STEARIN. 227 



sistent. The presence of some soap causes a very fine and permanent 

 emulsion to form easily. Fat produces spots on paper which do not 

 disappear; it is not volatile; it boils at about 300 C. with partial decom- 

 position, and burns with a luminous and smoky flame. The fatty acids 

 have most of the above-mentioned properties in common with the neutral 

 fats, but differ from them in being soluble in alcohol-ether, in having 

 an acid reaction, and by not giving the acrolein test. The neutral fats 

 generate a strong irritating vapor of acrolein, due to the decomposition 

 of glycerin, C 3 H 5 (OH) 3 2H 2 O = C 3 H 3 .CHO, when heated alone, or 

 more easily when heated with potassium bisulphate or with other 

 dehydrating substances. 



The neutral fats may be split by the addition of the constituents of 

 water according to the following equation: 



This splitting may be produced by the pancreatic enzyme and 

 other enzymes occurring in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, 

 for example, the castor lipase. As shown by POTTEVIN and DIETZ l 

 the reverse action, namely, the synthesis of fatty acid esters, can be 

 brought about by enzymes, such as pancreatic lipase. The cleavage 

 of the neutral fats can also be accomplished by superheated steam or by 

 dilute acids. We most frequently decompose the neutral fats by boil- 

 ing them with not too concentrated caustic alkali, or, still better (in 

 biochemical researches), with an alcoholic potash solution or with sodium 

 alcoholate. By this procedure, which is called saponification, the alkali 

 salts of the fatty acids (soaps) are formed. If the saponification is 

 made with lead oxide, then lead plaster, the lead salt of the fatty acids, 

 is produced. By saponification is to be understood not only the cleavage 

 of neutral fats by alkalies, but also the splitting of neutral fats into fatty 

 acids and glycerin in general. 



On keeping fats for a long time in contact with air they undergo a 

 change, becoming yellow in color and acid in reaction, and they develop 

 an unpleasant odor and taste, becoming rancid. In this change a part 

 of the fat is split into fatty acids and glycerin, and then an oxidation 

 of the free fatty acids takes place, producing volatile bodies of an 

 unpleasant odor. 



The three most important fats of the animal kingdom are stearin, 

 palmitin, and olein. 



CH 2 .O.C 18 H 35 



Stearin, or tristearin, C 6 7H 1 ioO 6 , = CH.O.Ci8H 35 O, occurs especially in 

 _ CH 2 .O.C 18 H 35 _ 



1 Pottevin, Compt. rend., 138, and Bull. soc. chim. (3), 35; Dietz, Zeitschr. f. 

 physiol. Chem., 52. 



