Chemistry and Physics. 



cliini'al hydrate is easily soluble in alcohol and crystallizes lln ic- 

 fr.Mii unchanged. Its vapors are very irritatinu- t(^ mncons sui- 

 tac.s, attacking the eyes energetically. It nu-lts at 78^. Trc ar- 

 nuiit with potassium hydrate did not decompose it as it d ' > 

 I'ltinion chloral, into allyl-chloroform and formic acid. A luav y 

 oily Hiiid of peculiar odor collected at the bottom of the vessel, 

 liaviiitr the formula CaHsClg. Upon oxidation with fuming nitric 

 ac'i 1, it is converted readily into trichlorcrotonic acidi^HgClaO^. 

 -Ikr. Berl Chem. Ges., iii, 883, May, 1870. (i. f. y. 



.\ On the composition of the oil of the Palm-seed.— YuAm-oW is 

 ill! orange-colored fat obtained from a palm tree growing on 1 lie 

 West coast of Africa and called by botanists Avoira thii.-< (S\n. 

 hy<i!sc/umensis). The natives prepare it exclusively from the frui;- 

 pulp, tlie hard stone in the interior being by them thro\\ n away. 

 Within a few years, however, these nuts have been brought to !ai- 

 rope and there expressed, yielding a more or less white oil, aceord- 

 ing to the care exercised. The seeds yield from 35 to 45 per ct iit 



the palm-nut differed from palm-oil, Oubemans subjccte<l it to in- 

 vestigation. One and a half kilograms was saponified with pota>lu 

 and the fatty acids were separated from the soap with dilute sul- 

 phuric acid. Afler cooling they were removed and washed wi'Ji 

 cold water. The larger part was distilled with water in a tinned- 

 c^'pper flask, the distillate (about 4 liters) carefidly collected an.l 

 examined. It consisted of a clear liquid smelling like a volatile 

 fatty acid (A) with a small quantity of a solid fatty acid (B) swim- 

 miiig upon it. The liquid was saturated with barium hydrate, by 

 ^hich a small quantity of a difficultly soluble barium salt (i 1 

 separated. The liquid was filtered and evaporated to 50 cc. On 

 ^oohng, about a centigram of a crystalline barium salt separate.^. 

 J^hich proved to be barium caprylate. The mother liquor affor.h 1 

 '»anum caproate. The barium salt (C) was added to ^^e fattv 

 »<-'id (B) also treated with barium hydrate, the whole boilc 

 repeatedly ^v^th water and the crystalline deposits collected and 

 |;?crystallized. On analysis they proved to be barium caprate. 

 ^he caprylic, caproic, and capric acids thus obtained were not 

 more than i of one per cent of the fat. The residue in the copper 

 flask was dissolved in aqueous alcohol, cooled to crystallize the 

 tatty acids from oleic acid, the crystalline mass dissolved in alco- 

 «oi and fractionally precipitated with barium acetate In this 

 ^aj, the fat of the palm-nut was shown to be composed of glyc^ 

 endes of lauric, palmitic, stearic and oleic acids, with traces of 

 ^"<^aprin, tricaprylin, and tricaproin (perhaps also trimyristm). 

 r^^'"/J^ati.vely, Oudeniana finds the triolein to be f^ont^^'^^^ per 





1-7 and tri-laurin 41-3 per cent, c 



Ch., II, ii, 393, Dec. 1870. 

 iiRD Series, Vol. I, No. 5.- Mat, 1 



