246 COMPOSITION AND PRODUCTS OF 



am able to advance another fact stronger than either of the 

 above augmenting this difference. 



Dumas and Stass have shown that if athal be acted upon by 

 potash at a temperature of from 410° to 428° Fah., an acid is 

 the result, which acid they called atlmlic acid — the same that 

 has been shown to result from the saponification of spermaceti, 

 where the same alkali was employed, but at a much lower tem- 

 perature. The action then of potash upon spermaceti, assisted 

 by the proper temperatures, is to produce but one body, athalic 

 acid, which circumstance would hardly take place were sperma- 

 ceti composed of two or more proximate principles. We have 

 no similar example among the fats. 



Although cholesterine does not undergo any change by the 

 action of a solution of potash at 212° Fah., still the analogy 

 between it and the spermaceti may exist, for it must be ob- 

 served that cholesterine, having an atomic weight of more 

 than one half that of spermaceti, contains only one atom of 

 oxygen, and not sufficient to give rise to an acid without the 

 aid of an additional quantity; and it is probable that if choles- 

 terine be treated with an alkali at a high temperature, that an 

 acid similar to athalic acid would be the result, for then oxygen 

 would be furnished from the water of the hydrated alkali. 



For the above reasons spermaceti should be considered a 

 simple organic substance, having, as already shown, for its 

 composition C 64 H 64 4 . The action of an alkali upon it 

 produces a decomposition, which may be represented thus: 



Anhydrous athalic acid in combination with ) ^ tt ~ 

 the alkali }C 32 H 3 i03 



And hydrated athal, its atom of water being "j 



obtained from the alkali in combination j- C32 H33 -f- HO 

 with the athalic acid J 



Spermaceti, plus one atom of water Cg4 He4 O4 -f HO 



Under the head of the distillation of spermaceti the decom- 

 position brought about by the action of heat was shown to be 

 represented thus : 



Hydrated athalic acid C32 H32 O4 



Ceten C32 H32 



Spermaceti C64 He4 O4 



