FATTY ACIDS. 75 



Prepared from this by boiling with an alcoholic solu- 

 tion of potassa. A wax-like mass, fusing at 79. 



13. Myricyl alcohol, C 30 H 62 0. Is contained in Car- 

 nauba wax (from the leaves of Copernica cerifera) and as 

 myricyl palmitate in beeswax. Separated by means of 

 caustic potassa, it forms a crystalline mass, fusing at 

 85. 



C. MONOBASIC, MONATOMIC ACIDS, OH 2W 2 (FATTY 

 ACIDS). 



The acids of this series are formed in general terms 

 by oxidizing the primary alcohols, the group CH 2 .OH 

 being hereby converted into CO. OH (carboxyl), and by 

 heating the alcoholic cyanides (nitriles) with caustic 

 potassa, the cyanogen group (GfT) being transformed 

 into COOH, and nitrogen in the form of ammonia being 

 given off. The first member of the series is the hydro- 

 gen compound of carboxyl H.CO.OH ; the homologous 

 members, C 2 H 4 2 = GERCOOH, C 3 H 6 2 =C 2 H 5 .CO.OH, 

 etc., must be considered as derivatives of the marsh 

 gas hydrocarbons, formed by the displacement of an 

 atom of hydrogen by the monovalent group, COOH. 

 In regard to the isomeric compounds that are possible 

 in connection with the individual members of the 

 series, the remarks made under the head of alcohols 

 are here equally applicable. Each hydrocarbon can 

 yield just as many monobasic acids (carboxyl-deriva- 

 tives) of different constitution, as it can form mona- 

 tomic alcohols (hydroxyl-derivatives). Hence only 

 one acid of the composition of each of the three first 

 members of the series can exist. Of the fourth 

 member, C 4 H 8 2 =C 3 H 7 . COOH, two differently consti- 

 tuted varieties are possible, CH 3 .CH 2 .CH 2 .COOH and 



CH.CO.OH; of the fifth member, C 5 H 10 2 = 



C 4 H 9 .CO.OH, four varieties are possible; of the sixth 

 member, C 6 H 12 2 ^ C 5 H n .CO.OH, eight, etc. 



