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  219 
  ) 
  

  

  XII. 
  — 
  On 
  a 
  New 
  Source 
  for 
  obtaining 
  Capric 
  Acid, 
  and 
  Remarks 
  on 
  some 
  of 
  its 
  

   Salts. 
  By 
  Mr 
  Thomas 
  Henry 
  Rowney, 
  F.C.S. 
  

  

  (Read 
  March 
  17, 
  1851.) 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  examination 
  of 
  capric 
  acid 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  its 
  salts, 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  

   the 
  laboratory 
  of 
  Dr 
  T. 
  Anderson, 
  to 
  whom 
  I 
  am 
  much 
  indebted 
  for 
  his 
  kindness 
  

   in 
  procuring 
  for 
  me 
  the 
  materials 
  to 
  work 
  upon, 
  and 
  also 
  for 
  ad\ 
  ice 
  during 
  the 
  

   progress 
  of 
  this 
  investigation. 
  Capric 
  acid 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  by 
  Chevreul 
  and 
  

   Lerch 
  in 
  the 
  butter 
  of 
  the 
  cow 
  and 
  goat 
  ; 
  by 
  Redtenbacher,* 
  amongst 
  the 
  vola- 
  

   tile 
  oily 
  acids 
  he 
  obtained 
  by 
  acting 
  on 
  oleic 
  acid 
  with 
  nitric 
  acid 
  ; 
  by 
  Gerhardt 
  

   and 
  Cahours,| 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  nitric 
  acid 
  on 
  the 
  oil 
  of 
  rue; 
  and 
  by 
  Gorgey4 
  

   in 
  cocoa-nut 
  oil 
  ; 
  — 
  from 
  all 
  these 
  sources 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  obtained 
  only 
  in 
  small 
  quan- 
  

   tities, 
  and 
  always 
  along 
  with 
  other 
  acids 
  of 
  the 
  series 
  to 
  which 
  capric 
  acid 
  

   belongs. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  present 
  paper 
  I 
  have 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  a 
  new 
  source 
  for 
  obtaining 
  it, 
  namely, 
  

   the 
  fousel 
  oil 
  or 
  grain 
  oil 
  of 
  the 
  Scotch 
  distilleries. 
  The 
  principal 
  constituents 
  of 
  

   grain 
  oil 
  are 
  water, 
  alcohol, 
  and 
  the 
  hydrated 
  oxide 
  of 
  amyl. 
  The 
  proportions 
  of 
  

   these 
  constituents 
  vary 
  in 
  the 
  oils 
  obtained 
  from 
  different 
  distilleries 
  ; 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  

   it 
  is 
  soluble 
  in 
  water, 
  and 
  then 
  consists 
  chiefly 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  alcohol, 
  with 
  a 
  sma^l 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  the 
  hydrated 
  oxide 
  of 
  amyl 
  ; 
  generally, 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  oily 
  liquid 
  lighter 
  than, 
  

   and 
  insoluble 
  in, 
  water. 
  Besides 
  the 
  three 
  above-mentioned 
  constituents, 
  other 
  

   compounds 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  it 
  in 
  small 
  quantities. 
  Mulder 
  § 
  found 
  cenanthic 
  

   acid, 
  and 
  Kolbe|| 
  found 
  margaric 
  acid. 
  In 
  the 
  oil 
  examined 
  by 
  myself, 
  an 
  acid 
  

   was 
  found, 
  which 
  analysis 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  capric 
  acid. 
  In 
  what 
  state 
  it 
  exists 
  

   in 
  the 
  oil, 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  say, 
  but 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  most 
  probable 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  com- 
  

   bination 
  with 
  the 
  hydrated 
  oxide 
  of 
  amyl. 
  

  

  To 
  obtain 
  the 
  capric 
  acid, 
  the 
  grain 
  oil 
  was 
  distilled 
  with 
  a 
  thermometer 
  

   placed 
  in 
  the 
  tubulure 
  of 
  the 
  retort, 
  and 
  the 
  distillate 
  collected 
  in 
  separate 
  re- 
  

   ceivers. 
  The 
  first 
  portion 
  consisted 
  of 
  water, 
  alcohol, 
  and 
  the 
  hydrated 
  oxide 
  of 
  

   amyl 
  ; 
  the 
  second 
  portion 
  was 
  the 
  hydrated 
  oxide 
  of 
  amyl, 
  and 
  a 
  dark-coloured 
  

   residue 
  was 
  left. 
  This 
  residue 
  was 
  oily, 
  it 
  had 
  a 
  very 
  disagreeable 
  smell, 
  and 
  

   was 
  insoluble 
  in 
  water 
  and 
  KO, 
  C0 
  2 
  , 
  even 
  when 
  boiled 
  with 
  a 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  

   latter 
  ; 
  when 
  boiled 
  with 
  a 
  strong 
  solution 
  of 
  caustic 
  potassa 
  it 
  is 
  rendered 
  so- 
  

   luble 
  in 
  water. 
  Whilst 
  boiling, 
  a 
  strong 
  smell 
  of 
  the 
  hydrated 
  oxide 
  of 
  amyl 
  is 
  

  

  * 
  Journal 
  of 
  the 
  Chemical 
  Society, 
  Part 
  19. 
  J 
  Annalen 
  de 
  Chemie 
  und 
  Pharraacie, 
  Band 
  56. 
  

   f 
  Annales 
  de 
  Chemie 
  et 
  de 
  Physique, 
  3d 
  § 
  Liebeg's 
  Annalen, 
  Bd. 
  24, 
  p. 
  248. 
  

   Series, 
  Tome 
  24. 
  \\ 
  Idem, 
  Bd. 
  41, 
  p. 
  35. 
  

  

  VOL. 
  XX. 
  PART 
  II. 
  3 
  N 
  

  

  