ON THE PRESENCE OF FUSEL OIL IN BEEE. 241 



Molecular weight of (C 5 H 9 O,) 2 Ba + 2 OH 2 = 375 



1 part of ditto =«5 44 C 5 H X1 H0 



1 part of Ba SO, = '7553 5 H tl HO 

 In the case of Marquarclt's process for brandies and whiskies : 

 1 part of (C 5 H 9 O a ) 2 Ba contains -4513 Ba 

 Whereas 



1 part of (Co H 5 0) 2 Ba contains *674 Ba O 



Fusel oil or f ousel oil, Fr. Huile depommes de terre, Qer.fuselol 

 derived from the Greek <f>cw, I produce, alluding to its production 

 or generation in and during the act of distillation and not merely 

 to its eduction or mere separation from a liquid in which it is 

 already present. I may say that I have very strong grounds for 

 saying that this is not so, and that fusel oil is not a mere creature 

 of the distilling process \ but that it existed in the wash before 

 distillation took place. However that may be, I will give a short 

 description of what fusel oil is and would refer my hearers to the 

 many published accounts of this liquid. 



The compound known as fusel oil is a complex oily liquid 

 possessing a powerful sickly odour, producing nausea, coughing, 

 irritation and headache when inhaled, and having a biting fiery 

 taste. It occurs in the residues, the faints,* of the distillation or 

 rectification of all kinds of spirit, such as cane spirit, brandy, 

 potato, rye, maize, and other grain spirit, from the marc of grapes 

 and from the fermentation of sugar and glucose. 



I desire it to be stated that I am not the first discoverer of 

 fusel oil in beer, and that a paper appeared in the Comptes Rendus 

 96 [19] 1368— 1370 by J. A. Le Bel, who shows that amylic 

 alcoholf is a product of the fermentation of beer. It has also 

 been shown in Germany that when impure saccharum was used 

 in brewing, that fusel oil was developed. In the Rep. Anal. 

 Chem. 5, 188, a case is cited where a brewer was fined for allowing 

 fusel oil to appear in his beer, and where it is stated that the 

 fusel oil "may under certain circumstances prove injurious to 

 health." 



Toxic action of fusel oil. 



The administration of a quantity estimated at not more than £ 

 grain kills frogs. One minim sufficed to kill three blowflies. One 

 minim killed a minnow. Two minims was found fatal to guinea 

 pigs. Sixty grains of fusel oil was given to a dog. The effect 

 was instantaneous, producing muscular paralysis of the hinder legs 

 with drunkenness, giddiness and stupor. In a few minutes the 

 animal was quite unable to stand on its legs and rolled about on 



* Faints contain over 60 per cent, amylic alcohol. 



f Named amylic alcohol by Cahours, from amylum starch. 



