204 Scientific Proceedings^ Royal Dublin Society. 



acid, cooling, diluting with water, and adding excess of ammonia ; the 

 .uon-development of a reddish-brown colour showed that the substance did 

 not contain resin. 



By the action of sulphuric acid on the cold saturated solution of the 

 wax in acetic auliydride, the play of colours, characteristic of cholesterin, 

 was not obtained. 



The percentage by weight of the acid in the wax was determined by 

 neutralization with alcoholic potash, addition of pure dry sand, evaporation 

 to dryness, and extraction of the unsaponifiable portion by warm, low- 

 boiling petroleum-ether in a Soxhlet apparatus. 



A. 2 grammes Montana Wax gave 0-9410 grm. of unsaponifiable matter, 



equivalent to 47'05 per cent. 



B. '2 grammes Montana Was gave 0'9382 grm. unsaponifiable matter, 



equivalent to 46'91 per cent. 



The mean (47) of the two experiments is taken as the percentage of 

 unsaponifiable matter in Montana Wax, aud the percentage of acid is therefore 

 53. The unsaponifiable portion, extracted as described above, was found to 

 be free from potassium salts. 



The Acid Number of the wax being 73'3, and the percentage of " free 

 acid " in it being 53, it follows that the Acid Number of the " free acid " in 

 the wax must be 138-3, and its molecular weight 406, assuming the acid to 

 be monobasic. Following von Boyen, we shall call tlie crude acid of 

 Montana Wax, Montanic Acid. 



Moiitanic; Acid. — As it seemed probable that tlie crude acid constituent of 

 Montana Wax was a mixture of two or more acids, inasmuch as the molecular 

 weight, 406, would correspond to a formula — O27H51O2 — containing an uneven 

 number of carbon atoms in the molecule, whereas tlie higher-saturated fatty 

 acids, which occur naturally, such as Arachidic, Behenic, Lignocerio, Cerotie, 

 and Melissic Acids, all contain even numbers of carbon atoms in their 

 molecules, we separated the potassium-salts of the acids from the sand by 

 extracting with hot water, and decomposed the resulting soap solution by 

 addition of a slight excess of dilute hydrochloric acid. The separated fatty 

 acid was neutralized with potash, evaporated to dryness, and exhausted with 

 petroleum-ether. The regenerated acid was dissolved in absolute alcohol (hot), 

 decolorized with animal charcoal, and filtered. The Montanic Acid, which 

 crystallized on cooling the alcoholic solution, was filtered, washed with 

 absolute alcohol and anhydrous ether, aud then dried in a steam-oven. It 

 melted sharply at 83° C, had an Acid Number of 13r6, corresponding to a 



