the Action of Nitric Acid on Castor Oil. 419 



pungent taste, leaving a disagreeable sensation on the palate^ 

 It is soluble in aether and alcohol, and burns with a clear blue 

 flame, giving out no smoke. It is solid at the temperature 

 produced by a mixture of snow and salt, and is then crystal- 

 line. 



Burnt with oxide of copper, 0'2195 substance gave 0'54;85 

 carbonic acid, and 0-3195 water; making in 100 parts. 



Carbon 68*57 



Hydrogen. 11*57 



Oxygen 19*86 



100*00 



and leading to the following composition : 



Per cent. 



18 atoms Carbon = 1375*80 68*71 



18 „ Hydrogen .. = 224*63 11*22 



4 „ Oxygen = 400*00 20*07 



2000*43 100*00 



Now supposing this aether to be composed of one atom ox- 

 ide of aethyl and one atom of anhydrous acid, we have for the 

 composition of the latter C* H'^ 0% and adding to this one 

 atom of water to form the hydrate, we have, in 100 parts. 



Per cent. 



14 atoms Carbon = 1070*09 65*05 



14 „ Hydrogen... = 174*71 10*62 



4 „ Oxygen = 400*00 24*38 



1644*80 100*00 



which calculated result agrees with the numbers found by ac- 

 tual experiment given at page 418. 



CEnanthjlate of Silver. — This salt may be easily prepared 

 by precipitating a neutral ammoniacal solution of the acid by 

 nitrate of silver ; it falls in the form of a white flocculent 

 powder. 



1st. 0*7165 of this salt gave *3265 silver, which is equiva- 

 lent to 0*3509 oxide of silver. This gives per cent., 



Oxide of silver 48*89 



CEnanthylic acid 51*11 



100*00 



making the atomic weight of the anhydrous acid 1517*0, the 

 calculated result being 1532*33. 



By burning the salt dried in vacuo over sulphuric acid, with 

 oxide ofcopper, 0*7350 gave 0*9360 carbonic acid, and 0*3675 

 water. 



2 E2 



