428 Scientific Intelligence. 
which on analysis proved to be mixtures of acetate and butyrate of sil- 
ver. The products of the fermentation of citric acid are therefore hy- 
drogen, carbonic, acetic, and butyric acids, and the decomposition may 
be represented by the equation 
4(C12Hs011, 3H0)+4HO=3(C4H402)+2(CsHs02)+20 CO2+8H. 
It is however possible that lactic acid is an intermediate product in this 
decomposition and that this acid by a further decomposition yields hy- 
drogen, butyric, and carbonic acids.—Comples Rendus, xxxvi, 
5. On the compounds of Glycerine with Acids.—Berrnetot has 
succeeded in preparing a number of compounds analogous to the natu- 
ral fats and oils, by the method employed by Pélouze and Gélis in ob- 
taining butyrine, and which is in fact identical with that commonly used 
in etherifying the fatty acids. e acid is mixed with syrupy glyce- 
rine, the mixture heated to 100° and a current of chlorhydrie acid 
passed into the liquid during several hours, the mixture being kept at 
100°: the whole is then allowed to cool in the current of gas and then 
abandoned for hours, days, or even weeks. ‘The mixture is then satu- 
rated with carbonate of soda and purified by washing. The acetic 
was found to have the formula C20oH10010. Hemipinic acid proves 
to be bibasic and is represented by the formula C20HsQ10-+' 
By the action of nitric acid upon cotarnin the author obtained the 
apophyllenic acid of Wohler, and found it to be CickIzNOs, so that 
a iffers from anthranilic acid only by 2CO2.—Journal fiir prakt. 
« Chemie. 
7. On the constitution of Mutton Tallow, Human Fat and Sper- 
macett,—HerintTz has published a continuation of his researches U 
the fatty acids and has arrived at interesting and important resulls. 
e results in the author’s words are as follows : soe 
1.) The fluid portion of mutton tallow has the same constitution a8 
the corresponding portion of human fat. It consists essentially of ole 
but contains another fluid fat in small quantity, which yields by sapop 
fication a fluid acid having a lower equivalent weight than oleic acid. 
_ (2 The solid portion of mutton tallow consists of stearin and palmi-— 
tin; by its Saponification we obtain only stearic and palmitic acids. 
-) The constitution of stearic acid is not represented by the form- 
ula CesHeceOs+2Ho, but by Cs¢eH2503-+-HO. 
4.) Stearate of soda is C26H35Qs, NaO, and the stearates of coppets 
lead, silver, magnesia and baryta, have a similar constitution and 47 
anhydrous. . 
* 
