1818.] their Cotnbinations with Alkalies. 275 



days, and again heated, when the following phenomena were 

 observed during the cooling. 



At 212° the fluid was milky, without, however, exhibiting any 

 appearance offtakes ; at 150-5° it began to become transparent, 

 and flakes were visible in it : and at 140° its transparency was 

 much increased. It preserved its transparency to 132 , 5°, but 

 below this it gradually lost it, so that at 122° objects could not 

 be seen through it, and white flakes began to be formed in the 

 parts which cooled the most rapidly ; at 114-5° the fluid was so 

 viscid that it resembled a pearly jelly ; and at 113° it was per- 

 fectly opaque. As it cooled still further it entirely lost its viscidity ; 

 and it is remarkable, that after being left for some days, it was 

 reduced to a solid mass, swimming in a perfectly transparent 

 fluid, exhibiting an appearance similar to that of blood after it 

 has separated into the coagulum and the serum. 



The fluid was decomposed by tartaric acid, and there were 

 obtained an aqueous fluid which, after evaporation, yielded to 

 alcohol a small quantity of a syrupy matter, which was not 

 saccharine, and nearly colourless, and about 18 parts of a fatty 

 matter, fusible at 118*5°. This substance was treated with 

 water of barytes, and the soap that was formed was digested in 

 boiling alcohol, when the following results were obtained. 1 . A 

 residuum insoluble in boiling alcohol, which, when decomposed 

 by muriatic acid, produced 13-89 parts of a fat which was com- 

 pletely saponified, fusible at 127°, and perfectly soluble in 

 potash ley. 2. A soap of barytes, which was deposited from 

 the alcohol as it cooled, and which, when decomposed by 

 muriatic acid, produced -205 of fat completely saponified, which, 

 added to the former quantity, made it 14-095 parts. 3. An alco- 

 holic fluid, which, after it had been separated from the preced- 

 ing soap, was distilled. The residue of the distillation, on being 

 cooled, contained an abundant precipitate ; by applying a gentle 

 heat the greatest part of the precipitate was re-dissolved ; there 

 only remained 0*185 parts of the acetate of barytes, in the form 

 of small crystals ; but the author thinks it more probable that the 

 acetic acid proceeded from the alcohol that was employed than 

 from the cetine. 



The alcoholic fluid itself, when concentrated, yielded with 

 water a fatty matter, which had the following properties. It was 

 semi-transparent, and without colour ; it became solid at 120°. 

 By slow cooling it presented the appearance of small needles 

 united in the form of stars on the surface ; its solution in alcohol 

 had no effect upon hematine or litmus. It appeared to bear a 

 ng analogy to the portion of the cetine which resisted the 

 action of potash ; but its quantity was to the acidified part in 

 (fee proportion of 52*64 to 47*36, instead of the proportion of 

 36-21 to 63-79, which was obtained by directly treating cetine 

 with potash. The part which was not acid wag, therefore, 



93 



