262 Researches respecting the radical of Benzoic Acid. 
ies, by the property, first rightly investigated by Stange, of being con- 
verted in the air, by the absorption of oxygen, into an acid, into the 
benzoic acid, and which appeared to lay claim to the highest inter- 
est from the manner in which it arises from bodies apparently so 
different. Another peculiarity, which long since drew the attention 
of chemists and pharmaceutists to the oil, is its containing prussic acid, 
whose presence seems to bear fixed relations to the nature of the oil. 
Among the many researches to which these properties have given 
rise, we mention only the latest by Robiquet and Boutron-Charlard.* 
As one of the facts most worthy of remark, they observe in their es- 
say, that the fivid oil of bitter almonds, as a whole has its constituents 
in the almonds and appears to proceed from these constituents first 
by the action of water. For by the use of alcohol, it disappears 
altogether and can then in general be no more produced from the 
almonds; but in place of it they obtained a erystallizable body, 
formerly unknown to exist and which appeared to them to be the 
only cause of the peculiar bitter taste of the almonds, and one of the 
compound elements of the fluid bitter almond oil.+ 
_ We have been obliged to leave out of the limit of the present es- 
say, the consideration of the question, whether this oil exists ready 
formed in the almond, or is generated in the course of the produ- 
cing process from the fixed constituents,—and a closer examination of 
amygdalin and its connection with the supposed generation of the oil. 
The clearing up of this point must be made the subject of particular 
experiments. To fix firmly the station from which the inquiry took 
its rise, we make the general remark beforehand, that in consequence 
of our experiments, we believe that there is a body composed of 
three elements, always remaining the same in its behavior towards 
other agents, and which can be considered not alone as the radical 
of benzoic acid, but at the same time as the root perhaps with slight 
variations of a multitude of similar combinations. But here we 
* Annales de Chimie et de Physique, Vol. xliv. 352. 
t In the same essay, Messrs. Robiquet and Boutron-Charlard, express their con- 
viction of the preexistence of benzoic in hippuric acid; now the chief reason on 
which they rely is an evident error in the Annales de Chemie, V. 43. p. 197, thus 
instead of saying ‘‘ Si l’on cesse de chauffer au moment méme qu’on sent les vapeurs 
sulphureuses qu’on méle la masse noire avec de l’eau ei qu’on la fasse bouillir avec 
de la chaux, l’acide hydrochlorique en separe ensuite de acide benzoique,” it should 
read, ‘‘n’en separe point ensuite de l’acide benzoique.” 
The conclusion as drawn from the unrectified phrase, is in itself contradictory ; 
and this caused the correctness of the sentence to be questioned, which the German 
copy would have confirmed. 
