478 



CHOLIC ACID. 



crystals of glyeocholic acid, which are purified by re- 

 crystallizing from boiling water. The taurocholic acid 

 remains in solution. The amorphous mass at first de 

 posited also usually becomes crystalline after a lon- 

 time. Or fresh ox-bile, decolorized with animal char 

 coal, is precipitated with a solution of sugar of lead, 

 the precipitate exhausted with boiling 85 per cent! 

 alcohol, and this solution treated with sulphuretted 

 hydrogen, _ while still hot. From the filtrate from 

 lead sulphide, glycocholic acid is deposited in crystals, 

 when water is added until turbidness remains. 



Glyeoholie acid forms very fine, white needles, which 

 pressed together in a mass represent a leaf of a silky 

 lustre. It has a sweetish-bitter taste; is but slightly 

 soluble in water, easily soluble in alcohol. On evapo 

 rating its alcoholic solution, it remains behind as a 

 resinous mass. Fusible, but not volatile. Its alkaline 

 salts are easily soluble, and have a very sweet taste. 

 ITeated with sulphuric acid, and a solution of sugar, 

 it gives a violet color. 



When boiled with alkalies, glycocholic acid, takes 

 up one molecule of water, and is converted into fflyco- 

 col (p. 84), and 



Cholic acid, C 24 IP0 5 . This is obtained most 

 readily by boiling crystallized bile for several days 

 with baryta- water or potassa. Colorless, shiny octahe 

 drons, almost insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol and 

 ether. A solution of its alkali salts has a strong, bit 

 ter taste at first, afterward sweetish. It is precipi 

 tated from these solutions by acids, as a soft amor 

 phous mass, which however soon becomes crystalline, 

 especially on the addition of ether. &quot;With sulphuric 

 acid and a solution of sugar, it shows the same reac 

 tion as glycocholic acid. 



When boiled with acids, glycocholic acid is also re 

 solved into glycocol arid cholic acid, but in this case 

 the^ latter immediately undergoes a further change, 

 giving up water, and being converted into dyslisin, 

 24 H 88 0?, a grayish-white, amorphous body, not acid, 



