CHAPTEE VI. 



SPECIFIC GRAVITY. 



MR. BELL, of the Somerset House Laboratory, has added a 

 very important factor to butter analysis, in pointing out that 

 the specific gravity of butter-fat is greater than the density 

 of other animal fats. 



After the fact had been freely established that butter-fat 

 contained a considerable proportion of glycerides, yielding 

 butyric and other soluble acids, it could be surmised that, 

 as the density of butyrin is greater than water, the gravity 

 of butter-fat would be greater than that of other fats. Mr. 

 Bell worked out this specific gravity test, the results being 

 given in the following tables, which are copied from a paper 

 presented to Parliament, and published in the Pharmaceu- 

 tical Journal, July 22, 1876. 



The specific gravity of the fats was taken at 100 F. in an 

 ordinary specific gravity bottle, furnished with a sensitive 

 thermometer, the mercurial portion of which extends nearly 

 the whole length of the bottle. 



Table I. Results of Analyses of Animal Fats. 



