244 E.. Uricoechea’s Chemical Examinations. 
Playfair examined the well known Mochat butter, and discov- 
ered the myristic acid in it. It was very probable that in the 
butter obtained from another plant of the same genus the same 
constituents were to be found. Having received, however, some 
Oloba, direct from New Granada, I determined to examine it. 
When fresh, the Oloba exhales, on being melted, a very unpleas- 
ant odor owing toa volatile oil. The quantity that I received, 
however, had lost a good deal of this peculiar odor. 
: oba was seen at once to be composed of different fats, 
a white one and a brownish-red, which although in close contact, 
irregularly disseminated through the mass, could easily be distin- 
guished from one another. 
To free it from impurities it was melted and filtered througha 
fine cloth, on which it left pieces of palm leaves, and a brownish- 
of course being the first to unite which have the strongest allu- 
ity. This is a very easy way of separating the fatty acids, and 
has been called “the method by fractional precipitation.” After 
the first precipitation was completely separated, in this case always 
as crystals, it was filtered and into the filtrate another poruon of 
acetate of magnesia in solution was thrown. ‘This was repeat 
until the magnesia salt gave no precipitate even after standing for 
a long time in a cool place. Then acetate of lead was substitu- 
ted; and when this, employed in excess, produced no more change, 
‘ammonia was added. In this way the different acids were s¢p@- 
* The Centigrade scale is to be understood through this paper. 
