcs. — Edit. 



+ Sec Mr. Stenhousc's paper ou the constituents of Palni-oi!, in our 

 last Number, p. 18G. — Euit. 



