ay he 
# - Som 
Dr. Smith on the Composition of Spermaceti. 303 
1 ati ceten, yn - - - - ©, 
1 at. water, ee - - - - H .@ 
1 at. anhydrous athal, ee 
1 at. water, - - - - - mv 
1 at. hydrated athal, - 3 C 32 H 3 ,O, 
Taking ceten as being the probable base of spermaceti, Dumas 
ries also proposed the following formula. 
2 at. margaric acid, (C,,H,,0,;)) © 
‘Bat wee {28 at. ceten, (G.cHys 2 °. 
2 at. water, (+; yh OD . 
n 1 at. oleic acid, (C,,H,,9,) (im 
“ae . oleate oF 1 at. ceten, iC B., *) ° 
ceten. 
1 at. water, CT ee 99 
Bat it will be seen that neither the per-centage indicated by 
nf nor by the last formula, alae with Chevreul’s analysis of 
- spermaceti. 
208 atoms Carbon, 1272* 80.06 
205 “ Hydrogen, 205 12.90 
14. «& Oxygen, 112 7.04 | Analysis of Spermaceti 
by Chevreul. 
_ 1589 100.00 | Carbon, 81.66 
Hydrogen, 12.86 
5.48 
é. “| 208 atoms Carbon, 1272 80.51 | Oxygen, 
ca, .04 Hydrogen, 204 12.95 | — 
pe TSS Seven ie eee 100.00 
‘ 1580 100.00 
a, 
What has been stated thus far, is a short Become of all that 
“was known concerning the nature and 
previous to my attention being attracted to this subject, ‘and what 
follows is a detail of my investigations. 
Having undertaken some time since, at the suggestion of Prof. 
~ Liebig, to examine the products afforded by the distillation of 
~ spermaceti, I arrived at certain results, which lead me to believe 
that the composition of this body was not properly made out, and 
therefore J undertook an examination of it, after the most recent 
methods for the investigation of -_ bodies. 
bbe as atomic vio here taken setae carbon is that of Berzelius, (6115,) as Chats 
